Running Amok
The Runner turned its head to sounds coming from a grate. The scent of the Drone was fading down the pipe. It was off with others that had been freed to defend the nest and distract the invading Humans from the Runner and the shedding newborns.
The Runner stood up on its four legs and headed down the other direction away from the Drone. It came across a Chest-Buster, its outer shell was stretched and dry. It would shed soon.
The infant Xenomorph chattered and coiled its snake-like body up against the adult acquainting itself with the scent of the HIVE.
Slightly agitated by the little being the Runner hissed at it and clicked its jaws. The small child-creature tittered wildly and sped away.
Eventually the Runner came across a vent that let in air tainted with HIVE scent. It stopped and let its senses tell it if the place was safe to enter.
No odd sounds came, no live prey pheromones reached it.
The vent grate tore away easily.
It landed with light clicking sounds on linoleum floor. The room was filled with artifacts from the archeological dig the base was stationed for. It inspected a few items closest to it. They reeked of HIVE scents.
It picked up what looked like a strange kind of jug. It had a massive handle and strong sides. The thing fit the Runners hand.
It regarded the thing carefully then dropped it with little regard to whether it broke or not.
The Runner slid back up into the vents following the Queen scent once more.
* * *
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." Was the chant a younger soldier called 'Fouter' murmured as he and Bousster ran down the hall.
"Shut up Fouter, that thing'll hear you." Bousster growled.
The cafeteria had been ambushed by a big ass bug. It had ripped through the pilots that had come in for lunch before anyone could draw a weapon. The big motherfucker had then been split open in a frenzy burning nine more with a spray of blood.
Then a second Drone had appeared chasing the rest out of the cafeteria. Bousster and Fouter had managed to seal themselves away and go for help. No telling if the bug followed.
"Jesus, this is fucked up." The younger soldier said through grit teeth. "I thought this hive was dead!"
"Don't trust Company workers." Bousster said shoving the kid around a corner. "They get lied to just like we do."
"Oh shit!"
They both came to an extreme halt as a massive black figure titled its head up from its kill. A woman with short hair and a lab coat was dead at its feet. It was the woman that Bousster had earlier tried to get to go for coffee with him.
Both Marines lifted their weapons. The Alien stood from its half-crouch and opened its mouth wide showing long teeth and letting out a shallow hiss.
"Die damn it." Bousster said as he opened fire.
The Xenomorph curled away from the blaze of gun-fire but sprayed them both with healthy doses of acidic blood. It then rebounded from the attack as the Marines became too involved in their own pain. It barely was able to run them down with one forearm shattered.
Fouter was barely able to scream a curse as Boussters' blood hit him. He got two out before the Drone ended his life.
* * *
The Runner sat crouched at one of a dozen vents that lead to a vast room where the Queen scent radiated from. But another scent came from there as well. A metallic one that fizzled with electricity. The Runner knew electricity, when the HIVE had been attacked it was the powerful current that had put it out of the fight.
It left the Queen where she was, there was danger in freeing her.
It went back the way it had come to a vent that emitted many bizarre frequency sounds. Its sight picked up wavy lights off of screens and more electrical signals it could not interpret.
But prey scents were everywhere.
A crackle of static came from the room. "Sir! We have bugs in the East wing!"
There was a loud clattering. "I'm on my way, Mattherson you watch that Queen and make sure she's kept away from Drones."
"Drones!?" A prey voice half demanded. "Christ!"
"Shut up soldier!"
The room fell quiet. "Now, I want you to contact me should Drone make it to the Queen, understood?"
"Yes sir." Two voices said.
A door opened and slid shut.
"Damn, we're infested?"
"Sounds like it."
The Runner suddenly doubled back. Eventually it came across a small yellow face-hugger. The larvae held still as it picked the still living larvae up. It opened its mouth again taking in the scents around it. A little more searching and it found a second still living face-hugger.
It waited a moment back at the vent. The two prey scents were still strong.
It crashed through the vent letting the two larvae fall to the floor.
"Holy shit!"
"Oh my god!"
The two prey/host creatures got up, the Runner crouched low to the floor keeping its attention on the larvae that scurried towards body heat and prey scents.
