Chapter 10: mind games
After Ellen, Arthur and the two warriors were contained Bruce quickly made his way to Bowie apartment. A deep, disturbed worry seemed to settle over his mind like a razer blanket. Is it possible Livis is getting his memory's back? Bruce questioned himself, Kroger told us he would be safe but… wave upon wave of dough spread around his mind; he needed to be sure and there was only one way of checking.
Bruce pressed the doorbell to Bowie and Randy's apartment complex. he stood there for around a minuet, tapping his in a rude and almost impatient manner. The sound of the lock being turn rattled through the door before it was opened by randy who instantly stepped aside, not out of respect but because Bruce had almost knocked him to the ground.
Bowie stepped out from his bedroom with a thick coat of shaving cream that clung to his chin. "we herd a commotion, what happened?"
"we need to do the test now." Bruce said in a demanding tone.
"why?" bowie questioned.
"somethings off about Livis… this morning his stress levels were high and he seemed to be up to something near the water purification structure."
This news only brought a wave of anxiety to Randy who had been feeling a sense of paranoia today. Why do I have to have the empathic ability's? He thought to himself as Bruce and bowie stared at him.
"are you ready?" Bowie asked him.
"do I have a choice?"
Randy sat in a stale white room with soft padding surrounding most of the walls. He could feel the telepathing flow through his vain from the drip that stood to his side. Bowie sat at the other end of the table in case he needed help while Bruce stood behind a one-way mirror. Randy couldn't see him but he could feel his emotions; worry.
Randy closed his eyes, letting a thick black vail surround him until he was sure he could begin to wander. He could feel two xeno's in the basement of the facility as well as Ellen? Her mind was human but seemed to have this corrupt presence, spreading through it like some sort of cancer. He could feel Ellen's worry for herself as well as for O'ceiroesss… randy could feel another thought as well coming from her, she knows about L'iviesss past now and doesn't know of what to think of it.
Keep focused dam it! he told himself, I need to find his mind. randy felt a cold chill flow down his spine as he seemed to find… something?
A huge arch way made up of their organic yet mechanical resin stood tall in front of him like the jaws of some ambush predator. He could feel something calling him in deeper as what felt like a hot breath smothering the back of his neck in its heat. Douse he know I'm here? No, no, no, he can't! there no way. Randy stepped into the strange archway and was a around two meter in when the arch way abruptly shut behind him with a wet snap, drowning him in a flood of darkness. He turned around and began to pound on the wall only to feel something with a metallic feel to it like there teeth. "Fuck!" randy huffed turning around to face the only direction he could go. He began to walk deeper down the almost pitch-black caverns, using his hand as his sight. Everything had a cold, wet, slimy, grit feeling to it, forcing randy to whipping his hand on his trousers.
Without warning randy felt something grasp his foot and pull him to the ground. He began to fall as the ground beneath him vanished. THEY knew he was there, he could feel there alien thoughts begin to murmur as the hive mind quickly closed in around him.
he hit the ground, hard!
As he pickets himself up from off the ground he began to here the sound of something tapping impatiently. He looked up to see a spidery hell that triggered a flash back to when he had first met this THING! He remembers being swarmed by them, how they effortlessly overpowered him, how one shoved its ovipositor down his throat. It wasn't real but how it felt was! Its slimy appendage wiggling its way down his throat. Then the feminine voice in his mind began to whisper how he wanted this and he was where he belonged.
He laid there curled in a ball for god knows how long before finally snapping himself out of it. he opened his eyes only to find the hellish corridor empty. There were two way he could go. Forward were there was a faint source of light or backwords were only the abyss laid in wait.
Randy wearily walked towards the light with a blanket of fear. "why can't things just be simple?"
"they never are." A deep masculine voice replied from behind. it was a lot different from when randy had first heard it but with a grate dread who it was. Randy shot around only to be met with a resin wall? "wrong way." He chuckled. Randy shot around one more only to find himself in a large chamber with almost every xeno in the facility glaring at him with there eyeless faces. In between this black sea of demons stood L'iviesss himself with his queen to his side. "long time no see." L'iviesss laughed "I don't think I ever got your name, did I? no matter."
"so, I guess you have your memories back?" randy questioned.
"you mean the once you and your kind tried to hide from me? Yes." L'iviesss said taking a step forward with his queen.
"why did you just admit it to me? I can just leave now and…"
"what makes you think you can?" L'iviesss almost mockingly laughed taking another huge and bound full stride forward.
Randy tried to take himself out of the hive mind but there was now exit! He was trapped! "what have you done?" Randy forced himself to say.
