Varrek's dreams were plagued with nightmares, nightmares of meaningless eyes staring blankly towards him, making him shudder and have the urge to run. It was unusual for him to want to run away from anything, especially something that so closely resembled a human. He couldn't help the feeling of fear it gave him though, how terrifying the androids seemed to him. They were like abominations, fake people with the strength of hundreds. They never needed to eat, to sleep, they never needed to blink.
Their eyes would always remain fixed, never moving, never blinking. To Varrek it was as if they were peering through him, seeing something within him that he couldn't see himself. They terrified him to no end, he didn't know where this fear had come from, but he knew it was genuine. He had tried to forget it, tried to ignore the fear that had been building within him, but when he woke up to the android he snapped. He thought his life would end, he thought he would never see the outside world he had seen picture of.
Varrek woke up, feeling his breath run short like it never has before. He felt cold for the first time on his life and didn't know what was happening. He looked around frantically, trying to find the android that he was sure was there. He never found it, however, and only managed to wake up a tired Artimus. Artimus looked at Varrek, not sure what was going on, and tried to calm him.
"Shhh, it's ok Varrek. It was just a dream, nothing was real" Artimus said, trying to keep his eyes open.
Varrek looked down at him, remembering that Artimus was with him. He had forgotten when he awoke, he had thought he was alone. He held Artimus tightly, acting as if he would disappear if he wasn't careful. Artimus didn't even have room to move his arms with how tightly Varrek had wrapped his arms around him, but he knew better than to speak up about it. Varrek hugged Artimus tightly, still scanning the room to make sure it was safe. He was sure that he saw something in the corner, but when he looked back it was gone.
He heard ghostly noises, but never found their owner. He saw the unwavering eyes of the android, but whenever he looked back they were gone. He felt like he was constantly being watched, so he checked over his shoulder time and time again, only to find the wall staring back at him. He felt so unsafe, so scared, and eventually started feeling sick. He was so sure that he was in danger that he had actually started feeling an illness creep over his body. He breathing picked up and he felt like he had been running for a week straight. He felt a tingling numbness take hold of his body, felt an itchy dryness take hold if his throat.
He had never felt like this before, he didn't like feeling like this. He needed to get a drink, but he was sure that behind the half closed bathroom door there was an android waiting for him to enter. He wanted to get up, but he didn't want to leave the safety of the bed. He nudged Artimus on the back lightly, checking to see if he was awake. Artimus didn't respond and Varrek decided he would have to get up. He slowly slid around Artimus, using the wall so he didn't wake Artimus by any sudden movements.
He reached the floor safe enough but before he could even think he found himself holding Artimus' hand next to the bed. He reached out towards the door, but he was certain that he heard a noise come from the bathroom and he stopped breathing. He listened as hard as he could, trying to hear anything that would give away an intruder. He sat there, just listening for well over a minute. He could hold his breath for much longer than that but he was sure he wasn't going to hear anything else. He let go of Artimus' hand, letting it fall limply against the bed, and started quietly walking towards the bathroom.
The taps on the sink were easier to use than the ones on the shower, so he didn't need to worry about having trouble turning them on. He reached the door and slowly peeked inside, expecting something to jump out and grab hold of him. When nothing happened he made his way into the bathroom, opening the door as wide as it could go. He checked behind the shower curtain and under the sink, making sure that nothing would jump out at him.
Varrek turned on the tap, letting the sink fill half way up before he turned it off. He leaned forward and shot his inner mouth into the water, drinking it until he started feeling full. He pulled out the plug that was at the bottom of the sink and let the water drain. He felt much better now, he didn't feel anything watching him, or any noises that weren't there. He didn't feel scared anymore, that was until he heard a noise come from the roof. He looked up agonizingly slowly, fear not letting his body move.
He was sure that he saw something on the roof, so he bolted out of the bathroom and jumped on the bed, hiding behind Artimus. Artimus let out a groan of discomfort as he felt the bed shake beneath him. What he didn't know was that Varrek was using him as if he was a wall, or a shield. Varrek felt his heart pumping, making his breath come out short and quick, which eventually caused Artimus to roll over and look at him.
Varrek seemed so panicked, Artimus didn't even know what to do about it. Artimus pulled Varrek into a hug, stroking his head and making quiet noises. Eventually Varrek calmed down and hugged Artimus, before lying down with him. Varrek tried to sleep but he couldn't. He tried clearing his mind and lying down, slowing his breathing manually but nothing seemed to work. He was awake the rest of the night, trying his best to keep his thoughts clear as he watched Artimus sleep.
Artimus woke up a few hours later, feeling Varrek's uneven breathing next to him. He wandered if Varrek had slept after he had woken up, probably not. Varrek didn't leave Artimus' side for the rest of the day, not even once. Varrek had clung to Artimus, whining when Artimus had tried to go to the toilet, resulting in Varrek standing just out of sight while Artimus relieved himself. Varrek was jumping at everything and barely touched his food at all.
He had been offered many things to help calm him down but he shook his head at all of them. He seemed to only want to stay with Artimus, like Artimus would protect him from any dangers. The day had gone slow, making things seem nearly unbearable to Varrek. His body felt weak and his mind felt tired, he knew that he would have to sleep eventually but he didn't want to. Days went by like this, and Varrek hadn't slept once.
Varrek's senses were dulled, he walked into walls and people, didn't listen when he was called, and fell flat on his face several times. Most of the scientists were recording his behaviour, even though he wasn't dangerous he was still a Xenomorph. The other Xenomorph's aboard the ship weren't giving many results, even with the new treatment they were getting. Not a single one of them had been harmed but all that the scientists gained was less aggression from them, although they would still try to kill anyone that went near them.
