CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

He raced through the trees with his mate just behind him, making sure that he was safe and they weren't being followed. He had never felt fear like that before. He had always been the predator and never the prey.

These things moved with the same hive mind that he had with his mate and mother and if it was a one on one battle, he knew without a doubt that they could win, but not like this. There were at least a dozen of them and they all had a single goal.

He paused when he felt that the others were no longer in pursuit. Sniffing the air, he began to look for his target. There were no traces of his father and he could feel the panic grow.

Faster and faster they went, until they were at the edge of the forest and lurking behind trees and bushes to avoid any curious eyes that may come their way. He didn't care much for these humans. Mother didn't want him to see them as food, but it was so difficult sometimes.

Their racing hearts were enough to arouse his hunger and that was very bad. He would get in trouble and mother would be angry. He didn't like her upset and… and father always seemed to be the cause of that. He didn't know what to do. He only wanted her to be happy.

And now, she…

His mate tapped his mind again and directed him past a new tall building. They strategically darted into shadows and behind large crates to enter his other home - mother's hut.

There his father stood, staring blankly at the wall as if frozen in time. His father - David - didn't move at all when they silently crept in and he moved his tail to close the door.

How was he to approach? He had no delusions that his father could easily kill him if he wanted. His father was a scary man and right now, even if he couldn't feel him, he knew he was even more unpredictable than before. Father was stoic until bursts of emotions escaped him and threatened to consume everything. Father was the scariest one he knew and that meant he could deal with the situation, right?

He let out a soft whine to inform David of his presence, but still, there was nothing. Opening his mouths, he tried to make the sounds that mother made, but all he managed were hisses. He tried and tried again. Nothing.

His mate walked over to wrap a comforting tail around his waist, gently hissing back at him. Why couldn't David be like mother? It was easy to communicate with her. She was always so nice and she understood them.

Feeling hopelessness slowly fill him, he whined - long and sorrowful.

His mate touched his mind, pushing over a wave of calm comfort that he knew was only for his benefit. What happened shook his mate as well and they were both desperate. Mother was gone.

…

David spent days reassessing everything after Cassandra walked away from him. Where had he gone wrong? He was certain he had convinced her that. Why had she been so stubborn? Allowing these silly, little thoughts to run rampant in her pretty head…

It was infuriating.

He was infuriated.

He had hoped that giving her a few days will allow rationality to settle back in, but that had not been the case. She had not given him enough time to formulate another method to convey that she was irreplaceable.

And so, while she was gone, he went through every possibility of constructing a foolproof monologue. It was tedious, but he managed to narrow it down to one hundred and fifty-three ways.

As he was systematically eliminating each option, he noticed that the door opened and realised that he had not locked it after she left. What an oversight… It was entirely not him. He was always very meticulous with everything he did.

He wondered why the two Xenomorphs were here in broad daylight, but was impressed that they hadn't been discovered.

He really didn't want them here. Cassandra's Xenomorph was supposed to stay away after he created the second one for her "child." He hadn't expected them to become mates, but… all the better for him. They were out of sight and not monopolising her time.

When the smaller Xenomorph began to hiss and whine, David grew more irritated. Could he not have a moment alone to think?

Suppressing a sigh, he finally turned to see them both in a defeated position. Their heads hung low and their tails were entwined as a form of solace.

"What is it?"

Xenomorph 1 lifted its head and practically pounced at him, but David quickly stopped it with one hand in front of him.

"What do you need?"

Looking a little lost, the Xenomorph hissed and growled, gesturing with its bulbous head to follow him.

What game was it playing now?

When he didn't follow, it walked over again and wrapped its tail around his wrist, tugging at him.

David sighed. "Very well… This better be worth my time. I was in the middle of a very important analysis."

The two Xenomorphs manoeuvred past colonists in a very impressive manner, while he casually walked behind them. Once they were hidden amongst the trees, they began to run and he had to increase his pace. They were frantic about something, but he couldn't imagine what it was unless it was another wild mutant. Or had they finally seen his new creations?

How was he to convey to them that he had no plans to get rid of those?

Once they stopped in a small clearing, he scanned the area in front of him. There were branches broken, trees dented, and a lifeless form on the grass. He walked up to that first. The face was caved in, but he could still tell that this was once Evan. There was nothing remarkable about him when he was still human and there was nothing remarkable about him once he was transformed either. He wasn't surprised that he was the first to die.

He thought that perhaps the Xenomorphs were the reason for this bloody murder, but then, he linked the branch beside the body as the culprit. The Xenomorphs wouldn't use it as a weapon because they had weapons built into them. That meant…

Lifting his head, he ran his gaze across the field once more and spotted a slightly deformed boulder. He walked up to it and found that a splatter of acid had made its way there. The grass before it was pressed down and disturbed as if…

He froze.

