Scar stopped dead as the child levelled the plasma gun at his chest. At this range, he knew the sivk'va-tai would varnish his vital organs across a wall.
They stood facing each other, Scar measuring up his small assailant "He truly is identical to Selim," He thought "His voice, his eyes, his expression; virtually indistinguishable!"
Common sense told him he should kill this creature "The facsimile is unimportant, irrelevant!" He told himself "The most logical course is to get him out of the way so that I may take my son and go."
He was about to unsheathe his blades ready to attack, when the child spoke again, "If you hurt my friend I'll kill you!" He said, his voice shrill but determined.
For some reason the words caught in Scar's chest. He might be an unholy replica, but the facsimile had courage. He was clearly afraid, yet here he was facing down an adult yautja male. For the first time Scar looked at him with real interest "My blood courses through his veins, though he knows it not." He thought "Brought up in a human prison, yet here he stands ready to kill me. Perhaps he has something of me about him after all…"
More importantly, he was risking his life to protect Selim. That in itself was enough to make Scar think better of him.
He could think of at least three ways to disarm the child but all of them involved seriously hurting him and suddenly Scar didn't want to do that, not yet. Not unless he had to. Some marrow-deep instinct in him recoiled at the idea.
The facsimile's chest was heaving with distress "If I move it is likely he will pull the trigger and if he hits me… he will leave himself and Selim unprotected." He scowled under his mask "I must convince him to drop the weapon, persuade him I am not a threat."
Staring into yellow eyes round with fear, he could tell it would not be easy. He had no doubt that if Lex were here, she would quickly gain the boy's trust. If Selim would only wake up – but judging by the dart sticking from his son's leg, it was unlikely. It would have to be persuasion.
"The scientist told me what she named him," He thought, racking his brain desperately "I must remember!"
Through the adrenaline blur of fear, Isaac heard the monster say his name.
"What?!" He gasped.
"Isaac" The monster said "This is what the humans... have called you... is it not?"
"How do you know m-my name?" He stammered.
The giant figure put its fearsome head on one side "Iversssssson," It rumbled "The scientissst. She… told me."
"What? Why?!"
"Because she… set me free."
Isaac couldn't imagine the woman he thought of as his mother turning this apparition loose "Why would she do that?!" He demanded.
"I... protected her. She wanted to …find you."
"Then why isn't she with you?"
"We became … separated."
"I don't believe you!"
It made a little motion, like a shrug "It is true. Do you know who… I am?"
For a moment, Isaac couldn't think what the creature meant. Briefly the thought flashed through his mind that it was about to tell him it was a human in disguise after all, just acting the part of a monster. Then he realised that was a silly, babyish idea and shook his head in disgust. The creature took his movement for a negative answer.
"I am Selim's father."
A little shockwave of cold ran over his flesh and Farrell's word's came back to him in a rush: "… no wonder you two are so hideous, being related to that big ugly motherfucker…"
Somehow, Isaac felt like this was the news he had been dreading all along. Not just recently, but his whole life. He didn't want this thing to be Selim's father. He wasn't sure why that should be so important to him but suddenly it was.
When he didn't answer it spoke again "Did you… hear me child? Selim is my… son."
"He can't be!" Isaac retorted, his voice thin and reedy in the dank echoing corridor "You're a … a… monster!"
"No, I am yautja. As Selim is."
"NO! Not Selim!" Isaac wailed, when the creature did not react he howled again "Not him!"
He wasn't able to think rationally. Had Selim used that word to describe himself? He couldn't remember. "It can't be true, it just can't!" He told himself "I won't let it be true. If I don't believe it, then it won't be true!"
"Do you wish me... to prove it?" The alien said.
Isaac continued to stare at him, petrified.
"You comprehend my words do you not?" It said in the language Selim had taught him. Isaac didn't answer but something about his demeanour must have shown he understood.
"I thought so when I… saw you first." It purred "Selim … taught you our speech. Does that not …convince you?"
"I… I don't know." Isaac kept the gun pointed but suddenly he was unsure. He was mortally afraid of this thing but… now he had heard it speaking English it didn't seem quite so horrifying. Selim and the monster shared a secret language, maybe it was telling him the truth. He thought hard, trying to untangle its words. He wished Selim was still awake.
"You need further evidence?" The creature thought for a moment "Very well. I am going to… take my mask off now boy…"
It reached up and undid the fastenings at its jaw and temples. As it pulled away the visor Isaac paled. He had forgotten how awful the face underneath that mask was, how weird and disgusting. Slitted pupils focused on him, four tusked jaws twitched like some sort of crab or insect or… he didn't know what.
His own mouth opened and shut in shock. The creature just stood there, watching him. Waiting.
After a moment or too Isaac's appalled expression morphed into a look of avid curiosity. There was something about its eyes. At first glance they just looked fierce, fierce and dumb like an animal's eyes. But if you looked long enough you could see this thing was smarter than an animal. And they reminded him of…
"You do look like Selim." He said slowly.
"Because he is myyyy sssson."
Isaac was mesmerised by those eyes, he didn't register that the creature had started to move slowly towards him "Why did you do that... to Farrell?" He asked.
"He hurt Selim."
"You …you killed him!"
"I give… death to any who threaten my … offspring."
"Your offspring?" Isaac didn't know the word "What does that mean?"
"It means my… children."
Isaac's eyes were huge golden pools "Your children?" He whispered. The alien nodded silently. Isaac's finger trembled against the trigger of the gun but he was transfixed, he couldn't look away from its face. He didn't even notice it was standing right in front of him.
