Leo Albin

Carplis, Colony Planet 287,

Day of arrival.

3300 AD

We snaked our way through the crowds of people, entering this building with beautiful red and yellow carpets. The lady started talking to one of the waiters in another language. While she was doing that, I focused on the scenery. The walls were a dark tan and almost everything was decorated with the symbol of what looked like a zebra. The lady tapped my shoulder and I followed. We were seated, not at a table, but at a rug. The rug we sat on was a deep purple, but still had the zebra type of animal symbol. "Do you know what that is?" She asked. I guess she noticed my curiosity. "The little animal? A zebra?" I answered, and she gave a hearty laugh. When she noticed I wasn't laughing she stopped. "Oh, sorry, I thought you were joking."

The waiter introduced himself and bowed as he handed us the menus. When he left, she continued. "No, they aren't zebra. They're a type of cattle that has kept this planet alive. To pay respects to the animals that attract customers and keep this planet plentiful, the people here often decorate their houses, clothes, and head coverings with them." She explained. The waiter came back and asked the lady a question. "Do you need another minute?" She translated for him. "No, I'll just have whatever you're having." I replied, assuming she didn't realize that I can't read this language. She nodded and translated the order, continuing after he left. "The animal decorated on the rugs and walls of this restaurant are called Zylph. They look like zebras, but are much bigger and have feline type tails. They also have hidden horns in their manes and come in bright vibrant colors." They sound pretty.

"So… Is this the only city on this planet?" I asked out of curiosity. This place is nice, but it was too overwhelming and crowded. "Yea, this is the only city on this planet, an overpopulated city at that. Although, there are a few buildings not so far outside the city. There's a lab, a hospital, a hangar with some large ships, and a military base. Nobody outside the labs and military base knows what's going on in there. Hey, if you end up workin in there you should tell me what the hell they're doin in there." She said, just as the waiter came back with our food. He bowed as he set the plates down on the rug in front of us and bowed as he walked away. Looks like I'm havin a light pink steak with some potatoes and broccoli. "I know it's a lot to take in, but you'll get used to it. You'll fit in, in no time. Just watch." She tried to reassure me, then cut a slice off the steak and put it in her mouth. I looked down at my plate and picked up the utensils.

Hopefully it doesn't taste bad. When I put the slice in my mouth, I almost cringed. Not because it was bad or anything, it wasn't. It was just really sweet, almost like candy, but with a bit of steak flavor.

"Oh, my name is Zora Sheath. It's nice to meet you Leo Albin."

When we finished eating, we walked across the market to an alley. Alleys here didn't feel dangerous or desolate like the ones on Earth, they were full of life. Buildings were stacked close together with laundry lines that hung from window to window. Kids wrapped in robes playing together with kites or whatever toys they had. Men and women talking to other men and women. Teenage girls and boys hanging out with each other. Everyone enjoying their lives as families, friends, and neighbors.

We stopped in front of a tall tan building. "Here we are." Zora looked up and pointed to a window with an orange Zylph curtain. "That's my window on the top floor, and elevators aren't installed in these buildings. Ready for a climb?"

I looked at the building, then back at her. "Please tell me you're kidding." Zora laughed and held the door open.

Syrai Clarke

Carplis, colony planet 287

Lower Lab stations

3300 AD

These pieces of shit are in the vents, they're everywhere. There isn't a fucking corner I could turn in this place where there wouldn't be any evidence of a xenomorph. Whatever these things are, I hope they die easy. The only weapon I found in this god-forsaken place is a pulse rifle. It was on some dead marines body with only half a clip in it. I haven't had to use it yet and I hope I don't have too, at least not until I find a way out of here. I don't want to get stuck using the gun down here, It's too loud and everything echoes. If I kill one xenomorph with this thing the rest will come running.

"Hisssss-."

I crouched down and slowly peeked into the hallway. A xenomorph was on the ceiling and climbing back into a vent shaft. It's tail thrashing against the inside of the vent. I followed the noise in the vents with my eyes, It's running for the vent opening behind me. Does it know I'm here? I don't see any lockers, tables, desks, or doors. There isn't anywhere to hide, there's only a dead body in this hallway.

It's a fresh body with a gaping hole in the middle of his stomach. His name tag read "Richard Gared." By the looks of it, something had burst it's way out through his chest cavity.

The body was cold to the touch and it was starting to turn pale. " I have to hide somewhere." I sat the body upright and laid underneath him. Blood seeped into my clothes as it dripped from the dead body onto me, and I can honestly say that I don't care about that right now. I'll get my karma later when this man haunts me after everything is done.

I could hear the xenomorph landing heavily on the ground. My head was turned to face the wall so I wouldn't blow my cover. The tapping of its talons stopped right behind my head, I can feel the warmth of its breath on my neck. The xenomorph hissed again and nudged my head. Then as fast as it came, it left.

I waited for a few before throwing the body off of me. I have to find a way out before something else finds me.

