Here we go, chapter 7, the first step into a deadly battle.
Chapter 7
Two and a half months was nearly up and the Mesamon wasn't far away from Earth now. The usual gathering was occurring in the cockpit. All four crew members were all at their seats in control of the ship. Ian checked a screen to his right and read off what it said to the rest of the crew.
"Another twenty four hours and we'll be home. Jeez, four and a half months total on this tub."
"I know how you feel." Taylor responded.
"Any change with our bald albino friend?" Ian humorously asked.
Krouser replied "Yes actually. Life signs have been going off all morning. I think he's waking up."
"And about time too." Dickens said.
"I think it would be appropriate if we all went to see him. It would be a good way of finding out what they're like." Krouser continued.
"Very well. Switching to auto-pilot. Wonder why he was in that life support pod in the first place."
Ian adjusted some controls above his head and the ship was set to auto-pilot.
The engineer ship was still very dark and dank, just the way they left it two and a half months ago. Ian, Taylor and Dickens were peering into the pod through the dirty glass window on the top while Krouser adjusted the controls located on the side of the pod. He stopped and said
"Should be ready now."
Taylor asked "How do we communicate?"
"I downloaded a language sample from the computer. I'm confident I can talk with him."
"Just don't go pissing him off now, will you. I don't fancy having my ass kicked by a seven foot tall albino alien." Said Dickens.
The pod then began to slowly slide open. Dust from possibly decades or centuries even worth of collection also swirled around the lid of the pod as it opened for the first time in who knows how many years.
Ian turned to Dickens and said to him "Hey, Dickens. Since you don't seem to be very interested in this could you go and check out that chamber I was talking about?"
"The one with the black goo vases in it?"
"Yeah."
"Alright. Where is it?"
"Keep going along there."
Ian pointed at the big corridor leading away from the central chamber.
"The first doorway you come across, that'll be it. Just see if you can find anything in there. I was meaning to take a look in the last couple months but never got round to it."
"Alright. Don't have too much fun without me."
"Like you really care anyway."
"Yep."
After that Dickens wandered off towards the long corridor at a surprisingly fast pace. The engineer then sat up in the pod as it looked around to check where it was. Soon after that it climbed out and stood in front of the crew. Krouser then began to speak to it in some unknown language.
"Sebal col lox wakunstan?" He began.
The engineer just looked at him blankly.
"What did you say?" Taylor asked.
"I asked who he is. What species."
"I bet it's not albino." Ian muttered.
After about five minutes of what seemed like aimless wandering, Dickens eventually came to the big door at the entrance to the goo chamber. He walked inside and scanned around, not really sure what he was supposed to be looking for.
"OK. Where do I start?"
He wandered deeper into the chamber, looking left, then right, left, right, looking all around him. Still nothing to see other than a load of vases leaking black goo. Suddenly, thud! Something dropped onto the ground behind him and Dickens froze where he stood. The thing started making a low growling sound and Dickens eventually managed to turn around to face it.
"Oh."
It was a tall black creature on two legs with some kind of exo-skeloton, but also what appeared to be an endo-skeloton at he same time. Its head stretched back into a long, curved dome like shape and it had no visible eyes. There was so much saliva dripping from its mouth that it shined in the wetness. Through its sharp pointed teeth was a second set of jaws that could be seen when it opened its mouth to let out a hiss and swung its tail side to side violently. It was a Xenomorph!
Before Krouser could carry on his conversation with the engineer, the comms unit on the suits of all three remaining crew members went off. It only took a moment for all of them to answer it. Dickens was the one calling them and he sounded terrified.
"Guys!"
"Yes? Found something?" Ian asked.
"You could say that, yes. God help me!"
"What do you mean? What have you found?"
Dickens was now sounding panicky when he replied next.
"An alien! A massive, completely black bodied creature! It's coming right at me! Oh shi-"
All that came next was painful screams and then the sound of...Tearing flesh... And then silence.
And so the first one dies. This was another shorty one I'm afraid but i wanted to end it on the note of someone dying to add suspense and, anyway, it makes a good cliffhanger for the next chapter, soon up.
