Author's Note: The poll results are being displayed. Fantasy is the winner! I'll be publishing another poll with five choices. Choose wisely. It'll close it once I finish up with "Alien".
Review Responses
seph1r0th400: Actually, I feel leaving out the additional footage will create a greater sense of fear for the audience. Having Dallas (or Jaune rather) simply disappear without a trace is way scarier than seeing the Ovamorphing in my opinion.
Wolfman: Indeed. It'll be even worse than Judge Doom's reveal or the opening of the Ark. And this is before we see the Xenomorph when it's fully grown.
Pharamine: Thank you so much for the review. And there's plenty more where this came from.
Shadow-Proclamation8: I'll have to think about that. Personally, I think it's much more frightening that the scene is left out and it's left to the audience to imagine what happened to Dallas and Brett (Jaune and Neptune respectively).
Farmer Abe: Absolutely not! Poor Velvet doesn't deserve something so horrible. I'll be altering the scene to match what you described instead of… well… you know.
Jones man: Really? Well, I'll check them out in case I do a "Harry Potter" adaptation. Perhaps it'll help me make some decisions for such a huge cast.
MarioCatjr: Unfortunately, you're correct. Poor Nora is going to be absolutely devastated. Jaune's death later on will only make it worse :(
NexusPrime42: I love that flick! "Gladiator" would make a great adaptation. I even made it a poll option. Ironwood would make a perfect fit for Maximus.
Cinderfall20412: I have my reasons for making Summer play Ripley. And yes, Zwei is adorable as a cat. Blake or Kali would have been good too but Zwei definitely takes the cake because it's so unexpected, lol.
LucasVAMP: You're right. The entire audience will be scarred for life after watching "Alien". And I share your sentiments about Jaune being the only main character in RWBY Multiverse fics. Everyone should have a chance to be in the spotlight.
LoamyCoffee: Lol. I've been rewatching the movies myself since I started doing the Alien adaptation. And it's true, they do understand the audience is watching different versions of themselves, but it still feels real to them. Ace Ventura would be an awesome adaptation for a comedy film.
GojiraFan45551: I'm happy you're enjoying this adaptation. Predator has been done a couple of times already, but I'll definitely think about writing my own.
Guest, Oct 9th: I've got a good feeling that I will adapt "Aliens" in the future.
Broski: I had no intention of casting Whitley as Burke. His character development into Volume 8 certainly rules him out for the role.
Guest Oct 9th: You're absolutely right. I'm making plans to publish a one-shot multiverse adaptation. Alien Isolation will definitely be there.
Zero: Tell me about it. Nora's not going to be happy with Gold-Sith for having witnessed such a thing. And I couldn't agree more. The Grimm can't hold a candle to the Xenomorphs in terms of fear factor.
Komod0-Sensei: No worries my friend. We all enjoy a good rant once in a while. I'm pretty sure Xenomorphs are biomechanical. It's a funny coincidence if the audience happens to guess the name of something. And finally, Adam would be a good choice to play Bill if I ever do a "Kill Bill" adaptation.
Chozin Yi: Ick! Unfortunately, you're right. I mean...the Facehugger does stick it's you-know-what down its victim's throat. It's bad enough that it kills you, but not before orally violating you *shudders*.
ServantofElShaddai13: Don't you mean Ren and Nora as leads? Because if I adapt "The Princess Bride", those will make great casting choices.
Xenozip: If you say so. Then again, the mist over the eggs could also double as a built-in alarm system in case one of the Facehuggers got loose. I just figured the Facehugger's had been sitting down there for some time since the Space Jockey had fully decomposed into a skeleton by the time the Nostromo crew showed up.
FemaleFoxyFTW-2: That's exactly what I have in mind. It'll make a great one-shot for the next fic I'm preparing.
Disclaimer:
Down on the engineering deck, Sun and Neptune were performing maintenance on a large console and rerouting damaged wiring. Neptune wore a pair of welding goggles while working with a torch.
"Okay, try it," Neptune instructed Sun as he removed his welding goggles.
Sun chew on some bubble gum as he hit a switch on the console. It emitted a sharp grinding sound, indicating it still wasn't functioning.
"Damn it. I thought for sure that was it," Neptune grumbled.
"At least they're making progress on the repairs," Elm pointed out, knowing the sooner the Nostromo got off the moon the better.
"Yeah, but they'll probably try to weasel some extra pay out of it," Blake sighed as she ate from a can of sardines.
"I don't blame them. Investigating distress signals and picking up parasitic aliens isn't exactly in an engineer's job description," Qrow reasoned, remembering Sun's earlier complaint.
"Try it again," Sun instructed Neptune.
"I feel like I've been in this place a month," Neptune said as he resumed working.
"We shouldn't have landed in this place in the first place," Sun groused as he turned a mechanical knob.
"We shouldn't have landed on this damn ball, I know that," Neptune agreed.
Sun sat down at a monitor to check some readings. "Well, the sooner we patch this thing up and get outta here, the sooner we can go home. This place gives me the creeps," he said.
Ruby, Nora, Jaune, and Oscar all nodded slowly in agreement to Sun's statement. The alien moon was creepy enough but the ship and Facehugger only made it worse.
