CHAPTER 10
It is a very surprised group of people that watch as some of the soldiers and the General are shoved into the recreation center. Unsure what has happened and what to do, Ripley and the others stand by and watch as the mercenaries enter behind the military. Looking at the soldiers and at how they are moving, Ripley suspects that they have been drugged. She also notices that they are out classed in firepower as well.
Last to enter the room is a man who carries himself as if he is the one in charge. Looking around the room, a smile comes across his face as his eyes settle on Ripley.
"Ellen Ripley…" he begins as he walks over to her, stopping just outside of her reach. "…I'm glad to see that the reports about you being here were correct."
Then, to the prisoners surprise, the loner who had been watching them as well as tried to approach the alien earlier, comes forward and over to the man.
"I'm glad to tell you Kearns, that things here are just as we had hoped."
"Good," he replies. "So, which one of these females is Ripley Jr.?"
"This one is her," the man says as he heads over to where Call and Number Four are standing, then points directly at Number Four.
"It looks as if you're doing much better than the last report said you were doing Jr. You, your mother and your…. 'pets' are going to make us all very rich." He says as he heads over to her and Call. "Even if we choose to keep you, not to sell you, the others will still fetch us a handsome price. You see we can always use something like you."
Ripley begins to move but is quickly stopped short by seeing a rifle aimed at her head. Knowing that she can do no one any good dead, she backs down. Number Four and Call also remain still, seeing what might happen if they try anything. Ripley only watches as the man's attention is then turned to Call.
"And if I remember the records correctly, we have an extra bonus in you, robot. Once your memory is wiped and you're reprogrammed, you'll be a real asset to me."
Raising his hand to Call's face, he grabs her chin. Number Four begins to move as if to stop his actions but is stopped by Call grabbing her wrist, letting her know not to interfere. The man lifts Call's face up to his and then turns it from side to side.
"Not bad, not bad at all," he says as he releases her and then turns to his people.
"I want Junior's main pet found and be sure it's secure. I don't want it harmed, we'll need it to control the others. When it is found I want these three females secured with it. If they give you any trouble, for now you can consider Ripley Senior expendable. We can still make a nice profit with the others."
With the soldiers unarmed and still feeling the effects of the gas, they provide no resistance, and no help, to the others that are there. Two of the mercenaries go over to Call and the woman, armed with semi-automatic weapons. There are two on Ripley as well. All weapons are cocked and ready to be used in an instant as they try to move them out of the room.
When it seems that Call and Number Four are not moving fast enough for them, one man makes the mistake of grabbing Number Four's arm and jerks her hard. She reacts violently to this action, grabbing him and sending him flying across the room. The other person that is with them, a woman, now moves against Number Four and, taking matters into her own hands, punches her in the mouth. As the mercenary sees that this has no effect on her, she has little time to think. Number Four becomes more violent, more animal-like, hitting the woman back- hard and knocking her unconscious, then presses her attack.
"Theresa, NO!" Ripley shouts as she sees what is happening. She then turns to her captors. "Let me go- I can stop her."
With a look and then a nod between her captors, Ripley finds herself released. Moving quickly, she makes her way over to the woman. As Number Four raises her fist to throw another punch, Ripley grabs it and stops her. With anger in her face she looks at Ripley, though it takes her a few seconds before she recognizes who it is that has stopped her.
"This isn't the time or the place Theresa. We have to wait so the others won't get hurt," Ripley speaks to her in a soft, firm voice that helps to calm the woman down.
At first Number Four- now Theresa, is confused by Ripley's words and actions. Finally, showing her acceptance of what she has been told, she opens her fist as Ripley lets go of her. Drawing a deep breath, she begins to relax.
"There won't be any problems for now, as long as no one else touches her," Ripley says as she keeps her eyes on the woman before her. "And to save you some time, the alien you're looking for is in medical- holding cell B."
All three women now find themselves locked in with the alien. Theresa is settled in next to it, Call stands with her back against a wall and Ripley paces the floor. After watching Ripley pace for a while, Theresa decides it's time to talk.
"I think I should tell you both about some things that are going on here," she begins. "Things that were never put into the computers in case something like this should happen, and because they were never authorized to be done in the first place."
"If this isn't in the computers then how do you know this?" Ripley asks.
"I can read the minds of those people that I touch, usually," Theresa replies as she looks over to Call. "That's one of the reasons I never talked before now. I never felt a need to. Call made it necessary for me to begin."
Ripley, as well as Call, now head over to Theresa. Both reach her at about the same time. Once they are there, Theresa continues, only in a quieter voice, one just barely above a whisper.
"There are other aliens here, kept in cryogenics in the hopes that they would not become a threat to the soldiers. These people seem to know that the aliens are here.
