"A great amount of greed can only lead to a greater amount of chaos"
A wise man who's words were ignored by the foolish many.
December 24th 0130 hours. Shanghai Facility
Robert Morse knew he was going to die today. Strapped in to the raised gurney he was physically unable to enjoy the movement of his limbs for one last time. His surroundings were a lifeless empty white, the room in which he was housed was empty bar the medical monitoring equipment beside him. The low humming silence was rhythmically broken by his pulse echoing from the heart rate monitor. He was visited often by silent lab technicians who never replied to anything he asked, they never even made eye contact but he knew he was being monitored from the adjacent room through a blacked out window.
With no sense of time he could feel the countdown of his life with his weakening state, growing hunger and worsening cough. Ever since the spider had died and he gained consciousness the doctors had denied him any pain relief for his leg. His mind was his only companion in these final hours and it wasn't particularly pleasant company.
When he was first incarcerated a fellow prisoner told him that his mind would be his best friend, his entertainment and his freedom. But ever since the EEV crashed outside his home and Clemens brought that damn woman inside everything had turned upside down. He was imprisoned for murder, he wasn't a rapist and as such he only considered Ripley a irritating nuisance. His brothers weren't themselves, even before they had laid eyes on her she occupied their thoughts.
Then the beast came and killed everyone he had called brother. Even now when he closed his eyes he could see it charging down the hall towards him. Merciless and blood-covered those teeth still bored terror into Morse's heart, his worst nightmares were a comfort compared to the dragon.
The mental picture of the dragon floated away as the door to his room opened and someone different stepped inside. Dressed not in the white overalls of the lab technicians but a sleek black suit, he walked with an arrogant grace towards Morse meeting his eyes with every step. Stopping in near touching distance to him he simply smiled as he eyed Morse up and down.
"So your the one then. Your the one who has seen one in the flesh and lived."
"What the fuck do you want?" Morse tried to move away without success as the suit pressed his hand on Morse's chest.
"The fuck you doing?"
"Not long now." The suit took his hand off and stepped back with his hands held behind his waist. "What were you in prison for?"
"Robbing and killing rich wankers like you."
"How did it feel to kill?"
"Who the hell are you?" Morse became ever more unsettled. Something about this man he couldn't place set his nerves on edge.
"Everything here is my father's property." Charles said. "Including you and your unwanted child. You didn't answer my question."
"Messy. You suits bleed and bitch like stuck pigs." Morse struggled inside his restraints again. "Lemme outta here and I'll rip that silver spoon out your fucking arse and bloody up that pretty face of yours."
Charles stepped in close again and spoke with a wavering calm. "Your lucky that creature is inside you, your life's actually worth something now. Otherwise I'd love to hurt you, I'd love to take my time with you. No one would care, people like you are nothing more than a bag of meat and bones with hopeless dreams. A waste by-product of sex. You should've just followed the herd and worked away your life for the dreams of better men."
Charles fell silent as Morse watched him gaze towards his heart rate monitor with that same devilish smile. "Well Mr Morse time has abandoned you and I'll be leaving you now." He clicked his fingers towards the one-sided window and motioned towards the monitoring equipment before turning to leave. "Oh it's so exciting, your baby is coming."
"Wait!" Morse shouted. His breathing became erratic in his rising state of panic. "Just take it out of me, gimme surgery or something.
"Charles paused before exiting the room and took one last look into Morse's eyes. "Why? I want to see you bleed and bitch like a stuck pig. Don't worry I'll make sure we get it all on film."
As Charles left the room the technicians entered again pushing through a cart loaded with equipment Morse couldn't make any sense of. They tightened the straps around his limbs once more, he would have winced at the pain around his wrists and ankles if it wasn't for something else.
He could feel the heavy weight of the beast in his chest as it slithered around inside of him. The techs worked without speech again as they strapped a harness over his chest and around the back of the gurney. After tightening it they lifted a large glass tube out of the cart and clicked it into the harness so it sat cold but snug over the centre of his bare chest.
"What the fuck is this thing for?" Morse cried out. Still resisting against the impossible strength of his restraints.
"Cradle is in place and ready sir." One of the techs said.