"I'm a hundred percent on board with them. That moon has bad written all over it,"
"And all they've gotten so far out of this mission is a damaged ship and a comatose crewmember," Clover added.
Cut to the infirmary. Ren was still lying on the bed with the Facehugger attached to him. The camera navigated around the room, stopping at Oscar at his workstation, observing magnified footage of a sample he took from the creature.
Oscar placed a slide under a microscope and examined it through the lens.
"Good to see Oscar at work studying the Facehugger," Clover commented. "The more he learns, the more he can pass it on to a doctor."
Nora blinked. "I thought Oscar was a doctor."
"Well, there's only so much one man can do. Besides, his field may not cover the necessary treatment Ren may need," Maria explained.
Summer approached Oscar from behind. "That's amazing. What is it?" she asked softly, referring to the footage on the screen.
"Ah, yes, it is…um," Oscar agreed awkwardly as he glanced on the screen. "I don't know yet."
Oscar turned off the monitor. "Did you want something?" he asked Summer.
"Yes, I uh…would like to have a little talk," Summer replied as she sat down.
"She's probably still peeved about Oscar breaking quarantine," Maria predicted.
"I don't blame her. I understand Oscar was looking out for Ren, but it was still a big risk to take," Ironwood said disapprovingly.
"Either that, or he wanted a new lab specimen to study," Blake gave her own cynical opinion, giving everyone else pause.
"How's Ren?" Summer asked.
"He's holding. No changes," Oscar answered with a brief glance at Ren.
"And uh…our guest?"
Oscar picked up a notepad. "Well…" he said as he jotted down some notes.
"Hmm?"
Oscar kept writing as he spoke. "Well, as I said, I'm still... collating, actually, but uh, I have confirmed that he's got an outer layer of protein polysaccharides. Has a funny habit of shedding his cells and replacing them with polarized silicon, which gives him a prolonged resistance to adverse environmental conditions. Is that enough?"
Oscar finished writing and looked at Summer.
"That's plenty. What does it mean?" Summer asked as she bent down to look through the telescope.
"Please don't do that. Thank you," Oscar asked politely as he stopped Summer.
"I'm sorry."
"Well, it's an interesting combination of elements making him a... tough little son-of-a-bitch," Oscar concluded simply.
"Sounds like Oscar has some admiration for that thing," Qrow pointed out.
"He's right, I admit. The Facehugger has acid for blood and from what Oscar says, is highly resilient to the elements. It almost seems like it's more machine than an organism," Penny commented on the Facehugger's unusual features.
"And you let him in," Summer said heatedly.
"I was obeying a direct order. Remember?" Oscar shot back.
"Oscar. When Jaune and Ren are off the ship, I'm Senior Officer," Summer reminded.
"Oh, yes. I forgot."
"I don't buy that for a second," Yang said quickly.
"You're right. He knew what he was doing," Blake agreed with her partner.
"You also forgot the Science Division's basic quarantine law," Summer added irritably.
"No, that I didn't forget," Oscar denied.
"Oh, I see. You just broke it, hm?"
"Look, what would you have done with Ren, hm?" Oscar challenged. "You know his only chance of survival was to get him in here."
"Unfortunately, by, uh, breaking quarantine, you risk everybody's life," Summer reprimanded.
"Maybe I should have left him outside," Oscar referred to the airlock incident. "Maybe I've jeopardized the rest of us, but it was a risk I was willing to take."
"That's a pretty big risk for a Science Officer. It's, uh, not exactly out of the manual, is it?"
Oscar paused before answering. "I do take my responsibilities as seriously as you, you know. You do your job and let me do mine, yes?" he said sternly.
Oscar quirked his eyebrow. "It can't be just me that there's something…off about my counterpart," he said with a hint of suspicion.
"Nope. I think everyone can see it," Harriet said, prompting a few nods from the others.
"It seems like you're hiding something," Ozpin remarked internally.
Giving up, Summer set the tongs down and left the infirmary.
Oscar removed his surgical gloves and gulped down his glass of milk. Finished with his work, Oscar departed the infirmary. The doors closed behind him with a soft hiss.
Cut to the underside of the Nostromo. It's shuttle, the Narcissus, was visible. Classical music could be heard playing softly from inside.
"Where's Jaune?" Summer asked over the intercom.
"In the shuttle," Oscar answered.
In the shuttle's cockpit, Jaune was sitting back listening to classical music to pass the time.
"Your counterpart has good taste in music, Jaune," Weiss complimented, prompting nods from Winter and Maria as they bobbed their heads slightly to the tune.
Jaune smiled and nodded at Weiss in appreciation.
The intercom buzzed and Jaune answered it. "Jaune," he said simply.
"I think you should have a look at Ren," Oscar requested.
Team ORNJ looked apprehensive at the report Oscar's counterpart had made.
"What do you think happened?" Nora asked with concern for Ren.
"Let's hope it's nothing bad. Or worse, rather," Blake replied.
"Why?" Jaune asked with concern.
"Something's happened," Oscar replied simply.
"Serious?"
"Interesting."
Jaune paused for a moment before switching off the music. "Rose, meet me in the infirmary right away," he said over the intercom.
