Thicker Than Blood
I do not own any films in the Alien franchise
Chapter 9
Tanner ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, Annalise, things haven't gone off as I had hoped." He drew her aside and spoke low. "In fact, nothing has gone well since day one. We were attacked, with the intent being, I believe, to kidnap the twins."
"Where are they, Richard?" Annalise felt anger and fear as she waited for an answer.
Tanner exhaled deeply. Were her eyes getting blacker as she got angrier, or was it just the light? "They're ok. On the run actually, but they're not alone. I have my two best people with them."
"My children are out there, being chased by an unknown enemy? You don't know where Jonathan and Cres'sa are, nor who these...these potential kidnappers are? I left them in your care, Richard! I trusted you!"
"Annalise, we know who they are. And I'm not letting anything happen to the twins. In fact, I have a score to settle with those assholes. They took out one of my ships and killed a number of my people. This isn't finished yet."
Sul'ss stepped behind his mate, sensing her agitation. They would seek out their children without help from the humans. With one hand, he tugged Annalise's shoulder, mentally urging her to come with him. We will find Cresss'sssa and Jahhhh'then, h'sta-ess. Come now.
Annalise hesitated, then nodded to her mate. "Richard, you see to your demons, we will see to ours. Call me if you hear from them. My comm signal is set at 56.33 megacycles. Remember it!" She turned away from her human friend of these many years, not really angry at him, but at the circumstances she was finding herself in. She even felt anger at herself for letting Jonathan and Cres'sa come to Earth. Never again would she let them be away from the nest!
The xenomorph/human pair entered their ship and took off on a low-flying trajectory over the forest. Richard watched them leave, then barked orders to his people, "Back on the ship, everyone! Reardon, take off for heading 6789.021. Maintain a level half-mile altitude, sensors on wide."
"Yes, sir!" Reardon responded even as he sat at the flight console, and coded in their course as per the major's orders. As soon as the soldiers were onboard, the ship lifted off, kicking up dust before heading off over the trees.
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The pilot circled the ship over the wooded area. Scanners picked up various lifeforms, but he could not tell if they were the kind that would provide a good hunt, that is, the creatures indigenous to this planet. It would be a start.
When the ship's clan leader ordered the planet to be scanned, it was discovered that this was not the first time this world had been visited by their people. At one time, it had been set up as a breeding station for the serpent prey. There, over endless generations, many warriors were trained in the Hunt. The Yautja did not kill the weak oomans that lived there, but rather used them as hosts for the serpents. Later, it was revealed the puny creatures had evolved to such a state that they were viewed as formidable fighters, and now made excellent prey.
He signaled the warriors to prepare their pods and ready for departure.
In the woods below, two pairs of creatures were moving in opposite directions. The human male along with the female xenomorph jogged through the brush, not heading anywhere for now, but rather, just hoping to stay out of the way of any Company soldiers. They were out there, they had to be. After many years in service, most of it with combat experience, Sergeant Wheaton had developed the sense to know when the enemy was nearby. His "spidey" senses were tingling now, but only just.
"Come on, Cres'sa. I think we should meet up with your brother and Sergeant Philips before..." Just as he was about to say 'before dark', he heard a noise coming from above. He grabbed Cres'sa by her wrist and pulled her into the brush with him. "Damn, I hope it's not a shipload of those bastards. We can't fight them all off."
Looking up towards the sky, Ed saw a silver object fall to the ground about a mile away. It was far too small to be a troop transport, more like a one man ship. But it didn't appear to be anything he was familiar with. In any case, he felt they should move away from the vessel rather than risk running into even one of the enemy.
Cres'sa raised her head into the air, tasting an odor unlike any she had smelled before, yet her genetic memory recognized it from somewhere. It was the trait built within all xenomorphs that everything that had ever happened to any individual would become a part of the memories of every single nest throughout the universe. Xenomorph drones' lifespans tended to be short in duration, so they had developed the ability to learn quickly, not by seeing and doing, but by drawing from that pool of memories within all of them. Cres'sa knew that the scent she tasted in the air meant danger.
Ed noticed Cres'sa seemingly staring up at the sky, and hissing low. "What is it, girl? What are you sensing?" He saw her long fingers curl into fists, then unfurl, over and over. Something was getting to her, but what. "Are there more soldiers out there, Cres?"
Cres'sa swung her head to face the human, then looked back up at the sky and hissed loudly. She rose to her full height, and started to head west, straight towards the area where the small craft most likely landed.
"Cres'sa, come back!" Ed cursed, and followed the xenomorph. He was beginning to trust her senses more than his own sensor device.