An older more distinguished voice came out of the intercom speaker. "Good. How do you feel Mr Morse?"
"Like shit you silly fucker! Gimme some morphine at least! I'm fucking dead anyway." Morse's head sagged down. The fight in him near snuffed out.
"I'm sorry but we can't risk damaging the specimen in any way."
"She was right. You cunts are the real monsters!" Morse shouted again towards the blackened window before hawking and spitting towards it.
"One of you gag him. Now." The intercom spoke.
A tech grabbed a white cloth from the table beside Morse. Scrunching it up he approached Morse cautiously. "Open your mouth."
Morse acted the good lab rat and opened his mouth wide as the tech's hand drew closer. His hands were restrained but his neck wasn't. Timing it perfectly Morse weaved his head to the side before biting down on the tech's hand on the soft tissue, his teeth biting through the latex glove and clamping down to dig into the soft tissue. Revelling for one last time at his screams of pain and the copper taste of blood, he clamped down hard and swung his head from side to side. After a few seconds of desperate scrambling from both techs they managed to pull away from Morse leaving a stream of blood and a piece of the tech's hand in Morse's mouth.
Fresh warm blood dripping from his chin Morse smiled exposing his teeth and the piece of flesh between them. He spat it out and it landed with a wet slap, staining the blank, white floor in front of them with crimson.
"Exit the room! Now!" The voice ordered through the intercom. The injured tech fled, being supported by his colleague, leaving a small trail of blood as the door closed.
Morse laughed maniacally. "Someone's gonna need that morphine now." He continued to laugh for a few more seconds until he felt something rip inside himself. Groaning in pain his head sagged back down once more as he coughed weakly. He felt a sickness rise inside him and coughed once more, bringing up blood that was his own. It was time. His time was up.
"Fuck."
A beat. That's all that filled its existence within the warm, living confines of its darkened womb. A steady beat that enveloped it's senses, pounding like a slow, heavy drum. Each beat injecting fresh energy into the infant creature's growing body. In the beginning of its conscious existence this cavity was a spacious cradle, the body supporting it was fresh and strong. Filled with nutrients to feed and support its accelerated growth from embryo to infant. But now the cradle was a prison, its walls constricting rhythmically around the infant like a crushing vice. Its supply of filling nutrients now drying up to its last reserves like a living well, it knew the inevitable had come. For it to survive it was time to leave this prison of flesh, blood and bone.
As it twisted and turned inside the pulsing cradle it could feel deep moans of pain vibrating through the cage. The steady beat began a quickening of pace, growing faster and faster as the walls of the cradle began to expand and contract squeezing the infant continuously. The pounding began overwhelming it, drowning out its natural thoughts of its newfound instincts, to kill...to breed.
It ripped itself from its umbilical without purpose, feeling its waning supply of nutrients dissipate and its pulsating prison quicken in pace. It repeatedly attempted to uncurl its serpentine form repeatedly to no avail. It rested still for a moment resting its head against the ribbed wall of the cradle, floating in the body's waves of inhalation. In an instant it began to tense the soft, untested muscles all through its body from tail to neck. Releasing the pent up energy in a single punching motion it drove its hardened skull into the centre pillar connecting the ribbed bars of the infant's prison breaking the pillar into pieces. Twice more it hammered the bone and the wall's constricting motion receded to almost nothing. Now in a frenzy of blood drenched fury it tore through the softer parts with its needle sharp metallic teeth, oblivious to every noise and movement around it. Sensing it's impending freedom it punched its head once more into the weakening wall, tearing through its former life as a prisoner into its new life, filled with the sweet promise of death.
0
"Would all research staff assigned to Station two please report there immediately." The cold, emotionless voice of the facility's control AI repeated the phrase on a loop for the last minute as Annabelle ran through the main floor to the designated research building. She knew what it concerned, the parasite implanted in the prisoner from Fury 161. She didn't know what was happening exactly but she knew she'd find out soon. As she jogged past other staff, one scientist blew past her in a blur, crashing into fellow staff members with reckless abandon. Anna decided with all this intense work and running she would have to switch to flat soled footwear if she was to stay in this horrible place any longer.
