Sorry for the long delay, but thanx for the reviews! This will be the last chapter that I will post for a while, on the account of writer's block. I only have a few chapters to go, but am thinking of a sequel. It depends on how many reviews I get. ::wink wink, nudge nudge:: I'm working on another story, about my Pred, Guan-Thwei, so I will start posting that soon. I just need a title... Damn selective writer's block...Please review!
Chapter 10
X-13 awoke, but refused to move from One's comforting embrace. She felt warm and safe and happy; One had stayed true to his word, Hager was alive, though still comatose. She didn't know what woke her up and was trying to figure out what, when a series of shouts echoed outside.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'HAGER IS INFECTED'?!?!?!"
"He wasn't careful and the egg the creature brought implanted him! It promised that he wouldn't die so we can remove the Xenomorph later! It's not my fault!"
"Hager can't die! He can't! He is the only one that can control that creature and he is the leading geneticist for Xenomorphs! Even if we do remove it, he may not survive the procedure! There could be complications later because Xenomorphs meddle with their host's DNA so that they aren't rejected! ARGH!!!!! Get those fucking animals into the lab! Where's the cage?!?" X-13 could feel the second man's nervousness. It amused her.
"Actually, sir, um, sir... They're in the truck behind you. They're not in a cage either." There were some choking and sputtering noises and the first man hissed,
"They're in the Truck? Behind me?!? Not in a cage?!? You are the biggest fucking idiot on the face of the Earth!!!!!! You're going in there yourself to retrieve them!" There were scuffling sounds and grunts and a loud bang as the second man was shoved into the truck. "DO IT!!" stage whispered the first man. The door clicked and a blinding shaft of sunlight streamed into the darkness. X-13 clamped her eyes shut against the twin bolts of pain. She used her strange sixth sense to 'see' him. He reeked of fear and of a little blood as well. One flared his nostrils and inhaled its rich scent.
"Um...Um...Would you, erm, peop-, er, creatu-, Xenomorphs, please come with me?" By the time the human finished his sentence, X-13's eye's had adjusted to the light. She looked at One, grinned, and then looked back at the human.
"You Are Bleeding, You Know." He touched his lip and made a damp noise. "Where Are We? This Does Not Feel Like Home." The human replied nervously,
"You have been transported to, erm, a different lab because the government has decided that uh, the other one wasn't secure enough." One growled, sending more drool to the ground. The shaky human whimpered. X-13 sighed mentally at the human's fear.
"Come On, One. This Will Be Good Enough." She stood up and stretched, One turned to grab Hager and sent to her.
::MATRIARCH, THE PREY WILL WAKE SOON.:: The facehugger had fallen off and Dr. Hager now appeared to be sleeping. One hoisted him over his shoulder anyway. Hager grunted as the air was knocked out of his now occupied chest.
"Wha...Wha, where am I? What happened?" He realized that a Xenomorph was carrying him and began to scream and kick.
"STOP! Stop Struggling Dr. Hager! You Will Disturb The Child!"
"What? What child? Oh SHIT! You implanted me with a chestburster, didn't you? YOU BITCH!!!" He began thumping One's back. The Praetorian snarled and snapped his teeth, rapidly losing the fight with his temper. "I can walk! I don't need a goddamn Bug to carry me! HELP!" X-13 stalked behind an enraged One and grabbed Hager's face.
"I Just Want You To Know That I Am Keeping The Child Docile, So That It Does Not Grow Too Fast! Remember Who Is Carrying You!" Hager paled at the mention of his possible death and hung limp. They walked out of the truck and across a small courtyard and into the facility. It was almost the same as the one she had grown up in, though with thicker doors and more cameras and sensors. One hissed softly as he scanned the corridor, disliking the amount of foreign stimuli.
"This way please." said the human, gesturing into a hall leading off to the left. X-13 walked into it, closely followed by One. Suddenly, a puff of air sounded, followed by a stab of pain in her neck! X-13 shrieked in betrayal and ripped it out, as another struck her. She leaped onto the shaky human, digging her claws into his shoulders. Behind her, One screamed as he too was shot. Hager grunted as he was dropped, X-13 stabbed out with her tongue, already effected by the drug and felt a small measure of her anger relieved as blood spattered her, X-13 quickly succumbed and passed out. One did not go down as fast and threw himself protectively over X-13 before he lapsed into unconsciousness.