Then suddenly it leapt, shocking Isaac so much he actually pulled the trigger. If the alien had been slower it would have been blasted point blank in the chest but in a blur too rapid to follow it knocked the muzzle aside and the glowing shot hit the wall. In the same flowing action it snatched the gun out of Isaac's hand, so fast it was a few seconds before he realised he wasn't holding it anymore. He shrank back in horror as the creature loomed over him
"You… shot at me!" It said.
Isaac tried to speak but his teeth were chattering as if he were cold "I'm s-sorry!" He managed to say through trembling lips.
For one long, dread-filled moment the alien stood looking down at him. Then its jaws spread apart. Isaac thought it would roar but instead it burst into a thunderous laugh – it could only have been laughter. When it looked back down at him you could see it was amused and not angry.
"You do not… flinch!" It said.
"Flinch?" Again Isaac ran up against a word he didn't recognise.
"You attack, you do not… shrink. You have courage. That is good." It sounded surprised. As it leaned forward to look at him, the stink of blood filled Isaac's nostrils "I will not… hurt you, boy." It said "I want to protect you."
"But…" Isaac's arms dropped to his sides. He was bewildered, unsure what had just happened here and unused to praise from anyone other than Iversson.
"But…why d'you want to protect me?" He said, in a quavering voice.
The creature hesitated, scrunching his spiky brows up.
"Because you protected… Selim." He said finally, attaching his mask to his belt and lifting Selim's unconscious body in his arms. As Isaac watched in horrified fascination he pulled out some lengths of cord and knotted Selims wrists together. Then he dropped the loop of Selim's arms over his own neck, so his son's head was resting on his shoulder. He tied another cord between Selim's ankles and another round both of their waists, pulled tight so the boy was securely fastened against his chest. Then it turned its attention back to him.
"I am S'Kia. When I… speak you obey."
Isaac gave a scared nod. The alien paused, then handed the gun back to him
"You may…keep this." Selim's father gave him a terrifying grin "In case of … monsters."
The grin faded as a shivering scream split the heavy darkness, bouncing around the metal walls.
"What was that?" Isaac croaked.
"Death, boy." The alien's eyes glowed "Death is coming for us!"
Iversson felt the impact and heard a sound like "Whumpf!" She was knocked off her feet as a blast of powdery smog billowed around the corner. When it had dissipated a little she looked down. She was covered in dust.
"That noise came from the direction of the bridge!" She thought "If it's collapsed, I'll be trapped!"
Before she had time to feel afraid, she heard something over the ringing in her ears; voices! She fought the urge to cry out of sheer relief "For all I know it might be Weyland's guards come to shoot me."
As the tinnitus subsided, she was suddenly able to make out what was being said. A woman was speaking.
"You're making a mistake Weyland."
The Professor knew those ice cool tones; she was surprised at how happy she felt to hear Lex's voice.
"I very much doubt it." The CEO snapped "Rathbone, if she moves shoot her!"
Iversson couldn't stay quiet, she didn't want to risk anyone else getting killed.
"Stop! Hold your fire!" She cried.
"Who's there?" She heard Weyland shout "Show yourself!"
Slowly Iversson stepped around the corner with her hands in the air. A howling gale slapped her in the face. The falling bridge had torn the wall apart like a can opener and now there was a huge ragged hole. Through the wind and sea spray she could see the huge fire blazing on Island South. By its light it was possible to make out the collapsed bridge. Iversson could see that the nearest end of the bridge was still attached to Island North, but the far end had completely severed from South and now lay part submerged beneath the waves.
She took in the people in front of her. Weyland looked enraged and dishevelled. Rathbone looked surprised though he kept his main attention on the woman he was holding at gunpoint. But it was Lex's face that stopped Iversson in her tracks. It was calm and serene. She had seen that same expression on Lex's face the night of the break-out in Nevada.
Iversson had a horrible feeling there was going to be bloodshed.
"For God's sake Diana," She implored "We should be working together to escape, not fighting each other! Surely you see that."
"As usual Jeanette you've missed the point." Weyland said dismissively "This woman is a danger to everyone around her, just look at the trail of corpses in her wake!"
"You can't kill me Weyland." Lex sounded eerily self-possessed "I'm the one person who can pilot the shuttle."
"You think you lead a charmed life, don't you?" Weyland said, Iversson could hear her temper rippling under the surface calm "Your incompetence and mismanagement led my father and his whole team to their deaths in Antarctica but you walked away. You and your demon lover caused untold devastation at the Nevada facility and yet here you are -"
Lex smiled "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't interrupt me!"
"You can't order me." Lex told her smoothly "Look around Weyland. You're not in charge any more. You've unleashed this genie from the bottle and now you can't put it back."
"I've got a pretty good idea where to start." Weyland's cultured accent distorted into something ugly "This is where your trail of destruction ends Woods!"
Lex didn't seem at all afraid, instead she half turned her head towards Rathbone "What about you tough guy?" She purred "You aren't really going to shoot me?"
"Not to kill you." Came the chief of security's laconic response "There's plenty of places I could shoot you that'd leave you nice and passive but alive enough for our purposes."
"'Our' purposes?"
"Sure! I'm not into necrophilia." He gave a little smile.
Iversson recoiled in disgust at this but Lex seemed unperturbed. She raised a curving black brow and turned in his arms "There's no need for that," She said softly "I think you and I could work something out."
Iversson watched with a sense of unease that was bordering on nausea as Lex twined her arms around Rathbone's neck. The security chief didn't try to stop her.
"I thought you wanted to find the exotic?" He said.
"I changed my mind," She tilted her face up to his "After all… he can't do this."
And she kissed him.