Two xenomorphs lunged forward and held randy on place stopping him from running. "you think you can just waltz into the hive mind and come strati back out?" L'iviesss snorted right in his face. randy could feel his hot breath almost burning his face.
"what are you going to do?" randy said with fear in his hart.
L'iviesss seemed to smile as he lowered his right hand to his forehead. Randy let out a scream of pane as he felt the tip of his claw dig deep into his flesh before dragging it in a secular motion before pulling back. And looked In horror as L'iviesss held a perfectly cut bit of flesh and bone? Randy realized with horror that his very brain and mind was fully exposed to these horrific aliens.
"what are you doing to me?" randy almost cried at L'iviesss.
His response was his inner jaw burring itself deep into his frontal lobe. Randy let out a dazed slur as vivid images flashed through his mind. he began to experience every wrong doing the people had ever done to the xenomorphs.
Suddenly, randy found himself in a stale white room. With a one-way mirror in front of him. at first, he thought he was back in the room with bowie but there was no one there. Randy tried to move his arms and legs but they were trapped in steel? "were, am I?" randy hissed "what's going on?" two people entered the room wearing lab coat and black leather? Or was it some sort of thick rubber gloves?
They carried in some sort of canister as well as a box full of surgical tools. "what are you doing?" randy tried to question him.
"don't these things ever shut up?" the one carrying the canister huffed.
"who are you calling a thing? ass hole!" randy snarled at him.
"do you recon we could put some of this liquid nitrogen on it vocal cord and maybe shut it up for a while?"
Why are they talking to me like this? randy thought "let me out of this god dam restraint!"
The scientist with the surgical tools seemed to place something on the sides of Randy's temple, stopping him from moving his temple; stopping him from moving his head. "that should keep it still."
The one with the canister seemed to pull a small nozzle from the top and place it on the top side of Randy's right arm. Before he could ask what the man was doing a intense burning and biting sensation seemed to spread over his skin in huge wave. "what the hell are you doing!?" randy bellowed as he tried to pull his arm away from the nozzle.
"why couldn't we have gotten Livis to try and calm it down or something?" the one with the nozzle said.
The man with the surgical tools pulled out a scalpel and rammed it into Randy's arm! causing him to let out a shrike of agony as the man quickly began to cut of a layer of Randy's black hide.
Randy vision began to blur and flash in a dizzying worried of pane and emotion. He focused on his left arm only to see what looked like bits of wiring covering it?
"it going to be ok S'omesss." A'mygdalisss told him in a calm, caring manner "it won't be long now until L'iviesss gets the chance he needs to brake free from there control. Just endure it the best you can."
It was then randy realized that he was in some sort of memory? Why would L'iviesss show him this? what was his endgame?
The surroundings changed and randy felt a sudden burst of pane as something jabbed into its side. "I will kill you!" the drone screeched at them, judging by the feminine voice it was female. He could feel her every thought and emotion as if it was his own. The drone seemed to let out another screech of pane as she was struck one again with the cattle prod. She stared out the cage and seemed to let out a silent call to a distant figure. Randy quickly recognised it as L'iviesss who seemed to be staring at some clipboard when another scream from the drone rang out, grabbing his attention. "just having a little fun." A bulky bloke with the name of Jerald snorted shocking the drone once more.
"stop that now!" L'iviesss demanded as he could feel this unknown anger swell up inside him. it was as if he was watching a loved one being hurt!
A man with the name tag of brock stepped forward with a smug smile spread across his face. "or what xeno whisper?"
The drone could sense L'iviesss annoyance at the nickname. "if you don't stop then I will write a report to the heads saying that your were casing unneeded harm to the specimens." He retorted.
it's not unjust," one of them snorted "it looked at me funny."
Randy felt another burst of pane as the cattle prod jabbed the drone once more in the snout, causing it to reel back in pane. Something seemed to trigger in L'iviesss casing him to pounced forward with inhuman agility onto the one that had just shocked the drone. L'iviesss fists seemed to drop with enough force to shatter concrete onto the man's chest causing him to let out a winded yelp.
"watch out!" the drone hissed at L'iviesss as one of the men hit him with the full charge of the cattle prod causing him to let out a shrike that was not to similar to a xeno before collapsing unconscious. The drone began to let out shrikes of pane and pure anger as it slammed itself against the bars.
"that thing is really pissed." Brock stated.
"I think it wants him." Jerald laughed. The drone watched as they hoisted him to the top of the cage with grate difficulty, each one of them letting out a breath of exaction. "you know," one of them huffed "he's quiet heavy for his size."
