Disclaimer: Alien (1979) , Alien: Isolation, and all its characters are owned by 20th Century Fox.
The oc's (all two of them) were created by me.
Chapter 9: Supply Run Pt. 3
Mils and Ripley exit the elevator. Ripley keeps a close eye on Mils, as she's not entirely sure he is fit for any form of physical activity. To be fair, they were both pretty worn out, but the adrenaline of the past couple of hours was still in ample supply. Mils was probably feeling fine after taking the stim. He was starting to regain feeling in his left arm, but it was still pretty numb. He refocuses as he looks ahead at the home made barrier of crates and drums now ablaze with from the nearby explosions. Mils feels a slight twinge in his arm and grabs it immediately.
"Mils are you sure you're okay?" Ripley says, shifting her view to her friend.
"Fine...just a little shaken" Mils replies, trying to shrug it off. The elevator behind them announces a "fault" and shuts down. Ripley places a comforting hand on Mils shoulder.
"I understand...we're almost there" she points out.
"Let's go see what's wrong. The control panel should be nearby." Mils replies. The two move near a vent. Ripley gives Mils a look; he gestures toward the vent. She gives him a questionable look before he reluctantly moves into the vent.
They move through the vent, hang a left and continue through the long passage. Turning right, the reach an intersection and move right before they discover an exit panel in the floor. Mils drops down and checks the area with a tracker. He helps lower Ripley down onto the floor. They discover an exposed panel, revealing a missing compression cylinder.
"It's missing a cylinder. We'll need to fix that." Ripley points out.
"Something tells me finding it is gonna be the problem," Mils adds. The two hear people talking behind them. They take cover near some crates. They edge their way to the right and head into a vent. They move through until they reach an exit closer to the voices. They see a group of Raiders. The line of vision is concealed by a set of crates, which allows them to sneak across to the other side of the room. They enter a floor vent. As they move through, they overhear the Raiders talking about the explosion and how Marshall Waits may be to blame. Mils and Ripley pause to listen. One Raider mentions a de-activated android in the warehouse that can be used to recover elevator parts. Mils and Ripley exit the vent and move up a ladder. They end up on the next level.
"Hey Rip, those guys were talking about an android inside the warehouse. We could use that," Mils suggests, checking the tracker as he and Ripley move through a corridor.
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea; I mean, how do we know it's safe?" Ripley asks.
"We don't, but it may be our only option," Mils replies.
"Either way, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Agreed," Mils states. They continue down through a stairwell and end up back on the floor they were on before. They turn a corner and witness something from a nightmare. There are two Raiders. One sees something in the vent above them, which quickly reveals itself as the creature. It drops from the vent, killing one Raider and grabs and pulls another back into the vent with it. They stand stiff in shock at the scene.
"Shit..." Mils says, as he and Ripley quickly move into the room next to them. The room lights up as they enter. The hurry down the corridor and see the door to the components warehouse is locked. They continue into the room at the far side which turns out to be another warehouse. There is an android at the far side of the room in standby mode.
"I don't think the tuner is going to be able to hack an android station Mils," Ripley states looking at the android's lifeless body.
"Let's see if there's an upgrade nearby," Mils says as they enter a secluded room nearby. On a table is a tuner kit that seems to be a level 2 upgrade.
"Well hello there! Maybe somebody up there likes us,," Ripley says as she installs the upgrade into the tuner.
"Huh, my male intuition's really paying off," Mils says with a surprised look on his face. Ripley looks back at him with a quizzical look.
"Male intuition?" She asks
"Hasn't failed yet" Mils says with a smile and a wink. Ripley blushes slightly before brushing past Mils, giving him a nod to follow her.
"Come on Mr. Psychic, we've got work to do" Ripley says grabbing Mils by the wrist.
"Oww, Rip, that's my bad arm," They head back the way they came. Ripley spots a console in the room above them.
"Mils, the control terminal is above us. I'm gonna go get this android up and running. Keep an eye on it," Ripley says.
"Right. Rip, be careful," Mils says.
"Always!" Ripley moves into the corridor behind her. She climbs up a ladder and finds herself in front of the terminal. She uses the tuner to hack into the android's command protocols. The lights on the android's storage space light up. There is a loud humming sound that echoes throughout the warehouse. Mils takes notice, ducking at the sudden sound. Ripley meanwhile climbs back down the ladder and joins him next to the android.
"Good job, Rip. Let's see if our friend here can give us a hand" Mils hits the activation button next to the android.
"Now play nice..." Ripley says. As the android slowly moves to life, she and Mils brace for the worst when it exits the chamber. Ripley quickly hands her gun to Mils who points it at the android's head, while Ripley readies the electric prod. The android slowly turns towards them. Its eyes piercing into them like those of a creature that's been stalking its prey.