Cut to Ren lying unconscious in the infirmary. Mysteriously, the Facehugger was gone.
Everybody looked mystified and worried by the Facehugger's disappearance. Oum forbid it was loose on the ship and searching for another victim.
"Huh? Where did it go?" Ruby asked softly.
"If it detached and is wandering the ship, they've got a problem," Vine suggested with a frown.
Vine's theory made most of the audience shiver. Just the thought of having something like the Facehugger skittering around was frightening.
"Where is it?" Summer asked offscreen.
"I don't know," Oscar replied cluelessly. "We have to try to find it."
"Let's check it," Jaune ordered.
The infirmary door slid open and Jaune, Summer and Oscar cautiously stepped inside. They gazed around to the room, but the Facehugger was nowhere to be seen.
"Is that good or bad?" Nora asked warily about the Facehugger's detachment.
"There's not enough to go on, so we can't tell," Maria replied with a shrug.
Nora put a hand to her mouth. "But...is Ren okay?" she fretted softly.
Jaune and Oscar began to search for the creature.
"Jaune, please be careful," Summer whispered to the captain.
In the background, Oscar slid his hand over the overhanging vents while Jaune approached Ren, the latter lying motionless on the surgical bed. Jaune checked his pulse. He was still alive.
Nora, Jaune, and Oscar all relaxed a bit at the revelation their teammate was still alive. Only the Facehugger's unknown location kept them and everyone else wary.
Jaune moved further into the room while Summer checked under Ren's bed. In the foreground, Jaune accidentally knocked over a metal container, resulting in a loud crash that startled Summer.
The audience was startled as well. Nora, Yang and Harriet in particular grumbled about the "lousy jump scare" after calming down.
"Thanks, Vomit Boy," Yang grumbled sarcastically.
"My bad," Jaune muttered embarrassedly as he scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry," Jaune apologized softly for the accidental scare as he held a light rod to search for the creature.
Oscar quickly closed the door to prevent the Facehugger from escaping while Summer stood up.
Jaune slowly searched the quiet, dimly lit infirmary, shining the light rod into any crevice the creature could have hidden in while Summer checked over Ren's bed.
Oscar grabbed a plastic tray from a nearby desk while Summer searched a corner.
"No! Not in the corner," Oscar said softly as he handed Summer a light rod. "Psst! Have one of these just in case."
Jaune and Oscar continued their search while Summer approached Ren on the bed.
"Ren?" Summer said, oblivious to the Facehugger's tail seen hanging from overhead behind her.
Ruby and Yang both gasped in terror, believing Summer would be the Facehuggers next victim.
Ruby raised a hand towards the screen. "Mom! No!" she cried out, not wanting her mother to be attacked next.
"Look out behind you!" Yang added loudly as she quickly leaned forward.
The Facehugger fell onto Summer's shoulder. She cried out, grabbed the creature, and threw it to the floor as she backed away. Jaune rushed over to shield her in case the Facehugger tried to attack her. It appeared to be dead though. Its digits were curled inward.
Oscar, however, was more concerned with examining the Facehugger as he knelt down to it.
"I think it's dead," Vine noted, prompting sighs of relief from Ruby and Yang.
"Then how did it get up there?" Marrow questioned.
Maria scratched her head. "And why did it die?" she questioned, not comprehending the Facehugger's true purpose.
"I didn't see it. Was it in the overhead?" Oscar asked Summer.
"What? It was up there somewhere," Summer answered.
"My Oum," Oscar whispered as he examined the Facehugger.
"Cover up the damn thing!" Jaune ordered in case the creature was still alive.
"Wait," Oscar muttered as he poked the facehugger with his light rod, eliciting a twitch from it.
Jaune and Summer recoiled. "It's alive!" the captain cried.
The audience, except for Penny, flinched in alarm, sharing the thoughts of Jaune's counterpart.
"No. It think it's only a reflex action. It happens when certain joints are prodded," Penny assured everyone
"That's a reflex action," Oscar assured Jaune. "Well, we've gotta have a look at this."
Oscar placed the Facehugger onto the plastic tray and slid it onto his desk then switched on the overhead light. The creature's underside was almost oyster like in appearance; slick and shining with moisture. Jaune and Summer stood on either side of Oscar, both cautious yet curious about the Facehugger.
Oscar prodded the creature with a scalpel, lifting a flap of skin.
"Excuse me," Oscar said to Jaune as he reached over to grab some more instruments. "Seems dead enough," he observed as he continued prodding the Facehugger, lifting a couple of flaps
"Well good. Let's get rid of it," Rose suggested strongly.
"Damn straight," Nora agreed sternly with a nod.
"They shouldn't be so hasty to get rid of it," Maria disagreed prompting confused looks from the audience.
"Why the hell not?" Qrow asked Maria in bewilderment.
"Well, if Ren studies it, they might determine what it did to Ren," Maria continued her reasoning.
Oscar sighed. "Rose, for Oum's sake, this is the first time we've encountered a species like this. It has to go back. All sorts of tests have to be made," he implored, showing a morbid curiosity in the organism.
"Oscar, are you kidding? This thing bled acid. Who knows what it will do when it's dead?" Summer protested.
"I think it's safe to assume it isn't a zombie," Oscar retorted half-jokingly.
