ALIEN: HARD-HEADS
Disclaimer: The ALIEN Franchise and all related characters wherein are the intellectual property of 20th Century Fox.
UPDATED 04/26/2017 - I have fixed some spelling errors found throughout the chapter.
CHAPTER 03: DARK DISCOVERY
DATE: AUGUST 15th, 2137
THE MINE, LEVEL C
Inside the mine's main personnel elevator, five men were wearing pressurized space suits. The gloves were thick like hockey pads, but just dexterous enough to handle objects, and the helmets had small lights on top of them. The boots had small magnets on them that could be turned on or off, and there were air supply systems attached to the back of each suit. Three of the suits were yellow in color, while two were blue. As the elevator doors opened, the five men inside stared out into the cavern in front of them, the headlights from their suits showing the way. There were light poles spread out along the wall of the cavern, with air hoses and gas tanks set up at various points along the way.
There was also a sealed communications shack set up nearby, with several gas canisters and racks of tools lined up next to it, along with what looked like spare suits inside an open closet in the shack. The shack had a small airlock section in it, large enough for two people wearing suits at maximum. There was a large bundle of cables connected between the shack and the main facility, and a bundle of cables and hoses connected between the shack and a series of large gas canisters. "Okay, remember to keep the tow line connected at all times," Eastman said through his suit's radio.
"Yay. More tow lines," Garfield grumbled sarcastically. "What was that?" Marcus asked him. "I asked how strong the tow line is," Garfield lied. "Strong enough," Eastman said.
"How long is each tow line?" Garfield asked. "Three dozen meters. We never unspool the entire line at once, though. Each line usually still has a few meters left coiled," Lewis Fairbank, a miner, explained to him.
"These cable hooks won't break on the line, will they?" Garfield asked them. "They haven't failed us yet," Eastman said as the men began walking forward into the mine. They soon came across a handful of miners gathered around the air station, with one of them having their suit connected to a large canister via an industrial strength hose.
"So, you still have people working out here?" Garfield asked Marcus as they entered the junction between tunnels C-01, C-02, and C-03.
"For now," Marcus replied as they passed the miners and entered tunnel C-03. "Most of them are just finishing up on the marked areas for digging just up ahead. Everything after that is off-limits until we can figure out what to do about the ship," Eastman added as they unhooked from the main tow line and then attached their safety hooks to the tow line for the tunnel.
"How many levels does this ship take up in the mine?" Bowman asked them. "This level and part of level B," Marcus said. "It doesn't reach into any marked areas on level B, but it's close enough in proximity that we'll have to close down one of the tunnels soon," Eastman said.
"Bummer," Bowman said. "Yeah. Less of a haul for the next shipment," Fairbank said. "Well, we saw that you guys have a cargo hauler up on the surface. You must be reaching the quota for the next shipment, right?" Bowman asked. "Yeah, but our concern will be for the shipments scheduled after this one," Marcus said.
"How so?" Bowman asked him. "The area taken up by the ship could've supplied us for two more shipments of ore and other metals," he replied. "Oh," Bowman said in understanding.
The group kept walking down the tunnel, eventually arriving at the large drill machine and the hole in the wall. Garfield looked at the glowing rods that had been set up near the entrance to the ship's interior. "Those lights won't affect any gases or chemical compounds in the ship, will they?" Garfield asked.
"No," Eastman said confidently as the men walked closer to the hole. Despite the blue glow of the light rods, the area still felt dark, and as the details of the interior became more apparent, a feeling of unease began to settle in a couple of them. Bowman felt a sensation tingling up his spine as he walked closer to the hole.
"Who wants to go first?" Marcus asked. Garfield stepped forward wordlessly, keeping his tow line secured as he entered the ship. Eastman was right behind him, following closely. Marcus stepped forward next, before he stopped and looked back at Bowman. "Bowman?" Marcus asked curiously.
"I... I'm coming," Bowman said, swallowing the sudden sensation of fear that crept through him as he walked closer to the hole. "That's a big boy," Marcus said humorously as Bowman walked next to him, stepping inside the ship and looking around at the interior. The walls held a bone-like feel to them on all sides, reminding Bowman of a rib-cage. The entire corridor looked and felt as though it were an endless rib-cage winding through a large animal.
"What is this?" Bowman asked quietly as he reached a gloved hand out and placed it against the wall, moving up and down on the surface. He looked around and saw more light rods posted meters apart from each other throughout the hallway. "I thought you guys didn't have any people in here?" Bowman asked, knowing that those rods hadn't been placed by machinery.
"Just a few yards have been explored so far. We had to collect samples," Marcus explained as he walked up behind Bowman. Fairbank brought up the rear as he held a large heavy-duty flashlight in his hands, along with a portable air supply and hose, with a small maintenance kit.
"Let's keep moving," Marcus said to Bowman as he walked after the other two men ahead of them. Looking around, Bowman still couldn't shake the sense of unease that crept through him and tingled his senses. Something felt wrong in this ship. Something felt very wrong.
Meanwhile, up ahead, Garfield and Eastman slowly made their way through the eerie and organic corridors of the vessel. Several minutes passed as the men moved forward, until they eventually entered a junction with three routes branching off. At the near-left corner of the junction was a small air supply station, essentially a folding bench with some air canisters and hoses, along with several bundles of tow lines and stakes for the lines. "This is as far as we've come so far. Up ahead to our left is a ramp of sorts, but there's a door blocking the way," Eastman said as he pointed to the left, showing a single light rod planted up ahead.
"A door?" Garfield asked him. "Yeah, at least we think it's a door," Marcus said. "Have you opened it yet?" Garfield asked them. "Not yet. It's sealed pretty tight, and we don't know what's inside. If there's an atmosphere beyond that door, it could be thousands of years old, untouched by outside forces. What we've been hoping to do at some point is perhaps get an archeological team in here, maybe use specialized equipment and take samples from what's inside there," Marcus said.
"Yeah. Exposing what's in there to our... atmosphere, or lack thereof, could have any number of negative effects on it. If we can keep what's there intact, we think it may be worth the wait," Marcus finished explaining. "You guys don't have specialized equipment of your own?" Garfield asked them questioningly.
"Our probes only went as far as the open corridors would allow. Most of the halls or tunnels in here are open and connected to each other, and even areas that aren't easily accessed have some holes that the probes could fit through to reach the other side, but some areas are still sealed off completely, leaving them unmapped," Eastman explained to him. "We don't know what kind of gases might be inside those areas, or how they might react to our equipment breaking through. A single spark from one piece of metal could potentially destroy this thing," he finished.
"Well... that's certainly a reason to wait until more delicate equipment can be used," Garfield conceded, nodding his head in agreement with their decision. The group was silent for a few minutes as Garfield looked around, reaching out and touching the walls before slowly walking up the path mentioned earlier. Eastman and Marcus followed him, while Bowman and Fairbank stayed behind.
Garfield slowly walked up a slightly curved path, shining the light from his helmet onto the walls as he moved, focusing on the lone light rod in the distance. He stopped walking as he waited for Marcus and Eastman to catch up to him. Looking back at them, he waited until they were only a foot away to ask an important question.
"How exactly do you know that the blockage up there is a door?" he asked them. "Our probes and scanners found that it's only so thick, and the area immediately beyond it is hollow," Eastman explained. "You guys are supposed to have special equipment of your own for drilling. I think you can use it for investigating this... ship," Garfield said as he realized just how organic the interior seemed to be, almost forgetting that he was inside a space-faring vessel and not the belly of a large organism.
