CHAPTER 11

Rounding a corner the trio of women comes face to face with a small group of armed mercenaries. Since they are out numbered and out gunned, the three women surrender without a fight. They are then escorted to the recreation center where Johner and some of the soldiers are being held. The women notice when they enter that the soldiers are looking a lot better than the last time they had seen them.

"Glad to see you Ripley," Johner says in a quiet voice as he goes over to them. "Any ideas how we can get out of this shit?"

"Maybe, but we're going to need some cooperation and information from these assholes here," she says, indicating towards the General and his men, then goes over to the General. "Well General?"

"What do you want Lieutenant?"

"Information to start with. Theresa said that you had tried to program her to be some sort of a soldier. I want to know what all you tried to program into her."

"How does she know that?" There is genuine surprise in his voice.

"It seems your people weren't very careful around her and didn't give her enough credit. She managed to get your codes and into your system and the files on her. She knows it all. Now I need to know what she knows before the shit hits the fans."

" About that programming?"

"Mostly protocol, with some strategic and tactical programs thrown in as well. The protocol was done in the hopes that she would follow, and obey, the chain of command. Now, would you mind telling me how she managed to get into our computers?"

"You could say that she has a special touch. Now, if I understand you, in the hopes of her cooperating with you all, you decided to royally fuck up her head. Did you hope to make a good soldier out of her, a good killing machine?"

"Enough Lieutenant, what's done is done," he snaps.

"What about the aliens in cryo, or the other embryos?"

"The aliens aren't in the computers. How do you know about them?"

"Three ways General. One, Theresa can feel them. Second, our friends here said 'pets' not pet. Third is her touch. She is somewhat telepathic it appears."

"Are you sure about that Lieutenant?"

"She's sure General," Theresa says as she joins Ripley' side. "We didn't miss it. Because they said "pets" I felt it necessary to tell Ripley and Call what I knew."

"How is it that you can feel the aliens?" he asks.

"Like Ripley said, my Queen and I can feel them even though they are in cryo. Something about the blood we think. We can't tell exactly just how many there are, but we are aware of at least ten of them."

"You have another problem to deal with General," Ripley says. "These mercenaries knew about your project, about me being here, and about the aliens. I think you have a traitor in your ranks."

Ripley's words hit him hard as he realizes just what she has said. A traitor among the men he had thought that he could trust. He had hand picked the soldiers himself, but the Doctor had picked his staff. If there is indeed a traitor among them, then he feels that this person is in the Doctor's staff, not his.

"I admit that there is a possibility to what you have said Lieutenant. At this moment my main concern is how we are going to get out of all this and get my command back."

"Then I would suggest that you talk to Theresa, but I doubt that you'll like what she has in mind."

"Theresa?" he says as he looks over to her. "What is she talking about Number Four?"

"No more Number Four General, I am not a number. Just call me Theresa for now, but no more Number Four.

"We are waking up the others in cryo. My "pet" as everyone seems to want to call her, is a Queen. As such, she will be able to control them, despite the mutations in her."

"And who controls your pet?" he asks, but only receives a cold stare from her. "All right then, why is it willing to help us?"

"You don't need to know why General, just be glad that she is."

Obviously done talking to him, Theresa leaves the General and Ripley, choosing to be alone in a corner of the center, something that Ripley has come to realize that she does a lot. Having no time to wonder and ask her why, Ripley only makes a mental note of it for now.

"General," Ripley asks, her voice almost a whisper, "just how many of these things will we be turning loose?"

"The last time I checked there were twenty of them, with six being almost genetically pure. They were not fully mature when we froze them, but the cryo only slows down their growth rate Lieutenant, it doesn't stop it. By now most of them should be fully mature."

"Twenty," she says as she shakes her head in disgust. "Looks like we're going to be in for one hell of a time."

Command center. The mercenaries have made themselves right at home as they download whatever they can from the computers on the base.

"How much longer before we can move the frozen cargo?' Kearns, the leader of the mercenaries asks over a communicator. Patience is not one of his strong points, and his people are well aware of it.

"About thirty more minutes boss. We don't want these things waking up while we're still around."

"Try to make it sooner. As it is we need to either freeze, or at least sedate, those two females before we go. They got loose once and I don't want that happening again. They're too dangerous, and too valuable as well."

"Sounds like you're more afraid of them than these frozen monsters."