Jaune hummed and scratched his chin. "Something's wrong here," he said suspiciously.
Nora glanced at Jaune. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"It could be just me, but what if Oscar only cares about getting a new specimen?" Jaune explained before turning to Oscar and held up a hand. "No offense."
"None taken. I was thinking the same thing," Oscar agreed with Jaune.
"Your counterpart must want to gain some recognition from discovering a new species," Weiss theorized as she enjoyed a vanilla ice popsicle.
"Jaune, it has to go back," Oscar implored the captain.
"I'd soon as not burn it at the stake, but you're the science officer. It's your decision, Oscar," Jaune conceded as he headed out of the infirmary.
"Jaune!" Summer said in outrage at Jaune's decision.
"I can't say I approve of Jaune's decision," Elm said while shaking her head. "Even if Oscar does have the final word."
"It may seem unwise, but it probably is best they keep it for Oscar to study. If the Facehugger does indeed carry a disease, Oscar may be able to study it and give his report to a doctor once they get back to Remnant," Ironwood monologed, sharing Maria's opinion on the matter.
Cut to an outside corridor. Summer followed Jaune out of the infirmary as he headed back towards the bridge.
"You won't make me change my mind. The decision's made," Jaune said without looking at Summer.
"I'm not trying to change your mind, Jaune," Summer claimed. "I just want you to listen."
"Come on, Jaune. At least hear her out," Yang scolded Jaune's counterpart while Ruby nodded.
"It's probably the stress of the situation that's getting to him," Clover claimed, knowing the feeling only too well as a leader himself.
Ironwood nodded. "I know that feeling," he murmured, having two seats on the Atlas council.
"Will you listen?" Summer demanded but Jaune ignored her.
Summer hit a switch that shut the door on the end of the hallway, blocking Jaune's path. He groaned and turned to face Summer.
"How can you leave that decision to him?" Summer questioned Jaune's judgement.
"Look, I just run the ship!" Jaune said in exasperation. "Anything scientific, Oscar has the final word."
"How does that happen?"
"That's what the SDC wants," Jaune answered as he stepped up to Summer.
"Since when is that standard procedure?" Summer asked.
"Standard procedure is to do what they say," Jaune replied before quickly changing the subject.
Team ORNJ looked disheartened by Jaune's counterpart simply going along with the SDC's orders, even if it potentially endangered them. Jaune himself scowled at his counterpart.
"Unfortunately, that's exactly how the SDC likes it," Weiss lamented, knowing her father wanted his orders followed without question.
"Indeed. The company gives orders, they don't say why, and nobody asks," Winter said angrily as she sipped a glass of wine (1).
"Orders are orders, even if we don't like them," Clover said reluctantly with a shrug.
Summer paused. "Did you ever ship out with Oscar before?" she asked Jaune.
"I went out five times with another science officer. They replaced him two days before we left Thedus with Oscar," Jaune explained.
"So, Oscar is the newest member of the crew?" Nora deducted from Jaune's explanation.
"That probably explains why everybody is a bit distant from him. Or me, rather," Oscar noted, realizing his counterpart was the rookie of the group like his real self in ORNJ.
"Indeed. But it feels like something else is amiss..." Ozpin said with a hint of suspicion.
"I don't trust him," Summer said with blunt caution.
"I don't trust anybody," Jaune replied before changing the subject. "What's happening with the repairs?"
"They're pretty much finished now," Summer answered.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me so?" Jaune reprimanded.
"Because there's still some things to do," Summer replied.
"Like what?" Jaune asked impatiently.
"We're blind on B and C decks, the reserve power system's blown-"
Jaune cut Summer off. "Oh, that's a bunch of horseshit. We can take off without that," he said dismissively as he turned to leave.
"Yeah. We can. But do you think that's a good idea?"
"Look, I just wanna get the hell outta here, all right!" Jaune shouted as he left.
"I don't blame him. Nothing good ever came of this mission," Marrow agreed before eating a handful of popcorn.
"But taking off without full repairs is awfully reckless," Winter criticized Jaune's counterpart.
"True. But after everything that's happened, I'd want off that Oum-forsaken rock as soon as possible," Qrow shared Jaune's sentiment.
"And the clock could be ticking for Ren. They can't waste anymore time on that moon," Ironwood concluded. (2)
Cut to an outside shot of the Nostromo as smoke and dust billowed from its underside as it slowly lifted off the moon's rocky surface.
On the bridge, the Nostromo's takeoff shook the entire ship.
"Dust in the intakes again. Number two's overheating," Neptune reported into his headset from his seat.
"Spit on it for two minutes would ya, for Monty's sake!" Sun shouted in frustration.
The Nostromo continued its ascent.
"We're hot and we're getting hotter," Summer said over the radio. "Engine room, red clip status."
"If they can't take off, they're screwed," Yang remarked with worry for the crew, especially Summer.
"Indeed. Given the amount of time it would take for a rescue team to arrive..." Penny began, but stopped herself, knowing it would upset Ruby if she heard Summer and the others faced dying of starvation aboard the marooned Nostromo.
"One kilometer on ascension," Velvet said from her station.
"Engage artificial gravity," Summer instructed.