"Shit! Kill them!"
A face-hugger leapt at one of the men wrapping itself around his head. He tried to pull the thing off and crashed around struggling madly.
The second man tried to hit the other face-hugger with a clipboard. The swing connected sending the tiny creature across the room.
The Runner got up and leapt on the man pinning him down. He screamed senselessly, a rancid scent came to the Runner but it didn't notice.
It picked the man up by his neck and dragged him to the other side of the room. There it picked up the twitching larvae and held it to the mans face.
It flexed its fingers weakly, spasmed and fell still.
The Runner 'sniffed' the face-hugger delicately. The man fell quiet, almost relived, then he remembered he was not only responsible for the things death, but was in the presence of a full grown version.
The Runner let the dead face-hugger fall to the floor and regarded the unused host. It lifted its tail that was far thinner than a Drones and struck the mans' head rendering him unconscious. It would not leave the host here, it might awake and kill the chest buster.
But now the Queen was safe to be met. It crawled back into the vent dragging the still use-full host with it.
* * *
The one-time chest buster shook its body as it slipped out of the old HIVE scent. It flexed sleek hands and long limbs, a Runner. It slipped towards the entrance it had found and tested the scent of the outside.
Drone scents, both alive and dead, reached it along with many dead prey scents, one live one.
It squeezed its now larger body out of the small opening and spotted the bright blue flash of a prey scent. It approached cautiously, its outer shell was not yet fully dried.
It stood over the panting prey creature. The first thoughts it had were to find a face-hugger, or to take it to an egg. But that might not be possible.
The creature yelled at the new Runner. "Get back you big ugly bastard!"
The Runner reached down and grabbed the human by its neck and lifted. It found the creature to be badly wounded in the legs and left arm. The right one flailed wildly. But it was alive.
It lifted its head and let out short screeches. After a time three Drone heads emerged from the tops of buildings. They scaled down and clustered around the smaller Runner.
The Runner emitted a strong scent and marked the living human as a host to be taken to the Nursery. The Drones understood and one lifted the screaming creature with ease not having to drag it.
Suddenly red lights filled the area. A female voice scattered into the air. "Warning, alien presence detected. All personnel report to their ready stations. Warning, Alien presence detected." A flare of temper silenced the warning voice that had come too late.
* * *
The Runner had attracted Drones and Runners to the sleeping Queen by spreading scent trails out. They came, a few that had lived and the now more grown chest busters.
Metal was detangled from her body and eventually her scent went from a faint docile one to an angry and vengeful one. Drones and Runners alike backed away.
She trashed still pinned in place by a large section of strapping. Her prison had been built around her. The base was buried deep in the heart of the HIVE.
Surviving prey creatures were secured to the walls by Drones who were the ones with such abilities. Runners worked tirelessly to ensure that the few eggs that had yet to hatch were re-located back into the Nursery.
The HIVE had changed. It smelled of metal, artificial air and electricity now. The vents serves as contact tunnels until new ones were established.
The Queen allowed for Drones to free her body from the restraints. She also allowed for Runners, who had more delicate ways, to inspect her egg sac, that had been kept latent for almost too long.
Almost immediately her egg laying had restarted itself when she was awakened. The first three were obviously dead and thusly disposed of. The next ones came out live and vital.
The HIVE would survive.
* * *
Five men observed the satellite feed back received from LV-1249. After viewing the scenes of Marines being taken down by obviously Xenomorphic creatures they began talking amongst themselves.
The consensus was reached.
One of them, a slightly grayed man with steel eyes and a stiff demeanor, stood up and cleared his throat. "Then it is decided. Hive Seventy-Nine will be allowed to revitalize itself and run free. We will send twenty head of cattle there a year to ensure this. Am I correct?"
The men nodded.
"And just to keep up appearances, a crew of twenty lab assistants will be sent there every four years."
More nodding.
"Congratulations then." The man said. "The Company is now the proud owner of a fully operational Xenomorph Hive." He sat down and pulled out a cigar. "I think this calls for celebration."
The rest of the men agreed and clapped.
Those filthy bastards.
