After Hicks disconnected the flight recorder they made their way over rough terrain, heading away from the prison and along what could only loosely be called the coast. Ripley watched Hicks as they walked, his movement was freer now, his left arm still stiff but moving more than it had been when they'd been aboard the Sulaco. The wind was too loud in her ears, making conversation impossible and turning the rain into what felt like glass against her skin. She turned her collar up, huddling down into her jacket and wishing it were warmer.
Up ahead, Hicks switched direction, heading inland and making quick work of the rocky terrain before turning and watching as Ripley made her way towards him.
Her borrowed boots skidded against the slippery surface of a rock and she glared at him. 'You gonna offer to help or just watch?' she said, straining to be heard over the wind.
'Thought you had it handled pretty well,' he called back, reaching out a hand to her.
Ripley forbore to comment, taking his hand and letting him help her over the rocks. Truth be told she was starting to feel nauseous again, Clemens' cocktail must be wearing off.
At the sound of her name, she dropped Hicks' hand, earning herself a smirk from the marine which she duly ignored. Newt bounded over the rocks towards them, skidding to a stop just in front of Ripley and all but jumping into her arms.
'Told you she'd be okay,' Newt said, shooting Hicks a triumphant look over Ripley's shoulder.
'And I told you to stay outta sight,' he shot back, reaching over and ruffling Newt's hair.
Ripley knelt, holding Newt back by her shoulders so she could take a good look at the girl. She was swamped by an adult-sized coat that matched Hicks', the sleeves rolled back and still falling over her hands. Ripley rolled them back again and pulled the hood up over Newt's head. 'We should get back,' she said, glancing up at Hicks. He nodded and left her side, disappearing into a depression in the rock.
'Where are we going?' Newt asked, turning a solemn face up to Ripley.
Hicks returned, holding a camo-patterned pack. 'Survival kit,' he grunted, hefting it onto his shoulder.
'Ripley…'
Ripley returned her attention to Newt. 'There's a prison on this planet. We're gonna wait there to be rescued.'
'Is it safe?' Newt asked.
'Yes,' Ripley said, just as Hicks said, 'No.' She glared up at him and he gave her a one-shoulder shrug, seemingly unapologetic. He was right, she realised, there was no sense lying to Newt, the kid was too smart for it. 'No, Newt. It's not safe. They're prisoners, very bad men. But you'll be safe with Hicks and me.
Newt smiled a little warily and Ripley stood, fighting back a wave of nausea as Newt took her hand.
/\/\/\/\
It had taken them a little over fifty minutes to hike back, Hicks falling back naturally to flank Ripley and Newt, scanning the landscape while Ripley concentrated on their destination.
As the prison complex loomed, Hicks paused. 'I'm not sure this is the right play.'
Ripley glanced over at him but didn't pause in her stride, Newt walking quietly at her side. 'Ripley,' Hicks said, grabbing her arm. 'I don't think we should take Newt in there. I know about places like this, they ain't exactly kid-friendly.'
'Newt's not a regular kid,' Ripley said.
'S'right,' Newt said, beaming up at Ripley.
Ripley returned her smile before looking back at Hicks. 'Better in here than out there' she said. 'Besides, they have a medical officer and you need to get checked out.' She met his gaze, seeing the worry in his eyes. 'Listen, if you have a better option…' she let the sentence trail, nodding when Hicks didn't respond. 'Let's go.'
They entered the complex via a side door in the main building. Finding the corridor blessedly free of any inmates, Ripley led them in the direction of the infirmary, pausing and holding out a hand to stop the others when she heard footsteps up ahead.
Andrews stepped into the hallway just ahead of Aaron and Clemens. 'Glad you've decided to rejoin us, Lieutenant, ' he said, sounding anything but. His gaze flicked over Hicks and Newt before returning to Ripley. 'And you've brought friends, I see.'
Ripley felt Hicks come to a stop just behind her, close enough that the fabric of his coat brushed her jacket. 'Superintendent Andrews,' she said, nodding in greeting. 'Rebecca Jorden, Corporal Hicks.'
'Corporal…' Aaron said, almost sounding impressed. Andrews spared him a glare.
'Yessir,' Hicks said. 'USCM.'
'This is not a guest house, Lieutenant Ripley, we're not in the business of taking in waifs and strays.'