"Engaged."
"I'm altering the vector... now," Summer announced as she hit a switch.
The Nostromo hovered even higher upwards with its lights shining brightly. It's massive engines expelling copious amounts of exhaust.
"Inhibit CNG control," Jaune ordered.
"Struts retract," Summer instructed as she hit another switch.
"Struts retracted," Sun reported over the radio.
The audience sat back in edgy silence, praying internally the repairs were sufficient for the Nostromo to get back into space.
The Nostromo was now nearly back into space.
"Max stress to fifth overload," Velvet said cautiously.
"Ease it back," Jaune ordered.
Finally, the Nostromo finished its ascent back into orbit.
"Walk in the park! When we fix something, it stays fixed. Don't we, Neptune, baby?
"Right," Neptune replied simply.
Everyone smiled in relief that they were finally off the moon and soon to continue their journey home.
Tranquil music played as the Nostromo returned to the Dust refinery hanging in the moon's orbit and flew off with its payload in tow.
The soothing music accompanying the successful takeoff helped ease the audience's tension. Weiss and Winter especially enjoyed the soundtrack, wishing they could listen to it again to help relax.
"Well, they're back on route to Remnant," Nora said happily before frowning." But they still have Ren to worry about."
"All they can do is put him back into his cryotube and hope he survives back to Remnant," Ironwood said, knowing there were no other options.
"But what about the derelict? Will they report it to the authorities?" Ruby wondered aloud, hoping nobody else would stumble upon it.
"It's best they don't mention it. In fact, they never should have gone there in the first place, just like Sun said," Qrow said dead seriously.
Cut to the crew's lounge. Summer, Sun, Neptune, and Jaune were all seated at a table. Jaune was sipping some coffee while Neptune rolled a cigarette.
"What I think we should do is just freeze him," Sun suggested from across Jaune as he ate from a Tupperware container. "I mean, if he's got a disease, why don't we stop it where it is?"
"My thoughts exactly. And if there is a virus, the crew will have no medical remedies against it since it's completely alien," Ren fretted for his counterpart.
"But even so, the sooner they discover and study it, the more they'll be able to treat your counterpart," Ironwood stuck to his opinion on the situation.
"He can always get to a doctor when we get home," Sun finished giving his input.
"Right," Neptune agreed with Sun as he continued rolling a cigarette.
"Has anyone else noticed that Neptune keeps saying right whenever Sun say's anything?" Weiss asked in befuddlement everyone else.
"He could use a better catchphrase," Marrow chortled as he sipped a soda.
Summer shot a look at Neptune. "Whenever he says anything, you say "Right", Neptune, you know that?" she asked.
"Right," Neptune repeated nonchalantly without looking at Summer.
Laughter and snickers filled the theater, confirming Weiss' claims about Neptune's counterpart being a sycophant.
The heiress rolled her eyes and threw her hands up. "I rest my case," she sighed but couldn't hide a half-smile.
"They're still as goofy as ever," Yang commented with a giggle.
"Yeah. But's it's pleasing to know their friends as well," Blake added with a small smile.
Summer sighed. "Sun, what do you think? Your staff just follows you around and says "Right"! Just like a regular parrot,"
Sun laughed. "Yeah, shape up! What are you, some kind of parrot?" he asked.
Neptune smirked. "Right," he said cheekily.
There was another round of laughter, especially from the younger members of the audience while the others snorted softly or smiled.
"He just goes with it for a chuckle," Blake remarked with a smile at Neptune's antics.
"Given the circumstances, a little levity would be good for the crew," Vine noted, knowing laughter was an excellent stress relief.
"Come on, knock it off!" Jaune shouted as he got up from his seat. "Ren's gonna have to go into quarantine. That's it."
"Yes, and so will we," Summer chimed in.
Velvet entered holding a clipboard. "Well, how about a little something to lower your spirits?" she said dully as Jaune approached her.
Jaune crossed his arms. "Thrill me, will you, please?"
"Well, according to my calculations, based on time spent getting to and from the-"
"Give me the short version. How far to Remnant?" Jaune cut Velvet off impatiently.
"Ten months."
Everyone was surprised by the length of the journey back to Remnant. Nora lowered her gaze in worry for Ren after hearing how long he'd have to be in cryosleep if he did indeed contract a disease from the Facehugger.
"Jeez. That's a hell of a trip home," Harriet commented, surprised by the amount of cryosleep any interstellar crew had to experience.
"I suppose faster than light travel isn't highly developed in this universe," Ironwood guessed as he sipped a glass of water.
"It may be a relatively new technological breakthrough," Penny assumed with a shrug.
"Oh, Oum," Summer whispered.
"Great," Neptune said sarcastically.
The intercom buzzed. "Yes?" Summer answered.
"Jaune, I think you should see Ren," Oscar reported over the intercom.
Nora went rigid with worry. "Please don't let it be bad news," she prayed to herself.
"Has his condition changed?" Jaune asked.
"It's simpler if you'd just come and see him," Oscar responded.
"We're on our way," Summer notified Oscar as she got up from her seat.
Neptune slipped the cigarette in his mouth. "Right," he muttered once more as he followed the others to the infirmary.