"Can I help you?" It says, causing Ripley and Mils to exchange amused glances as they lower their weapons.
"I need a compression cylinder." Ripley asks, as she steps up to the android.
"Components warehouse. Row 1. Stack B. Follow me," the android responds as it walks past her.
"Just keep the noise down automaton" Mils says as he hands Ripley her gun, but she holds her hand up shaking her head.
"Keep it. I'm starting to like this thing," Ripley says brandishing the prod.
"Let's just hope he can find it" Ripley says, as the pair follow the android into the corridor. The android suddenly stops and turns toward them, catching them off guard. They ready their weapons, waiting for the android to attack.
"Have you heard about the new insurance plan?" It asks. The two sigh in frustration.
"No," Ripley answers with a slight tinge of anger.
"Very well," the android answers.
The android enters a code into a keypad unlocking the door. They head through the door revealing a large warehouse, which is illuminated by a fire in the center shelving unit. The android goes to the far wall near a vent entrance. The two walk up next to the android.
"Here we are. Your compression cylinder will be found at the far end of this row." The android says as it walks towards the shelving unit. The pair follow. Unfortunately, the explosion below has damaged the electrical circuits in the floor. They spark with flames but the android takes no notice of this and continues to walk.
"Hey wait...hey wait a minute...stop" Mils yells trying to get to the android, but the android is electrocuted and catches on fire, Ripley pulls Mils back from the scene as the two take cover from the small explosion that occurs. The two watch as the android falls lifeless onto the electrified floor.
"Well shit," Mils says.
"My thoughts exactly," Ripley adds
"Maybe somebody up there doesn't like us," Mils says with a chuckle. Ripley drops her head.
"Let's find a detour," Mils says, immediately making eye contact with a vent. Ripley looks at Mils and then the vent.
"No" Mils says simply.
"I mean...It's a detour" Ripley states.
"Not gonna happen," Mils answers.
"We've literally crawled through dozens of them, and you're saying no NOW?" Ripley says with her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised.
"Can we just look around first?" Mils asks.
"Alright..." Ripley says sighing. The two split up and head in different directions. Ripley examines the area around the vent, while Mils looks at the area to the right with shelving units. Ripley finds some crafting parts while Mils sees a path on the other side of the shelves. There is a switch on one side.
"Well hello beautiful! Let's see if I've got the magic touch," Mils says. He flips the switch in the down position and the unit descends into the floor. The top of the unit creates a floorboard and Mils whistles at the new pathway.
"Hey Rip, we've got ourselves a detour" Mils yells.
"How'd you do that" Ripley says as she walks up to Mils.
"I hacked it..." Mils says standing proud, Ripley gives him a skeptical look.
"I pressed the button" Mils says sheepishly. The two move through the various lowered shelving units, before arriving at the one the android said had the compressor. Ripley presses a button to lower the shelving unit down a level, she sees the compression cylinder lying there untouched. Ripley grabs it as if it's the key to the castle or the Holy Grail.
"Oh shit. Well THAT thing has caused us some stress," Mils says looking at it.
"Let's get moving Mils! We're almost there," Ripley says, putting the cylinder on her back.
"I've got you covered Rip" Mils says, as the two re-trace their steps to the corridor they were in before, careful not to step on the electrified floor. They hang a right into the large room and continue into the smaller one with two gurneys and where several bodies lay, killed by the creature. They check the bodies for supplies and ammo.
"Jesus, they never stood a chance," Mils says as he crouches down and closes the eyes of the dead woman. He quickly crosses himself. Ripley takes notice, as she takes a welding kit from the body of a dead maintenance worker.
"Never pegged you for a religious man Mils" Ripley says.
"I was raised as a Catholic but…." His words trail off, "I mean, I believe there's something out there. That's one reason why I became an engineer. To see the stars," Mils states, as he stands up and walks over to Ripley.
"Wow, listen to you acting all philosophical," Ripley says with all the sarcasm she can produce.
"Ha ha Rip, let's get this elevator working," Mils says shrugging off her comment. They walk up to the service panel. Ripley puts the compression cylinder into place and the elevator springs to life.
"Well well, our luck's changing fast," Mils says, as he and Ripley move into the elevator. Ripley presses a button on the control panel, the elevator doors close and the box ascends. Mils looks at the directory above the panel.
"Okay Rip. Good news or bad news," Mils says, shifting his gaze from the directory to Ripley with slight squint.
"What's wrong now?" Ripley says with a sigh.
"The good news is we're going up. The bad news is we're not out of the woods yet. The elevator's taking us to the synthetic fluids plant. We can exit through there and back to Samuels and Taylor," Mils explains.
"Alright, ok, one more hurdle but we need to hurry Mils! Taylor's running out of time." Ripley states.
"Right...I've got your back Rip...Always," Mils says putting bullets in his revolver.