"Well, as you just said, our equipment is for drilling... through rock and stone and other known elements and substances. This, on the other hand..." Eastman said, trailing off. "This isn't something that we expected to find. The surveys that our company conducted on this moon gave no indication that there was anything other than the usual content of a resource-rich moon," Marcus added.
"Yeah. At least ten different locations on this moon were surveyed before anyone started setting up drilling platforms or mining stations anywhere," Eastman said. "Our equipment isn't designed for delicate archeological study, and this is something that requires delicate archeological studying by archeologists," Marcus said. Garfield closed his eyes and processed what he'd just been told.
When Garfield opened his eyes, he looked at Marcus. "Okay. I see your point," Garfield said reluctantly. "Let's check out the other areas that have been mapped and then head back to the station. We can begin negotiating your... bonuses after that," Garfield said. Marcus and Eastman both smiled in response. "You know what? I think I'm starting to like you," Marcus said to Garfield, who rolled his eyes in response.
Meanwhile, back at the junction, Bowman was holding a conversation with Fairbank. "And then it just stopped working," Fairbank said. "Just like Diego predicted?" Bowman asked him in response. "Yup. So we turned it over and sure enough, when Yoshida opened the front panel, we found that the batteries had corroded inside of it, just like Diego said."
"Well, that's what happens when you let batteries sit for too long after they expire," Bowman said. The muffled sound of foot steps soon caught Bowman's attention, and he turned to look at the three men who had returned from their brief trek. "Come on, we're gonna check out the rest the explored sections," Marcus said. Bowman sighed inside his suit and reluctantly began following the others, with Fairbank walking behind him.
THE OPERATIONS CENTER
"The load is secure. Weight check is finished and we'll be ready whenever you guys give us the go-ahead!" the pilot of the cargo hauler that was topside said over the comm-link. "Duly noted," Elliot said as he looked at the message on the terminal in front of him. "Message has been received," Elliot said as he looked at the data contained within the message. "You may prepare for take-off," Elliot said. "Preparing for dust off. We'll be back in a few months for the next haul. See ya then!" the pilot chirped before ending the transmission.
Elliot leaned back back and removed the headset before setting it down on the keyboard. He looked over at the empty chair by the communications terminal, just as the door opened and Martin entered the room. "Are you finally done in the bathroom?" Elliot asked him. "Yeah, for now," Martin replied as he sat back down at his station.
"So, is the cargo away?" Martin asked him. "They're just leaving," Elliot replied as he pointed to the monitor showing the video feed of the ship as it began lifting itself off of the ground. "And our next paycheck is secured," Martin said with a grin. "Right on," Elliot said with a smile of his own.
THREE HOURS LATER...
"Fifty percent," Marcus said firmly. "Twenty-five percent," Garfield said with equal firmness in his voice. "Hey, we found the damn thing, and that means we have claim to it," Marcus retorted. "Thirty-five percent," Garfield said. "Fifty percent. Take it, or we keep the ship for ourselves or give it to someone else. It was found with our equipment, and explored by our workers. Nothing that's being used down here is owned or made by Weyland-Yutani," Marcus said, glaring at Garfield.
"He's got a point," Bowman said to Garfield, who simply glared at him in response. Despite his unwillingness to give someone so much money, Garfield knew that he couldn't allow the opportunity to go to waste. He had to grab the Engineer ship for the company. Any monetary loss made by paying the miners a large bonus would easily be offset by the profits made from further research and reverse engineering of the technology found within.
"Fine. Fifty percent of all prior hauls plus the payment for the current outgoing haul combined," Garfield said with a grimace on his face. "See? I knew we could sort things out like civilized adults," Marcus said with a smile. "I will... begin the process of calculating the transaction after we return to Thedus," Garfield said as he began to stand up.
"No. You're going to do it here, and you're going to sign a form, with signatures from witnesses to confirm it. There will be no chance of lost or forgotten deals," Marcus said firmly. Garfield sucked in a breath and seethed through his teeth. "Very well," he said through gritted teeth as he sat down. "Elliot, please go retrieve and print out the requisite form. Make any necessary changes to reflect our current circumstances, and then bring it here. Then, we'll have the form copied," Marcus said.
"Right away, sir," Elliot said before he walked over to a computer terminal next to a printer and began his task. "You don't have an office?" Garfield asked him. "I do, but I prefer being in here where I can oversee everything," Marcus replied. "Of course you do," Garfield said dryly.
A couple minutes later, Elliot returned with a printed document. "Alright, you just need to sign your name on the line, and then the rest of us will add our witness signatures," Elliot said as he laid the paper in front of Garfield. "I don't have anything to write with," Garfield said.
"Here," Elliot said as he retrieved a pen from his breast pocket. "Use this," he added as he handed the pen to Garfield, who took it quickly before uncapping it and moving the pen towards the line. "Read the document first," Marcus said before Garfield touched the paper.
Garfield looked over the paper. "Read it out loud, please. I insist," Marcus said firmly. Garfield glared at him before reading the document out loud, finally signing his name after finishing. "Are you happy now?" Garfield asked him as he gave the pen back to Elliot, who then signed the paper. "I've never been happier," Marcus replied with a smirk as Elliot gave the pen to him so that he could sign the document. Marcus then gave the pen to Bowman, who signed his name as well. Bowman then gave the pen to Eastman, and so on, until everyone in the room had signed the document.
"Elliot, please make copies of this for us," Marcus said. Elliot grabbed the paper and made his way back over to the printer before scanning the document and saving an electronic version of it on the computer. He then began the copying process. "God damn it," Garfield muttered under his breath as he watched Elliot perform his task, his sole consolation being that the Engineer ship would soon be in the hands of Weyland-Yutani.
"Now, let's send this message to your corporate office on Thedus," Marcus said, grinning at his victory. "Bowman, please assist them in sending this message to our office on Thedus," Garfield said. "Wait, you're the executive. Won't there be passwords that only you know about?" Bowman asked him. "Not for this. Just send it on the usual relay that you've used in the past when transmitting from here," Garfield told him.
Bowman did as he was told and made his way over to a computer, with Elliot and Martin assisting him in retrieving the electronic file and attaching it to an e-mail to send to the corporate office on Thedus. The message would piggyback off of several relay satellites throughout the systems in the Outer Veil region, but it would ultimately reach its destination within a week or two. Making sure that the message was encrypted, Bowman sent the file on its way.
"And we're off to the races," Bowman said. "Huh?" Martin asked him. "Sorry, I just... I've always wanted to say that," Bowman explained with a shrug as he stood up and walked away from the computer terminal.
"Well, with that settled, how about we spread the word," Marcus said, smiling.
ONE HOUR LATER...
Marcus had called all of the station's personnel to the operations center over the intercom system. Thirty miners and thirteen administrative staff were now looking at him expectantly, while two Weyland-Yutani employees stared at him, one with contempt, and the other in mild curiosity. "Alright, people. I've called all of you in here because I have an important announcement to make," Marcus said with a grin as he sat on the edge of the main table.
Marcus then allowed a brief period of silence, expecting someone to raise a hand and ask him about his announcement. Instead, everyone simply remained quiet. "Nobody... wants to take a guess?" Marcus asked them. "Oh, you didn't ask us to take a guess," one miner, Akiho Yoshida, said.