In the infirmary, Ren had recuperated and was sitting up on the bed rubbing his stiff neck with a robe draped over his shoulders. Sun couldn't help but chuckle.
"How are you feeling?" Velvet asked.
"How are you doing?" Sun asked next.
"Oh, terrific! Next silly question?" Ren answered jokingly, prompting another chuckle from Sun.
Nora put a hand to her chest and released a sigh of relief that Ren had apparently recovered. Everyone else was put at ease as well. (3)
"Well...I seem all right for now," Ren observed his counterpart with a hint of uncertainty.
"Even so, putting him into stasis is the safest option," Maria agreed with Ironwood's recommendation.
Oscar handed Ren a cup of water. "Oh, thank you," he said gratefully as he gulped it down.
"Do you remember anything about the planet?" Jaune asked Ren.
Ren paused before shaking his head lightly.
"Did the Facehugger give him amnesia?" Jaune asked curiously.
"Perhaps. Or it could be a side-effect of being unconscious for so long," Winter theorized.
"Then he'll definitely need a doctor. Prolonged unconsciousness is never good for you," Penny noted.
Summer leaned towards Ren. "What's the last thing you do remember?" she questioned.
Ren finished his drink. "I remember some horrible dream about... smothering and..." he said awkwardly, as if struggling to regain his memory.
Oscar eyed Ren inquisitively as he spoke.
Oscar tilted his head curiously at his counterpart onscreen while Ozpin internally eyed the screen suspiciously. They figured he was simply observing Ren out of concern for any potential of a viral infection from the Facehugger. But something didn't feel quite right about it (4).
"Well, that's disturbing," Yang commented on the nightmare Ren had.
"It makes sense though. What with that thing clutching his face," Blake said.
Ren looked around. "Anyway, where are we?" he asked in puzzlement.
"Right here," Jaune replied simply.
"We're on our way home," Summer added with a smile.
"Yeah, back to the old freezerinos!" Neptune said with a chuckle.
Oscar smiled and sipped a cup of water.
"It's good to see their spirits return after the whole ordeal," Vine commented with a warm smile.
"Something tells me it's not over yet. They still need to quarantine Ren," Ironwood said warily, having a gut feeling that something bad would happen in the near future.
"You're right. They still have no clue what that thing could have done to him," Winter agreed.
"I've got to have something to eat before we go back," Ren requested as he finished eating from the Tupperware container.
"I need something myself," Sun seconded Ren's notion.
"Yeah. One more meal before bedtime. I'm buying," Jaune announced while holding his hands out.
"Hey, that's a break!" Sun chuckled with a smile.
"Nothing like a nice meal after a hard day like that," Elm agreed, always enjoying a bite to eat after a tough mission.
"I'd want to eat a whole platter of pancakes," Nora chimed in while Jaune and Ren chuckled.
"I'd like either a plate of cookies or a bowl of strawberries," Ruby chimed in as she ate the latter.
Cut to the dining room. Everyone was seated around the table chatting and enjoying dinner.
"What happened to this guy was..." Sun rambled on with a story he was telling.
Ren was scooping a double portion of what looked like spaghetti from a bowl onto his plate. Oscar kept his gaze fixated on Ren.
"What's up with Oscar?" Jaune wondered as he noticed how he was watching Ren.
"He's probably keeping a sharp eye on Ren in case he shows any signs of disease," Ironwood assumed, given Oscar was the science officer.
"He certainly has an appetite," Penny pointed out, thinking her theory on the Facehugger draining nutrients from Ren may have been true.
"The first thing I'm going to do when I get back is to get some decent food," Ren stated as he dug into his meal.
"I can dig it. I've eaten worse food than this, but then I've tasted better,"
"I can understand that. During some of our missions we went days or weeks without a decent meal," Harriet
"Unfortunately, proper food is a rare luxury on the battlefield," Winter, never liking the taste of MRE's issued to Atlas military personnel.
"You pound down the stuff like there's no tomorrow," Velvet commented to Sun as she flicked some ash off of her cigarette.
"I'd rather be eating something else, but uh...right now, I'm sticking to food," Sun said in a wry tone.
Velvet scoffed and rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at Sun's innuendo.
Qrow, Jaune, and Marrow all snickered at Sun's innuendo while most of the women were irked.
"Dirty bastard," Yang said with a smirk.
Ruby tilted her head. "What does he mean by that?" she asked innocently.
"I believe Sun was making a jab at the activity of cunning-" Penny began to explain to her friend.
Winter held up her hand. "All right. That's enough, Penny," she cut off the android.
"You should know, you know what it's made of," Ren joked to Sun.
"I don't wanna talk about what it's made of. I'm eating this!"
Ren laughed at Sun's joke but then began to cough, spitting out the food he was just chewing. The soft sound of heart beating could be heard (5).
Marrow blinked. "What's up with him?" he asked.
"He probably ate too fast," Oscar assumed.
Blake's ears twitched as she picked up the feint heart beating. "Does anyone else hear that?" she asked softly as she gazed upwards.
Yang looked at her partner in puzzlement. "Hear what?" she asked.
Mysteriously, Oscar kept his gaze on Ren. In the background, Zwei could be seen enjoying some cat food.
