Chapter 4: Unexpected Guest
Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.
"Talk."
Maria crosses her arms over her chest while Walter straightens his back. She kept a close eye on everything he was doing, including his hands when they go underneath the table. She leers into his eyes but true to being synthetic, he doesn't show any reaction. It freaked her out deep inside. He looked human, but his actions say something else . . . Something unnatural. Walter intertwined his fingers together and placed them in the middle of the table.
"To start, it's true that I'm a part of Weyland-Yutani company along with being a personal asset to Karl Weyland. However, it's more based on dictatorship than a partnership."
"In what way?"
Maria sternly spoke so Walter would get to the point. She stayed as still as a statue, but her eyes remained on him. He shifts a bit in his seat before addressing her, remaining just as calm as before.
"My free will is limited based on what Mr. Weyland decides. I can walk and do as I please, but if I cross a line, like go against him, Mr. Weyland can shut me down in an instant. In short, I'm at his mercy."
Maria became intrigued by the workings of the company and Mr. Weyland himself. Despite being a well-developed organization with a stern leader behind, she can see that trust is very short on demand and pushed aside like a nuisance. Maria wonders how no one decided to go against him. But then again, she had seen that the soldiers use fear to control the prisoners and those who are synthetic, they can just shut them down like pressing the "off" button on a computer. This was giving Maria a headache as she averts her gaze from Walter to close her eyes to relieve it somehow. When that didn't work, she decided to ignore it, and she looks back to Walter.
"So . . . Weyland can control you somehow. But how? You're not with him all the time."
Walter nods in agreement. "It's straightforward."
He pulls his hand back to his pocket and Maria tenses, glaring right back at him and Walter notices this. He raises his open hand in the air before reaching back to his pocket slowly. Maria keeps an eye on him as he shuffles inside his pocket before pulling out a small device. This one was very similar to the one that Walter gave her except it was larger in size. He places it in the middle of the table and presses in the middle of it. It comes to life as it changes shape, twisting and turning in unnatural ways. Maria jumps out of her chair and backs off a bit, worried that it might be something harmful. She looks back at Walter with a mix of worry and anger, but he puts his hand up before she could respond.
"It's alright. This is only a hologram machine."
She follows his gaze back down at the device as it stops moving. In the end, she can see that it became a dome-like shape with a small light in the middle. Maria leans her head forward to get a closer look, noting that there wasn't any part of it that was dangerous or at least she thinks. She gazes back to Walter, and he smiles a little, letting his blue eyes convey a message that he doesn't mean any harm. With some reluctance, Maria slowly sits back down while keeping her eyes on the device that started up. In an instant, a projection comes forth and shows some small object that reminded her of an electronic car key.
"What is that?"
He points his finger right at it. "That is the master control. Weyland uses it to control me if I step out of line. The problem is that he has it with him at all times."
She studies the control a little bit before shaking her head in disbelief, rubbing her fingers on her temple. It seemed to get more complicated for her as this keeps going. But she's already deep into this so she decided to follow along. She lifts her head and observes the master control for a brief moment before gazing back to Walter.
"So how do I fit into this? What's the point?"
All of a sudden, she saw Weyland's eyes turn to stone, showing no emotion whatsoever and it made every hair on Maria's body stand up. It was a disturbing reminder that he wasn't human. He blinks his eyes a few times before he leans a little closer to Maria.
"From what I've heard, he's going to bring you to his office for some sort of meeting. He's fed up with your resistance along with Sergeant Wilson."
"And I'm fed up with him locking me up like this."
Maria growls a little at Walter's remark, making him move back a bit. But he recovers quickly and leans back once more, despite the anger emitting from her eyes.
"Anyway, when you meet with him, I can give you a chance to get it from him by creating some distraction. That way, I can be free to help you escape from this place."
The gears in Maria's head was spinning in figuring out Walter's plan. It seemed okay, but many uncertainties could lead to it going wrong. She wanted to be free, but at the same time, her mind started to doubt about all of this. Her heart began to feel heavy, and dread began to seep into every part of her body. But she keeps her composure, not wanting Walter to see it. She moves her legs so that they were crossed and leans back into the chair with her arms crossed.