"Okay, take a guess," Marcus said. Yoshida then proceeded to scratch her chin in thought, while Robert Diego raised his right hand. "Does it have something to do with the ship we found?" Diego asked. "Yes, Diego. It's related to the ship," Marcus replied.
"Are we going to continue exploring the inside of it?" Yoshida finally asked. "Well, perhaps, but for now... Mister Garfield over here, an executive of the Weyland-Yutani Company, has agreed to ensure that we all receive a nice healthy bonus for our discovery," Marcus said with satisfaction as he scanned the room, taking in everyone's reactions. "How big of a bonus?" another miner, Elton Sanchez, asked him.
"Fifty percent of all prior hauls, plus our current outgoing haul... combined," Marcus said, causing everyone's eyes to widen and jaws to drop. "A-Are you... serious?" Burns asked him in disbelief. "Absolutely," Marcus replied.
"You aren't lying to make us work harder, are you?" Jeff Green asked him. "He's not lying," Bowman said from where he was standing. "We just sent the message to the corporate office on Thedus. The agreement was signed by Mister Garfield, with witness signatures by myself and all other personnel present in the room at the time it was signed," Bowman explained.
Slowly, the realization began to dawn on the miners and other staff... and there was much rejoicing. Grins broke out on once stoic faces, and laughs of surprise and joy escaped grease-covered lips and cheeks. "All right!" one miner, Michael Estevez, cried out in jubilation. Everyone began to celebrate the reality of their financial victory.
Marcus watched as the miners and other staff cheered and hollered for a few minutes, before standing up from his "seat" and raising his arms to hush everyone. "Alright, settle down, people. Settle down," Marcus said. "Before we get too carried away, let's go over a few things. Now, this bonus ain't gonna reach any of us for a while, so don't go blowing your bank accounts," Marcus continued.
"And... since our current haul is still on its way, that means we won't receive anything until it's been calculated and added, and that's going to take a couple weeks as well. So... I know that you're all eager to celebrate, but keep in mind that the bonus isn't in our hands yet," Marcus finished. "Now, that being said, I don't think there's any reason to not have a little fun," he said after a minute.
"Can we head down to the colony?" one miner, Beatrice Walker, asked him. "As long as you watch your spending, I don't see a problem," Marcus replied. "Burns, how soon can you get the other shuttle ready?" Marcus asked the pilot. "Um, can you have Shore do it? I'm still busy doing maintenance on the other shuttle," Burns replied.
"Okay. Vernon, would you be willing to take these men and women out to Dalia for some well-earned celebratory vacation time?" Marcus asked the other pilot. "Uh, sure," Vernon replied nonchalantly. "Is the other shuttle okay to fly?" Yoshida asked.
"It should be. I mean, we finished doing maintenance on it a week ago," Rains said from the corner of the room. "It's the primary shuttle that's currently in dry-dock," Milo added. "We won't need both shuttles to transport everyone to the colony?" another miner, Calvin Gordon, asked them. "Of course not. Both shuttles are rated for heavy duty mining usage. The secondary shuttle can easily carry everyone in this room," Rains replied.
"Well, not everybody is going to be leaving for Dalia," Marcus said. "Huh?" "Say that again?" several miners asked him in confusion. "The main administrative staff will remain here," Marcus explained. "Um, shouldn't at least one member of the medical staff go with them?" Charles Morris, the assistant physician, asked with a hopeful tone.
"Elliot?" Marcus asked, turning his head. "I should be able to handle things on my own. After all, I'll only be looking after eleven administrative staff... and two outsiders," Elliot replied, glancing over at Bowman and Garfield. "Well, I guess that means you get to join them," Marcus said to Morris.
"Um, just how much time are you giving us for this vacation?" Yoshida asked. "How about... five to seven days?" Marcus replied. "Can we really go that long before returning to the mine?" Diego asked. "As long as you all have your time-clocks sorted out, and all of the non-essential equipment is returned to its proper location, you guys can have a standard week on the colony," Marcus said in response.
"Just remember, though, watch what you spend, and no gambling. You hear me? Jones?" Marcus asked as he focused his attention on one miner in particular, who shrank away from the man's gaze. "Jones?" Marcus asked again. "Right. N-No gambling. None at all," Veronica Jones said sheepishly in acknowledgement of Marcus's orders.
"Good. Now, I want all of you to make sure that your equipment in the mine is put away properly, unplug and lock down anything that has to stay where it is until you return, and make sure that all suits are put away when you're done," Marcus said firmly. "When that's finished, get yourselves cleaned up, put on some casual clothes, and get some shut eye. You all get to leave at..." Marcus turned to look at one of the digital clocks on the wall, displaying the various times and time zones for the moon and the colony.
"You get to leave tomorrow morning, twelve hours from now. So, go do your chores, and then you can have the rest of the week to yourselves," Marcus said with a smirk. The miners all nodded their heads with enthusiasm as they departed for their stations and quarters, except for four of them. Jeff Green, Bill Eastman, Vince Hoffman, and Lewis Fairbank had all stayed behind.
"Is something wrong?" Marcus asked the four miners as the rest of the station's administrative staff began to filter out of the room, returning to their stations. "Um, is is okay if we just stay here?" Green asked him. "Sure. You can stay, but just keep in mind that you won't be able to leave for the colony after the shuttle departs," Marcus replied. "I'll keep that in mind. I don't like traveling through space anyway, though," Green said.
"And what about the rest of you?" Marcus asked curiously. "I'd like to stay behind and continue mapping a few more parts of that ship's interior. There's also some equipment that's in there that will need to be checked on periodically," Eastman explained. "Well, I guess it's good for you that Green has decided to stay. After all, no one is allowed outside by themself," Marcus said.
"Now, what about you two?" Marcus asked Hoffman and Fairbank. "If it's all the same, we'd just rather stay here," Hoffman said. "Besides, I have a card game planned for the seventeenth with Hansen and Kendricks," Hoffman said, referring to Steven Kendricks and Mick Hansen, two of the station's security officers, both of whom held the rank of deputy.
"Hey, this could be your only chance in a long while to get some fresh non-recycled air," Martin quipped from his chair. "Fresh air is overrated," Hoffman replied sarcastically. Martin shrugged in response. "Suit yourself," Martin added.
Meanwhile, Marcus had turned his attention to Bowman and Garfield. "So, with this taken care of, I suppose you'll both be leaving for Thedus soon?" Marcus asked them. Bowman opened his mouth to speak, before Garfield cut him off... again.
"Actually, we'll be staying another day or two," Garfield said. Bowman glanced at Garfield and tilted his head in confusion. "We will?" Bowman asked the older man.
"Yes, Mister Bowman. I'd personally like to go back inside the ship tomorrow and take a closer look at the sections we explored earlier today," Garfield said. Bowman raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing as he nodded his head.
"You didn't get enough of the creepy ship earlier?" Marcus asked Garfield. "Well, since you are signing it over to Weyland-Yutani, I think it's only appropriate that a more thorough inspection by said company's employees be conducted," Garfield replied. Marcus was silent for a moment as he processed Garfield's words, slowly nodding his head in agreement with the man.