"What's the matter? The food ain't that bad!" Sun chuckled, oblivious to what was really happening.
But Ren began to convulse and gag. Something was wrong.
"I don't think he's choking," Penny said slowly, noticing Ren wasn't showing the normal symptoms for it.
"Are you choking?" Jaune asked.
"What's wrong?" Summer and Sun asked, the latter's humor dying quickly.
Ren's coughs turned to retching hacks while Jaune tried patting Ren's back to dislodge whatever he thought was stuck in his throat, but it didn't do any good. The background heartbeats grew louder.
By now, everyone could hear the dull thuds of a heartbeat in the background. It created a sense of unease in the audience, especially Ren and Nora.
Yang's eyes widened a bit. "Yeah...now I can hear it," she said softly to Blake
"What's going on?" Nora said in a low fearful tone as she heard the heartbeat as well.
Ren stood up, his gasps becoming sharper. It sounded as though he was in pain from something. Oscar calmly watched the scene with silent interest.
"What's wrong? What?" Jaune asked as he and everyone else rose from their seats in concern.
"This is serious," Oscar said as he swiftly got up from his chair.
"Ren? What's the matter?!" Jaune asked frantically as Ren fell back onto the table, knocking over bowls and containers with a crash.
Everyone quickly leaned forward anxiously as the scene escalated.
"What the hell did that thing do to him?!" Nora shouted in alarm.
"Maybe it did give him a disease after all. And it's starting to affect him," Ozpin guessed internally, though he predicted something much worse.
"Ren!" Jaune shouted again as he and Sun pinned Ren to the table thinking he was having a seizure.
"It's okay!" Sun shouted as he and Jaune held down Ren's flailing hands to keep him from striking anyone.
Ren stuck out his tongue, as if trying to bite it to dull whatever was causing the pain. Oscar quickly handed a spoon to Sun as a makeshift gag.
"Hold him down!" Jaune ordered Sun while Oscar grabbed a spoon.
"Get the spoon!" Oscar said as he handed it to Sun who quickly took it.
"Get it into his mouth!" Jaune shouted at Sun.
"I'm trying!" Sun replied in frustration as he struggled to get the utensil between Ren's teeth.
Ren kept thrashing about, his screams becoming worse. He was in agony from something.
The audience swiftly grew more and more discomforted by Ren's screams. Team ORNJ was especially freaked out and afraid for Ren.
"Ren... I don't like this," Nora whimpered, feeling something horrible was going to happen.
"Me neither," Ruby said as she cringed at Ren's increasingly worsened screams as she shuddered.
"What the hell is going on?!" Qrow loudly voiced what everybody was thinking.
"I don't know...but I don't think it's a disease," Penny said grimly with a worried expression.
Finally, Ren jilted upwards and let out an absolutely bone chilling scream of pain as a stream of blood jetted out of his chest, staining his shirt red.
Velvet jumped with a scream while Jaune and Sun flinched back. The room was dead silent for a few seconds.
Ruby, Nora, and Weiss also gave brief screams as they jumped in their seats. The others jumped or recoiled, their eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. Long seconds of dead silence dragged by as everyone sat very still and kept their horrified gazes glued to the screen.
Nora began to tremble as her hands went to her mouth. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she realized with horror that Ren's counterpart was going to die.
Jaune and Oscar could only watch the screen helplessly with wide, slack-jawed stares.
Ren turned pale as he placed a hand to his chest and looked at his thankfully blood-free shirt. He could practically feel his counterpart's agony.
"What the fuck...?" Qrow muttered in shock, his beverage leaking onto the floor as he held it limp in his hand.
Penny pondered for a moment and the gasped softly as she remembered the space jockey back on the derelict. And the hole in its ribcage...
"Some of you might be needing these," Gold-Sith warned as a metal buckets materialized in front of every audience member.
Ren snorted and gasped as he continued spasming on the table, tossing his head from side to side while Jaune and Sun struggled to hold him still.
Next, with a horrible, wet, squishing sound, Ren's ribcage gave way as something rammed its way out from the inside. It let out a high-pitched otherworldly screech as a geyser of blood erupted from Ren's chest, some of it splattering Velvet.
"Oh, Oum! Oh, my Oum!" Velvet cried as she began to sob.
"Bleeeaagh!" Jaune, Oscar, Ruby, and Weiss all loudly puked into the buckets Gold-Sith provided.
Almost everybody else turned a sickly green, barely keeping their gorges down. Even the hardened Ironwood and Ace-Ops were utterly shocked at such a grisly death scene as their mouths hung agape at the screen.
"Oh my Oum..." Maria breathed in shock, having never seen anything like it before.
"No! Renny! Nooooo!" Nora wailed as she buried her tear-stained face in her hands.
Ren put his arms around Nora. "Nora! Calm down! I'm right here!" Ren said as he held his partner close for comfort.
Ren lay on the table drenched in blood. His hands still twitching. A yellow, snake-like creature with a smooth, eyeless head uncoiled itself from the gaping chest wound. With a low, high-pitched gurgling sound it swiveled around, staring curiously at the crew, veins along its head pulsating.
Sun grabbed a dinner knife from the table, intending to stab the creature but Jaune held him back.