The drone waited in a pouncing position as she herded the lock on the hatch being undone. As the man opened it, the drone lunged up, grabbing hold of L'iviesss and impaling Jerald with its tale and pulled him screaming into the cage.
"o shit!" the one onto almost screamed as he slammed the hatch shut.
The drone carful laid L'iviesss to the ground before turning her full attention to the man who was pinned to the cold steel bars by her tail which was lodged deep into his left shoulder. "please don't kill me!" it begged to her making her let out a sound not to similar to a laugh. She lunged forwards slamming her inner jaw deep into his right shoulder before beginning to rip into him like a wet paper bag, tearing out huge chucks of flesh as well as spraying blood all around the cage.
Randy felt himself enjoying? The horrific show. They deserved it! he hissed in an animalistic way as he could feel their flesh tare under his claws. he felt an odd sense of joy when the blood began to drip down from his maw and a mix of fear and pain swirled in his nostrils; causing him to feel this odd sensation of euphoria.
After the drone was done the mangled remain of its corpse could barley be recognised as human. Its skull had there distinct puncture rooms and most of it ribcage was fully visible. It intensions seemed to slump to the side of his legs and his hand laid half way across the cage.
She turned around and seemed to slowly approach L'iviesss as she looked at what they had done to his body in pure disgust and sorrow. His once proud dorsal tubes had been striped away from him as well as his deadly tail. his once cold, black an sexy exoskeleton and been covered by this false hide that didn't feel right at all to touch. a pained whimper seemed to emanate from the drone as she lowered her head and nuzzled him. "what have they done to you?" she cried to him. she curled her body around L'iviesss in a loving and protective manner.
Randy felt L'iviesss inner jaw retract from his brain, allowing him to finally think strati. He had felt the xenomorphs emotions Cleary for once and didn't find them to be these strange and ungodly instances. He under stood there magnificent nature now.
"do you understand us now?" L'iviesss questioned him.
"yes." Randy replied.
"will you help us?" L'iviesss asked, his tale seemed to sway back and forth in an an almost hypnotic manner.
"yes." Randy replied.
"then don't tell them about my memories." L'iviesss commanded to him. "let Ellen, S'omesss and Z'ulesss out of there prisons and after that I want you to do one more thing for me."
"what?"
"destroy the communications antenna."
Randy stared at L'iviesss with a confused expression on his face "why destroy the communications antenna?"
"for the safety of the hive…" L'iviesss seemed to hesitate as if he was saying something he was disagreeing with "and the people."
Randy bowed before his king before he felt himself being dragged from the soothing safety of the hive mind back to the cold, uncaring reality. He began to hear a voice as if someone was calling to him in a worried manner. "can you hear me randy?" randy opened his eyes only to feel like his returners had been smothered in sulfuric acid.
"get the dam light out of his eye!" Bruce growled. "can you hear me?"
Randy eyes seemed to flicker a few times as his surrounding became clear. He was in a hospital bed? "what happened?"
Bowie let out a long and almost relived exhale "well at first you seemed fine, and then you seemed to have these sudden twitches before you began to violently convulse… you stopped breathing for a while." He paused looking at the monitor were the hart beat seemed to rise and fall like a row of uneven mountains. "so what happened? Does he have his memory's or not?"
"he doesn't." randy quickly said.
"are you sure?"
"yes… was just having flash backs to the predators attacking him."
"makes sense." Bowie said looking at Bruce for conformation.
"lets just hope it stays that way." Bruce replied.
As soon as randy was discharged from the medical ward he knew what he had to do, he just didn't know what order to do it in. he could free Ellen and the two warriors first and then destroy the antenna but… what happens if they are able to send out a distress message? Randy was able to 'borrow' a maintenance jack as well as a portable blow torch from two unsuspecting workers and hid them under his trench coat. He quickly walked around the back of the building were he found a fire escape he was able to reach using a bin he almost fell into. He reached the top only to stop and nearly fell back down the steel stares when he had almost forgotten one small detail. The dam observation towers! Luckily for randy the sun had almost past the horizon, allowing its moons to take its place. He peaked took a quick peak, allowing his eyes to quickly find the antenna located directly on top of the command tower near the building. At first he thought he would have to climb ti but luckily for him he noticed some tubing that lead directly into it. randy looked into the four observation towers making sure no one was there before making a mad dash to the tubing.