After running for a half mile, Cres'sa stopped. Ed came up behind shortly after. A low thrum seemed to echo through the air, but it was far enough away that Ed figured it was carried sound, and nothing that was too near.
Suddenly, Cres'sa screed loudly, facing north-west. She crouched down, and held her clawed hands in front of her. Her posture was definitely defensive.
"What do you sense, girl?" Even as he asked, Ed readied his rifle. Something felt threatening to her, so he'd better be prepared. It was too bad he had to maintain radio silence for the time being. But if there was someone after them, orders be damned, he was calling for backup.
The air suddenly became silent. There wasn't one sound save for the breeze rustling the leaves in the trees around them.
Ed held his rifle and kept an eye on Cres'sa as he walked a small self-imposed perimeter, but he saw nothing. But his "spidey" sense was giving him itchy-skin. They were not alone. He scanned the area and saw...wait, what was that? He narrowed his eyes as he stared at...something. There was nothing there, yet the air looked similar to that wavery illusion one sees over hot blacktop when driving in the desert. But only in one spot, and it wasn't very large. Ed was taken aback as Cres'sa hissed and threw herself forward, aiming herself for the strange patch of air.
"Cres, no!" Ed lowered his rifle, ready to engage whatever it was Cres'sa thought was there. He heard a strange trilling, then a roar. He didn't believe it at first, but Cres'sa had found someone, something, and was attacking it. She was suddenly thrown to the ground by...what. The damn thing was invisible. Ed aimed and fired at the wavy air, but whatever it was moved with incredible speed.
Cres'sa slashed the air with her powerful claws as something screeched in pain. She whipped her tail around, but it had not reached its full length, thus proving to be a less than suitable weapon. A light flashed, sending her reeling back in pain. Yellow blood dripped to the ground as she stood, hissing at her invisible attacker.
Ed saw that Cres'sa had been hit, and angrily fired in the directional she was facing. He saw a bright green substance splash on a tree, and knew he had hit whatever was there. His eyes went wide when from nowhere, their attacker appeared. It was tall, dressed in light combat armor, and wearing a mask. Its head was covered in dreadlock-looking appendages. The thing was humanoid, but obviously not human. This was no Company soldier, not unless they were breeding monsters as fighters.
Just as Cres'sa was about to attempt another flying attack, Ed saw the creature reach for something on its wrist. Wheaton raised his rifle and shot the thing in the head, point blank. The creature's scaly hand fell away from the device it was trying to touch, as it slumped back to the ground, surrounded in a green halo of what Ed now knew to be blood. He kicked at it with a boot tip. The thing was dead. As he rose, his thoughts went to Cres'sa. When he turned around, he saw her lying in the dirt, mewling weekly. "Damn," he uttered.
Racing to her side, he checked her over quickly, noting that she was not acting in a way that indicated there were more of those things. He would trust her on that. He set his rifle aside, and knelt at her side. He gently touched her wound, testing the depth and surrounding tissue damage. She hissed in response. "Sorry, Cres. I know it hurts. We'll get you all fixed up, ok? So don't go and die on me now." Of course, he knew nothing about xenomorph physiology. He reached into his backpack, and pulled out a staunch-pad. Tearing the paper from the pad, Ed lay the bandage as gently as he could onto the wound. Instantly, the material began to smoke. "Shit, I forgot," he swore. How was he going to stop the bleeding now, when the blood in question was acidic in nature?
He looked down at the female xeno, frowning as he tried to think of some way to help her. "Cres, I wish I could do something." Now knowing what else to do, he placed his hand on hers. She mewled at him, then hissing, tried to sit up. "Stay down, girl. You'll make yourself weak." He wanted to call the major, but was afraid that the thing he had killed wasn't alone. Radio silence would be the best thing for now. He dare not give away their location. If there were other creatures like that one, there would be no way for him to fight them alone, especially now that Cres'sa was injured.
His attention was drawn back to Cres'sa, who was still in obvious pain. He felt so helpless. Unable to staunch the bleeding of the yellow blood-acid, Ed let ideas fly around in his mind, hoping to come up with something. It seemed like an eternity, but an idea came to him. Ed remembered he had a graphite platen in his bag, one he used for researching latent images on materials. It was useful to detect trace chemicals, and even writing left behind by enemy agents. The platen wasn't very big, but it might work.
"Ok, girl, I think I can make you feel better. But you have to promise me you won't lash out if it hurts. Ok? Promise?" He was worried she might attack him as the source of her pain should the graphite cause an adverse reaction. Like an injured dog might do, she could kill him without thinking.