"Alright," Marcus said, "I see your point. But, you aren't allowed to go out alone." Garfield looked at Marcus quizzically. "No one enters the mine alone. Everyone goes in pairs. If something goes wrong with your suit or your equipment, someone else needs to be there with you," Marcus explained. Garfield nodded his head in understanding.
"Safety first," Marcus said. "And with that in mind," he added, "I think you two should go see Elliot in the Medical Bay. Get a free checkup. If you cooperate, he might give you a lollipop."
THE MEDICAL BAY...
Elliot looked over all of the provisions that were in the travel bag he was helping Morris prepare. "Elliot, you're acting like a father sending his son off to summer camp," Morris said half-jokingly. Elliot looked up at Morris and frowned.
"I take my role as primary health care provider very seriously, Morris. And you should too," Elliot said sternly. Morris sighed and shook his head at Elliot.
"There are going to be clinics down on the colony, Elliot. I don't need an entire station's worth of medical supplies with me," Morris said. "At most, I'll probably just need some spare bandages and an extra First Aid kit," he added.
Elliot closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Very well," he said reluctantly. Stepping away from the bag, he allowed Morris to begin removing unnecessary items, such as a stethoscope and a few surgical instruments. Morris looked at Elliot questioningly after picking up the surgical instruments. Elliot simply responded with a shrug.
A few minutes later, the door to the med bay slid open and Bowman and Garfield stepped inside. "Can I help you?" Elliot asked them as he stepped away from Morris and walked over to the two men. Bowman opened his mouth to speak, only for Garfield to cut him off.
"Mister Marcus told us that we should see you for a checkup before doing anything else today," Garfield said. Bowman closed his mouth and simply nodded his head in agreement. Elliot glanced back over at the table where Morris was unloading his bag, before glancing back at Bowman and Garfield.
"Alright. Please follow me to the examination area," Elliot said as he led the two men over to a door. The door quickly slid open and fed into the Infirmary, which held several examination tables, along with two built-in containment examination beds, similar to those found in the medical bays of commercial star frieghters. Elliot pointed to two normal examination tables for the men to sit down on.
Grabbing two sets of charts, a stethoscope, some tongue sticks and a cup of head examining devices, Elliot made his way over to the men, stopping in front of Bowman first after grabbing a spinning chair to sit down on. Pulling up to Bowman, Elliot frowned. "Is something wrong?" Bowman asked him.
"Yes," Elliot replied, "I forgot to have you take off your shoes and step on the scales. I really should collect data on your height and weight first." Garfield sighed in annoyance while Bowman merely rolled his eyes. "Mister Bowman, I need you to go first," Elliot said firmly.
"Is this really necessary?" Bowman asked him. Elliot furrowed his brows at the man. "Oh yes. Absolutely. All doctor appointments have this procedure," Elliot replied.
"Fine," Bowman said reluctantly. "Let's get this over with." Elliot smiled at him. "Splendid," Elliot said as he stood up and led Bowman over to the scale. As Bowman prepared himself, Garfield rubbed his temples in aggravation, wondering just how much time he was going to have to spend around the (to him) annoying physician.
THE SPARE STORAGE ROOM/MAKESHIFT VISITOR QUARTERS, TWO HOURS LATER
Stepping inside the almost barren room, which had two bunks in it, Garfield and Bowman walked over to their respective suitcase and briefcase. Bowman hummed to himself as he got onto the bunk and splayed himself out. Garfield, however, opened his briefcase and pulled out one of his spare clothing bags. "You didn't tell me that the physician was an android," Garfield said to Bowman.
"I didn't think it mattered," Bowman replied as he closed his eyes. "A sexaroid, though? Of all the-I just don't see how anyone thought that was a good idea," Garfield said with contempt in his voice. "Hey, the guy does his job well enough. What's the big deal?" Bowman retorted.
"It's just very... unorthodox," Garfield said. "And he isn't even one of ours," Garfield added, having learned that Elliot had been manufactured, not by Weyland-Yutani or Seegson, but by Cyber-Gen Industries, a company that specialized in niche market products. Despite being rather obscure and unknown to the general public, Cyber-Gen Industries often gave Weyland-Yutani a run for their money when it came to producing droids. Unlike certain models produced by Weyland-Yutani and their sub-divisions, Cyber-Gen droids rarely ever malfunctioned or attempted to kill people unless they found themselves in very specific and dire circumstances.
Glancing over at Bowman, Garfield slyly stuck his hand into his suitcase, feeling around to make sure that the special equipment he brought with him was still in place. Smiling in satisfaction that it had been left untouched, Garfield grabbed an alarm clock and withdrew his hand and arm from the suitcase before zipping it closed, moving the suitcase over to the corner next to the other bunk. He then made his way onto the bunk and laid down, setting the alarm clock and putting it on the floor.
DATE: AUGUST 16th, 2137
Walking through the corridors of the mining station, Burns groggily greeted the miners she passed on the way to the galley. "Mornin', Yoshida," Burns said groggily to the female miner as she entered the galley. "Morning to you too, Alex," Yoshida said to her. Yoshida was one of the few people who actually used Burns' first name in conversation. "You look like hell," Yoshida added as she looked at Burns' unkempt appearance. Burns wasn't wearing her jacket or her hat, and instead was wearing just her pants and an A-Shirt, along with her bra underneath. Her dark brown hair was rustled and unbrushed, and there was a thin layer of dried sweat covering her skin.
"Thanks. I spent an hour making myself as messy as possible. I'm glad it paid off," Burns replied dryly as she walked over to a stack of trays and grabbed one before procuring a set of utensils from a dispenser. "Shame you aren't coming with us to the colony," Yoshida said to her.
"Shame you feel the need to remind me," Burns said in response as she made her way over to one of the industrial meal dispensers. She placed her tray on the rail set in front of the main dispenser compartment before reaching up and tapping the menu screen on the side. She scrolled through the breakfast menu and selected her preferred options before hitting the preparation button. The screen flashed a small red X next to her items, causing her to frown.
"Hey, what gives?" she asked. Yoshida walked over and looked at the screen. "It looks like the machine needs to be restocked," Yoshida noted. Burns groaned in frustration, slamming a fist on the front surface of the food dispenser. "Hey, don't take your anger out on the food machine. It can't refill itself on its own. Well, this model can't," Yoshida quipped.
"Please tell me that we at least still have pancakes, right? We still have those? 'Cause if we don't, I'm gonna throw someone out of an airlock," Burns growled. "Yes, Alex. We still have pancakes," Yoshida said, sounding like a mother trying to calm her child.
Stepping closer, Yoshida sniffed Burns. "You smell like sweat," Yoshida commented. "Uh-huh," Burns said as she cancelled her previous order on the menu and began a new selection, choosing the pancakes. "When was the last time you had a shower?" Yoshida asked her.
"Right before I took the shuttle to collect the corporate suits," Burns replied as a green check sigh appeared on the screen. Burns smiled before selecting her next breakfast item. "Well, maybe think about getting cleaned up some time today," Yoshida said. "Uh-huh," Burns said nonchalantly as her order was prepared by the machine.
"Are you even listening to me?" Yoshida asked her. "Get cleaned up later today," Burns said in response. Yoshida closed her eyes and shook her head at her friend. "You are insufferable sometimes, you know that?" Yoshida asked Burns. "Mm-hm," Burns murmured in response.