In truth she hadn't really thought about the experiments they were performing with the prisoner in Station two or for any of the other stations as a matter of fact. Running the security staff with Cormack had proved to be a job that pulled all of her attention, tearing her mind away from the dangers that lurked in the derelict ship. The scientists were still cataloguing how many eggs resided in the bowels of the ship but she overheard them saying it would number in the thousands. The thought that this excited them only heightened her unease about everything that was occurring here.
As she ran into the station the separate labs were empty of personnel as they all flooded into the now darkened observation room. Pushing past the bundling crowd of standing science staff at the door she saw her father and brother standing by the window panel with the head scientists talking silently. The prisoner Morse was still strapped to the raised gurney crucifix held in place by the restraints just as she had seen before when he was attacked by the parasite. Now though the parasite was nowhere to be seen and a two foot glass vial was strapped across Morse's chest by a harness fitted around his bare torso.
The room was filled by his screams of pain as he fought against his restraints with renewed vigour, his entire body convulsing violently as everyone watched in complete silence. His screams were halted briefly as a sickening snapping sound came from his chest. Afterwards he began to struggle to breathe for a few seconds until he let out one more cry of pain that dwarfed any he uttered before. His chest burst open in an outburst of crimson. The glass walls of the tube strapped to him were completely coated in Morse's blood, his body slumped against his restraints as he died from the macabre birth.
A single scream filled the other room behind the thick glass, it took a few seconds before Anna realised it was her own. Her shame and embarrassment was wiped out by a wailing, pitching cry coming from inside the tube strapped to Morse's chest. The layer of blood coating the tube was wiped by a writhing serpentine creature, its full body still obscured by blood but Anna could distinguish a mouth filled with sharp, needle like teeth as it cried out.
"Really sister that screaming of yours is quite irritating" Charles commented as he peered his head forward trying to glimpse at the creature inside the glass tube, refusing completely to engage in further conversation.
Anna forced herself into a silent shock as she gazed at the scene before her eyes. Morse's limp corpse hung as still as rock, his chest visibly misshapen by the trauma it had suffered. The gaping hole was large enough to fit her fist in, still streaming a seemingly endless tide of blood, the contrasting white of bone was clearly visible in the wound. It took all of Anna's strength to keep her steely composure and not vomit at this grotesque sight
The worst was yet to come as the blood coating the walls of the glass tube continued to be wiped away by the creature, slithering and writhing around its temporary residence with an enraged haste. As it continued to rub away the worst of the blood with its body everyone including Anna leaned forward for a better look. The features of its form became ever clearer, its skin and tail was similar to the arachnid parasite that preceded it. Rising further up the body the similarities ended as the eyeless creature pressed its tiny torso up with stick thin arms and peered into the direction of the observation room. Lifting its lips to reveal needle-like steel coloured teeth which opened with a resonating screech as it drew forth a second smaller mouth attached to its tongue filled with similar fangs.
The fearsome display by such an infantile creature drew a chorus of awe from everyone in the room bar one, for she had a gut wrenching feeling of dread within her.
"Incredible" Benedict muttered among the thirty other silent presences within the room.
"I agree it's method of gestation is a study entirely of itself but seeing it live and breathe is quite another, it has no fear of us at all." Dr Monroe, The research head of station two added.
"Maybe because it only views us as prey and not the predator." Anna added as she stepped up to the window between Monroe and her father
"I agree Miss Weyland, but for some of us within this facility including myself see this alien creature and the ship that housed it as an answer to years of prayer and debate. It's just as the explorer prophesized"
"I didn't take you for the religious type Doctor let alone one of those star seeker fanatics."
At the mention of that phrase Dr Monroe reached inside his shirt and drew forth a silver star pendant with six sides, its centre hollow. He rubbed it tenderly holding it close to his breast bone.
"Silver." She commented. "Nice touch, how does the silver feel when you're looking at that thing at what it just did" She made no effort to hide the disgust in her voice.
"It will never feel different in my hand no matter what I look at but now we have finally discovered intelligent life among the stars. No matter our findings from this treasure, this is without a doubt the greatest discovery in human history. We're one step closer to some of the greatest questions of our universe and I pray. Possibly if my belief is true, our creation." Monroe preached, his voice was the only clue to his happiness behind an analytical face of stone.