"Damn right I am. I've read the reports on Ellen Ripley and she's one bitch I don't want to mess around with. And if the daughter is anything like her mother, well then we have twice the trouble, and trouble seems to follow the mother."

"Then for you boss, we'll try to speed things…"

His voice over the communicator is suddenly drowned out by alarms going off. Heard over the alarms is the base's computer making a very ominous announcement.

"Warning. All cryogenic units have been taken off line. Waking of the organisms in chambers one through twenty-six will occur in seven minutes. There is five minutes in which the chambers can be successfully restarted in order to prevent their waking."

"What the hell is going on? Somebody find out what's happening!" Kearns orders as he goes over to the main computer console and begins punching in commands.

"Shit!" he curses. "Someone's reprogrammed the main core, we're locked out. Harding, get down to medical and help get those cryo tubes working on manual!"

The man is through the door as his leader finishes speaking. Judging from the look on Kearns face, he is in no mood not to have anyone jump at his command. No one wants to be on the receiving end of his rage.

Suddenly, and without waiting for Harding's report, Kearns leaves the command center and heads for the recreation center. As he gets closer he begins to run as the computer announces that there is only three minutes left for a safe restart.

"What the hell have you done Harris?" he yells as he comes through the door.

"He's done nothing," Theresa says in a voice loud enough to catch his attention as she leaves the corner that she was in. "And I would advise you to get your people out of here while you still can, that is if you want them to stay alive.

"I've decided to conduct an operational check of this weapon that you all seem to want so damned badly. You see I'm in command here now. Not you, not the General. I am."

Her tone of voice surprises everyone more than her words do. Even though the people who are being held with her knew what was going to happen, no one was prepared for her to totally take command. Even Ripley had thought that she would let the General give the orders, giving him back his command.

"Number…" the General pauses for a moment before continuing, collecting his thoughts. "…Theresa… Terri, what are you saying?"

"I already told you General, my Queen can control the aliens and I can control her. So, with that in mind, I have decided to run things around here."

"Terri the Terrible," Johner mutters just under his breath.

"You have only yourselves to blame, General," Theresa continues. "If you all had just quit after loosing the Auriga and Ripley, learned a lesson from it, then it would never have come to this. But no, you couldn't resist playing God one more time. Well now your creations are fighting back."

No one misses the anger and rage in her words and voice. Ripley, who has been standing behind her since the moment that she had come forward, begins to move closer to the woman. Sensing Ripley's approach, Theresa makes her aware that she knows without turning around or moving.

"Stop where you are Ripley, don't come any closer," she says, getting the desired results.

"You can't win Junior," Kearns says. "We have the aliens still on ice as well as the fire power to destroy them all, if we so choose to do so."

"You might get some of us asshole, but not all of us. If your people begin firing at those who are waking up, then they'll attack. Even with weapons, two men alone won't last very long against them.

I repeat, leave now and live, or stay and die." Her words are cold and hard as she reminds him of his choices.

"Can't do it Jr., there's too much money at stake here. Besides, I don't believe one fucking word that you've said. No one can control these bastards like that," he pauses for a moment as he realizes that she knows there are only two of his men in the cryo center. Wondering how she knows this, he chooses not to follow up on it for the moment.

"I'd believe her if I were you," Ripley speaks. "I've seen her and her alien Queen together and I know what they can do."

"Twenty seconds remain in which to restart the cryogenic systems," the computer announces overhead.

Opening his communications device, Kearns contacts his man.

"Harding, why in hell haven't you gotten the cryo systems running yet?" he yells.

"We can't do it in time boss. It's more than a shut down, the power's been rerouted and I can't find where it's gone to, and manual has been sabotaged."

There is silence for a moment before Harding again speaks.

"The tubes are opening Kearns and there isn't a damn thing that I can do to stop it. Let's get the hell out of here while we still can!"

"We came here to do a job. If we can't leave with the full package, then we'll have to settle on the women. If these assholes can clone 'em, anyone can. We'll let the soldiers deal with this problem." Closing his communicator he turns to a now smiling Theresa.

"Listen Junior, we are leaving, but we're taking you, your mother and the robot with us. If you can control them, then talk to them, let them know we're leaving."

Ripley and the others stay out of what is happening, letting Theresa have free reign on the events. Not knowing where this is all heading to, or what Theresa is up to, they hope for the best and give her the space that she seems to want.