Yoshida let out a sigh. "Well, the shuttle's leaving in about an hour, so I'm gonna do one last check on my travel gear. Do you want me to bring something back from the colony for you?" Yoshida asked Burns.
Turning her head away from the dispenser as it hummed and droned, the menu screen showing a gray-outlined progress bar with a series of blue blocks progressively filling the bar, Burns looked at Yoshida. "Yeah. Can you get me some specialized batteries for my vibrators?" Burns asked her. "I still have some unopened battery packs in my quarters. You can have a few of those if the batteries in yours are dying," Yoshida replied.
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Burns said before returning her attention to the food dispenser, watching as the progress bar on the screen finally filled up. There was a loud ping as the small compartment doors slid open and a robotic arm pushed out a plate with three warm square-shaped pancakes on it. Burns grabbed the plate and placed it on her tray before making her way over to a condiment station to grab some syrup packets.
Burns quickly made her way over to the hot beverage station and grabbed a mug before placing it under one of the coffee machines. "Well... I'll see you when I get back," Yoshida said. "I'll be there to see you off at the shuttle," Burns called out from where she was standing, her back turned to Yoshida. "You'd better," Yoshida called out before walking out of the galley.
THE MAINTENANCE GARAGE
Edgar Rains yawned as he walked over to a terminal in front of the platform that the shuttle was locked on. There was a very long bundle of cables connected to the terminal that ran all the way up into an opened maintenance hatch on the shuttle. Placing his coffee mug on a flat arm with a small circular indent for holding things, Rains adjusted his cap and pressed a button to turn on the screen. A fancy screen-saver was in motion for a few seconds, before the screen showed a message asking for a password.
"Password my ass," Rains muttered under his breath. He quickly typed 'FUCK YOU' into the small command box and hit the ENTER key, only for the computer to reject it. "Milo, you son of a bitch," Rains muttered in agitation as he slowly knelt down to look at the small piece of paper taped to the underside of the keyboard.
Rains memorized the password and went to stand up, only to bump into the arm holding his coffee, knocking the mug over and spilling his drink onto the floor. "Aw, god damn it!" Rains exclaimed in anger. "Fuck!" he swore quickly before walking around to the side of the terminal and picking up his mug from the floor.
Snorting in indignation, Rains marched over to one of the cleanup stations nearby and grabbed some paper towels and a spray bottle. He angrily marched back over to the wet spot on the floor and knelt down to begin cleaning it up. A minute later, one of the doors to the room slid open and Milo Thurgood walked inside, carrying his own coffee mug in his hands. "Hey, Rains, what happened?" Milo asked his supervisor as he walked over to the maintenance terminal.
Rains stood up and glared at Milo while slowly shaking his head. "Uh, Rains? You gonna fill me in?" Milo asked him. Rains still didn't respond. "Rains?" Milo asked again, only for Rains to point towards the maintenance terminal.
Milo walked over and looked at the screen. He then looked back over at Rains. "Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you about this," Milo said absentmindedly. "Yeah? Well I hope I don't forget to tell you when there's something slippery on the floor," Rains replied sardonically.
Milo scoffed at his indignation. "Pfft. Crybaby," Milo muttered as he typed in the password and accessed the computer's menu, checking on the progress of the maintenance routine. "Hey, the secondary systems check is already seventy-five percent complete," Milo said with a grin.
Rains sighed and nodded his head before standing back up. "Well, that's good. How much longer until it's finished?" he asked Milo as he walked over to a trash bin and discarded the used paper towels. Milo looked at a small counter in the top corner of the screen.
"It looks like it might take another three hours. Maybe less, depending on which systems are left," Milo reported before taking a sip of his coffee. Rains walked over to the terminal and looked at the screen. "Should we call Burns when that's done?" Rains asked Milo.
"Nah. Let's wait and see what the test results are before calling her down," Milo replied. Rains nodded his head in agreement. "Well, you just stay here and watch this. I'll be back shortly," Rains said before walking away.
"Where are you going?" Milo asked him. Rains held up the empty mug in his hand. "I'm gettin' more coffee."
THE OPERATIONS CENTER, ONE HOUR LATER...
Marcus watched as the screen in front of him showed the shuttle taking off. "And there they go," he said to himself. Martin glanced over at him and nodded his head.
"You know, Fred, you could've gone with them and left Elliot in charge," Martin said. Marcus turned his chair round and glanced at Martin. He shook his head in disagreement.
"No, my place is here. They're the ones doing all the physical labor. They've earned this," Marcus said before turning back around to watch the screen.
A few minutes later one of the exit doors slid open. Marcus turned his head to see Garfield and Bowman entering the room. "Good morning, gentlemen," Marcus said amicably. "Good morning, Marcus," Bowman said in return with a nod of his head.
"Marcus, what time would it be okay for one or more of the remaining miners to accompany me to the ship?" Garfield asked him casually, doing his best to hide his impatience. "Well, I guess it depends on who's awake and when they're ready," Marcus replied.
"Do you know where I could find them?" Garfield asked him. Marcus raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly at the question. "Well, you could always check the galley," Marcus said. Garfield nodded his head appreciatively.
"Of course, you wanna make sure to let them eat before you ask them to do anything," Marcus warned. Garfield nodded his head in understanding. "Of course. Nobody wants to work on an empty stomach," Garfield said in agreement.
"Hm. So you are human," Marcus said humorously with a wry smile. "Of course. There are any number of women back on Thedus who can testify to that fact," Garfield said smugly.
Marcus had to restrain himself from making a joke at the man's expense. "Well, I'm sure that Bowman can show you the way to the galley. Right, Bowman?" Marcus asked the younger Weyland-Yutani employee. Bowman looked away from the terminal he had been examining.
"Huh?" Bowman asked. Garfield placed a palm on his face. "The galley; Can you take Mister Garfield there?" Marcus asked him. "Sure. I'm feeling pretty hungry myself," Bowman said.
"Come on, Garfield. Let's go get some lasagna in the galley," Bowman said humorously as he walked over to the door. Garfield glared at him, ignoring the snickers coming from Marcus and Martin. Following Bowman, Garfield waited until they were in the hallway before he smacked the younger man upside the back of his head.
"Ow!" Bowman whined, before Garfield grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him close. "I had to put up with those jokes back when I was in school. I am not going to put up with them now. Keep them to yourself, Bowman," Garfield practically snarled at the younger man. "Y-Yes sir," Bowman said nervously.
Garfield let go of Bowman's shirt and gestured for the him to lead the way again. Looking on from the doorway, Martin and Marcus both waited until the door had closed before giving each other questioning looks. The two men ultimately deciding against getting themselves involved.
THE GALLEY...
Bill Eastman took a bite out of his square pizza "slice" and chewed before nodding his head in agreement to Garfield's request. "Alright, so when can we-ow!" Garfield yelped as Eastman stabbed a plastic fork at his hand. He'd been reaching for a piece of pizza while conversing with the man, but he hadn't counted on Eastman being so observant.
Eastman swallowed his food before giving Garfield a warning. "Touch my food again, and you'll find yourself trapped down there with a limited air supply. I can come up with any number of lies about you getting lost that anybody who's worked in a mine will believe," Eastman said darkly.