"I don't get it. Why goes through all of this trouble if you can get it yourself? Or even destroy it?"
When she said that, Maria is taken aback by Walter's reaction. His smooth composure is broken, and he heavily sighs as if embarrassed with himself. It was very unexpected, and Maria didn't really know what to make of it.
"I wish I could, but the device has a sensor on it. It's always on Weyland, and if anyone tried to destroy it, I follow it as well. In short, you are the only person that is strong enough and trustworthy to go against him in this prison."
"Or crazy."
Walter giggled a bit out of reaction as his eyes lit up in amusement. Maria tried her best to keep it to herself, but it was pretty funny in her opinion. She wasn't sure about being trustworthy or reliable, but she might just fit into the crazy category. She changed back into seriousness and asked him one more important question.
"So if I do agree on this, how will we escape? Plus, I'm not leaving without finding Ana. She's just as important as you and me. I won't do squat until you can guarantee that all three of us will make it out of here alive and in one piece."
The whole room became silent as Maria waited for Walter's answer. At first, she saw his eyes drop once more to the ground, remaining as still as a statue. She wanted to say something out of frustration, losing too much patience after all of this. This was one fucked up plan that had lots of risks, but it was her only shot to getting Ana and herself out of here . . . And maybe find Za'taan after all of this. A few moments passed before Walter answered her, raising his eyes back to hers.
"There is a ship that can get us out of here. Once you get the master control, I can hack it via computer and get it ready for takeoff. I'll find out where Ana is and when we are all together, we will escape. You have my word."
Walter raises his hand out towards Maria in a handshake position. She stares at it for a moment, going back and forth between it and Walter's eyes. The uncertainty in her chest held her back along with not trusting him entirely yet, but this was her only chance to leave with Ana. A chance to find Za'taan whom she missed so much. She wonders if he's looking for her, but after three years, she had a guess that something was holding him back. It was unlike him to not find her sooner. So, with conviction taking over, she reaches for his hand and shakes it lightly. She noted that his hand was cold and hard as steel, but that was expected. Walter smiles a bit and nods. Maria just stares at her eyes soften a little before she pulls back her hand.
But just as they pulled apart, a beeping noise echoed in the room and Maria watched Walter pull out another device, but she didn't have time to see what it was since he put it back in his pocket so quickly.
"You need to go. We're out of time."
Everything went so fast as Walter swiftly got out of his chair, pulled Maria by the arm with such incredible strength and took her to the door that opened as they came near. Right as Maria was about to exit the room, Walter speaks out.
"Keep the device I gave you at all times. I will use it to communicate with you. Good luck."
With that, he pushes Maria out of the room, and the door closes tight just as Maria turned around so he could ask something else. She grunts in annoyance on how rude he was, but then again, she wasn't exactly great at etiquette herself. Remembering what he said, she reaches for the device in her gown and inspects it, making sure to secure it on her. With nothing else to do, she walks back down the hall and into the lunch bay.
But as soon as she stepped into it, she saw several guards across next to Tane, who looked like Hell had come for her. Her eyes were wide while her body shook a little out of fear as did some of the prisoners in the area while others glared. But no one dared to challenge them, and Maria knew that. It would only cause torture for the others as well as the individual. However, she already had enough trouble today, so she decided to go over and tell them to fuck off. Maria took several steps until she recognized one of the soldiers that were overshadowed until she moved for a closer look.
It was Sergeant Wilson . . .
That sent her blood boiling. She never forgot her last encounter with him when he beat her to a pulp and carried her to the isolation cell. She really hated that man with a vengeance and despite knowing that she would get hit if she confronted him, her fury clouded her judgment. She stomps over to them, and it didn't take long for him to hear her coming. Wilson's head turns to the side and smiles at her, making her vomit in her mouth with disgust.
"There's whom I'm looking for."
She hisses. "Ready for me to kick your ass?"
He chuckles in response. "I seem to remember that I kicked yours the last time we met."
"You had your goons to help you. Wouldn't be so high and mighty if it was just you and me."