"I'm not going anywhere with you. I will stop them long enough for you and your people, as well as the other humans and Ripley, to leave this place. This madness has got to stop and if you won't stop it then I will, even if it means some deaths. I REFUSE to be used by anyone any more!" Her words are said with such force that it takes them all by surprise.

"And to show you more humanity that you would have shown me Kearns, I'll give you ten minutes to make your decision. Contact your man Harding, he'll tell you that the aliens are now awake but not doing anything, yet. If you decide to leave empty handed, then nothing will happen. If not, then I'll turn them loose. The choice is yours."

Again Kearns opens his communicator.

"Harding, are you still in medical?"

"Yeah boss." There is a great deal of fear in his voice.

"What's happening? Are the creatures thawed out yet?"

"They're awake boss, but they aren't attacking anyone."

"Try to get back to the others. You should be safe for the moment. I'll contact you again shortly." He closes his communicator and returns his attention to Theresa.

"I'm not sure how you're doing this Junior, but I'm willing to take the chance that you won't turn those bastards loose on anyone. I'm calling your bluff." He then draws his weapon and aims it at her before continuing.

"Like I said, you, your mother and the robot are coming with us. If you refuse then I'll shut down the robot first, I can always repair it, and your mother second." He then aims his weapon at Call, who is now standing close to Ripley. "It's your choice Junior."

Theresa looks at Call and Ripley, then walks over to them. Stopping just outside Ripley's reach, and between Call and Kearns, she turns and faces him.

"I told you asshole, no one's going anywhere with you," she says firmly.

Above his head the ceiling opens and the Queen silently drops down behind him. If not for the reactions of the prisoners, he would never have known that she was there. Turning around he finds himself face to face with the Queen. Her attack is swift and his death is quick and almost painless. She disappears back through the ceiling as Kearns' body falls to the floor. No one is willing to move in case they might be next. Only Theresa seems to be unmoved by what has happened.

"I did warn you," she says as she takes the weapon from his now dead hand. She then goes over to the General.

"Are we next, Terri?" he asks.

For a moment no one says anything as screams are heard over the now open communicator. Screams that are both human and alien are mixed in with the sounds of weapons being fired. It doesn't last for very long.

"I haven't lied to you General," she tells him as she hands him the weapon. "As long as your men and the medics stay in their uniforms they will be safe. That is how they are being separated from Kearns' people. Johner and his people will only be safe as long as they stay with the soldiers."

So intent is Theresa on the General that she fails to realize that Ripley is coming up behind her, quickly closing the short distance between them. Her first indication of Ripley's presence is feeling a hand on her back and shoulders, then Ripley being briefly in her mind. Though she reacts quickly and pulls away, Theresa realizes what has just happened. Looking at Ripley, she tries to bury the pain that she now feels and almost succeeds, but it still shows as a tear forms in her eyes.

"What happens next, Kid?" Johner asks as he joins the group.

"When the aliens are done with the mercenaries, you all leave. Then this all ends."

"Ends? Ends how Terri?" the General asks.

"You're going to blow everything up, aren't you?" Ripley asks.

"Why ask what you already know Ripley," Theresa states, her voice beginning to sound weary.

"What the hell are you two talking about?" the General demands.

"She plans to keep the aliens here while the rest of us leave," Ripley begins. "Then she's going to destroy the aliens, this base…" and in a softer voice, "…and herself."

Now it is Call's turn to react, going over to Theresa. Gently taking one of her arms, she gets Theresa to look at her.

"You can't do this Terri!" Call's voice is full of concern for the woman.

"Why not Call? No one here's stopping me. No one really wants to, except maybe to try and save this base. Those of you who might be able to change my mind don't want to become any more involved with me than they all ready are, with, it seems, the exception of you." There is no missing the sound of sorrow in her voice as she speaks.

"Now that the others are fully awake, there is only one way to really stop them and that is to destroy them. My Queen and I can control them for now, but it won't last forever. Eventually she will begin reproducing and then will be of little help physically to anyone." She then turns to the General.

"With that in mind General, once things have settled down, I strongly recommend that you all leave as quickly as you can."

"We're not leaving anyone behind Terri. Not my men, not Johner and his crew, not Ripley or you. We all go, or no one goes. Besides, there might still be some of my men over in medical."

"Have you forgotten who is now in command here? I can have you physically put onto those ships if I so choose."

"You could, but you can't force us to take off. I won't leave you behind."

"It would be better for everyone if you did, General." She pauses for a moment, as if listening to a distant voice. "It's over. Time to go."