"Right," Garfield said, holding his hand and rubbing the spot where the plastic points had jabbed him. "So, when can we go into the ship?" Garfield asked him again. "Give me an hour or two. I've got some projects that still need to be taken care of and a list of things to give to the other three guys who chose to stay," Eastman replied before finishing his pizza slice. He then reached down and retrieved another square slice from the tray in front of him.
"Is everything in those machines square-shaped?" Garfield asked as he looked at the pizza.
"Depends on what it is. Hot dogs and sausages are normal," Eastman replied before taking a sip of his iced tea. Bowman nodded his head in agreement. He then chuckled to himself as he remembered his second trip to the mine, when he'd somehow managed to get cube-shaped meatloaf from one of the machines, with rounded 90 degree angles. It was one of the most perplexing things that Bowman had ever seen by that point in his life.
"What are you chuckling about?" Garfield asked Bowman. "He's probably remembering that time he got a meatloaf cube," Eastman said between bites of his pizza. Garfield raised an eyebrow as he glanced between both men. "Meatloaf... cube?" he asked, slightly disturbed.
"Mm-hm. It was actually pretty good," Bowman replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get myself some food," Bowman said as he stood up from the bench chair and walked over to grab a tray and utensils before approaching a food dispenser. Garfield looked back at Eastman and leaned in closer, checking to see if anyone else in the galley was watching them.
The only other people in the room were Carl Brooks, Anna Torres, Vince Hoffman, and Jeff Green. However, as Green stood up and took his tray over to a trash receptacle, still limping ever so slightly from his injury a month earlier, the number of people in the galley was soon reduced. Green left the room, and Hoffman soon followed him after cleaning off his tray and placing it on the counter for the automatic cleaning system to retrieve it before exiting the room.
"I'd like to speak with you alone before we go down there," Garfield whispered. Eastman raised an eyebrow questioningly. "It'll be worth your time," Garfield added before glancing back over at Bowman, who was retrieving his food from the dispenser. Garfield resumed facing Eastman as the miner resumed eating his pizza.
Garfield soon craned his neck as he heard Bowman approaching him from behind. He looked at the contents of the man's tray, which basically included a bowl of mac & cheese, and a large piece of meatloaf, which was square-shaped. "That... is not normal," Garfield noted as Bowman sat down with his food. Garfield himself soon stood up and made his way over to the food dispensers after grabbing a tray and utensils.
THE MINING ELEVATOR LOBBY, TWO HOURS LATER...
Standing outside the airlock doors of the freight elevator that led to the mine, Garfield, Eastman, and Fairbank were suiting up. While Fairbank was ahead of the other two men in suiting up and assessing his suit's air supply, attaching a hose to one of the station's built-in gas mixing units, Garfield was having difficulty putting on his suit and sealing it properly, forcing Eastman to help him. This, of course, gave the two men an opportunity to discuss Garfield's plans.
"Alright, what do you wanna talk about?" Eastman asked Garfield in a whisper. Garfield glanced over at Fairbank before replying. "I want you to get me inside that blocked area, or help me get a physical sample of the ship or its inside components," Garfield whispered back.
"Listen, how much do you make compared to that pencil-pusher, Brooks?" Garfield asked Eastman quietly before he could protest. A questioning look appeared on Eastman's face as he thought about Garfield's question. "He makes more, doesn't he? You spend hours out in the field, busting your ass, while he gets to stay in a cozy office and look at read-outs on a computer screen," Garfield whispered.
"You're a geologist too, aren't you?" Garfield asked the miner. "Yeah, but-" "Then why should he make more when you have twice the skill-set? Twice the experience in the field, doing hard labor and operating the machinery. You help me get a sample of something, anything, from that ship, and I'll secure you a contracted position with the company. You'll be contracted for high-paying positions, doing physical work and the survey work. Even if you don't want that, I can still increase your bonus. I'll make it extra pay for extra work. You're in charge of the people out here, and you're out here with them," Garfield continued, slowly working his way into Eastman's mind.
Eastman slowly found himself agreeing with Garfield's statements, although he still didn't view Brooks with the contempt that Garfield seemed to assume he did. Brooks did his own job, and Eastman did another. That was the way he saw things, but a lot of the other things that Garfield was saying were certainly tempting. Temptation was growing, and Garfield was slowly hooking his claws around Eastman, trying to pull him in.
"I can make you a head manager or a field director for terraforming projects, overseeing various surveys on moons and in asteroid fields that Weyland-Yutani has claimed. You'll be in high-paying positions with benefits that no other company can hope to match. I'm a corporate executive, Mister Eastman, working at a main office. I have the rank and power within the company to make it happen," Garfield whispered confidently. The claws had sunk, and Eastman was now caught by temptation.
"What kind of sample do you want?" Eastman asked him quietly. Garfield smiled in response, glancing over at Fairbank, who was just finishing up his air supply check. "Let me figure that out," Garfield with a smirk. Eastman felt a combination of trepidation, excitement, regret, and anticipation all welling up inside of him. Nodding his head, he finished helping Garfield suit up before slipping into his own pressure suit.
Eastman then made his way over to an equipment locker and retrieved a set of large heavy-duty flashlights. "We'll use these when we enter the ship. Don't turn 'em on before then. Keep the batteries fresh," Eastman said through his helmet's speakers. Fairbank and Garfield both gave him a thumbs up. "Okay. Garfield, stick close to me while we're down there," Eastman said.
Eastman then made his way over to the control panel for the elevator and used the keypad to enter the access code. The light above the door flashed green in acceptance as the elevator's airlock doors began to open, the brights inside shining across the men's helmets. Inside his suit, Garfield smiled in earnest as he stepped into the elevator.
THE OPERATIONS CENTER
Looking over at one of the monitors, Marcus noticed that the mining elevator for personnel transport was being accessed. Marcus raised an eyebrow at this, before he remembered that Garfield had been eager to persuade one of the miners to take him out to see the ship again. His mind put at ease, Marcus shrugged his shoulders and went back to calculating the costs for replacing the oldest and most worn-down pieces of equipment in the station, wondering how much longer they could continue being used before they began costing more to fix than they were worth.
THE MINE, LEVEL C
Walking through tunnel C-03, the trio of men slowly made their way over to where the drill had been locked down. "Fairbank, see if you can grab some hand-held picks and cutting tools from that cabin, along with some specimen containers," Eastman said, pointing at the manual-control cabin for the drill. Fairbank turned to look at him in confusion.
"I thought we weren't doing any excavation work on this thing," Fairbank said. "We're collecting some samples for study. Before the order to sign the ship over to Weyland-Yutani reaches its corporate servers. This may be our only shot," Eastman lied. Fairbank nodded his head and made his way over to the drill, stepping inside the manual-control cabin and retrieving some hand-held tools from a cabinet inside.
Marching past the drill, the three men entered the ship, turning on their flashlights as they hooked themselves to the tow line inside. "This way," Eastman said as he led them through the organic-looking interiors. Shining their lights around, the Garfield took notice of the bone-like structures that made up the wall.
Slowly, and carefully, the men trekked through the corridors of the ship until they came upon the junction in the hallway, where the air station was still set up. Eastman walked over to the station and checked his air supply, noting that it was still good for another two hours. He had Fairbank and Garfield check their supplies as well, with Fairbank having the most air in his suit, at least until Eastman and Garfield had their supplies connected to the air station and refilled.