The doctor was a devout member of the church of Metatology. A religion conceived by one of the first humans to travel to the outer rim over a hundred years ago when mankind began its virulent spread through the barren environment of space. A solitary scientist and explorer Matthew Rorikstead believed that humanity's origins lay within the species unmatched intelligence and creativity. He spoke of the clues that lay in human DNA in the same way that artificial intelligence was born of the binary code. He believed that ancient extra-terrestrial beings created humanity using their own type of binary coding of molecules to create DNA which then turned to life. Further so he believed that humankind's true creators lay beyond the far reaches of explored space. That these ancient beings had created them for a grander purpose than mere existence and that the purpose would be revealed when humanity was ready for it's true meaning for existence.
In a society where space exploration became an everyday occurrence, I great number of people from all walks of life and religions found their faiths and ideologies severely challenged. Since the dawn of time humans had stared at the stars believing their gods to reside in a higher place, their creators resting above them, watching over them, protecting them. As they ventured out into space to look for a new beginning on alien planets and moons the cold reality of space travel struck the populace of Earth like a great hammer. Far from Earth and the home of human religion, the early colonists felt detached, ripped from an umbilical of historical belief. Mankind suffered a titanic crisis of faith in those initial years as millions lost touch with their gods, space travel coupled with the meteoric advance of technologies made them spread across the stars but the feeling of isolation only deepened with each newly found planet.
As the outer rim was reached remote space stations were established for research purposes and further exploration. Aboard one of these stations was Matthew Rorikstead, a former Christian with no family who became an apostate during his posting on the outpost station. His employment required him to embark on solitary expeditions to barren planets to explore for new alien life. A profession that was notorious for developing psychological illnesses, these explorers would spend weeks at a time alone with the stars and their own strained and weakened minds. After a time he would begin to document his beliefs about humanity's origins and begin to preach his beliefs to others on his station and throughout the systems with the communication network. As he gathered a small following he announced to his flock that he found no more purpose to stay clung to the restrictions of human existence. His last words were that he was to embark on a final journey to reach his true gods and left shortly after against orders to await a psycheval.
After months without any sign of his return he was pronounced AWOL, presumed dead his teachings spread through the network like a virus as millions of fellow apostates converted to his belief of gods far into the stars. His first followers, over the years his followers solidified his preaches into a recognised religion which was now thought to be equal to the still strong beliefs of Christianity, Islam and others. Rorikstead, now known to millions as the Explorer was elevated to a divine position as a martyr alongside Christianity's own Jesus Christ. Rorikstead's documented thoughts were placed on paper turning it into religious text for the masses to absorb.
"So you believe that this thing is intelligent life Doctor?" Anna motioned towards the blood drenched creature which was being approached by two lab techs cautiously.
"Why no, well it remains to be discovered how intelligent this creature is but there is another alien on the ship. He is long dead sadly, a victim apparently to one of these magnificent creature's births. It would appear he was a lone pilot of the derelict much like the explorer himself, the similarity is intriguing isn't it?"
"What's going to happen to that thing through there then?" Anna replied pointing in the direction of the alien infant.
To answer her question the doctor motioned to two of his colleagues in the 'birthing' room behind him. After a minute they entered the room containing the alien and began to remove the sealed glass tube holding it from the harness still attached to Morse's bleeding corpse.
"The creature will be placed into a separate, sealed area of the facility." Monroe stated, addressing all three members of the Weyland family. "This separate hangar is constantly monitored and controlled from here so we can study the creature's behaviour in safety. According to the Nostromo report though the infant will grow to full size in a matter of hours so time is of the essence." He said. His eyes never left the infant and he silenced the discussions of the scientists behind him as he spotted something.
Anna saw it too. The two lab techs were struggling with the glass tube. Holding it at both sides one of the techs let go swiftly, taking a step back. Leaving his colleague holding the container alone, clearly nervous.
The doctor pressed the intercom microphone that sounded into the room. "What the hell is going on in there?"