He turns entirely to Maria as his soldiers got into position, aiming their guns at her. She anticipated this and crouched down a bit, ready to take them on regardless if they had weapons. But Sergeant Wilson raises his fingers and waves it around like she did a naughty thing. All she wanted to do was rip it off and stick it in his ass.
"As much as I want to teach you a lesson, I have been ordered to take you to Weyland. He's dying to meet you again."
Maria tenses a bit more but from hearing that she is to be taken to Weyland, just like Walter had told him. So he didn't lie about this? She had to give him credit for that, but she still didn't know what type of distraction he would do nor how to get the master control from Weyland. But she was going to meet him, so that was a start. The soldiers came closer with one holding handcuffs, but Maria didn't fight this time. Normally, she would, but with the 'somewhat' plan that Walter had told her, she needed to stay calm and attentive. One soldier placed the handcuffs on her wrists, which pierced into her skin when they tightened them. She saw Wilson eyeing her in curiosity, probably wondering why she didn't resist, but it didn't last long as he ordered the soldiers to take her. Maria takes one glance at Tane who was watching with worry. Maria mouths out that everything will be alright before she disappeared from view when they exited the lunch bay.
For some reason, it was a longer walk than usual for Maria. She could only guess that she anticipated what will happen once she got to their destination. She began to feel nervous but kept it to herself, making sure Wilson or the other soldiers didn't suspect her. The walk kept going on as they passed into another hallway that had several doors on each side like an endless maze. It wasn't until Sergeant Wilson moved to the team by a single entry with the company symbol in the middle. He knocks on the door, and a voice calls out.
"Come in."
She recognizes the voice belonging to the man who interrogated her when she first arrived, and her body stiffens with rage. However, the soldiers forced her inside the room with Wilson in the front when the door opened. The grip on the soldiers began to bruise her skin, and it stung deeply. Once inside, she saw that the room was larger than anticipated. Instead of the usual interrogation room, it was spacious with several cabinets filled with books and such. A carpet stretched in the center and looked expensive according to Maria. She glances forward and sees a desk that was as long as a dinner table. She noticed a ton of paperwork on one side while the other had some kind of object that was covered with a small cloth. But her attention was diverted when she heard the same voice.
"There she is."
Her eyes meet his brown ones, and she recognized the same man that stood in front of a large window. The memory of his words about her relationship with Za'taan made her mind and body fire up in rage. Her eagerness to vent her anger at him became difficult to keep under control. Weyland saw this and began to chuckle.
"Nice to see you again, Maria. I see that you haven't changed your temperament since the last time we saw each other. I hoped that you calmed down since then."
She growls a little at him, glaring right into his eyes so that he knew she wasn't happy. Weyland simply ignored it and moved around the desk so that he was in front of her but kept a few feet between them. He places his hands behind his back and looks right at her.
"Where are my manners? I haven't introduced myself before, but I'm sure you already know. My name is Karl Weyland."
Maria raises her eyebrows a little, finally getting confirmation that this is Weyland himself. So this pathetic man is the boss? She kept her eyes on him as he began to observe her, tilting his head back and forth in curiosity. It made Maria feel a little vulnerable, but she refused to look away. But what he did next surprised her beyond anything else.
"Take the cuffs off her."
"Sir?"
It was Sergeant Wilson who called out in surprise by Maria's side, almost equally as surprised as her. Weyland didn't flinch at his reaction but rather glanced at him with solemnity.
"Didn't you hear me the first time? Take the cuffs off her. She won't be needed them here."
Maria looked back at Wilson and noticed the hesitation in his eyes while his mouth opens and closes in disbelief. When Weyland gives him a glare, Wilson nods his head and takes out a set of keys from his pocket. He gets in front of Maria and unlocks her cuffs in a few seconds, but she decided to take the opportunity. As soon as she was free, she lunges right at Wilson, raising a fist into the air and aiming for his face. But then, a much hand grabs her arm and tugs her face with such force that she is flown across the room, hitting the wall before falling to the ground with a cry of pain.
The pain in her back radiates all over her body and even into her fingertips like a rippling effect. Whoever threw her was very strong . . . Much stronger than any soldier she had come across. It took her several minutes to get herself back on her feet, keeping a hand on the wall for support. When she looks up, she is met with a shocking scene.