"Okay, Fairbank, I want you to stay here while Garfield and I head down one of those corridors that way," Eastman said as he pointed towards a darkened corridor. "Garfield doesn't have any experience with fixing a suit. What if something goes wrong with yours?" Fairbank asked him.
"That's a good point," Eastman said. "Okay, come along with us, but make sure that the tow line is secured every step of the way," Eastman said. Fairbank gave him a thumbs up as he made sure to hook his suit to the newest tow line.
Shining their flashlights through the hall, the three men walked slowly forward, descending further and further into the ship. The blackness around them seemed endless, even with their flashlights highlighting the ribbed walls. Every few meters, Fairbank would have them stop so that he could test the stress of their tow line. When it was good to continue, he gave them an okay signal, and the men continued walking once more into the dark.
With every step forward, Lewis Fairbank felt dread and fear grow inside of him. The rib cage-like walls of the ship, the near endless darkness, and the fact that they'd reached the half-way point on their tow line were all started to form a gnawing sense of dread within him. He didn't have any solid reasons based on fact for his feelings, yet he knew that his instincts were warning him to turn back as soon as possible.
"Guys, maybe we should stop for a little bit," Fairbank said. The other two men stopped walking, indeed, so that they could turn around and look at him in incredulity. "Stop? Now?" Garfield asked him. "Yes," Fairbank replied uneasily. "This place gives me the creeps," he admitted.
"Okay, we'll keep going for thirty more minutes, and then we'll turn back if we don't find anything else. We'll chip away at part of the wall, put it in a box, and call it a day," Eastman said, hoping that would comfort the man. "Yeah. Okay. That sounds okay," Fairbank said, nodding his head inside his suit, relieved that they would soon be turning back.
As the men resumed walking, however, the walls began to stop curing and went straight. Soon, they came upon another junction up ahead, a T in the hall. "What's this?" Garfield asked as they approached the intersection.
Looking over to his right, Garfield saw an alcove with a hole in the bottom, just large enough for a probe to fit through. Walking over to the hole, he knelt down and shone his flashlight around the floor, looking down into the hole. Looking up at the wall, he paused as he saw a mural of some kind, one with an... unusual appearance. There was a figure depicted in the mural, one that was slim, and almost humanoid, yet... not.
"One-two-one?" Garfield asked himself quietly. Looking back down at the hole in the floor, Garfield called out for Eastman and Fairbank. The two men made their way to his side and knelt down by the hole. "Is there a way for us to get down there?" Garfield asked them.
"You'd have to cut that hole to make it larger," Eastman said. Garfield looked at him expectantly. "Do we have the tools to do that?" Garfield asked Eastman.
"We can cut out part of the floor to take back. Let's do that and then come back with more people later on," Eastman suggested. Garfield pursed his lips as he thought about Eastman's suggestion.
"Fine," Garfield said reluctantly.
Eastman looked up at Fairbank. Eastman set down the tool box that Fairbank had brought along with them. "Okay, we'll cut part of this floor out and then take it back," Eastman repeated as he quickly set to work. Fairbank soon joined him, with Garfield staying back, watching them as they worked.
After several minutes, the men had cut a large chunk of the floor away, increasing the size of the hole. Not so coincidentally, the hole was now large enough for a person to fit through. As Eastman and Fairbank lifted the chunk of floor up and over to the side so that they could begin cutting it into smaller pieces to fit into the containers, Garfield stepped closer to get a better look down through the hole, shining his flashlight down to see another level beneath them.
"Hey, Eastman?" Garfield asked, prompting the man to turn and face him. "Come over here," Garfield said. Eastman walked over to where Garfield was standing. Garfield quickly shone his light on the ribbed section of the wall next to them, noticing how the ribbing was horizontal instead of vertical. Carefully stepping around the hole, Garfield placed a gloved hand on the ribbing, seeing that it was thick enough and wide enough to grip.
Garfield turned to look at Eastman. "Eastman, how much tow line do we have left?" Garfield asked him. Eastman looked over at Fairbank and eyed the bundle he'd been carrying with them. Eastman then looked back over at the hole in the floor, before looking at Garfield.
"What are you suggesting?" Eastman asked him. "Well... no guts, no glory," Garfield said as he shone his flashlight down into the hole. Eastman slowly drew in a breath as he weighed his options. They'd managed to collect a piece of the floor, so there was really no reason to continue at this point. And yet... what if there was something worth far more that was down there?
"We should have enough," Eastman finally said. Garfield nodded his head in appreciation of Eastman's decision. He then stepped to the side as Eastman loosened the tow line and stepped over to the natural ladder. "Fairbank!" Eastman called out, catching the man's attention.
Fairbank looked over at him in surprise. "Eastman, what the hell are you doing!?" Fairbank asked him incredulously. "I'm going down a level. Get over here and hold the line for me," Eastman replied.
Fairbank shook his head in his helmet. "No. No, come on! We got what you wanted, now let's go back!" Fairbank protested. Eastman shook his head at Fairbank.
"Just get over here and watch the line. I'm just checking out the lower level so that we can map it out later. It'll be quick," Eastman said to the panicking man. Garfield glanced between the two men quietly.
"Bill, this is a bad idea," Fairbank said with a frown as he walked over and knelt down by the hole. Eastman began his descent, slowly climbing down the built-in ladder of the wall, holding his flashlight in one hand. Carefully, step by step, Eastman made his way into the darkness below, a small yellow dot in an infinite abyss of black bone and metal and rock. Eastman was a small light in the belly of some ancient beast, forgotten by the world for millennia... until now.
As Eastman continued down, he shone his flashlight around, seeing the cavernous shape and size of the level he had entered. The walls had a shine to them that the ones above seemed to lack as the light hit them. Aiming the flashlight downward, Eastman saw a small platform of sorts just another meter down. The platform appeared to be a few meters wide, and ahead of it was a great depression.
Eastman checked the tow line as he made his way to the platform, setting his boots down and shining his flashlight around at the cavern he had entered. The depression in front of him had a ridge going through the middle, just wide enough to walk on. Scanning the room further, Eastman saw more such ridges, dividers between long... trenches. The trenches stretched for one or two yards in one direction, and they were about a.
There were also thin, bone-like columns rising up and connecting the ridges with the ceiling. Looking down at the trenches, Eastman saw a blue oily-looking surface, with strange lumps just beneath it in a uniform pattern throughout each trench. There was at least one meter of space between each lump in all directions. Kneeling down and shining the light on the water, Eastman soon realized that the oily surface was actually a mist.
Speaking into his radio, Eastman began to describe the chamber to Garfield and Fairbank. "I... it's incredible and... maybe a little creepy," Eastman said as he looked around and took notice of the circular way the chamber curved around a large middle column that curved upward and connected with the ceiling. He stepped closer to the edge of the platform, noticing that part of what looked like a safety rail had been bent and folded over.
Scanning the rim of the platform, Eastman found several small lumps that appeared to be the remnants of what may have been a safety rail at some point. He slowly stood up and walked over to the other side again, setting down his flashlight as he inspected the collapsed rail, seeing that it just hovered above the surface of the blue mist. Kneeling over and bit further, Eastman reached a hand forward and managed to touch the top of the mist.
Seeing no visible reaction, he pressed his hand down further, breaking the mist and producing a strange noise. He jerked his hand back from the mist in surprise and scooted over, bumping into his flashlight and moving it closer to the edge of the platform. "What the hell is this?" he asked quietly as he took a closer look at the objects below the mist.