They had seen Varrek many times, and seemed not to like him, trying to look threatening whenever he was nearby. Varrek had done his best to ignore them, just hanging onto Artimus' limp arm and trying to stay awake. Artimus hadn't been sleeping very easily either, being troubled by how much suffering Varrek seemed to be going through. Varrek had noticed this, pretending to sleep whenever they had lain down together, but Artimus knew it was fake.
Artimus had done all that he could to help Varrek, but he seemed to be impossible to help. Artimus had handed the android over to the marines, letting them repair it and keep it on their side of the ship, so that it wasn't wasted and Varrek would feel more comfortable. Varrek had started becoming fond of Brian, the Xenomorph Guard, sometimes even letting go of Artimus' hand when he was nearby. Brian had barely acknowledged Varrek, besides making sure that he wasn't causing trouble, but Varrek still held a liking towards him.
Artimus often found himself being towed over to where Brian was sitting when he was eating, but he never stayed for long. He would only have short meals, never talk to anyone unless reported, and never grabbed Varrek's hand when it was reached out to him. Artimus had requested another Xenomorph Guard from the flagship, so that Brian could take some time off. He had been working hard and he was the only thing that seemed to calm Varrek down. Artimus was sure that Varrek had nearly fallen asleep once when he was lying near him.
Artimus' request had been accepted, and he was alerted that they would be getting some live Xenomorph hosts in a few weeks. Artimus knew what he had to do, he had no problem with extracting a Xenomorph from a human. He knew that the humans they brought in were all criminals that were sentenced to military execution.
Brian had been told he was getting a few weeks off work, still being paid. He seemed much more talkative when he was out of his armour, but not much smaller. He was a giant of a man, being easily as big as Varrek, and he had almost equal strength. While he was off duty he had gotten to know Varrek a bit better, and Varrek enjoyed his company. He would always choose Artimus over Brian though. Artimus, Varrek and Brian had been eating their meals together regularly, Varrek finally starting to eat again, and even napping nearby sometimes.
Time passed faster than anyone could have expected, and before Artimus knew it they were only a few hours away from the planet. He still hadn't told Varrek about the surprise, and he was sure that he would love it. Varrek had started sleeping again, slowly turning back to his old self, and losing fear of the androids. Brian had told him about androids, how they were nothing to fear and could never hurt anything. Varrek had listened to him intently, taking in every word he said, and soon started believing what Brian had said.
They reached the planet on a small drop ship, filled with several Xenomorph Guards and even more marines. There was a single settlement on the planet, almost covered with anti-ship guns and large antennas. The planet seemed to be mostly covered in thick jungle, the settlement looking like a cancer that was slowly spreading. It was mainly a military settlement, but civilians were there to, and had been building off the main settlement, creating a healthy town.
Not many people had entered the forest, because the planet had barely been explored and there were many dangerous creatures lurking on the surface. The ship landed on a large grassy plain, where the Artimus, Varrek and the Xenomorph Guards would be dropped off, before continuing on to the main settlement. Varrek had thought they were approaching another station, and wasn't as excited as he had been about the first one, but he had still wanted to come.
He waited with Artimus as the drop ship doors began opening, and was surprised by how much light hit him, and how fresh the air seemed. He had never known any air fresher than what was on the ship, and didn't know that there could even be any fresher air. His tail began moving behind him at the new scene, he could see very large plants growing outside, but there were no pots around the bases. He could see a large ball of fire in the sky, but it didn't burn anything.
Artimus walked out of the ship, turning around to look at Varrek, who was just sitting there. Artimus walked up and grabbed Varrek's hand, smiling as he started pulling him out of the ship. Varrek felt the ground beneath his feet, it wasn't hard metal or wood. It felt soft, and he dug his claws into it, enjoying how it felt. He wanted to run, but he knew he couldn't, or else he would be hurt by the Guards that were getting off the ship. He sat down next to Artimus for a few minutes, watching the Guards put tall poles in a large square around him.
He wondered what they were doing, but then as if the answer his question he heard a loud electric zap from all directions. He looked to see what it was but could find no source, and looked at Artimus for answers, tilting his head slightly. Artimus laughed before explaining what it was. Varrek didn't understand much of it, but he did manage to find out that if he would try to run past a pole he would get hurt very badly. He didn't want to get hurt so he decided he wouldn't try to run passed them.
Once Artimus was done explaining he told Varrek that he could run if he wanted to, he could do anything he wanted for the next few hours. An extremely large water barrel had been brought in, and Varrek found that there was much more room than was needed for him to fit his whole body in it. He ran for over an hour before finally returning to Artimus, barely panting at all. After that he had gone to the barrel, climbing in and enjoying how the sun had started to warm the water. He swam in small circles for a while, finding himself able to swim much faster than he thought he could.
The day was going great, and Varrek had now completely forgotten about the android. He was the happiest he had ever been, and he would be sure to find a way to thank Artimus for what he had done for him.
In the darkness of the trees several figures were watching. Watching the Xenomorph run around inside the barrier. They slowly moved through the trees, being as quiet as possible, stopping as they reached the border of the jungle. There were several very large people there, but they were sure that they could take them down. They rushed forward and one of them grabbed one of the large people around the shoulder, finding themselves extremely shocked when a fist collided with it, sending it to the ground.
The person yelled something and pulled a large metal pole into their hands, facing directly at them before more of the people ran to the poles they were at, pressing buttons on the side of them. There was a light hum, then nothing. The figure on the ground watched, watched as the other Xenomorphs ran from the trees, battling with the powerful enemies. They would win, they would save their brethren and make the humans pay for enslaving him.