Right in front of her, two towering figures stood like huge shadows that overcast her form, but they weren't soldiers. They were at least seven feet tall if not more and they were built like tanks. Their arms and legs were thick with layers of muscle that glowed in the sunlight while they had armor that covered most of their skin. To be honest, Maria saw that it wasn't human skin that they had but looked very familiar. She lets her gaze follow upwards to their faces, but masks covered them that reminded her of a biomask that made them seem creepy. Their foreheads were large, but they had no hair at all, and they emitted a smell that was like rotting flesh. From looking at them, she had no idea what they are until they started to make a familiar clicking sound. A sound she knew all too well . . .
Her eyes widened at the realization for a moment before she looks behind them at Weyland who was grinning with joy. She became so angry that her fists tightened as she screamed at him.
"What have you done?!"
All she got from him was a shrug of his shoulders. "What do you mean?"
"They're Yautjas!"
"Of course. They are the new super soldiers that I made recently, and so far, they have not disappointed me."
He snaps his fingers, and the two Yautjas moved to her sides, grabbing each arm tightly, earning a yelp from Maria. They dragged her across the room until she was back in her original position in front of Weyland. He nods at them, and they let her go. She had to steady herself a bit since she hadn't recovered from earlier, holding her arms out for balance for a minute. She didn't like this. She couldn't understand why these Yautja obeyed his command just like that. It was out of the ordinary behavior and audacious for their kind to follow an ooman, let alone a synthetic. Maria glares at Weyland, but just as she took a step forward, Weyland raises his fingers in the air and stops her from advancing.
"You should be careful. One snap of my fingers and they will throw you at the wall again."
She slightly turns her head to the side to see the two Yautjas coming closer to her. She backs up from Weyland, and he smirks in victory, letting his hand fall back down, and the Yautjas relax. Maria kept glaring at him but stayed still in fear that any movement will make then snap. She leers at Weyland as he walks back and forth in front of her.
"Now . . . You know what I'm going to ask so let us skip the formalities and get to the point. You know what I want."
Maria growls at him. How can she forget what he asked of her before? Still, she couldn't believe that he wanted to know where Za'taan is. Everything Weyland was doing made no sense, especially after he introduced her to his 'super' soldiers.
"Why should I tell you? As far as I can see, you already have Yautja at your disposal like they're your own personal puppets."
That is when Maria saw a change in his demeanor for just a split second. His smirk disappears as he displays a face of disappointment. He claims to have perfect Yautja guards, but she could tell that it wasn't enough for him.
"They are not enough for what I want. I need more, and your 'partner' is just what I want."
Maria screams at him. "You will not have him! I don't even know where he or his kind are so you might as well let me go!"
Weyland's smirk comes back full force as he stops just in front of Maria.
"Not entirely true. We know how their culture works in some way or another. The scar on your cheek is the symbol of their clan, and to my knowledge, they won't leave one of their own behind."
Maria's chest began to drop a little. She didn't know much of the Yautja world and didn't want to believe Weyland's words but . . . If it were true, then Za'taan or his clan would come for her and into a trap. Just the thought of Za'taan coming here and getting captured made her heart crack a little. She couldn't let that happen so she tries to bluff using whatever she could.
"You have no guarantee. I've been here for three years, and none of them have come for me. Why do you think they will do so now?"
"Because you will help me find them. Whether you like it or not."
Weyland looks to Wilson and nods in his direction. Maria watches as Wilson walks to a door on the side of the wall that she hadn't noticed before. He opens it, and more soldiers begin to walk in but not alone. There was a figure with a black bag over their head so she couldn't see their face. The soldiers dragged the figure over until they stopped between Weyland and Maria. One soldier unties the black bag and forcibly removes it, revealing a face that made Maria gasp.
"Ana!"
Her friend lifted her head as their eyes connected for the first time in a long while. Ana's eyes lit up as she cried out to her.
"Maria!"
Without hesitation, Maria ran to her, and the soldiers let go of Ana, making her drop to the floor. She quickly grabbed her before she could fall all the way as they hugged each other as tightly as she could. Tears threatened to spill out of Maria's eyes as she began to feel her, making sure this wasn't an illusion.