They had a leathery appearance and were oval-shaped, pointing upwards, with four closed petals at the top. They reminded Eastman of eggs, with the trenches being an open carton. Deciding that this was worth investigating later on, and with more people by his side, Eastman rose up and reached for his flashlight, only to bump it and send it falling into the mist below.
"Shit!" Eastman cursed as the flashlight tumbled down the trench and landed near one of the eggs, the light shining on it. Eastman glanced upwards at the light from his helmet and realized that it had nowhere near the range or power of the flashlight that he's just dropped. Gulping as he thought about his predicament, he informed Garfield and Fairbank of what had just happened.
"Then come back up and we'll come back for it later," Fairbank said over the suit's radio.
"I've never left a piece of equipment behind when I could avoid it," Eastman said. "Come on, Bill! We've done enough already! Just get up here and we'll get more people to come back at a later time! I wanna get out of here, man! This place doesn't sit well with me," Fairbank whined over the radio.
"Mister Fairbank has a point. This place is rather unsettling after a while," Garfield said. Eastman nodded his head, but he wouldn't let himself return just yet. He had to retrieve that flashlight. He prided himself on having never lost a piece of equipment in his career. He wasn't going to start now.
"I'll be back up in just a minute. My helmet's light will suffice for what I need to do," Eastman said as he carefully slackened the tow line until he was sure that he had just enough left to get to the flashlight. It would be close, but he could make it.
Carefully crawling over to the edge of the platform, and holding onto the bent and fallen rail as as support, Eastman slowly lowered himself down into the mist, breaking through it. He ignored the strange high-pitched whine produced as he broke the mist, and continued downward, checking his tow line as he stepped onto the soil below. He glanced down in confusion at how soft the ground was beneath him.
Carefully stepping between the eggs, taking notice to avoid stepping on what appeared to be tendrils spreading out from under them, Eastman sucked in a breath and held it as he approached his flashlight. He was less than an arm's length away when he felt the tow line tug at him. He looked back and saw that the line had become rigid.
He checked the bundle and realized that there was no more line left to give. He knew better than to try stretching out too far, potentially damaging his suit. Frowning and biting his lip, Eastman reached down and slowly unhooked himself from the line, holding onto it firmly with one hand as he angled himself and stepped closer to the flashlight.
Leaning forward just a bit, Eastman just managed to touch the tip of the handle, before he lost his grip and slipped forward, bumping into the egg. He quickly grabbed the flashlight and scooted back from the egg, feeling around for the cable. He quickly found it and secured his hook to it once more.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Eastman stood up, just as he saw the egg become translucent, showing something fluttering around inside. He glanced back over at the platform before shining his light on the egg. Soon, the top petals of the egg opened with a creaking noise.
Eastman gulped and quickly turned around, deciding to cut his losses and regroup with the others. He had just made it to the fallen safety rail as he heard a noise coming from the egg, prompting him to glance back and see a white and pink flesh-like substance pulsating within the egg. "Mm, uh-uh. Nope. Fuck this," Eastman muttered to himself as he quickly climbed up onto the ledge, pulling himself up.
Eastman stood up and began marching back over to the ladder, before he was jerked back. He turned around and saw that his tow line had become snagged by the fallen safety rail. Eastman quickly made his way over to the line, before he heard a skittering sound. He stopped moving, holding his breath as he carefully aimed his flashlight over to the egg. The flesh-like substance had either disappeared or deflated.
Eastman gulped as he slowly turned to look back at the tow-line. He knew that it wouldn't be the safest option, but he could conceivably make his way back up without the line. Slowly reaching down to unhook himself, he heard the skittering sound as he saw something move near the egg, disappearing behind another one under the mist. His breathing and pulse quickened as he kept his eyes faced outward, opened wide and scanning the perimeter of the platform.
The room was quiet for a moment, and the the skittering sound resumed, and Eastman quickened his pace as he fumbled with the hook. He almost had it, until he realized that he'd only unhooked part of a tool belt as he glanced down. "Shit!" he cursed under his breath, before he heard the skittering sound again.
He jerked his head up and gulped. His heart was racing, pounding away inside his rib-cage at a thousand miles per hour, and beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he heard the skittering sound drawing closer. "Oh shit. Oh shit! Oh shit!" Eastman swore over and over again as he quickly unhooked himself from the towline.
He turned around and ran over to the wall, aiming his flashlight around wildly as he did. As soon as he reached the ladder, he started pulling himself up. "Eastman! What's going on? Why aren't you hooked to the tow line!?" Fairbank called out to him. Eastman was about to answer when he heard the skittering sound again, this time even closer than before. Closer, and closer it drew, causing him to panic as he increased his rate of climbing, only to lose his footing as a result.
"Eastman!" Fairbank cried out as Eastman fell back onto the floor of the platform, landing on his back with a thud. He let out a pained gasp as he screwed his eyes shut before opening them again. Everything was quiet for a moment, and then the skittering sound resumed. Eastman opened his eyes and glanced around, looking from side to side, before finally looking up.
A pale-skinned creature with eight finger-like legs and no visible eyes quickly raced towards him, a long tail whipping in the air behind it. Eastman gasped in fright as the creature lunged towards him. He let out a shout as it landed on his helmet, and he desperately struggled to get it off. The creature quickly turned itself around to orient itself with his face before spraying a liquid of some kind at the helmet, quickly dissolving the face plate while simultaneously shoving a long vaginal-looking tube forward, forcing it into Eastman's mouth and down his throat. Eastman let out a gurgled scream as he desperately grabbed at the creature with his gloved hands, before his struggling soon ceased and his body became slack.
"Eastman!?" Fairbank called out desperately as he witnessed the attack, while Garfield looked on with only a cursory appearance of surprise on his face. "Eastman, answer me! Bill, answer me! Bill! Biiiilllll!"
The only response was silence.
Author's Notes: As some of you have noticed, the egg chamber I've described is much smaller than the one seen in the original ALIEN (1979). In my personal opinion, I think that the derelict Engineer ship in ALIEN was actually sitting on top of another Engineer facility of some kind and was still connected to it when things went sideways. The egg chamber is bigger than the ship itself if you do a proper size comparison. That's what I believe, personally.
The Engineer Juggernaut in this story, however, has a smaller payload of eggs because it isn't connected to any such facility and its bays are all locked and closed. And, yes, the holes in parts of the ship are indeed holes caused by Xenomorph blood. The crew of this engineer vessel also had an outbreak, but the sections containing the dead crew and Xenomorph fossils are in sections that are blocked off to our cast for the time being.
These areas will be explored later, albeit without as much stupidity. Also, I know that Weyland-Yutani is evil and all, but the destruction of the Nostromo and its crew is mostly Kane's fault. He was the one who chose to stupidly poke his head into an open egg. If he weren't so stupid, he would have at least stayed back a few feet and tried to get up onto that ridge again. And he had a weapon with him, if you pay attention to that weird-looking space pistol he's holding when he first approaches the egg.
I also wrote this chapter, especially the latter section, while listening to the late Jerry Goldsmith's original intended score for ALIEN. It definitely helped me to get in the mood for writing that section.
In any case, please be sure to let me know what you think of the chapter and/or the story so far in your reviews. Tell me what worked, what didn't work, and what could be improved upon. Do not hold back in your criticisms.