Randy examined the tubing wondering whether or nit he could just used the hooked part of the maintenance jack to easily just tare out the wiring. He bashed the hammer against it for it to make a CLANG! Sound. "blow torch it is then." Randy laughed to himself. He pulled it from his front pocket an flicked the small safety visor over it. sparks began to hiss and spit in its vicious and spiritic dance as the strong sturdy metal slowly began to liquefy in its orang glow. He made a carful insinosn before violently jamming in the hooked end and pulling it out.
Sam was talking to her family using her personal terminal when she abruptly lost connection with a small phone symbol with a cross through it seemed to flash at her in a mocking tone. "the hell?" she huffed as she quickly tried to reconnect. 'SORRY BUT IT SEEMES YOU MAYBE HAVING TECHNOCAL DIFFICULTYS. YOU MAY WANT TO TRY AND RECONNECT/ RESETTING YOUR CONNECTION' the computer told her in a mockingly big font. Sam let out an annoyed relies of stress before switching of her computer and holding down her restate button on the router. It flashed green three times before a shrill buzzing and a solid red seemed to set off. "that can't be right."
Sam exited her apartment and nocked on one of her neighbours door. A man of a hunched stature seemed to open the door "Sam? Can I help you?"
"can you quickly test your connection to the communication antenna?"
"so its down for you to?" her neighbour replied.
"I was in the middle of a call when it just abruptly cut off." Sam told him with an annoyed expression on her face.
"same. One minuet talking to a friend and the next, disconnected." He paused for a moment. "what do you recon caused it?"
Sam just shrugged "maybe the system crashed or some faulty wiring. Should be fixed soon hopefully." Sam was about to leave when he seemed to ask her one more question
"hey err, have you noticed anything off about the water?"
"not really why?" Sam replied a little confused.
"never mind."
he shut the door leaving Sam a little baffled. What could be wrong with the water?
Randy quickly made his way off the roof and slipped into An elevator were he rode it down to were he could feel Ellen and the two warriors; the bottom floor. He poked his head down the long, baron corridors not seeing a single soul. Good. He though to himself. He quickly began to silently jog left were he eventually came across an open door. He peered into the room only to someone sitting in a chare and almost hypnotized by his book. Just when I thought this was going to be simple. Luckily he was facing away from the door giving randy the opportunity to sneak up behind the man and…
THUNK!
"the fucks wrong with you?" the man howled as he lean forward very much awake.
SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! Randy panicked and hit him one more.
"stop that!" the man cried one more.
"just knockout already!" randy almost growled at him. he hit the man once more in the temple which seemed to do the job. "sorry about that." Randy quickly made sure the man was still alive and with crossed fingers hoped he didn't have some form of severe brain damage. He propped the man back in his chare before walking over to the window. Randy peered down to see four figures. One was Ellen who seemed to be sleeping, the second was Arthur? And the last two were the xenomorph warriors who seemed to be smiling at him. One of them seemed familiar to him but he couldn't work it out. He noticed a small mice with a red button next to it. "hello?"
Arthurs head seemed to shoot up at the window where he saw the young man starring down at him. "randy? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to get you out." Randy looked at the cluster fuck of a control panel in front of him "what do I press?"
Arthurs eyes lit up with hope as he quickly bring up an image of the control panel in his head; it was a little different from the other panels but aside from the odd detail it was the exact same. "ok you see a button on the top left?"
"deadly neurotoxin?"
"to the left of that!"
"but there is no button to the left of it!"
"shit!" Arthur seemed to pace the room, going back and forth in deep thought trying to remember the layout. "do you see a yellow button with a door symbol on it?" Randy slammed his fist into it and a maintenance door to the left open up. "thank god!" Arthur tried to wake up Ellen but it seemed she was still asleep?
The two warriors quickly picket her up and disappeared through the door way. "meet me in the hallway." Randy spoke into the inter come.
Randy waited around a minuet before Arthur came around the corner. "why were you locked up in the first place?" randy asked.
"well you see me and Ellen found out about L'iviesss…" Arthur paused and seemed to stare directly into randy's eye. "did you try and warn us about L'iviesss?" randy nodded his head "common we need to go warn every-"
THUNK!
"sorry but I cant let you do that." Randy simply stated over the unconscious body of Arthur. Randy quickly grabbed Arthur by the legs and pulled him into a close by cell and locking him inside. He then realized that the man he had first nocked out would probably report on what happened and decided to quickly wheel him in his chare. He glanced at them once more before leaving. A part of randy realized this was wrong but it was as if it was being held down by something, stopping him from coming to his senses. Randy didn't realize it but he was a puppet, being manipulated by L'iviesss every step of the way.