'They're hardly a horde,' Clemens observed dryly. 'We'll cope until their rescue arrives.'
Andrews pursed his lips. 'When I want your opinion, Mr Clemens, I'll ask for it.' He switched his attention to Ripley. 'You were confined to the infirmary,' he snapped. 'And how is it you still haven't shaved your head?'
'Shaved?' Hicks murmured.
'Lice,' Ripley replied.
'Gets better and better.'
'I leave them to your care, Mr Clemens,' Andrews said, turning to leave. 'I don't expect to see them anywhere but the infirmary from now on.'
'Andrews,' Hicks called, stepping out from behind Ripley. 'Where's your transmitter? I need to report in.'
'I will alert the company to your presence here,' Andrews said, hearing the order despite Hicks' mild tone and clearly not liking it. When Hicks merely continued to hold his eyes Andrews sighed. 'You can send a message once Mr Clemens has checked you over.' He turned on his heel and stalked down the corridor, Aaron in tow.
Clemens smiled, almost apologetic. 'This way.'
/\/\/\/\
Ripley and Newt took the showers first. Ripley carefully shaved Newt's head and grinned when she caught Newt pulling a face at her new haircut in the mirror.
'You're still pretty,' she said, turning the girl towards the showers and turning on the spray while she attended to her own hair.
Newt finished first, dressing quickly and leaving Ripley to finish her shower. When she re-entered the infirmary Newt was sitting on one of the beds, a tray of food in her lap which she was eating with every sign of enjoyment.
Hicks grinned when he saw the direction of Ripley's gaze. 'Kid's acting like I never fed her. Nice haircut,' he added, handing her a tray.
'I don't like those bars,' Newt said, her mouth full.
'We should find Bishop,' Ripley said, picking at her food.
Hicks glanced up from his contemplation of his own tray. 'Why?'
'I want to access the Sulaco's log, see what brought us down.'
Hicks held her gaze a moment. 'What are you thinking?'
She shrugged, cutting her eye at Newt, still eating happily.
The door to the infirmary opened and Clemens walked in. He glanced at Ripley and Newt and nodded approvingly. 'Good. I'll have a look under those bandages and then it'll be your turn, Corporal.'
'I'd like to see Bishop,' Ripley said.
Clemens looked surprised. 'The synthetic is defunct, destroyed in the crash.'
'We need him to access our flight log,' Hicks said, his voice low but firm. ''sides, he's USCM property. Brass won't be happy Andrews junked him, whatever condition he's in.'
Clemens nodded, then looked at Ripley. 'There's no point in telling you not to go looking for him, I suppose?'
'No,' Ripley said.
'I'll go,' Hicks said. When Ripley shot him a look he shrugged. 'You shouldn't be walking around.'
Ripley shook her head. 'You need to get checked out.'
'So wait until I'm done.'
'I can handle it, Hicks.'
He returned her stare with a cool one of his own. She thought he was going to argue but he simply held up his hands. 'Sure, Lieutenant.'
Clemens sighed, resigned. 'I'll point you in the proper direction. I'm afraid I can't join you. I have an appointment with the Superintendent.'
/\/\/\/\
The trash heap was huge, a pit just outside the main building that seemed to contain everything imaginable, except - at first glance - Bishop. Ripley swung the bag she'd brought over her shoulder and started to dig through the pile.
Eventually, she spotted a hand sticking out of what appeared to be a pile of wiring. As she stared, the pile resolved itself into Bishop's destroyed midsection. She reached up and started carefully tugging at the debris around the synthetic, trying not to lose any of him as she dug him out.
Once he was free she gently placed him in the bag, wondering at herself even as she did it. He looked horrific, in addition to being torn in half he'd lost half his face and the flesh of one arm was completely stripped away. Looking at him, it was hard to believe she, Newt and Hicks had made it out of the EEV relatively unscathed.
As she made her way back to the building three prisoners appeared in front of her. Ripley bent and picked up a pipe, holding it aloft so they could see. 'I don't want any trouble.'
An unseen hand snatched the pipe from her and she spun. The guy behind her was huge, towering over her in a way most men didn't. He grabbed her hands, making her drop Bishop, and pushed her towards a pipe, pressing her down onto it. She tried to kick out at him but he pressed his knees into the back of her legs, holding her still.