"Right back at ya!" Ripley replies with a wink. This catches Mils off guard as he now blushes from the sudden showing of flirtation. When the doors open, he refocuses as he and Ripley cautiously move into the entranceway.
"Hey Rip, I was just thinking. What do we do when we get the supplies to Taylor...what then?" Mils asks quietly.
"We improvise Find a way to contact the Torrens, find a ship that's still tethered to the station," Ripley is quiet for a moment, "We find a way," They look at each other, smile and then Ripley breaks her gaze.
"Sounds good to me," Mils says but continues to look at her. "Verlaine may have already arrived for all we know...but I hope she hasn't...she doesn't know anything...the androids...the Raiders...the...Creature, she'll be blindsided," Mils states.
"Something tells me she won't risk it...I mean you've known her longer than me. Has she ever tried anything risky?" Ripley asks as she checks a nearby crate for anything useful.
"Define risky. She's maneuvered through asteroid fields, all for the slight chance that there's some decent scrap of minerals to find. So trying to make contact with a dead station, yeah, that's right up her alley" Mils admits.
"Well let's hope you're wrong for once," Ripley states, as she and Mils go through a door in front of them and into a massive assembly area with hundreds of containers of synthetic fluids and other materials moving along a conveyer belt above their heads. At the far end of the room is an overseer platform with three individuals looking out. The two sneak to the right side onto a platform. They quickly move over to another platform, across a bridge and hide behind concrete pillar.
"Alright, we make a run for it. Let's see if we can sneak around. No sudden movements," Mils says. He begins to step away from the pillar but is immediately spotted by one of the three. "STOP!"
Immediately, there is gunfire.
"Ahh shit! SUDDEN MOVEMENTS, SUDDEN MOVMENTS!" Mils yells, as he and Ripley quickly run through the door below the lookouts. Once inside, they catch their breath.
"Well that didn't work did it?" Mils states scratching his head.
"You would think getting shot once would be enough for a person" Ripley says, looking at Mils.
"Sorry, didn't mean to get spotted" Mils says, holding his arms out to his side.
"Just be careful next time" Ripley states stepping closer to Mils.
"I can't promise anything, but I'll try. Only if you do the same," Mils responds.
"No promises" Ripley says with a smirk.
"Let's just hope our friend didn't hear those shots," Mils says, holding his gun and moving up a small stairway into a dark twisting corridor. Ripley stays close behind. They move through the corridor and when they arrive at a larger staircase they see a man. He spots them and fires his gun, barely missing Ripley. Mils shoots the man in the throat, killing him instantly. His body falls to the ground with a thud. Mils and Ripley slowly walk up the staircase, step over the man and Mils searches his pockets. He finds a few bullets.
"Don't think I'm ever gonna get use to doing that," Mils admits quietly.
"Ditto," Ripley replies, as she and Mils move through the corridor. They arrive in an office with four terminals on desks. They find some scrap, but nothing else as the terminals are all dead. They exit the office and continue down the corridor and through a door leading into a control hub of some sort, with numerous monitors and terminals throughout the room. There is a woman leaning against a railing and looking down at the level below. Mils and Ripley sneak up behind her and Ripley reluctantly hits her with the back of the electric prod, knocking her unconscious. Mils checks the gun the woman was holding and grabs the bullets that were left in the chamber. Ripley wipes the blood off the prod, as Mils checks the tracker one more two nod at each other and then enter into another corridor that leads to a lobby with an elevator at the far end of the small room.
"Thank God. Mils, elevator dead ahead," Ripley states.
"Alright, ladies first" Mils says. He covers Ripley, checking around in several directions. Once Ripley is safely inside the elevator, he follows. Ripley hits a button on the panel next to her, the doors on the elevator close and it begins to move. Mils and Ripley drop their guards briefly.
"This elevator should take us back to the medical section of the station, where we first met Kuhlman" Ripley states, trying to piece together where they were exactly.
"Then medical transit should be right around the corner" Mils adds.
"Yeah, we need to hurry though. Taylor may be in worse shape than before," Ripley points out.
"I think she's in good hands. Samuels seems like a competent nurse," Mils says with a smirk, trying to brighten the mood.
"If you say so," Ripley says trying to hold back a laugh. The elevator stops and the doors open. The two exit and find themselves in a secluded room surrounded by empty boxes and turned over crates. They open a door to their right and reenter the area where Kuhlman first contacted them. Suddenly a large shuttering noise spreads throughout the station, getting the attention of Mils and Ripley.
"Well that sounded good," Mils states sarcastically.
"We need to hurry Mils. There's no telling how long this station will stay together," Ripley says as she quickly hacks the door in front of them. Once opened, they enter the transit area and head down the stairs to where Samuels and Taylor were last located. However, they slow their descent when they hear a man's voice arguing with Samuels.
"I sent you a clear directive not to land at this station!" the man's voice yells.