Both techs gripped it tightly again but a visible struggle began as the infant began to hammer against the glass. Screeching and wailing it continued until the techs could see a minute crack appear on the glass.
"Its trying to break free Doctor!"
"Seal the tube in the empty metal crate the egg came in now!" Monroe yelled in frustration. He stomped past his team to the CCTV feed into the room adjacent to the birthing room. Watching closely as the two techs placed the glass tube securely inside the metal crate before sealing it. Satisfied that containment was fulfilled he returned to his employer.
"I can only apologise sir. We underestimated the strength of the newborn but it is fully contained now and being transported below." Monroe knew Benedict would understand. Despite his reputation, Monroe knew him as a firm but practical employer.
"Good, thank you Doctor, we will return tomorrow morning doctor to discuss your study. Annabelle, Charles walk with me." Benedict asked before he walked out of the room without so much as a backwards glance to see if his children were following him.
As the three exited the research station onto the main floor the staff were still awake and working as frantically as ever, even at this late hour all aspects of research were being continued. A Power Loader carrying a large sealed container with biohazard warnings painted onto it stomped by them like a living giant towards station two. Its powerful hydraulic systems whining against its weight as its heavy footsteps thundered against the metal flooring.
"I suggest that we retire for the night and let these well paid professionals do their jobs don't you agree." Benedict asked
"Yes father the excitement of today has tired me more than I believe." Charles yawned, his demeanour leaked no emotions about what they had just witnessed and he would no doubt have an undisturbed, peaceful sleep too.
"Not so fast. Father I want a word with you." Anna stared at Charles with a hateful gaze. "In private."
"Very well." He nodded to his son. "Leave us."
As Charles skulked away Anna led her father to one of the archaeological labs for the study of the derelict ship. Before she entered the door she saw her brother laughing with the security guard who insulted him earlier. She made a mental note to keep an eye on that, no one ever hurt her brother without a horrible, life-changing punishment from his twisted mind. As she walked in there were four lab technicians working within the room, all laid their eyes on her like confused deer in the headlights.
"Everyone out!" she shouted. "Now!" her venom-filled voice ripped the staff away from their work as they scattered and exited the room. She pulled up two chairs next to a desk and sat without caring if he would too. "You have a lot of fucking explaining to do."
"You shouldn't swear like that Annabelle it is not seemly for a woman of your stature. So what do I have to explain?" He sat beside her and attempted to hold her hand, which she shrugged off.
"Everything, where the hell have you been? Where did that ship come from with that thing on it? What will all this do to benefit us? And one thing you have to explain, what the hell did Dr Monroe mean when he said the Nostromo report? You can divert all you want but we are not leaving here until you tell me the truth."
Benedict sighed heavily while running a hand over his head wincing when he came near the large bandage around what was left of his ear. "Where to begin. Sixty five years ago when your grandfather ran the company they began to send probes through the further unexplored systems to look for mineable resources. One of the probes came across a beacon. They had it analysed and it turned out to be an audio signal but some fool thought it was just an anomaly of it so it was shelved. Then eight years later a logistical droid stumbled across the file and somehow manages to decipher it as a warning. My father being the ruthless and shrewd man he was decided not to waste money on an exploratory mission."
"Don't worry, you and Charles are definitely like him" Anna chided, wishing he would get to the point.
"Instead he assigned a droid to a towing ship and orders it to stop the ship around the planet where the beacon originated. Under company orders the crew reluctantly investigated the beacon and found our prize." He motioned his arm towards the darkly majestic derelict visible through the lab window.
"Good god" Anna could only imagine how those people felt when they discovered the ship on an uncharted world. "What happened then?"
"They investigated the ship and left the planet with an extra passenger."
"One of those spider parasites?" She asked already knowing the answer.
"Yes. Only one woman survived, she set the ship for self-destruct and escaped in an EEV. Her shuttle wasn't discovered until last year, miraculously though she survived even though she was in cryosleep for nearly sixty years.."
Anna's went quiet for a moment while her mind recalled something. "Wait a minute, don't you mean that Ripley woman? The one you ordered Van Leuan to pretty much scapegoat!"