Behind her, she heard a metallic clang and one of the prisoners cried out, she turned her head, craning to see over her shoulder as the pressure behind her disappeared. A large black man was holding three of the inmates at bay with an iron bar while the giant sprawled on the ground, holding his head protectively.
'What's your fucking problem, Dillon?' one of the prisoners asked.
Dillon advanced on him, holding the iron bar like a baseball bat. He glanced over his shoulder at Ripley. 'Take off. I've gotta re-educate some of the brothers. We're gonna discuss some matters of the spirit.'
Ripley got to her feet and dragged the bag containing Bishop over her shoulder. As she passed one of the prisoners she drew back and punched him, feeling her knuckles crunch.
/\/\/\/\
When Ripley reached the infirmary Newt was asleep on one of the beds and Clemens was gathering up bloodied bandages. She unslung Bishop, depositing him on one of the empty beds beside Newt.
'I see you were successful,' Clemens observed.
'Yeah. Where's Hicks?'
'Showering. What happened to your hand?'
Ripley glanced at her hand, it was already beginning to swell. 'Nothing.'
Clemens narrowed his eyes but wisely said nothing. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with the Superintendent. I'm going to lock the door behind me. Save you any unwanted visitors.'
Ripley nodded and went to Newt's side, pulling the blanket up to cover the girl's shoulders. Newt mewled softly in her sleep and curled up. Ripley laid a hand on Newt's newly shorn head until the girl quieted again, then moved to the other bed, sliding Bishop out of the bag and starting to wire him up.
When she was ready to switch him on she glanced over her shoulder. Hicks still wasn't back from the shower and he'd want to hear this. Ripley rose, dropping the tools she'd been using to the bed beside Bishop and wiping her hands on her pants.
The shower wasn't running so she called out to Hicks. When he didn't answer she edged into the room, finding him at the far end, leaning against the wall. He'd shaved his head and was partway through dressing, his feet shoved into unlaced boots and his pants on but undone, his gaze somewhere in the middle distance. The wound on his chest had been redressed in a tight band around his midsection. His arm was dressed lightly and she was glad to see his eye was uncovered, the scars on his face barely showing up in the dim light of the room.
As she watched he lit a cigarette, taking a drag and blowing smoke towards the ceiling.
'Newt asleep? 'he asked, making her jump. As she moved closer he held out the cigarette to her.
'This was in the survival kit?' she asked, taking it.
Hicks shook his head. 'Clemens. He said I looked like I needed it. You find Bishop?'
Ripley put the cigarette to her lips, inhaling gratefully. 'He's in there. You okay?'
Hicks nodded, pushing away from the wall and pulling a shirt over his head, grunting softly as he raised his left arm above his head. He tucked the shirt in and zipped his pants up, sliding his arms into a Wey-Yu jacket that matched the one Ripley had been given. He looked down at his bootlaces, clearly contemplating the pain it would cause to bend and lace them.
'Here,' Ripley said softly, handing him back the cigarette. She knelt in front of him and laced his boots, feeling his eyes on her. When she stood, she realised she was suddenly very close to him.
He looked different - strange. She'd spent so much time with him in body armour that it still had the shock of the unfamiliar to see him in anything else, much less in civvies. His shaven head made his green eyes stand out, long eyelashes stark against the pallor of his skin. He looked vulnerable in a way he hadn't even back on the Sulaco in his ruined fatigues. She wondered briefly what he saw when he looked at her now.
'Your eye made it,' she said. She tilted her head, remembering what she'd said to Newt earlier. 'You're still pretty.' He looked away, laughing softly and she smiled, glad she could make him laugh. She'd been worried when she saw him in here. Remembering the months after she'd awoken, her crew killed by the alien, her life taken by hypersleep, her daughter gone. Hicks hadn't had time to process the loss of his unit, his friends. Besides the few moments he'd had in the comroom on the Sulaco, this was the first time he'd had to think about it. She wondered if she should leave him to it.
Abruptly he turned his eyes back on her, studying her intently. She straightened, meeting his gaze head-on as she felt the atmosphere shift, the room suddenly shrinking. His hand reached for hers, jarring her bruised knuckles and she sucked in a breath at the pain.
Hicks held her hand up so he could examine it. 'What happened?'
'Bumped into some of the locals.'
He tensed, the moment gone for good now. 'Knew I shoulda gone.'