Strange dreams crossed her consciousness; floating in warm water and other oddly familiar dreams. X-13 felt utterly relaxed. She slowly opened her eyes to a warped view of a room. X-13 turned her head, searching for One. He was also floating in a giant test tube. An air mask and hose was on his face. X-13 reached up and felt her face; she too was wearing one. That explained how she could breath. X-13 shook off the remains of the drug and clawed at the glass. She thumped it weakly; the water slowed her down. X-13 growled and rolled over, swimming to the bottom of the tube. She kicked off it and swam as fast as she could to the top, trying to slam her way out. After several attempts, the air cut off abruptly. She sucked uselessly and clawed at the mask. No! This was wrong! She had to conserve oxygen! X-13 held out for a few moments before panic set in! Dark spots danced before her eyes as she thrashed, lungs burning! She weakened quickly, and began to give up. As X-13 sank to the bottom of the test tube, the air turned back on. She gasped and coughed, clutching her mask happily.
"Stop struggling." said a voice on an intercom, "I don't want to have to punish you and risk hurting you; you're much too valuable for that." The intercom cut off with a click. X-13 felt a growing sense of despair.
"Hurry up with that damn food! I'm starving over here!" Hager banged on the glass at the lab's cafeteria. A harassed looking worker shoved a plate of macaroni under the sneeze guard. Muttering, Dr. Hager sat down at a table and energetically began to stab at the noodles. Another doctor sat down opposite him.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit."
"You shouldn't be eating. You are only feeding it and you have to undergo surgery in a few hours." Hager stopped eating and looked up,
"I don't care! I'm hungry and if I can keep it from eating me, then I'll do it!" Hager began stuffing his face again.
"You should go see your experiment. It's being difficult."
"I'll do it when I'm d-" Dr. Hager's face twisted in pain and he clutched his chest. The other doctor rose in alarm. "I'll...I'll be alright, it was just moving around. Perhaps I will see X-13 now..." He pushed his plate away and stood unsteadily.
X-13 gently reached out with her mind and brushed One's. He was still passed out from the drug. If this was regular sleep, then waking him would be no problem. But this was drug induced and the only thing she could do was wait for him to wake up. X-13 felt desperately lonely.
Hager staggered slightly and leaned against the wall, face ashen and breath coming ragged. The thing in his chest was moving again; it felt like really bad heartburn. He also felt nauseous, achy, and feverish and he had a headache. The chestburster was fast maturing and he had only a few hours. Once the symptoms stopped, the young Xenomorph would rip its way out within an hour. Who said men couldn't give birth? It only killed them. He smiled humorlessly, stood up straight and continued along. Soon, he reached the door and punched in the security code and had his eyes and hand scanned. The door hissed open to reveal two large, lighted test tubes in the darkened room. The Praetorian was curled loosely in one and X-13 was in the other. She seemed startled to see him; her surprise quickly turned to rage and she clawed at the glass. Hager walked to the desk and turned on the microphone that sat on the top.
"Hello, X-13. I trust I find you well?" he drawled.
"Let Me Out Of Here! You Lied Again! I Thought I Was Going Home!"
"You infected me with a chestburster! I might not even survive the surgery! Is this your idea of gratitude?!? I brought you into this world!"
"You Made Me To Kill My Kind, Didn't You?"
"Yes! Weir was right! I should have made you respect humans and hate Xenomorphs! You are a mistake!" X-13 glared and punched the glass, then calmed suddenly.
"Did you Know That The Child Is Ready To Break Out? It Is Only Gathering Strength. If I Tell It To, It Will Rip Out. If You Want To Live, Then Put One And I Into A Larger Room And Give Us The Child. I Will Keep It Calm Until Then." As if to respond to X-13's speech, the chestburster squirmed violently. Hager screamed and clawed at his chest, writhing like the Alien inside him. X-13 smiled secretly to herself as Hager recovered from the violent pain. A tickle in her mind announced the chestburster; it was a fawning sensation, asking for approval. The young Xenomorph was far too young to speak in words, so only faint emotions were felt. X-13 sent a feeling of approval and told it to calm. Hager glared venomously at X-13 and hobbled out, clutching his chest.
"Are you ready, sir?" asked a nurse.
"Yes, put me under." answered Hager. He was lying on an operating table, surrounded by doctors, nurses and equipment. He winced slightly as the nurse slipped a needle into his arm. The surgeons began attaching small electrodes to his head, arm and the sides of his chest. Then his eyelids began sliding down irresistibly.