"Yes the very same, that lost shipment cost us a lot of money Annabelle and we needed to discredit her as much as possible in the event she broadcasted her story. I know that you think I'm a monster. That I don't care how many lives I ruin just for profit but you misunderstand."
"Oh I misunderstand? I know you still think I'm a naïve little girl father but I have the moral compass to know that this is an ethical abomination"
"The possible medical and technological discoveries from this find could help our entire race." He argued.
"For the right price though I bet."
"Nothing is ever free Annabelle, you of all people should know that."
Anna wasn't thinking of the money, all the pieces were starting to come together in her head to form a very ugly picture. The loss of communication with the colony on the planet housing the derelict, the marines being sent in. In the official report it was believed that the USF were responsible for the disaster. That they destroyed the colony by using the atmosphere processor as a makeshift nuke, killing all the colonists and marines in one.
It was all a lie though, just another cover up to hide the bare ugly truth that was her family's ambition. She felt the acidic touch of bile rise in her throat as she thought of all the people who had died for the future profit of a damn company. Everything her father had provided for her was possibly gained from lies and murder and what she just saw with the prisoner and the alien just demonstrated that.
"I think I've heard enough father thank you for the insight. I hope you sleep well tonight" she said the last words with all the spite and hate she could muster as she left for the door.
"Wait Anna!" Her father pleaded.
"No I've heard enough if you need me I'll be in the barracks with Cormack but I think you have everything covered on the murder department without me." She ventured out of the building as Benedict's reply was cut out by the automatic door closing behind her. She headed straight for the barracks with escape from the cold brutality of corporate scheming on her mind.
As she approached the guard's barracks she could still sense the monstrous ship resting in the middle of the epic hanger. The laughter coming from within from the men resting off duty could not lift any emotion from her; it seemed the ships very presence was flooding her mind, drowning any thought with a crushing pressure. It lay there as an alien mother, it's legs spread apart ready to birth unfathomable horrors into Anna's world.
Forcing her eyes from its monstrous form she entered the Barracks, but as she reached the door the white lit hanger erupted with the yellow flashes of klaxons activating as a voice rang echoing around from different speakers within the walls.
"Warning Sublevel doors are opening. Repeat. Sublevel doors are opening, please stand by."
As Anna turned her head she could see across the massive expanse of the hangar a large cargo elevator spreading its thick doors. Entering it were the two scientists carrying a metal container holding the alien infant, they were flanked on both sides by four heavily armed guards walking in a held formation. As the doors slid shut the staff working on the hangar floor erupted in conversation from a widespread silence moments before as they gazed on one of the reasons they were here.
After already seeing the spectacle of the creature, Annabelle could only chuckle slightly as she voiced her thoughts while walking into the Barracks.
"Jesus, next there will be a cargo lift to hell itself."
Walking through the long hallways of the barracks, the general camaraderie of the security staff withered away as they laid eyes on the daughter of Benedict Weyland. The sound of her high heels clattering of the floor didn't do her any favours on announcing a female presence within this predominately male environment. She ignored the hushed whispers and sly glances as she stalked through the massive hallway of bunk rooms and armouries to her destination.
The sound preceded the sight of the mess hall as raised voices blared like a raging storm within. Sliding the door open she was greeted by a small circling mob shouting and cheering at two figures in the centre, it was clear that these two were fighting as every strike was met with an even louder roar from their audience. As she worked her away around the human tsunami she could see no sign of James Cormack, the supposed leader of these dogs. It became clear though through the cheers of the men that Cormack was one of the two fighting.
Full of an irritated spite she marched inside the throng of flesh and testosterone, shoving and pushing through layer by layer of soldiers. Any who tried to deny her further entry were pushed back by fear alone as they recognised her identity and the reprisal of punishment it carried with her.
He appeared unharmed apart from an ugly bruise on the left side of his ribs. His opponent was larger but more damaged, his cuts pouring fresh blood into his eyes like a blinding crimson waterfall. His injuries didn't stop him fighting as he closed in a desperate charge throwing endless punches that were dodged easily by Cormack as he weaved past them.
