Revelation
After a brief silence, John remembered something else. "April!"
"Who?"
"My android lieutenant." he took his pack off his shoulders and took out the remains of his superior. "I can ask her what to do in this situation."
"What a mess." Ashlyn said at the sight of April.
"Do you have some kind of power source here?" John asked hurriedly.
"What can your android tell us anymore than what we already know?"
"There's just one thing I have to do."
Ashlyn helped John connect April to an old computer center which up until now was used as a mere control center to operate the lights and other machinery. John questioned Ashlyn about whether the computer had any communication system but Ashlyn said it was heavily damaged via the aliens going rampage in the colony.
"This is pointless. Unless you're going to ask it something important. I don't see how this 'thing' can be of any help." Ashlyn said looking at April with distaste. John ignored Ashlyn and concentrated on plugging several wires from April's system to the computer console.
April was connected and from her body which was only her torso and head was a loud hum. Her eyes began to turn white and seconds of no response, April spat out white liquid. She coughed violently and afterwards, she began to twitch and eventually she saw John and Ashlyn. She looked displeased seeing John.
Sighing, April responded. "I take it you didn't re-activate me just to say you missed me." she said bitterly.
John shook his head. "Actually...Lieutenant, I reactivated you to know one thing that has been on my mind since I was put into a yearlong 'peapod'." John then got close to April until he crouched down to face her properly. "Why was I sent on this mission?"
"Would you believe me if I said the government sent you because of your unique character and charming personality?" she said with usual zero emotion.
"A sarcastic android now?" Ashlyn asked still standing with her arms crossed.
"I see you met a new friend. At least you're not alone anymore." she grinned.
"You haven't answered my question."
"I'm only authorized to give you limited information now that...you're in charge. But just because I'm in such a state does not mean I should take you seriously with whatever threat you dare to impose."
"There is no hybrid. We came here for nothing." John said smugly.
"What are you on about?"
"There's something else here, something that is so valuable that it is impossible to imagine."
"What is it?" she frowned.
"You tell me why I'm here and maybe I'll let you in on something."
Reluctantly, she responded. "You are here because...you're half-alien." she smiled. "You were brought in because of a rare blood type you have."
"I don't have acid for blood! Are you crazy?" John cried.
"Not that kind of blood. This kind of blood has traces of a Xeno-Morph DNA that is very unique and very old. We analyzed it when you were a child. Stupid doctors thought it was just a mere birth defect. Your parents have it too but at the age they are right now, they couldn't qualify for military. Your blood will eventually awaken an entity that has long since remained dormant for millenia. Since there is no hybrid here after all, you must be referring to something else."
A bombshell went off in John's mind at what he just heard. It sounded ludicrous. He scoffed and asked April again. "What?"
"In case you don't believe me, I have the file on you. It's in my head and I couldn't give it to you even if I tried. It can only be accessed by another person that I truly trusted and now he's dead. His coded serial number on the dogtags serves as a disk that can be inserted through the back of my head and will provide you with the information. But alas, this person is dead and hence, the information you seek is impossible."
John who was in a state of shock suddenly remembered something. He pulled something very slowly from his pants' pocket. It was a pair of dogtags. John turned the tags over and saw a name along with a barcode and coded serial number.
"Where did you get those?" April gasped with astonishment.
"OK can someone fill me as to what those dogtags have to do with anything here?" Ashlyn asked both of them impatiently now.
Holding up the dogtags in his hand in front of Ashlyn. "I put these is in her head and assuming of course what she just said isn't bullshit..." John began but April cut him off.
"Oh it is." April nodded. "I can only wish to see the look on your face when you find the evidence."
"Hey, synthetic bitch..." Ashlyn started now. "Question: why are you invading these planets when you know full well what is inhabiting them? We already lost more than we gain!"
"You silly woman!" April shook her head in disbelief. "Perhaps you're not aware that Earth is immensely overpopulated? Your human government must do everything they can to keep living. I am still programmed to ensure the survival of the human species and I am not about to let you or you...John Robert spoil my plans of conquering this planet."
John, who had already received too much information was not ready for another jab and merely said weakly. "You made us humans invaders of worlds regardless of who they are." He then turned his back to her.
April laughed. "Who are you to say 'us humans'? Because as you know now, you're not."
"I'm not telling you what this planet has."
"Doesn't matter. You're all going to die...slowly and painfully including your girlfriend." she began to laugh when John took out a pistol and aimed it at April's chest and fired. White blood burst through her chest and back. She fell and laid silent. April was dead.
"Well that was dramatic." Ashlyn said unexpectedly.
John looked at the dogtags in his head. With tears in his eyes, he saw the name on the dogtags. 'John Smith.' After all the times, John wanted to know the unknown man's name, John now thought it had been pointless now to know a simple, common name. He felt destroyed now.
After a few minutes of silence, Ashlyn went over to him. John clenched the dogtags in his hand with all his might. "You going to be all right?" she asked softly.
With no emotion, he responded. "We got to get off this planet." John then went off with Ashlyn following him.
A large rusted, old map laid spread out on the floor. The area consisted of where they were now and where their current destination lay. Ashlyn pretty much went over where it was and basically showed John where the installation was. The map showed of a crater almost like the one made by the explosion his team caused. As soon as he understood what Ashlyn was telling him, it was time to go. John felt that time was running out. Of course, he assumed that notion because he was driven by pressure. As Ashlyn literally finished connecting the dots on the map, she raised the question about the invading forces.
"Lastly, we got the aliens to deal with. They are mostly concentrated on this region to the north as mentioned before, there are numerous portions." She spoke rapidly and continued. "How do we get past them?"
John thought long and hard about it until he gritted his teeth in order for an idea to pop in his head. He shook his head when at long last, he came up with something. "We would have to come up with a diversion, something that will distract them. But I was thinking now, with the amount of explosives we have, we could wipe out maybe half of them and then one of us..." he sighed and made it clear what he was about to say. "I'll be the bait and lead them away."
"So let me get this straight, you're going to sacrifice yourself? Is that really the best way you want to go?" Ashlyn asked with eyebrows raised.
"It's not like I'm going to stay alive long enough anyway. I've pretty much went every possible outcome in my head. Chances are I'm not going to find this one girl I like, I'm never going to see my parents again and I'm not getting off this planet alive. I'm realistic basically and I'm saying that someone has to stay behind. That's me. As soon as you go, I'll activate the bomb but only after I take a shot at trying to find-" John was cut off as Ashlyn spoke.
Ashlyn was shaking her head while looking at John in exasperation. "You don't have to do that! Look you get me up to the main ship and I'll see to it that a dropship comes down to the planet to pick you up. I can activate it by remote."
John liked the sound of that and wasted no time in saying. "Then we got a plan now."
"See that's what I like to hear. Complete optimism. So please don't be a hero."
Nodding slowly he responded. "Alright."