Chapter 4:
The Great Escape

"Ok so what are we going to do?", I slowly paced around the room, Bishop and I where being kept in. It wasn't very big, about 5 metres by 5. A small bed for me, and a terminal to keep Bishop entertained.
I glanced around the room thinking, the soft humming of the mechanisms within the camera in one of the corners of the room caught my attention, and then I glanced over at Bishops computer terminal.
"Hey Bishop get over here," I spoke to him, who was lying on the plain white floor, "and bring that book your reading!"
He got up and joined me on the bed, I took the book from him and opened it and we both looked at the page.
"Can you use that terminal, and keep playing back a recorded image?" I asked him.
"Should be able to," he said quaintly, "might take me a few minutes to hack through the system but yeah."
"Ok," I started to tell him my plan, "record me reading and you at your terminal, and record it for 5 minutes. I'll then go and help Ripley."
"I wont be able to come with you," Bishop stated, "I'm going to have to stay here and make sure it plays back, and before you go, let's find a ship that's heading down to Earth."
"Ok lets we'll get this thing done," Bishop got off the bed and headed over to his terminal, and I started to read. The book was Moby Dick by Gregory Peck. It was about the tale of one mans quest for revenge on the whale that injured him.
After several minutes Bishop whispered over to him, "ok its done. You want Space Port 12C, you'll find it, go in through the luggage shoot. Good luck, and erm don't kill anyone."
I laughed and headed over the door, and tapped.
"Yeah what'd you want?" came a voice through the inter-com.
"I cut myself," I lied with a smirk on my face, " I need some help."
The sliding pale door opened and I rugby tackled the guard who opened the door. The Second guard was stunned and turned his taser gun towards me. I jumped up, and gave him an upper cut in the stomach. He keeled over and the first guard started to moan and I turned and kick him once in the face.
I took both there taser gun, and one of the guards holsters and slipped in one of the taser gun into it. I quickly checked there where no more guards in the hallway and opened and door and pulled the guards inside the room. Both where out cold.
I turned and ran down the hallway. They being taken to the Med Center, and being wiped in about 10 minutes. Hopefully Ripley would be putting up a fight, which should delay them sometime.
I turned a corner and saw another guard. I dropped to my knees and aimed. Just as I fired, he turned. The blue energy, spilled from the weapons barrel and impacted the guard square in the chest.
I continued straight, taking corner until I came to the Med Center. Seemed they where expecting trouble, four guards where posted outside the room. I shot at them before they even noticed me.
My shot impacted the glass window that looked onwards into the Med Center and the energy sped out along it in blue waves of electricity. The four guards turned and looked at the window.
I fired again this one struck a guard in the back, knocking him out. The rest turned to face me and a barrage of blue energy shots struck all around me. I ducked and rolled to the other side of the corridor, firing as I went. I hit two of the guards and the other guard fired again and again.
I attempted to fire at him but I was out of energy, and so was the guard. I sprinted towards him and he was fumbling with one of the other guards weapons trying to get it out. I kicked him in the back of his knee and he fell to his knees. I then kicked him again in the stomach and he went down.
I took the other guards weapons and opened the door to the Med Center. There where more guards in here, and several Med Techs with tasers as well. Ripley and Newt where strapped into chairs at the far side of the room. Newt was silently struggling against the Techs and Ripley was grunting and shouting.
"Hey fuck face over here," everyone in the room turned there attention on me.
I held two tasers in both my hands, and I fired. I dived towards and table and knocked it down. I'd hit a number of the guards, and I had half energy left in both weapons. The Techs and Guards had also knocked down tables to use as cover.
Energy bolts streaked above me, hitting the white walls of the Med Center, and burning it. I placed one weapon down, and came up and took aim at one of the techs and fired. It made contact and he went down.
All at once the guards from behind one table came up, and I pressing down continually one the trigger and a storm of bolds came from my weapons and hit them all down. There was only 2 techs left now but that taser was out of charge.
I picked up the other one and risked a look over the edge of the table. I couldn't get them they where too well dug in, but I noticed one of the energy collectors on the wall. An energy collector was like a recycling bin, that collected spar electrons and the like, I could hear it wizzing away collecting the energy from the tasers.
I brought the taser up, aimed and fired. The blast shattered the glass dome of the energy collector, and all the spare electricity spilled onto the techs. I heard there screaming, and as I walked over to them it faded. I got to the table they where using as cover and looked down. They where on the floor having spasms. The blue energy riding up and down there bodies.
"Hicks," came a week voice.
Newt and Ripley, I remembered them again and walked over to the Newt first. They where strapped into chairs, lying slightly backwards. I un strapped Newt first, she jumped up in the relief and headed to the foot of Ripley's chair. I then got Ripley out of her restraints.
"Thanks….."
"No time, you've got to get you to a ship," I interrupted, "Space Port 12C, we've got to get you into a ship heading towards Earth."
She nodded and headed towards the door. I took four tasers from the bodies on the floor. I threw two to Ripley and kept two for myself. We headed out through the door.
It was clear each side, I headed left towards the tunnel that connected the Military Complex to the Space Ports. It was clear all the way unto the connecting tunnel, there where six guards: Two at each side of the tunnel, two into the tunnel and two just roaming around.
I looked and Ripley, who then told Newt to go back. We looked again and then turned the corner….