As they separated again to regain some stamina Anna had witnessed enough and she stomped forward to stand between them, blocking any further combat Cormack and his opponent lowered their guards and begun to pant heavily. Cormack's pale face opened up in a flash of shock as fresh sweat bathed his bald head, wiping his eyes as the fresh salt stung into the bloodshot orbs. His opponent collapsed like a demolished building, knees buckled as his weight toppled to the ground, at this instant a group of the shoulders surrounded him like a protective shroud as they treated him.
Anna approached a lone Cormack with a bitter anger crawling up her thought, her mind screamed at her to slap him like she had done with her father. But as she closed in on him he raised a slight grin to meet her disgraced pout, without any control from her the raging inferno of her anger dimmed to a dull ember as she used a cloth from one of the tables to pat the blood from nose and brow.
"Thought you were busy with your old man and that nutcase of a brother." Cormack said, wincing as the cloth rubbed against the raw cuts lining his brow.
"Don't call him that" Anna whispered sharply. "Especially around the men, any one of them could report it back to him. What the hell was all this about anyway?"
"A pay disagreement, don't worry about it. And no they wouldn't. You don't realise it but everyone talks about it when his back is turned. He hasn't went crazy on anybody yet thank god."
"Shut up about it right now okay not after what I have just seen."
Cormack could see that Anna's pale face had turned a deathly white, her statuesque face looked ready to shatter like brittle glass. He tenderly gripped the hand Anna was using to dab his bloodied face and lowered it slowly, oblivious to all the men around him.
"Anna what is it? I've never seen you like this, what's wrong?"
"That fucking ship" she sputtered in between a rising sob. "There was this thing, this egg they took off the ship and it infected the prisoner my father brought back with him. After a while this thing burst out his chest, a living snake thing, it burst out his fucking chest like a hammer." She sunk into him like a ragdoll, sobbing uncontrollably in a silent despair as Cormack begun to lead her through the crowd. Her sense of presence and location deteriorated with each choked breath, before she realised it she was sat in Cormack's quarters with his four Lieutenants and a glass of scotch in her shaking hands.
As she recalled her story of what had occurred within the research station their faces grew more shocked by each passing sentence. Once she had finished each one of them had cigarettes in their hands and scotch in their mouths.
"Well we have got ourselves in a pretty little mess here sir." Uttered Navek, one of the lieutenants.
"It's not surprising though, I mean look at that fucking ship out there, it's just screaming 'horrible shit inside.' No wonder everyone here is under a contract of secrecy. This place would be purged like the plague if the military got wind of this" Cormack added.
"We have to remember GenCorp too." Anna noted. "They were on my father's tail the minute he acquired the ship and according to him he already had a facility built on an isolated planet but they were hounded off world all the way here." She stopped to refill her glass much to the dismay of James who looked at her with shocked eyes, a feeling that was becoming too familiar to her. "This place won't be purged though, I'm guessing that Anthony Grant will take the ship for Gencorps using the church as a cover since he's in its higher circle, he will claim it as a religious artefact."
"It's not the ship that's dangerous though is it?" Kellan asked.
"No it's the eggs, I heard there is thousands of them on the ship" Anna added.
"Yeah the ships empty apart from them and some giant fossilised alien strapped to a chair." Stone said as everyone else stared at him at this new revelation. "I don't know what you're all looking shocked at. The science team that excavated the ship reported about it, thing is huge but looks like he was grown outta the chair. Fucking freaky as hell if you ask me but all the star seekers in the facility won't shut up about it. Got a report earlier from upstairs saying they are working overtime to keep an eye on everyone's communications to make sure it hasn't leaked.
"Keep an eye on the confirmed Metatologists' communications. The hardliners will be desperate to spread the word that they may have found one of their gods." Anna ordered.
"No problem ma'am" Kellan answered
"During the next briefing on the alien organism I also want all of you to accompany me." Anna wasn't asking as the seduction of command began to take hold.
"Will that even be allowed Miss Weyland?" Miller, the youngest of the four asked. In part Anna believed that was because the he was the most hesitant about being involved with the alien in anyway.
