The Next Day.
Colony Eight, Marine Command - Conference Hall Two
Marine squads Zero-Two, Zero-Three, Zero-Seven and Zero-Twelve were seated infront of their marine commander. Tom Gardener was looking rather ragged and worn from his all night VidCom-meeting with Director Cole and the other USM Marine Commanders. He was just programing the final security code into the HoloViewer when one of his men spoke up.
"Sir, what is this about? I thought we were scheduled to train with squads One-Eight, One-Nine and Four-Three, Sir?" They indeed were, Director Cole had ordered all marines to train for the next three weeks on how to better comprehend Xenomorph battle tactics. But now a slightly more pressing matter has come to their attention.
"Well Private, schedules change and so do orders." Snapped Gardner, he then addressed the whole room. "What you are about to watch is classified Gold-Level by the USM War Council, I assume you all know what that means by now." The marines nodded and he activated the HoloViewer.
The hologram before them showed a birds eye view of Corporal Kline addressing a man and a woman that were surrounded by at least five marine squads. Corporal Mendez figured they were being shown the capture of the people who'd laid those sensors, but why show the other squads and why was the Commander so stressed? He continued watching as the man and woman dropped to the ground and around two dozen Xenomorphs launched themselves from the nearby undergrowth. The scene continued showing the commander of the squads going mad with terror and firing frantically at anything that moved, killed more of his own men than the Xeno's were! The carnage was over in less than a minute, twenty five good marines, dead or going to die giving these fuckers new life. Then the situation got confusing, none of the Xeno's attacked the man and woman, infact one of them was studying them and inclining it head towards them, the man and woman turned, signaled to someone off screen and left with the Xenomorphs...willingly.
It was more than a little odd, the fact they'd seen and known the Xenomorphs were going to attack, their survival and their willingness to return to the hive with that creature was as if they'd been...invited. That was insane, Xenomorphs were animals, worse than that they were monsters. They had no concept of peace or mercy towards members of other species, to them humans were either food or hosts.
"As you can see you will not be meeting with squads One-Eight or One-Nine today since they were at that checkpoint last night and are now dead. I've been ordered to clear up this mess since I was the one who requested the checkpoint be manned by five squads instead of the regulation standard. Squads Zero-Two, Zero-Three, Zero-Seven and Zero-Twelve you are to discover the identities of these two unknowns, it is most likely they left this colony before we took command earlier this week. That means they have something to hide, I want to know what and I want to know why. We've been given four days to discover their identities and their reason for leaving."
This raised a few eyebrows, usually they'd be given two weeks for such a task. Four days would make it practically impossible. Corporal Mendez raised his hand to ask a question.
"Sir, why only four days? USM Investigative Protoco-" Commander Gardener wasn't in the mood to have one of his subordinates remind him of protocoll or standards.
"I'm well aware of protocoll Corporal. But plans have changed, our strike on the hive has been moved forwards from three weeks to four days. Director Cole now believes that if we leave the hive for much longer the number of Xenomorphs will become too great for the synthetics and ourselves to handle. We need to move and move FAST! You have four days, I expect a full report by then. Dismissed!"
The four squads left the conference hall in standard two-by-two formation as was the custom in the USM Marine Corps. Commander Gardener shook his head, things had just gone from bad to shit-hitting-the-fan-worse. He knew he was in for a disciplinary hearing for the deaths of five squads when he returns to H.Q. He'll most likely get busted down to a Corporal and have to run around taking orders from some grunt half his age with less than half of his experience. Great, so much for making General by the time he's fifty. He left the conference hall hoping to meet up with the Colonial Marine Commander, maybe they could go out and have a drink together, drowning his sorrows seemed like a good idea.
Two Days Later - Colony Eight, Housing Sector Twenty-Seven
Corporal Mendez had exhausted all high-tech methods of identification in finding out who the two unknowns on the HoloVid were, so now he was doing it the old fashioned way with a photo of both from stills taken from the HoloVid. He hoped someone in one of the housing sectors had seen or even knew who these two were. So far he'd met three store owners in the economic sector who said the man often bought odds and ends from their industrial stores and thanks to one rather large piece of kit he'd bought he'd had to give one of them his billing address. Unfortunetly he'd only given what housing sector, not what building.