"I told you, we didn't hear your message. We understood you would be..." Samuels retorts, but is interrupted when Mils and Ripley enter through the door at the end of staircase. An older man with grey hair wearing a baseball cap with the word "Marshall" on it and a younger man point their guns at the pair. Mils points his at them in defense, shielding Ripley.
"Hey..." Ripley says in shock, gripping her prod in anticipation.
"Alright everybody calm down," Mils says trying to diffuse the situation.
"Identify yourselves!" the older man states.
"I'm Ripley, this is Mils. We're from the Torrens," Ripley explains.
"Relax kid," the man says lowering his gun reluctantly. They all do the same.
"Marshall Waits I presume," Mils asks.
"What gave it away?" Waits replies with a huff. The two eye each other waiting for the other to make a move. Waits breaks the silence.
"You said you're from the Torrens; you the Captain?" Waits asks.
"Executive officer, David Mils, Captain Verlaine sent me with the WeYu team to help clear up any confusion," Mils explains.
"Lotta good that did," Waits blurts out. Meanwhile, Ripley has spotted Taylor lying unconscious on the floor and rushes to her.
"How long has she been out?" Ripley asks Samuels, as she hands him the medical supplies. Samuels immediately goes to work treating Taylor's wound.
"Not long, about half an hour. The bleeding has...decreased since you were away," Samuels states as he continues his work. Ripley stands up and walks over to Mils, who's keeping his eyes on the older man.
"What the hell is going on here, Marshal? Where are the security forces?" Ripley asks.
"You're looking at them" Waits responds. Ripley and Mils look back and forth between Waits and the younger man behind him, who looks as if he might have a panic attack at any moment.
"Waits, we've seen the creature. What is it?" Ripley asks.
"Hell if I know. It was brought here by Marlow, the captain of the Anesidora," Waits responds.
"That's the ship that found the flight recorder," Mils adds.
"Is there anywhere on the station that's safe? That creature's running around and the Seegson synthetics are less than friendly," Ripley explains.
"Well except for one, but it didn't last long," Mils says, trailing off when referring to the lone android that was helpful for a brief period of time.
"Goddamn androids," Waits says in anger.
"Taylor's going to be moved to a proper medical facility you two," Samuels says, looking over at Mils and Ripley.
"Well, medical's not gonna work; half of it's on fire," Mils states.
"We need to take her somewhere! Any thoughts Waits?" Ripley asks, turning to Waits.
"We have a basic life support system, back at HQ" Waits responds begrudgingly.
"Well let's get going then," Mils says.
"Hold on! Before we can get back to HQ, we need the transit system back online. Transit control is upstairs. From what I hear you two are engineers. Go make yourselves useful, seeing as you two screwed up the trap," Waits says bitterly.
"Yeah right!" Ripley spits, "We'll talk about that later Waits. You protect these two while we're gone, understood?" Ripley orders Waits as she and Mils head for the level above.
"Samuels, stay safe," Mils says, slapping Samuels on the shoulder.
"You do the same you two" Samuels responds.
"Ricardo, get a lock on their radios so we can keep in contact," Waits bellows into his radio.
Mils and Ripley enter the next level, moving through dark corridors and arrive at the door to the elevator. The door is held shut by a jack. Mils looks around, hoping the wrench needed to remove it has been left behind. He finds it lying nearby. Mils picks it up and undoes the jack. The door to the elevator opens and the pair enter the cramped space. Ripley pushes the up button on the control panel and the elevator begins to move. Mils breaks the uneasy silence.
"So now WE'RE taking orders? Yay us," Mils states sarcastically.
"I don't like it either, but I wish we had a group of us than just us…" Ripley quickly realizes he comment didn't come out as she intended.
"I'm that bad huh?" Mils says bluntly.
"You know what I mean" Ripley says quickly trying to silence him.
"I do. Waits may not trust us, but getting the transit system back online will hopefully get things back on track," Mils responds.
"We thought the same thing when we found Samuels and Taylor," Ripley says.
"Yeah, but we've got help now." Mils looks at Ripley, "We're gonna make it Rip, I promise. I've got your back," Mils places a hand on Ripley's shoulder.
"And I've got yours David" Ripley says placing her hand on his back. They stare at each other for a moment, but it's ruined when the elevator shutters to stop and the doors begin to open. They remove their hands and prepare themselves for the world they're about to enter; a world they've learned to call home, whether they like to or not.
Ripley Audio Log 4
We've made contact with Marshall Waits, from what I can tell he's been trying to trap the creature, that explains why half of medical exploded out of nowhere, me and David are moving to transit control, we get that online we can fall to Marshall Headquarters, we'll work out a plan once we're there. David's doing okay, for someone who took a bullet not too long ago, he's staying strong, hopefully I can do the same, we'll get through this, if we just stay strong.