"Sir come look at this," the junior technician spoke.
The general headed towards the other side of the Operations Center they where currently in. The center was lined with computers in the walls, and tables and chairs in the middle.
Wilks walked over to the young officer, "what is it boy?"
"Take a look at this recording."
Playing on the computer screen was the image of Hicks and Bishop in there room. Hicks was reading and Bishop was at his terminal. Nothing appeared wrong.
"Yes, what's the matter?" the General asked with irritation.
The Tech tapped some keys on his keyboard and the image zoomed in towards Hicks Book.
"Watch."
After a minute or so, Hicks turned his page, his was on page 6. The recording went on, and he turned another page, this time he was on page 2.
"Noooo," Wilks said in disbelieve, "this can't be."
He watched again, and the same thing happened. He'd been tricked.
"Quick get a security team down to the containment cell," he barked.

The four man team slowly approached the door of the containment cell. Nothing, George and Joseph where supposed to be on guard. They activated the door's opening system and it hissed open.
Sprawled out on the floor where the two guards on duty, and the Droid, Bishop was sat in his terminal. No Hicks to be seen, and no weapons.
The team walked over to Bishop and pulled him away. He fell back onto the floor and looked up in surprise. He had a wide grin on his face.

The video image changed to static then back to the room. Only this time there was no Hicks, only Bishop on the floor with the guard team around him.
SHIT, Wilks had to warn the other guards: "All personal, be aware. Hicks has escaped and is presumed armed and dangerous."

Ripley ducked and rolled out in front of me, and I took up a prone position. Both myself and Ripley where firing into the guards. We got the four on our side of the tunnel with ease and stood up and proceeded to get the two patrolling the tunnel.
We walked into the opening of the tunnel and where forced to duck as two energy bolts splashed past above up. I dropped into a prone again, and fired I took down one of them.
Ripley raced towards the last guard, putting him off and she weaved and ducked the energy he was firing. While he was concentrated on Ripley and took aim and fired. He was down. I went back to get Newt, and we walked across the tunnel.
I heard the radio of the one the guards crackle and from it came Wilks voice: "All personal, be aware. Hicks has escaped and is presumed armed and dangerous."
"Come on we don't have much time."
We started to sprint and I put Newt on my back. After a number of minutes or so we came the luggage room. It was a circular room with tubes going off in various directions. Machines inside where sorting out which luggage went to which ship. Eventually we found the tube to the ship docked at Port 12C.
Newt gave me a big hug. I stepped over to Ripley, and looked her in the eyes. She was crying slightly. We had become very close but she knew it was best that they go to Earth. With a silent agreement, they look Newt into her arms and disappeared down the shoot.
I turned and headed to the tunnel connecting the ship to Port 12C. It had been retracted. I looked out of a nearby window and saw the ship that carried the only people I cared about to safety, but it was aware from me.
As I stood there, amerced in thoughts, the sound of boots came from around the corner, they where Wilks guards.
"Come on you," one of them spoke.
And with no resistance, I went with them, no doubt to face the general.