"The Doctor wanted to try to create a genetically pure strain of the aliens. He wanted to keep it a secret until he was sure of his success, afraid that the government would put a stop to it. The General is also aware of them but is keeping quiet about it. Like myself, those in cryo are also genetically altered, with my Queen being the donor.
"I am aware of ten such beings. Though they are frozen, I can still feel their minds, as can my Queen.
"There are also the embryos that are in cryo as well. If these people get a hold of them, they can be used in the same manner as what they might have planned for us."
"At least ten more aliens. Damn," Call mutters. "That does explain why they said 'pets'."
"Call," Theresa asks, "why did that man call you "robot"?"
"Because that's what I am. A machine that looks human with a computer for a brain."
"So that's why I couldn't feel your mind when we first touched," she pauses for a moment before continuing. "We can't let them have you Call."
"I wish it were as easy as that Kid," Call responds.
"She's right, we're in some pretty damn deep shit," Ripley says. "You said that you could feel their minds, how is that? I can only feel you and your friend here."
"She was the one who felt them first and showed me how to feel them," she pauses for a moment, then asks "Ripley, why did you call me Theresa and not Number Four or Kid?"
"I couldn't call you Number Four. I was called Number Eight for a while and I didn't like it at all. I couldn't keep calling you Kid, you're not a kid, and it's not really a name either. Theresa was a sudden choice, which for some reason, feels right for you. Besides, Theresa was also my grandmother's name."
Silence prevails as the women sit quietly, thinking. By all outward appearances, no one would ever guess that they are not as they look, let alone suspect their unique relationship to each other. Only the presence of the alien changes the way things look as it softly hisses, making sounds that only Theresa seems to understand.
"We need to try to get out of here, somehow, some way," Ripley says, breaking the silence.
Suddenly as if in anger or frustration, Theresa reaches out and grabs Ripley by the back of her neck.
"Ripley…" she almost yells, her voice being just loud enough to carry beyond the door, "…I am sick and tired of your acting like you're in charge here!"
Call is totally shocked at this sudden outburst from Theresa. She would have been even more so if she knew what was really going on in front of her. By grabbing Ripley's neck Theresa has forced herself into Ripley's mind.
"RIPLEY…" she projects "…IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND ME THEN GRAB MY WRIST, SO I CAN BE SURE."
Almost instantly Ripley reacts, grabbing the wrist of the hand that is on her neck, but she does not remove it. With a somewhat confused look on her face, she plays along. Call is left out in the cold and can only watch and guess what is happening between the women.
Feeling a need to act, Call begins to move towards the women but is stopped by the alien grabbing her and holding her fast, preventing her from doing anything.
"PLEASE FOLLOW MY LEAD, WE NEED A DISTRACTION. IF THEY THINK WE'RE FIGHTING THEY MIGHT COME IN AND TRY TO STOP US. THEY DON'T SEEM TO WANT EITHER CALL OR MYSELF DAMAGED."
"I don't want you running my life!" Theresa finishes shouting.
"Fine! Then let's settle it here and now!" Ripley yells back at the same volume as she pulls Theresa's hand away from her neck.
Both women rise to their feet, ready for a fight. Call sees this and begins to struggle against the alien, but it has a solid hold on her and her efforts are futile, wasted. Helplessly Call watches as the other two begin their fight.
No more words are said as Theresa throws the first punch that Ripley easily dodges, and in turn lands one in Theresa's stomach, which appears to have no effect on her. Theresa then grabs Ripley's fist and jerks Ripley onto the floor. Ripley is quickly back on her feet and fails to dodge Theresa's blow to her stomach, which also has no effect.
Ripley now tackles Theresa sending them both to the floor, wrestling each other. As they wrestle around, Call hears the door open and sees two mercenaries enter. Stopping just inside they look at the women wrestling on the floor and are unsure what to do. It is Call's shout that spurs them into action.
"Stop them! They're going to kill each other!" Call shouts, urging the guards into moving.
The mercenaries look at each other then go over to where the women are fighting and when they get within arms reach of the women, things change rapidly. Instead of fighting each other, they split up and attack the mercenaries, tripping them and sending them both to floor. With them down Ripley and Theresa are quick to render them unconscious. At one point Ripley has to physically stop Theresa who seems ready to rip out her opponent's throat. With the guards now out cold the two women use the bootlaces from the guards' boots to tie them up. All this is done as a stunned Call is released by the alien.
"What the hell were you two doing back there?" Call asks as the four leave the cell and head down the corridor.
"Sorry Call, there was no way and no time to warn you," Ripley replies as they hurry along.
Coming across an air vent, Theresa stops.
"Wait a minute," she says as she looks at the vent covering, then to the alien. "We've got an idea."