End
The Runner turned its head to sounds coming from a grate. The scent of the Drone was fading down the pipe. It was off with others that had been freed to defend the nest and distract the invading Humans from the Runner and the shedding newborns.
The Runner stood up on its four legs and headed down the other direction away from the Drone. It came across a Chest-Buster, its outer shell was stretched and dry. It would shed soon.
The infant Xenomorph chattered and coiled its snake-like body up against the adult acquainting itself with the scent of the HIVE.
Slightly agitated by the little being the Runner hissed at it and clicked its jaws. The small child-creature tittered wildly and sped away.
Eventually the Runner came across a vent that let in air tainted with HIVE scent. It stopped and let its senses tell it if the place was safe to enter.
No odd sounds came, no live prey pheromones reached it.
The vent grate tore away easily.
It landed with light clicking sounds on linoleum floor. The room was filled with artifacts from the archeological dig the base was stationed for. It inspected a few items closest to it. They reeked of HIVE scents.
It picked up what looked like a strange kind of jug. It had a massive handle and strong sides. The thing fit the Runners hand.
It regarded the thing carefully then dropped it with little regard to whether it broke or not.
The Runner slid back up into the vents following the Queen scent once more.
* * *
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." Was the chant a younger soldier called 'Fouter' murmured as he and Bousster ran down the hall.
"Shut up Fouter, that thing'll hear you." Bousster growled.
The cafeteria had been ambushed by a big ass bug. It had ripped through the pilots that had come in for lunch before anyone could draw a weapon. The big motherfucker had then been split open in a frenzy burning nine more with a spray of blood.
Then a second Drone had appeared chasing the rest out of the cafeteria. Bousster and Fouter had managed to seal themselves away and go for help. No telling if the bug followed.
"Jesus, this is fucked up." The younger soldier said through grit teeth. "I thought this hive was dead!"
"Don't trust Company workers." Bousster said shoving the kid around a corner. "They get lied to just like we do."
"Oh shit!"
They both came to an extreme halt as a massive black figure titled its head up from its kill. A woman with short hair and a lab coat was dead at its feet. It was the woman that Bousster had earlier tried to get to go for coffee with him.
Both Marines lifted their weapons. The Alien stood from its half-crouch and opened its mouth wide showing long teeth and letting out a shallow hiss.
"Die damn it." Bousster said as he opened fire.
The Xenomorph curled away from the blaze of gun-fire but sprayed them both with healthy doses of acidic blood. It then rebounded from the attack as the Marines became too involved in their own pain. It barely was able to run them down with one forearm shattered.
Fouter was barely able to scream a curse as Boussters' blood hit him. He got two out before the Drone ended his life.
* * *
The Runner sat crouched at one of a dozen vents that lead to a vast room where the Queen scent radiated from. But another scent came from there as well. A metallic one that fizzled with electricity. The Runner knew electricity, when the HIVE had been attacked it was the powerful current that had put it out of the fight.
It left the Queen where she was, there was danger in freeing her.
It went back the way it had come to a vent that emitted many bizarre frequency sounds. Its sight picked up wavy lights off of screens and more electrical signals it could not interpret.
But prey scents were everywhere.
A crackle of static came from the room. "Sir! We have bugs in the East wing!"
There was a loud clattering. "I'm on my way, Mattherson you watch that Queen and make sure she's kept away from Drones."
"Drones!?" A prey voice half demanded. "Christ!"
"Shut up soldier!"
The room fell quiet. "Now, I want you to contact me should Drone make it to the Queen, understood?"
"Yes sir." Two voices said.
A door opened and slid shut.
"Damn, we're infested?"
"Sounds like it."
The Runner suddenly doubled back. Eventually it came across a small yellow face-hugger. The larvae held still as it picked the still living larvae up. It opened its mouth again taking in the scents around it. A little more searching and it found a second still living face-hugger.
It waited a moment back at the vent. The two prey scents were still strong.
It crashed through the vent letting the two larvae fall to the floor.
"Holy shit!"
"Oh my god!"
The two prey/host creatures got up, the Runner crouched low to the floor keeping its attention on the larvae that scurried towards body heat and prey scents.