"You scared of a little snake alien Miller?" The last of Cormack's Lieutenants uttered with a smile. Garret was definitely the arrogant one out of the four lesser commanders. His young body was crisscrossed with scars and burns from a harsh career with the Marines Engineer Corps. His records showed that he had been airlifted six times with grievous injuries and he had survived them all. Anna couldn't blame his arrogance, she would be too if she had survived so much.
"It's only young you idiot!" Miller argued. "It killed the guy by bursting through his ribs from the inside, just imagine the strength you would need to do that. Who knows what it will be capable of when it grows, thankfully there is only one."
"I hate to break it to you guys but it aint gonna stay that way for long" Cormack wished he had kept those words to himself but they needed to know.
"What the hell do you mean?" Anna burst out. Cormack always hated it when she pulled that angry face at him, always made him feel a couple inches shorter than her.
"Your brother paid the Judicial Department for death row prisoners for medical experiments. Didn't realise till now what that meant but they were all too happy to get rid of them. Even the off world prisons are starting to get overpopulated now, the first shipment is due in two days' time." As Cormack uttered this they all fell silent as the grave, this facility just turned from a research lab to a charnel house. Everyone at that moment wished they could be somewhere else.
"How many?" Anna asked distantly.
"Thirty according to the latest report, with just as many again by next month." Cormack uttered as he looked down at her. This news was just another slab of weight on her shoulders, he could only imagine what it was like when she saw the alien's birth. On this note he knew he needed to try and relax her a bit. "Boys get back to the men, I want this place locked up tight as can be got it?"
"Yes sir." They uttered as they filed out the room leaving the two behind in an uncomfortable solitude. Cormack hated those, he just never seemed able to say the right thing that would make everything better, he was a fighter not a lover. Burdened with this weakness though he decided to persevere and he crouched down beside her as she sat staring into oblivion.
"Come on gorgeous get out of your head and back into the living." He said tenderly as he held her face in his direction. She looked into his eyes but she didn't look convinced in the slightest. "No matter how bad it might seem we have got everything under control. Remember it's my job to make sure everyone is safe here."
"Your job" she laughed in his face "Then what the hell was that all about through there? Is that your damn job?" She shouted as she rose from her chair pointing to the direction of the mess hall. "You trying to beat discipline into your men, you know if my father catches anything like that he will have you in a doghouse. I don't understand why you're being so calm about all this. Just by doing our jobs we are aiding in the deaths of thirty people when they arrive here"
"Sounds like I'm already in the doghouse" He remarked with a sarcastic chuckle as Anna sank hopelessly back into the chair. "The reason I'm so calm about it is I have learned to deal with death since my time with the 18th and with this company. I used to remember the faces of the people I killed, some of them anyway. After a while everything just seemed to sink into normality, I could kill a man and a few days after I wouldn't even remember him." He recalled with a solemn, lonely tone seeping through his lips as Anna laid a hand on his arm, silent in receiving this small confession.
"Nearly everyone in the 18th has that problem; most of us just bury it deep with all of the other shit in ourselves. We used to fight each other like that daily you know." He announced holding a thumb behind his head in the direction of the mess hall. "We did it just to get some of the anger out, turns out that it works like a drug, once you release it you just want to keep letting it out. The trick most of the lads worked out was to shut it away for a time, though nearly all of us became divorced after 202, civilian life just seemed like a cage filled with boredom and anger."
"Either way I don't care the two of us just need to look after ourselves." Cormack pointed out. "Speaking of which my shift has ended, Kellan and Nevak are on duty for the next few hours so I'm grabbing some shuteye."
"Same" Anna admitted after a dragging yawn. Sleep felt like a guilty pleasure while she was at the facility. Feeling responsible for everything that happened here because she was related to the master of this experiment exhausted her to the bone. After what had happened to the prisoner Morse she felt even more uneasy surrendering herself to the abyss of unconscious, knowing what slithered underneath this level of the facility. Still though she couldn't face alone what might lay in wait for her in her vulnerable imagination.
Her hidden hope was answered as Cormack walked over to sit on his bunk, holding up the half bottle of scotch with one hand. The other pointing to his bruised, scarred face that carried an eager smile. "Could use some TLC you know."
"Thought you would never ask." She answered with a returning smile as she walked over to join him.