'I'm fine, ' she said firmly. 'Nothing hurt but my feelings and my hand. One of the prisoners stepped in. Dillon.'
'He's their leader, ' Hicks said, his eyes still studying her hand. 'Some kinda preacher type.'
'A preacher?'
'And a con. Doctor said he's 'bout the only one who can control them.'
'Seemed that way.'
He was holding her hand in both of his now, calloused thumbs stroking gently over her knuckles. 'So which of us is gonna say it?' he asked.
Ripley looked up from their joined hands, trying to work out what exactly he was talking about. 'Say what?'
'What we're both thinkin',' he said. 'The reason you wanna access the Sulaco's log so bad.'
'Right,' she said, withdrawing her hand from his.
'You think we brought one of those bastards with us.'
'So do you.'
Hicks tilted his head to the side as though considering. 'We should go see what Bishop can tell us.'
/\/\/\/\
The infirmary was still devoid of anyone but Newt's sleeping form when they approached the bed holding the synthetic. Hicks drew a stool over to the bed and pushed it towards Ripley, taking a step back so she had a clear space to work.
'I almost had him ready to go before I came to find you,' she said, sitting and picking up the soldering iron, making the final connection to the battery that would hopefully bring the android back online.
Bishop's remaining eyelid fluttered open, his eye spinning wildly for a moment before focusing on Ripley. 'Ripley. I like your new haircut.' His voice unit was slightly off, taking away some of the calming inflexion he normally carried.
Ripley gave a snort of laughter. 'Hello, Bishop. How are you feeling?'
'My legs hurt.'
Ripley grimaced, glancing up at Hicks. 'I'm sorry.'
'It's ok, I'm just a glorified toaster.' Bishop's eye focused on Hicks. 'Glad you made it, Corporal.'
'We all made out okay,' Hicks said softly. He glanced down at Bishop's prone form. 'You… not so much.'
'Did you wake me up to insult me?' Bishop asked, his mouth twisted into what was clearly meant as a grin.
Hicks returned it with a softer half-smile of his own. 'We need to know how we ended up here, Bishop.'
Ripley leaned forward. 'Can you access the data on the flight recorder?
'No problem,' Bishop said. 'Patch me in.'
Hicks heaved the flight recorder out of his pack and handed it to Ripley, watching as she hooked Bishop up to it.
After a few moments, the synthetic blinked rapidly. 'I'm home.'
'What happened on the Sulaco?' Ripley asked. 'Why were the cryotubes ejected?'
Bishop closed his eye and when he next spoke it was the voice of the Sulaco's onboard computer that came out of his mouth. 'Fire in cryogenic compartment. Repeat. Fire in cryogenic compartment. All personnel report to -'
'What started the fire, Bishop?' Ripley interrupted.
Bishop opened his eye, still focusing on some inward point. 'The fire was electrical,' he said, using his own voice again. 'It was in the subflooring.'
'Did sensors detect any moving life forms on the ship before the evac?' Hicks asked.
'It's very dark here, Corporal,' Bishop said apologetically. 'I'm not what I used to be.'
'Just tell us - does the recorder indicate anything?' Ripley asked. She leaned forward again, her gaze intent on Bishop. 'Was there an Alien on board?'
The synthetic was silent for what felt like a long time, the only sound his exposed systems working to keep his dynamic movement working. When he finally spoke the word came out on what would have been a sigh, had he been human. 'Yes.'
Hicks dropped his head back, bringing his hands up to rub his face.
'Does the company know?' Ripley asked, fighting to ignore the icy sensation in the pit of her stomach.
It was Hicks who answered. 'They know everything that happened on the ship. It all goes into the computer and gets sent back to the network. Means my guys and your guys know exactly what happened. No wonder they're in a rush to pick us up.'
'I'm sorry I don't have better news,' Bishop said, some semblance of his dry sense of humour asserting itself despite his damaged voice unit.
'We get outta here they can wire you up again,' Hicks said. 'Good as new.'
'No,' Bishop said. 'I'm tired. Do me a favour. Just disconnect. I can be re-worked but I'll never be top of the line again. I'd rather be nothing.'
Ripley shared a look with Hicks. 'You're sure?'
'Do it for me, Ripley.'
'Alright. One last question,' Ripley said. 'Is it still on the Sulaco or did it come with us on the EEV?'
Bishop paused a moment before answering. 'It was with us all the way.'