I slowly made my way to the end of the hallway. There's an important-looking door with a scan card for the lock and a dead body leaning against the door. The weirdest dead body I've seen down here, besides the xenomorph corpses. The body was neat. No blood or terrified look on his face, only the top part of his shirt is ripped. As I got closer I noticed the movement of his chest. This guy isn't a body, he's alive!

"Hey, wake up!" I slapped his face a couple times, maybe a bit too hard. His brown eyes fluttered open as he ran his hand through his black hair. "Wha-What?" He wore a lab coat with a dark grey shirt and black pants. "What happened to you?" He rolled his eyes and tried to get up, but he was too weak. Then he held his hand up, his skin looked unusually pale. "You gonna help me up? I have something I gotta do." Maybe I should've slapped him a little bit harder.

"I'll help you if you tell me what you gotta do and what happened to you. "I crossed my arms and glared down at him. "Fucking-... I gotta activate the containment breach lockdown, and a fuckin xenomorph jumped on me and suffocated me with its fucking mouth. Now can you help me!?" Before I could reach out to help him up, he bent over in half with a painful moan. "Fuck!" His hands grabbed at his chest as if he was having immense chest pains. I kneeled down next to him and put my hand on his neck. His pulse is going at a fast rate. "Are you having a heart attack? Heartburn? Just calm down and-." He shook his head and grabbed my arm. "Just. Help. Me. Up."

What else am I supposed to do?

I threw his arm over my shoulder and heaved him up. He swiped his card and unlocked the large important-looking door that I found him leaning against.

There were holographic maps, a large computer board, camera feeds on one large screen, and an oval table in the middle of the room. It looks like a control room. "I need you to set me over there. In front of the main computer board, the bigger one." I walked him over there as fast as I could. "You need me to do anything else?"

"Yea, keep quiet and shoot any bugger that comes near here." Would it be humane if I slapped him again?

He went into a small spasm while trying to grab a computer chip out of his pocket. "Here I can-." I went to help him but he slapped my hand away. "Fuck! You won't just wait another damn minute, will you?" What the fuck is he talking bout, wait another damn minute? "Hey, lady! Would you mind grabbing that chip from my pocket?"

" I just tried to help you and you slapped my hand away!"

"Just fucking get it!"

I grabbed the chip from his pocket and handed it to him. He inserted the chip into the main computer and started typing in some commands. "This is to reupload the lockdown to the system, it's a backup in case the lockdown ever malfunctioned. It would take too long to fix everything, I just have to insert some codes in order for it to- Work!" He groaned in pain and bent over in half. The computer screen was black, but the words were bright green.

[+] Download plugin? [Yes]:

[+] Downloading in process….

[+] Virus detected….

[+] Fend off the virus? [No]:

[+] Continue download? [Yes]:

[+] Turn off all surveillance cameras? [No]:

[+] Turn on all surveillance cameras? [Yes]:

[+] Initiate emergency backup? [No]:

[+] Terminate emergency backup? [Yes]:

[+] Activate Containment Breach Lockdown? [No]:

[+] Terminate Containment Breach Lockdown? [Yes]:

[+] Lock specimen cells? [No]:

[+] Release specimens? [Yes]:

[+] Lock any/all access to the surface? [No]:

[+] Open any/all access to the surface? [Yes]:

[+] Open hangar doors? [Yes]:

…

"What did you just do?" I grabbed his shirt and lifted him out of the chair. "Tell me!" He wiped the blood out of the corner of his mouth. "We're all gunna die anyway." He pushed me away and sat back down to cough up more blood. "Ever heard of pirates, hun? We're always for hire when there's enough goods to offer. We were hired to send a very fragile shipload of xenomorphs to Carplis and open it thirty minutes after landing. The person who hired us had our ship disguised as a government drop ship and even loaned us some fake uniforms and I.D's. We were supposed to make sure the xenomorphs got to the population and that no one gets off the planet alive." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. " I don't know who hired us, but whoever it was decided that this planet is inconvenient." He finished, turning around to look at the main screen with the hangar camera feed.

Xenomorphs were running at full speed out of the hangars and into the city.

The pirate laughed before he went into a narcoleptic shock. His body began to violently spasm, and I just stood back to watch. His neck snapped loudly and his body stilled, but his chest was still moving. It looks like something is trying to break out of his chest. Kind of like Richard Gared. "What the-? Fuck!" Something just launched itself out of his fucking chest. It was gross, white, slimy, and looked like a snake. It slithered past me and into the vents, all the while screaming.

I stared at the vent for the longest time before shaking my head. "I have to get out of here, this place is gettin to me." I fixed the pulse rifle in my hands and left the control room. The only escape plan I can think of is to hijack one of the ships in the hangars, but first I have to kill any aliens in my way, get to the hangars, then hijack a ship and get out of here.

It's the only chance I have of surviving, too bad no one else will.