"Shit! Kill them!"
A face-hugger leapt at one of the men wrapping itself around his head. He tried to pull the thing off and crashed around struggling madly.
The second man tried to hit the other face-hugger with a clipboard. The swing connected sending the tiny creature across the room.
The Runner got up and leapt on the man pinning him down. He screamed senselessly, a rancid scent came to the Runner but it didn't notice.
It picked the man up by his neck and dragged him to the other side of the room. There it picked up the twitching larvae and held it to the mans face.
It flexed its fingers weakly, spasmed and fell still.
The Runner 'sniffed' the face-hugger delicately. The man fell quiet, almost relived, then he remembered he was not only responsible for the things death, but was in the presence of a full grown version.
The Runner let the dead face-hugger fall to the floor and regarded the unused host. It lifted its tail that was far thinner than a Drones and struck the mans' head rendering him unconscious. It would not leave the host here, it might awake and kill the chest buster.
But now the Queen was safe to be met. It crawled back into the vent dragging the still use-full host with it.
* * *
The one-time chest buster shook its body as it slipped out of the old HIVE scent. It flexed sleek hands and long limbs, a Runner. It slipped towards the entrance it had found and tested the scent of the outside.
Drone scents, both alive and dead, reached it along with many dead prey scents, one live one.
It squeezed its now larger body out of the small opening and spotted the bright blue flash of a prey scent. It approached cautiously, its outer shell was not yet fully dried.
It stood over the panting prey creature. The first thoughts it had were to find a face-hugger, or to take it to an egg. But that might not be possible.
The creature yelled at the new Runner. "Get back you big ugly bastard!"
The Runner reached down and grabbed the human by its neck and lifted. It found the creature to be badly wounded in the legs and left arm. The right one flailed wildly. But it was alive.
It lifted its head and let out short screeches. After a time three Drone heads emerged from the tops of buildings. They scaled down and clustered around the smaller Runner.
The Runner emitted a strong scent and marked the living human as a host to be taken to the Nursery. The Drones understood and one lifted the screaming creature with ease not having to drag it.
Suddenly red lights filled the area. A female voice scattered into the air. "Warning, alien presence detected. All personnel report to their ready stations. Warning, Alien presence detected." A flare of temper silenced the warning voice that had come too late.
* * *
The Runner had attracted Drones and Runners to the sleeping Queen by spreading scent trails out. They came, a few that had lived and the now more grown chest busters.
Metal was detangled from her body and eventually her scent went from a faint docile one to an angry and vengeful one. Drones and Runners alike backed away.
She trashed still pinned in place by a large section of strapping. Her prison had been built around her. The base was buried deep in the heart of the HIVE.
Surviving prey creatures were secured to the walls by Drones who were the ones with such abilities. Runners worked tirelessly to ensure that the few eggs that had yet to hatch were re-located back into the Nursery.
The HIVE had changed. It smelled of metal, artificial air and electricity now. The vents serves as contact tunnels until new ones were established.
The Queen allowed for Drones to free her body from the restraints. She also allowed for Runners, who had more delicate ways, to inspect her egg sac, that had been kept latent for almost too long.
Almost immediately her egg laying had restarted itself when she was awakened. The first three were obviously dead and thusly disposed of. The next ones came out live and vital.
The HIVE would survive.
* * *
Five men observed the satellite feed back received from LV-1249. After viewing the scenes of Marines being taken down by obviously Xenomorphic creatures they began talking amongst themselves.
The consensus was reached.
One of them, a slightly grayed man with steel eyes and a stiff demeanor, stood up and cleared his throat. "Then it is decided. Hive Seventy-Nine will be allowed to revitalize itself and run free. We will send twenty head of cattle there a year to ensure this. Am I correct?"
The men nodded.
"And just to keep up appearances, a crew of twenty lab assistants will be sent there every four years."
More nodding.
"Congratulations then." The man said. "The Company is now the proud owner of a fully operational Xenomorph Hive." He sat down and pulled out a cigar. "I think this calls for celebration."
The rest of the men agreed and clapped.
Those filthy bastards.
End