Oscar held up a hand. "Don't touch it! Don't touch it!" he shouted warningly.
Nora rose from her seat, her grief quickly turning to rage. "Kill it, Sun! Kill it now!" she screamed as she pointed a shaking finger at the screen.
"He can't! Its blood may be acidic, just like the facehuggers," Penny reminded, knowing a hole burnt through the Nostromo's hull while in space was a death sentence for the crew.
Jaune and Ren grabbed Nora and gently sat her back into her seat to calm her down. Nora then buried her face in Ren's chest as she continued to cry.
Oscar hung his head in shame, internally blaming himself since his counterpart allowed the Facehugger onto the ship in the first place.
The creature screeched at the crew, revealing sharp metallic looking teeth, before rushing across the table and taking off down a nearby corridor. The Nostromo crew stood in stunned silence, their mouths agape. The soft background heartbeats finally faded away.
The audience continued to stare at the screen in stunned silence. The only sound came from Nora as she sobbed softly while Ren continued holding her and stroking her hair to pacify her.
"It's okay, Nora. I'm right here. I'm fine," Ren soothed his partner.
Nora sniffed and finally let go of Ren. "I know…but it felt so real," she croaked out.
Ruby looked about ready to cry herself. After seeing her father get mutilated by gunfire in "Robocop" (6), she easily empathize Nora. She fished a pack of tissues out of her pocket and handed it to Nora, who took it with a grateful nod to blow her nose and dry her tears.
"So that's the facehugger's purpose. It lays embryos inside living hosts. Then they incubate until they grow large enough to…break free," Penny deducted, knowing there were several species of insects that reproduced the same way.
"So that's how that other alien on the ship died," Vine realized, remembering the hole in its ribcage.
"But why was it carrying all of those eggs in the first place?" Winter questioned, but nobody could give an answer.
"Wait...wouldn't that mean it was sticking it's…" Oscar began before his face turned green again as he realized the facehugger was essentially raping Ren's face.
The rest of the audience also connected the dots and looked nauseated as well at such a disgusting implication. Jaune, Oscar, and Ruby barely kept themselves from puking again.
Elm retched. "That has to be the worst way to the die ever," she remarked with a grimace.
Cut to the lower decks of the ship. The crewmembers could be heard calling to one another as they searched for the creature.
"Jaune?" Neptune called offscreen, his voice echoing through the metal corridors.
"Yeah," the captain answered.
"Anything?"
"No. You?"
"Nothing."
"Did you see anything?"
"No."
"That thing is so small. How will they find it?" Weiss asked, knowing there were plenty of small places the chestburster could hide on a vessel the Nostromo's size.
Yang shrugged. "I don't know. But one thing is for sure: They can't go into cryosleep now with that thing crawling around the ship," she said.
"Exactly. They'll be sitting ducks while it's loose," Marrow agreed with a nod.
"And we still know next to nothing about it," Maria concluded as she slowly sipped a cup of tea.
Cut to the bridge. Jaune was seated in front of a camera monitor showing Ren's body in a white body bag sitting in the airlock. The rest of the crew stood around him with downcast expressions.
"Inner hatch sealed. Anybody want to say anything?" Jaune asked the others.
Nobody else said a word. With that, Jaune hit a switch, jettisoning Ren's body into the empty blackness of outer space.
Everyone else bowed their heads in respect for Ren's counterpart while Nora silently began to shed tears again. Ren took notice and put a comforting arm around his partner's shoulder. Jaune and Oscar looked like they were struggling to hold back tears as well.
"It's like a burial at sea. Only in space," Winter noted sadly, having witnessed the same thing before.
"We've seen our fair share of such burials too," Clover said, while the rest of the Ace-Ops nodded.
"Rest in peace," Nora whispered as she wiped her eyes. Then her expression bristled with anger. "Gold-Sith...why the fuck did you have to show me that?!"
"I'm very sorry, Ms. Valkyrie," Gold-Sith apologized. "But please understand, not all of these alternate universes will be entirely pleasant to watch."
"Tell me about it," Ruby muttered, remembering Taiyang being mutilated by gunfire way back during the Vale viewings.
"Even so, I don't appreciate you upsetting my partner like that," Ren reprimanded Gold-Sith with a glare.
"I understand that, Mr. Ren. If you and Nora so desire, you can always leave the theater and wait outside for everyone else," Gold-Sith offered remorsefully.
Ren and Nora both paused and sighed, silently deciding to stick around to watch the rest of the movie. After all, the villains in the past multiverses got their just desserts.
Author's Note: That infamous scene was difficult to write. Poor Nora :( But I think I did a good job on it.
(1)- This is a minor shout-out to a line from the director's cut of "Aliens": "They don't say why, and I don't ask."
(2)- I could be wrong, but in hindsight, I think they would have been better off finishing the repairs. Had the alien emerged while the Nostromo was still on the moon's surface, they might have had a better chance of simply luring it outside, then sealing the hatch and flying off.
(3)- Poor Nora. She and the others had no idea what was coming...
(4)- Oscar and Ozpin are on the right track. But even they don't know the half of Oscar's true intentions.
(5)- A subtle and chilling indication of the Facehugger's "birth".
(6)- Remember way back last year during the "Robocop" viewing.