"Cassandra was here?"

The Xenomorphs nodded.

"Where did they go?" he demanded. He had made a crucial mistake.

From his observations of their behaviours, they had lost most of their humanity and therefore their memories, but perhaps not all of them experienced the same thing. Some were like cockroaches, refusing to surrender.

They raised their heads to the air before darting off.

He quickly followed them.

He had made a mistake and now, he couldn't be sure what condition she was in. Not to mention the baby…

No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to satisfy her. Why couldn't she understand that it was impossible for him to love? He was a synthetic, built for practicality and emotions were one of the least practical things in existence. They were a hindrance. He simply wasn't made for them.

So did that mean… He wasn't made for her…?

A frown marred his flawless face. There was an unpleasant sensation that he was unfamiliar to. Had he truly just thought himself to be unworthy of her?

It couldn't be. He was built to be perfect. He knew he was perfect, so why…?

They arrived at the entrance of his laboratory where he could see things were knocked over and his tools were all lying haphazardly on the ground.

He could still see droplets of her blood producing wisps of smoke after eating away at the rocky ground. The trail led to his main station and when he took a step inside, he was tackled to the ground. Saliva dripped down on his face - a disgusting feeling that he never wanted to experience. "Is this how you treat your creator?"

Unfortunately, his experiments were no longer under his control. In fact, they never were. He watched their transformations in the cells and dragged them out into the wild when they were sedated. From then, they did whatever they liked. He knew, now, that that had been a mistake.

From behind the creature that was once Karen Dolen, Xenomorph 1 wrapped its tail around her neck and tore it off with a single movement.

Another splash of fluid fell on David and he had to suppress an irritated sigh. A little more grace and a lot less mess would've been appreciated.

Xenomorph 2 was fending off two others before Xenomorph 1 joined him.

He took this time to look at the cells. One of the doors had been torn off. Cathy was still there, but half her head and an arm was missing. What a waste…

Taking two syringes off his tray of supplies, he walked over to his experiments and plunged the needles into the soft flesh of their necks. They swayed before slumping over. "Don't kill them," he told the two Xenomorphs.

They hissed and growled, but made no motion to end two pitiful lives.

"Come. There is a more pressing matter to tend to." He continued to follow the trail through a tunnel and took several turns before stopping at another, smaller opening.

Something in him clenched and he gave his chest a curious rub. He thought it was fury at first, but that wasn't it. He knew anger. He knew possessiveness, but this was something else. He didn't like it.

The creature bent over a smaller form had finally taken notice of him when he stepped forward. It turned its mutated head and bared its sharp teeth.

"And still, you endeavour to take what is mine." David walked towards Jared. He had no weapons, but he didn't need one. "Haven't I showed you what would happen to you? Perhaps you enjoyed the pain."

Jared didn't react, but from the darkness, Christine stumbled out. Her right claw was gone - seemingly melted off. She crouched down before leaping towards him.

David waited until she was within range to throw his hand out and seized the creature by her neck. Christine gagged and clawed at his arm. Her tail flailed uselessly behind her. "Cease this useless struggling."

He tossed her against the wall and tore her tail off with his hand. She let out a loud wail of pain, but he wasn't done. He took off her left leg before crushing her remaining hand with the heel of his shoe. The tiny bones easily snapped with the force.

"Stay here while I deal with him," he growled, leaving the pathetic form whimpering in the corner with only one working limb.

David had a clear mission in mind. He had all his objectives lined up in the order that was most efficient.

He was going to kill Jared.

He was going to save Cassandra.

He was going to destroy all of these monsters he had created.

Jared sneered at him, shifting its body enough for David to see her bloody form beneath the monster. Her unseeing eyes were half-hooded and her hand was on the ground, stretched towards him.

Again, he felt that terrible sensation in his chest. It was almost a distraction to his goal. "I will make you suffer, you uncultured swine," he growled.

Jared moved first, bounding over to him with its claws extended. It was faster than the other ones he fought before. Its conviction was the strongest, so David wasn't surprised. The rest were only pawns with no plan.

He dodged to the side and grabbed for its neck like he did before, but Jared twisted its body to avoid him before slashing its tail forward.

Irritated, David touched the spot on his cheek that was now marred by a long cut. That wouldn't do. Cassandra would hate this and he intended to be her perfect synthetic.

Turning around, he caught the tail that was coming at him again and pulled hard enough to throw the creature off balance. With his fist clenched, he brought it down on its face. There was a very audible crack that came when half of Jared's face caved in.

"You have taken what belongs to me and I will not tolerate such insolence." He whipped the creature around, hitting them on boulders and walls until its face was nothing more than a mass of pulsing flesh. Even then, it was still alive, gasping for breath.

