Disclaimer: The author does not own Aliens.
Hive-Mind

by

Dawnfang434

'Is thought'

"Is said"

"Is Zen/Xenomorph speech"

"Is Queen/Praetorian speech"

Sorry for the long wait. I just could not find the inspiration to write. So here it is enjoy.


As Alex slowly came out of unconscious state he was assaulted by various sensations of discomfort. His head throbbed, and the bright light above not helping. Not to mention his whole body felt off, though he couldn't tell why. It felt as though someone had used a welding torch on every single one of his joints. New waves of pain flared with each beat of his heart. Licking his dry lips he lifted an arm to shield his eyes, or at least he tried to. He soon found that he couldn't move his arms or body at all, in fact the only thing that he could move was his head.

Lifting his head he looked at his arms and legs. What he saw both confused and scared him. Both his arms and legs were secured to the bed he lay on by thick leather straps. That alone was odd enough but it was the additions to his body that freaked him out. 'What the...'

He wore only a pair of pants, leaving his upper body, toned from years of heavy work, completely bare. His arms however were covered from the elbow down in this black organic looking segmented armor. Each piece blended seamlessly with the next in intricate designs. Flexing his fingers experimentally he was surprised to find that it didn't just completely cover his skin but also had the same range of movement.

Tearing his eyes away from his new additions he looked around in the hope of finding out where he was and what the hell happened to him. Looking to his right he saw an IV drip feeding some unknown substance into his arm.

'I'm in a hospital? If so then how did I get here. Everything is so fuzzy.' He thought in confusion. With a shake of his head he continued his search.

Along one wall was what appeared to be a large mirror with a door at one end. Getting a good look at himself he was surprised at the rest of his appearance.

His already long hair had grown longer and now spilled over the side of the bed and onto the floor. The color had changed as well and was now a deeper crimson, like the color of blood. All in all he didn't look all that bad.

As he admired himself something nagged at the back of his mind. He felt as if he was forgetting something. He tried to remember what it was but the pain in his body was distracting him.

Chuckling he thought. "This feels almost as bad as when I woke up after cutting... out... Rika." Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

He couldn't feel Rika or Sophie's presence in his mind anymore.

'How could I forget! More importantly where are they!?' He thought frantically.

A new fire lit inside each joint with every move as he pulled at his restraints. After a minute he felt his left arm give a little. Taking a minute to calm his burning joints he pulled one, twice and with the third time the strap broke. Grinning triumphantly he undid and pulled off both padded cuffs and pulled out the IV. A relieved groan escaped him as his back popped when he was finally able to sit up. Undoing his leg restraints he slowly slid his legs off the bed and onto the floor.

The moment his feet touched the floor he let out a small gasp as his legs nearly gave out. Using the wall for support he slowly moved toward the the door. When he reached it he found it not only to be locked but it required a key card to open. Wiping some sweat from his brow looked it over. It looked to be your standard everyday key card reader. All he needed was a way to short it out. Looking around his small room he spotted the bag hanging from the IV stand and smiled.

~*HM*~

Meanwhile across the building Doctor Luna stood before the xenomorph holding cells. She had just finished assessing each Xenomorphs health she had begun to fed each. Pressing a button on a nearby console to slide in there food. Each one had hissed at her or attacked the protective glass separating them when she had tried to observe them. She had expected this type of reactions from them. But as she looked into the last cell she got a reaction she hadn't been expecting.

It had looked down at the slab of meat then to her and nodded. Not sure if it was a fluke she had watched as it started eating. After a few minutes it's long head swung around and stared at her through the window. Luna and the xeno stared at each other for several long minutes. Slowly, it stood and stepping closer to the window. Stopping inches from the glass it sat with it's tail curled around it's feet.

Luna couldn't look away from the strange alien that sat staring at her. So transfixed was she that she didn't notice someone enter the room until a voice said, "Doctor?"

Jumping in surprise she whirled around to find a lab assistant she had gotten to know during her time here standing by the door. Placing a hand over her rapidly beating heart she glared at the man. "Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack, Seth."

He was about the same height as her, with pale skin, onyx black hair and blue-green eyes. He looked to be about 20 or 21. He wore the standard uniform of a buttoned up white lab coat with the Weyland Yutani logo on the top, jumpsuit pants, and a pair of boots. In his hands he held two steaming cups.

"What's wrong, the xenos giving you trouble again?" he asked as an amused smile played across his features.

"Just the normal problems numbers 17 and 15 give me. Our little number 16 is the ideal test subject. She doesn't move around or snap at me when i'm trying to work. I think she even likes my company." she gave him a playful smile as she wrote something down. "And unlike some Seth, she isn't a pain in the ass."

He handed her one of the cups and said, "Oh, you know you love me. But don't you think you're giving it a little too much credit? It's just an animal, isn't it?"

Taking a sip of the steaming liquid she said, "I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?"

"The way she watches me, and when I talk its like she understands me" she replied in a serious tone.

"What about the others?"

"I don't know. All I can tell you is that if they were free 16 might not kill you, but 15 and 17 most definitely would."

"Well you don't have to worry about that. The only way they could get out is if the whole facility lost power. Even then the doors would still be locked," He then gave her a toothy grin. "And besides, i'm hear to protect you."

Luna rolled her eyes so hard she almost lost her balance.

Suddenly her radio crackled to life. Reaching up she hit the button on the side and said, "Yes?"

Moments later a young voice said, "Doctor you might want to get over here at observation room 3, we have a bit of a problem over here."

She let out a long sigh. If it wasn't one thing today it was another. "And that is?"

"Mr. Dawson is gone."

Seconds later she was out the door.

~*HM*~

(Unknown location)

Inside a cave carved into the side of a cliff a large figure stared out at the barren land. The howling storm just outside the cave in which it rested meant little to it. Standing over 10 feet tall, its large dark head crest just barely touched the roof. As a Praetorian, the highest evolution one of its kind can obtain next to becoming the queen itself, it felt little of the wind and stinging sand that touched its thick armor.

Suddenly a shadowy figure materialized within the shifting wall of sand. As it stepped into the mouth of the cave it was revealed to be a zen warrior. Looking down at the smaller alien it said, "Speak."

Stepping before the larger zen it bowed its head and said, "We have found it."

Leaning forward a low hiss escaped it. "Are you sure?"

Nodding it replied, "Yes. The scouts saw humans coming on and out."

Stalking out of the cave the Praetorian stood to its full height, the sapphire lines tracing over its head and crest in intricate patterns glittered in the light. Looking over the zen gathered around it said, "Move out."


Where is Alex going? Who was that strange zen? What will happen next? Tune in next time for all the answers and more on... Hive Mind. Read and review.