He looked around for a rock, one large enough to break the platen. He set the flat object on a patch of hard ground, and began to smash it with the rock. Chunks easily flew off. He then smashed the chunks until each was pulverized into a fine powder. Scooping up the grey powder, Ed siddled over to Cres'sa, and spoke softly. "Ok, girl, this may hurt, but I'll be as gentle as I can."
Cres'sa moved her head toward the human who had been taking care of her, the human she felt herself attracted to and didn't understand why. As he caressed her smooth carapace, the pain waned a bit, enough for her to gather her strength. "ehhhdd...hessssstaessss...cresssssa..."
Ed's head snapped up as he heard sounds coming from Cres'sa's jaws. Had she spoken his name? And what else had she said? He didn't understand her. As he continued working on her wound, he felt something touch him from behind. Ed turned to see Cres'sa's tail snaking around him to rest on his back, wrapping the tip around his torso. It freaked him, but he didn't want to upset the xeno in any way. Besides, he trusted her. Even in pain, she was being gentle with him in the only way she could.
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Jonathan stopped when he heard a sound coming from no more than 50 meters in front of them. His instincts told him it wasn't an Earth animal. He felt something within him that told him an enemy was near, something responsible for the murders of millions of his kind, something that must be killed.
Jennifer stopped as well when she saw her charge standing stock still, his head tilted to the right as if he were listening. "What is it?" she asked, as she readied her rifle.
Jonathan removed his sunglasses, his black eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "An old enemy," he answered.
Jennifer moved to his side, her eyes scanning the woods. "Soldiers?"
"No, not soldiers. Not human ones, anyway." He turned to face her. "Warriors of another species...who must be destroyed."
Puzzled, she demanded, "What are you talking about? Jonathan, if this is some sort of diversion on your part..."
He grabbed her upper arm, squeezing hard. "This is no joke, Sergeant Philips. We have company, and you would do well to listen to me if you want to live." He forced her into the brush in case the enemy was nearer than he sensed. "Long ago, a species of creature known for their love of hunting and mass bloodletting found a colony of So'reth'esst," he began. When he saw her confusion, he clarified, "Xenomorph. They bred us and used us for their hunts, to train their young in killing."
"How do you know this?" Jennifer whispered, as she crouched on the ground. She didn't trust Jonathan, but he seemed sincerely afraid or angry, maybe both, as he told her his story. Perhaps he spoke the truth and something was out there, hiding in the woods, waiting.
"It is in our genetic memory. Just as you have story tellers, books and other methods to pass down your history from generation to generation, we retain the memories of each queen, passed on from the Mother to her nestlings. I don't know how, but these creatures have found us."
"Do you think maybe they aren't aware you're here? That maybe they've come to Earth to hunt...humans?"
"It's possible they're only here to hunt your kind, and that they don't know we're here on the planet. But if they do find us..." Jonathan may have acted like an ass to his human protector, but his concern for his sister was very real.
He was just about to make a suggestion to the female soldier, when a tree not 10 meters from the pair exploded in a bright flash of sparks and fire. Jonathan grabbed Jennifer by the arm, and dragged her deeper into the brush. "They're here," he said, his eyes busy scanning the forest.
Jennifer barely had time to breathe, but she gathered her composure and held her pulse rifle ready to fire at the first sight of anything not human. How, in all this brush and forest-land, did they manage to get tracked by...whatever it was out there? "Where are they? Why can't we see them?"
Jonathan shushed the human while he looked around. He didn't understand what it was he was seeking, but when he found it, he'd know. Even the slightest visual anomaly... then he saw it, moving air like that of radiating ground heat on his home planet. The thing was there. Turning to Jennifer, he whispered, "Look at the air. They have personal cloaking devices. If you see anything that looks out of the ordinary, shoot at it."
Jennifer scanned the air as Jonathan had instructed her. It wasn't easy, and she found herself holding her breath, as if that would help her eyesight. But she saw something. Two somethings, in fact. She raised her rifle and fired. Hearing a roar, she ducked as a flash emitted from the blurry area, and a substance flew over her. It looked like plasma energy. She fired at both spots in succession. Bright green splashed onto the ground, followed by a thud. Dust flew as if something had fallen on the ground. She must have hit one of the creatures.
Then Jennifer's heart stopped. The thing became visible, and it most definitely was not human. Then his companion became visible as he went to check his partner.
Jonathan left his hiding place, and attacked the other warrior. He lunged for the torso, and threw the thing down. He opened his mouth, and spit poisonous acid at the creature's masked face. It began to smoke as the acid ate through the metal.
The hunter grabbed at his mask, throwing it off into the brush. He wondered in amazement how this creature was able to attack him as it had. Activating his wrist-blades, he charged at his prey.