He threw Jared beside its brethren before making his way over to Cassandra.

Her small form was still. He could see a hole where her stomach was, but it was now completely gone. Her blood was still flowing out of her, melting a hole through the ground. He knew without a doubt that the baby was gone.

"Do you truly think you can escape me, Cassandra?" he whispered, stroking her face with his thumb. "There is still much I had planned for you - so much…"

Not only for her, but also for his son.

It had all gone wrong, hadn't it?

He made one misstep too many and here they were.

Rubbing his chest, he tried to figure out what was wrong with him, but no matter how many times he ran system checks, he couldn't find anything. He hated this. He didn't know how to fix what could not be identified.

The Xenomorphs came in as he was gathering her into his arms.

"Make sure they don't go anywhere," he instructed them. "I need them alive."

Xenomorph 1 ignored his words. Instead, it came over to its mother and let out a mournful cry.

"Move, or I will make you move," he growled back.

Xenomorph 2 stiffened at the threat towards its mate and looked ready to attack, but with a glare from David, it merely took its place by Xenomorph 1's side.

He didn't bother interacting with them any longer. Whether they obeyed his words or not, he knew that the injured party was going nowhere. What were they going to do with one leg or no face?

Ignoring any distractions, he carried Cassandra out of the cave and through the forest. He was very aware that she had nearly bled out dry. There wasn't even enough blood to hurt him, but he was still going to bring her back to the colony.

The walk back was full of curious eyes and terrified gasps.

…

Tennessee and Daniels had broken through Cassandra's window and into her stone hut while she was gone. It was wrong to do this, but they had to know. She was full of mystery that could be detrimental to their survival.

Daniels was sure that Cassandra would forgive her… right? If she had nothing to hide, then no harm done. She would apologise for being so distrusting and make it up to her later.

As they searched, there was nothing unusual in there to find. They could clearly see what her hobbies were - music and carving. Who knew she was such a good carver?

Daniels looked at each wooden figurine, running her hand over the intricate details. They were truly beautiful. How had she never noticed this before? She knew Cassandra loved music, but her artistic talent also ran elsewhere.

The new locks on her door were also masterfully crafted. Had she done all this herself? No, not her… These locks were definitely made by someone who knew all the precise measurements.

Was it one of the Walters?

Even though Daniels hated to admit it, Cassandra always seemed particularly close to all the synthetics. Was it because of her connection with the original creator? Could it be something else? She really hated to think that Cassandra could actually be someone who may betray them…

What if she straight up asked her? Isn't that what a good friend would do?

"Come on, Danny, we have to keep looking!" Tennessee hissed at her, turning over pillows and bedding. "If we stay here any longer, someone's going to notice we're not supposed to be here!"

But that was exactly the problem. They weren't supposed to be here.

What kind of terrible friend was she?

Slowly lowering the replica of Michelangelo's famous piece, she finally shook her head. "Tee…"

"You can't have second thoughts now! If it weren't for our gut instincts, would we be here now?" he urged, looking at her with pleading eyes.

She had known him longer and knew him to be a trustworthy person. Through thick and thin, they went through the gruelling training, the heartaches, and the tragedies together. Not once had she reason to question his loyalty or his line of logic. Not only that, he was right. She hated to admit it, but her instinct had been telling her that something was wrong for a long, long time, but again and again, she dismissed it. She wanted to believe in Cassandra.

She wanted to believe the reality she had created.

"You're right," she whispered. "Something is wrong and Cassandra knows something about it. If we don't find anything, I'll ask her about it when she comes back."

Unfortunately, they were never going to have the opportunity to talk to her because just outside, they could hear a commotion, which led to a tragic discovery.

Walter was carrying Cassandra's dead body through the fields.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Sorry for the late update! Working during this time has kinda put me in a bit of a slump and I'm not sure why. No amount of sleep seems to be enough, my brain just starts to cease function after coming home. The next update may be a bit late as well, but I'll try my best!

Also, with the slightly nicer weather, I've been seeing more people going out. Even though where I live is starting to "flatten the curve," it seems that people are overlooking the fact that that only means the new daily cases have stabilised (not yet fallen), but the total amount of infected is still increasing and this is with the restrictions in place. Not only that, only people who actually got tested are counted towards the statistics. There are many asymptomatic people or people with just a small cough that may be assumed to be caused by allergies.

I'm not saying don't go out at all, but be cautious of where you're going and whether you really need to. If you don't want to stay cooped up at home, maybe take a short walk around the block or where you think won't have many people. Stay a safe distance away from others.

Thank you casperspalercousin, time-twilight, sansviolet, Larita1976, vampgirliegirl, MageVicky, acetwolf94 for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourite and followed this story.

Please, leave a review if you enjoyed this!

Note: I stayed at work for you, so please stay at home for me :D