It was her! Maria couldn't believe that her friend was right in front of her but then she noticed how frail she was. She was skin and bones similar to Maria, so she figured that they had given her the same treatment. How could a human being do something like this? She imagined only a monster would do something like this and Weyland was a clear example. With all the strength she had, Maria lifted both of them on their feet and keeping Ana from toppling over.
"What a reunion."
Their moment of happiness shattered when Maria remembered that Weyland and his soldiers were still around. She glares right back at him as she feels Ana clinging on to her. Weyland smirks and opens his hands full as if he did something wrong.
"Aren't you happy? We let you see your best friend after all these years. Why do you look like that?"
"What have you done to her?"
As much as Maria didn't want to ask Ana here, there was a reason why Weyland brought her here. It wasn't to make her happy . . . Far from it. Her fingers dig a little into Ana's shoulders but not enough to hurt her as Weyland continues.
"If you must know, we did tweak her a bit in case you didn't cooperate with us. Remember that I told you if you didn't help us, there will be consequences concerning your friend."
Maria sees Weyland pull out something from his pocket, revealing a small device that she recognized right away. It was the master control that Walter had shown her before, and there was no doubt in her mind about it. However, Maria didn't know what he was going to do with it until he lifts it up in the air for everyone to see. He smirks once more at her.
"If you don't help, this is what will happen."
He presses a button on the master control, and a horrible scream fills the air and right in Maria's eardrum.
Ana drops to the ground, gripping her head in severe pain as she screams once more. Maria falls to her side, trying her best to calm her down but it was no use. Whatever Weyland was doing, it was putting her best friend in sheer agony. She could see tears coming out of her eyes, and Maria's heart began to break.
"Please! Just stop it!"
She reaches out to Weyland, pleading for him to stop it. He smiles and presses the button once more. Ana's screams stop, and her body slumps a little to the ground. Maria keeps her up on her knees, seeing that there was nothing wrong with her. But what did he do to make her scream like that? Maria looks back at Weyland but with concern in her eyes this time.
"What did you do to Ana?"
He doesn't answer her right away as he puts the master control back into his pocket. His smirk never left his face as he finally spoke.
"We placed a small chip into her brain that sends electrical signals through it. Enough that it can cause pain when activated, but it can do so more."
He comes closer to Maria and Ana and kneels right in front of them. His face was just inches from her as they both stare into each other's eyes. Fear began to seep into her body as Weyland smiles evilly, pulling the master control back out to wave it at her face.
"If I just amplify the signal on this, the chip can easily turn her brain into mush. Cooperate, or all you will do is sign her death sentence."
His face comes closer to Maria until their noses here just inches from touching each other. She couldn't move as she felt Ana trying to breathe while her eyes looked upon Weyland in despair.
"So . . . make your choice."
She tried to speak, but nothing was coming out. She was trapped in making a decision between her friend and Za'taan. She wanted to protect Za'taan from Weyland, but at the same time, she didn't want Ana to die because of her refusal. She didn't know what to do . . . What can she do?
But then . . . All of a sudden, a loud blast echoed all around them and throughout the forest itself as Maria believed. It grabbed everyone's attention as they stared into the window where the sound came from. Maria couldn't see what it was with Weyland covering her view until one of the soldiers shouts.
"GET DOWN!"
And with that, the whole world around Maria falls apart as the wall shatters into a million pieces, destroying everything in its path as chaos began.
Hello everyone! :D
I've decided to post my prepared chapters for both Metamorphosis and Endurance this week since classes are hectic this week and don't want all of you wonderful readers to wait that long. :) (Nexus will wait a little longer with Metamorphosis catching up).
So Maria meets with Walter with a bargain that could unite her to Za'taan, but she's still unsure whether to trust him. Does he have something under his sleeve? A plot of his own? It's hard for her to think when Weyland has Ana in his grip along with two Yautjas that seem to obey his every command.
A lot is riding against her, and more bad news comes when they are under fire by some unknown force. But who is it? Could it be Za'taan coming to the rescue? Can Maria get her friends out of there in one piece?
Find out when Chapter 5 comes along next week!
Enjoy! :)))