Jennifer circled the fallen warrior, her rifle aimed for his head. She suddenly found herself on the ground, struggling with this alien. In the struggle, her rifle had been knocked from her hands. Reaching for her boot knife, she was able to pull it free. But it was nearly impossible for her to use it, since the alien was pressing down on her with his weight.
Jonathan kept his eyes on the weapon that was as if part of the creature's arm. He ducked as the blades were slashed through the air, then made a grab for the arm and twisted hard. He felt satisfaction when the alien roared in pain. Jonathan then threw him back against a tree.
The warrior staggered, then advanced on his prey. He now knew that this was no ordinary ooman. He viciously attacked with his wrist-blades, slashing at the black-eyed demon, drawing blood, but unable to kill him. His frustration only compelled him to fight harder. In anger, he roared as he ran at the strange ooman. As golden eyes met black, blood spilled, and one lay dying. The victor stood over his victim, reached down and took a souvenir from his defeated prey.
Jennifer was feeling the very breath being squeezed from her lungs, when suddenly, fresh air rushed in. The heavy weight was no longer upon her. She looked up to see her attacker swinging in the air, metal blades sticking out from his neck. She saw Jonathan standing behind the creature, his hand holding the other end of the blades.
He was smiling grimly as he watched the alien die, then let the body fall to the ground, bright green blood oozing onto the ground to mingle with the dirt. He stepped over to Jennifer, and reached his hand down to her.
Jennifer looked up at the mutant who had been such a pain in her ass this whole time. Now she owed him her life. That rankled, she had to be honest. But she took his hand and let him pull her up. "Thanks," was all she said, as she felt herself blushing. She wanted to release her hand from his, but he wouldn't let it go. She felt herself being pulled towards him. With only inches between them, she looked up into his very dark eyes. "Don't even," she warned him.
Jonathan smiled. "I would never let anything happen to you, Jennifer. Killing them was a genetic imperative, even if your life had not been in danger." He rubbed her palm with his thumb. "Still, your life is very important to me. You are alright? They did not injure you?"
Pulling her hand from his, the feel of his gentle massage still tingling on her skin, she answered, "I'm fine. The wind was knocked out of me, but yeah, I'm ok. Thanks again."
Jonathan bent to pick up his sunglasses that had fallen to the ground before the fight. He dusted them off before putting them back on. "Come on, we have to find Cres'sa. Something's wrong." He felt she had been injured, and headed in the direction his senses were telling him his sister was.
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Onboard the Yautja vessel, the battles had been witnessed by the clan leader and other warriors, including the unblooded youth who hoped to achieve that distinction on this mission. Watching their comrades being taken down one after the other made each more anxious to take his turn, if just to prove there were better than those who had fought prey before. Each desired his first trophy, the required memento of their initiatory, after which they would participate in the Blooding ceremony.
On orders from the clan leader, the ship's pilot uncloaked, and began the descent to the planet. A small ship was detected in the wide sensors. On orders, the large Yautja ship changed course.
It was Tanner who saw the alien ship first. It appeared to be hovering over a section of the woodlands thick with trees. What were they doing? "Take us down, but keep us above them at all times, silent running" he ordered. Apparently, the vessel hadn't noticed them yet, so engrossed they must be with their current target. As they circled silently above the alien ship, Tanner noticed beneath the vessel's shadow, Annalise's ship, on the ground and obviously out of commission. "Take us in!" Tanner turned to his team and said, "We have company. Annalise's ship has been shot down, by whom, I don't know."
"The Company, sir?" one of the men asked while he inspected his weapon.
"Don't think so. It's too sophisticated looking to be anything from the Company's arsenal. Most definitely alien."
The soldiers looked at one another. They knew xenos didn't have flight capability but rather hitchhiked on others' ships. So what alien ship was out there?
Peering out the main viewscreen, Tanner saw what seemed like three very large creatures, bared skinned save for strategically worn armor and head gear. Opposite them were Annalise and Sul'ss, in fighting stances but terribly out-numbered and out-weaponed. "Shit. Reardon, go in, now! Ok, team, there are three...I have no idea what they are, but as soon as we land, everyone hit the ground shooting. Just watch out for Annalise and her xenomorph. Ready?"
All shouted 'yes, sir!' as one voice, eager for a good fight.
On the ground, Annalise was attempting to avoid being shot by whatever kind of weapon the aliens were using. They had fired on the colony ship, which had no weaponry to speak of. the ship had been damaged by laserfire and crashed landed. They were then followed, where these creatures began firing on them once they exited their own small shuttle.