"Excuse me miss" He'd stopped a girl who was talking rather loudly into her VidPhone. "Miss, have you seen either of these two before?" He held out the photos of the man and woman. The man who the billing address named as John W. Booth. Cute name, happens to be the same name as Abe Lincoln's assassin. The girl looked at both photo's.
"Yeah, that guy, he lives in the same building as my boyfriend." She pointed to the building behind her. "That one. I don't know what appartment but it's one of the more expensive ones cause I know he takes the elevator up past the thirty-fith floor which some of us call the 'Gold-Suites'."
"Thank you miss!" Well, it's true what they say, you really can't beat the old fashioned ways. He called the rest of his squad together and lead them into the building where they got another name from the front desk, this time female but the manager said it wasn't the name of the girl in the photo. They took the elevator up to the fortieth floor and entered suite 'Forty-Eighteen'. It was nice, lots of space. Way more luxurious than a marine could ever hope his quarters to be. They began looking around hoping to find anything that might indicate as to who they really are and why they were on the run. No such luck. There was little if anything left, a few bins filled with the burning remains of paper, not enough to even make out a few sentences. There were no personal affects of any kind, they must have been living with only the most basic of needs in mind incase they ever needed to make a quick escape.
Private Barnes returned from one of the bedrooms holding an old rumpled photo of two men standing behind ten children who looked to be...identical. Well it's something and that's better than nothing. They decided to return to base, they'd send a team in to scan for any skin flakes, hairs or other form of DNA that could possibly identify the former occupants of this suite.
Meanwhile...
I can feel and the means I'm not dead. Do I have one of them inside me? The last thing I remember is the Queen's bladed tail stabbing Jenny in the shoulder and then me. What did it do to us? It hurt like we were being burned by fire. I feel so tired, need to sleep some more, but where are the others?
Fear not child, they are safe.
Who said that? I know I'm alone, I can't feel anything near me. Wait, how can I tell that I'm alone? I can sense my entire environment, it's rather distorted but I can feel what's around me, the secreted resin of the walls, the occasional drone walking nearby. And I'm stuck, I'm trapped inside something, but what?
You have been cacooned my child
'Cacooned? Why? How? Who are you?' I knew this voice was in my head, I didn't hear it with my ears but rather my mind.
I am mother. I am ruler. But I fear that I shall not rule for long. I am dying.
'You're the Queen, aren't you?'
Yes. Those of your former race call me 'Queen'. Forgive me for what I did to you and the others, I had no choice.
'What do you want? Why did you poison us with the neurotoxin?'
I did no such thing. Though I did fill your body with a chemical it was not for the purpose of rendering you a host. If I had wanted you to be a host I would have had one of the drones do it.
She had a point. I faintly remember the a drone pushing Suzie forward towards the Queen's tail before I passed out.
'If you don't want us as hosts, then what do you want us for?' I hoped it wasn't food, or some twisted sense of curiosity towards a new spiecies.
I needed the one you call Jeh-Neh.
'Why?' I didn't realize I could sound so demanding through the power of my own mind. It was kind of creepy.
I am dying, but I was foolish in thinking I would have the strength to create a mother-egg before the end came. I did not, and now the hive is in danger. I needed your dominant female to be my heir. She shall rule in my stead.
O-kay, I wasn't exactly expecting that. I thought she wanted to kill her rival so she couldn't gain control over her hive. Obviously human understanding of hive dinamics is in serious need of updating.
'So what about the rest of us, are we just spare meat?'
Hardly, you shall be Jen-Neh's mate, you shall be what the Hue-Mans call 'King' and the others will be your loyal guard and advisors, as my Praetorians were to me.
'What if we refuse?'
You cannot, you can never return to the Hue-Mans world.
'And why not?' I can't help it if I'm a little cocky every now and then, it tends to happen when I'm worried.
Because you must look Hue-Mans to exist in the Hue-Mans world. Now you truely are a hybrid in blood and appearance, my child.
With that my cacoon split open and my prehensile tail with it's bladed tip pointing upwards and outwards sprang forth...wait... tail!?!?
Authors Comments
Yes I know it's a crappy chapter and I'm sorry. I just couldn't really think of what else to write and I really needed to finish writting this today before Xmas. Oh and by the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! I hope XenoSanta brings you all what you want for Christmas, if not then you've been a naughty little facehugger this year!
Anyway I'll probably post the next chapter after the new year, so until then dear readers, faretheewell!