Annalise had been using the one hand weapon she had against the attackers, before getting hit on the leg. Sul'ss, on seeing his mate injured, rushed the alien creatures, lethal claws extended and screeing loudly in anger. When he reached the closest one, his open maw shot a black liquid onto the alien's face mask. The acidy fluid immediately began to eat through the metal. The creature pulled the mask from his face, several tubings torn in a rush of air as they detached from the mask.
"Sul'ss, no!" Annalise limped toward the aliens, shooting all the way. She watched helplessly as Sul'ss used his hands, tail and mouth as his weapons. He managed to take down one attacker, but the other two, previously hesitant to come to the aid of their fellow, now moved forward toward both Annalise and Sul'ss.
Suddenly, the air was rent with laser fire. The ground was being pocked-marked by it. Annalise could now see that high above them, but coming in fast, was Major Tanner's ship. She smiled, until her attention was taken by one of the aliens. Refusing to run, she lifted the laser gun and fired at it. She must have hurt it, because it suddenly screamed out a roar of pain as it staggered, trying to stay upright.
Sul'ss looked up to see the ship of his mate's human friend approaching them. Again, laser beams issued from front ports, slicing right through the alien creature that had attacked him. Both halves of the body collapsed to the ground in a splash of bright green fluid.
Hearing the roars of the last of the attackers, Sul'ss turned and in a fury, moved toward the creature. His tail lashed out, slicing at the thing's bare arms and torso. Each cut caused more anguished cries.
Annalise didn't care for the pleasure her mate seemed to be taking in torturing his attacker, so she shouted, "Finish it!"
Sul'ss swung his head at Annalise. She was right. Anything more was a waste of energy. With one mighty flick of his powerful tail, he cut the creature's throat. It fell to the ground, jerked a bit, then went still.
Tanner's ship landed nearby in a clearing, loosing the team of soldiers through the open exit door. Tanner followed, shouting orders. "Fan out! Look for others." Staring up into the sky, he saw the alien vessel had gone. But how so quickly. Moving toward Annalise, he called over the medic. "Are you alright?" His eyes scanned her leg wound. The bleeding had stopped, at least.
"I'm fine, Richard, but where are my children?"
It was at that moment that a soldier stumbled through the brush, screaming in pain. He was ablaze in a blue fire. Horrified, Tanner watched as his man fell to the ground, dead.
Soon the woods were filled with the sounds of pulse rifles being fired. The air was rent with screams of pain and roars from an unknown source. Tanner's soldiers were running back to the clearing, looking back as if being followed.
"Back on the ship!" Tanner shouted. Grabbing Annalise by the arm, he swung her up in his arms and carried her aboard. He nodded at Sul'ss, who was close behind. Once everyone, at least those who had survived the ambush, were on board, Reardon took off. The ship was shaken as if hit.
"Damn, it's firing at us! Book it, Reardon." Tanner was squeezing the back of the pilot's seat tightly, trying to remain upright.
The shaking suddenly stopped, and Tanner saw on the sensors that, although they were still being followed, the other ship was merely pacing them.
As they flew low over the forested area, Annalise sensed something. She grabbed Sul'ss' taloned hand. It was the twins. They were not together but were not that far apart. "Richard, we have to land."
"Annalise, we can't land, not with that ship on our tail."
"The twins, they're down there." Her eyes did not plead with him. She expected him to respond to her order.
Looking at the console, his eyes scanned quickly. There was nothing, no tracers from either Wheaton or Philips. Maybe both had decided to remain in radio silence. Taking the seat next to Reardon, his hands played over the console. Pushing a button, he fired a laser beam directly into the woods. Trees were instantly disintegrated, leaving a path. "Take us in."
Reardon frowned as he turned to his commander. "But, sir, that's not enough room..."
"I know you can do it, son. We have to find Sergeants Wheaton and Philips before that ship does. We won't have much time. In and out, got that?"
Reardon exhaled. "Yes, sir." His hands were steady with determination as he steered their ship through the tunnel created by the ship's laser. The alien vessel was too large, and could only hover above the trees as it kept pace.
Annalise closed her eyes, and reached out with her mind. She had to contact her children, and let them know they were on the way. Then it happened. Her thoughts were met with an answer. It was Cres'sa. They were close. She was with Ed Wheaton, but didn't know where Jonathan was. And Annalise was not sensing her son anywhere.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I am so sorry for this next chapter taking so long to be posted. Busy life, and yeah, I hate having so little time to write. I'm now in the middle of a move and losing my Net connection, but I'll update during work breaks. I tried to make this chapter longer with some action. And I will be correcting any errors later. I just wanted to get this posted before my Net is shut off.
Thanks for your patience.
