Chapter 5 - Onboard the Judgement

Newt sat in her chair, the one directly in front of her alien queen. She had her legs curled up against her chest, her arms wrapped around them. But she wasn't looking at the queen. If fact, Newt had her back to her prized possession. She was looking in the direction of her bed, where Hicks was lying unconscious beneath the sheet, where it rested just below his navel. She knew he wasn't going to be happy when he woke up and found himself on her ship, that she had literally kidnapped him. He was going to be even more furious with her when he realized that he had been stripped of his clothes, every last stitch.

The task of undressing and cleaning him up before putting him in her bed had fallen on Bishop. He had volunteered to do the job and as much as Newt would have wanted to do it herself, she didn't speak up, only because her crew had been watching her.

She was a grown woman now and she had had her share of men. But no man compared to what she was observing from a distance. He had to be what, in his late thirties and he was in perfect physical shape. All muscles. He was exactly how she remembered him when she was a kid. Newt had to admit, she had never thought about him in any way other than that she needed information from him. But looking at him now, having seen what he was capable of back in that lounge after fighting and killing the Centurions, she felt the beginnings of a crush.

"Goddammit," she mumbled to herself. This was not what she had been looking for. She didn't want to feel anything for him. She needed information and that was it. She was going to do anything to get it out of him, even if it meant torturing him. Then she smiled and shook her head. Who was she trying to kid? She could never do that to him. She had adored the man when she was a kid, even though she hadn't seen him again after that time in the medical center on Gateway. He was her hero and so was Ripley. No matter what happened between her and Ripley, she had a place in Newt's heart, just as Hicks would always.

She had taken back the pendant she had given him a long time ago and was wearing it around her neck now. He had told her that 'someone special' had given it to him. Did he ever wonder what became of her? He could have contacted her. She was easily reachable. But he didn't. He had been caught up in his own little demented world of self-pity. She had fought her own demons and won. She would have helped him, if he had asked for it.

She looked down at the coat she was wearing. His coat. When she had slipped it on, she figured out where the blades had come from, the ones he had used against the Centurions on Aquifer. They were in his sleeves, released by a mechanism. She wondered where he had gotten such a garment.

Then he stirred. She mentally prepared herself for the coming storm.

Hicks stirred and shook the cobwebs out of his head, fighting for consciousness. He couldn't remember if he had drunk himself into oblivion and where he had been at the time. He desperately needed a cigarette and subconsciously patted himself, looking for the pack he always kept in his coat pocket. As he slowly opened his eyes, he realized he was lying on a comfortable bed, something he hadn't slept in in a long time. He also realized that he was naked underneath the white sheet.

He sat up in the bed and rubbed his face with his hands. Then he looked up and his eyes drifted around the room. Nothing looked familiar. Suddenly his eyes drifted up and he saw the alien queen. Terror seized him and he scrambled to get out of the bed, dragging the bedsheet with him. His legs tangled on the sheet and he fell backward. "Shit…shit…shit."

He jumped up on his feet, wrapping the sheet around himself, his eyes never leaving the giant queen. He sensed the girl was in the room and he saw her from the corner of his eye, but he couldn't look away from the queen. He backed away toward what he figured was the door. Reaching behind him, he felt for the door mechanism and pushed it several times. The door remained shut.

After several seconds trying to get the door to open, he finally realized that the queen wasn't moving. She wasn't even looking in his direction. His experience with alien queens had been minimal. He had only confronted two in the past and never hesitated to blow the shit out of them. Shoot first, ask questions later.

He finally focused on the girl sitting in a chair, her back to the queen, directly beneath the creature. Did she somehow have some power over it? The girl, that Colonial Marine Lieutenant. She had tranquilized him and brought him here. Wherever here was. It all instantly came back to him.

Newt had watched Hicks curiously as he had tried to escape the queen. Finally she decided to answer all of the questions he probably wanted to ask, but couldn't seem to get out. "How do you like my trophy? She's my first kill."

"Are you fucking sick in the head, Jorden? Are you telling me you had the goddamned thing stuffed?" Even though he now realized the alien queen wasn't alive, he still didn't want to be anywhere near it.

"It wasn't easy, I have to admit. But it was worth it. It's helped me cope with my fear of them."

"Where am I?"

"On my ship."

"Where're my clothes?"

"At the laundromat," she said with a smile.

Hicks wanted to wring her beautiful neck. "I told you I wanted to be left alone. I'm not helping the military and I'm not helping the Company."

"And I told you that you wouldn't be helping them. You'll be helping me."

"Fuck that. I'm not helping you. I'm not helping anybody."

"Aren't you being a bit melodramatic?"

"Come on over here and I'll show you how melodramatic I can be. I'll fuck you fifteen different ways before I rip out your heart and shove it down your throat."

Newt had no doubt in her mind that he was capable of doing to her exactly what he had just said. So what was stopping him?

"Did you undress me?" he asked angrily.

"Unfortunately, no. My android had the pleasure of that task."

"You're skating on thin ice with me, Jorden. I eat people like you for breakfast."

"Even a woman like me?" Newt sat back in her seat, her feet on the ground now and she seductively twirled a strand of her blonde hair around her finger.

Hicks started to move in her direction. Just seeing her sitting like that was giving him a boner and he wanted to make good on his threat…Yeah, he'd fuck her fifteen different ways…he knew fifteen different ways. Then he remembered the queen and froze in his tracks. "All right, look…I'll tell you what you need to know and then I'm history. And I mean it."

Newt was slightly disappointed. She had found his weakness. He still feared the aliens and the sight of the queen made him cave without any struggle. "Just like that. You're going to tell me."

"Yeah, just like that." His eyes moved back up to the queen. What had possessed this girl to keep such a loathsome trophy? "You sleep in this room with that thing in here?"

Newt got up from her chair and left the security the queen had surprisingly provided. "It's dead. I killed it. With my bare hands."

Hicks met her eyes as she walked toward him. He didn't know whether to believe her. But if she had, he was curious to know how she had done it. She was obviously a lot braver than he gave her credit for. He had a whole new level of respect for her. Hadn't she managed to single-handedly render him unconscious? But then again, it had been his own stupidity for turning his back on her, for trusting that he had gotten through to her enough that he thought she'd leave him alone.

Newt reached up and touched his bare chest, tracing several scars from an old alien battle. It had been the battle where they had first met, when she was only eleven. "I have my own scars to prove it."

"I'm not doubting your ability. I'm just wondering if you're insane. More insane than me." Hicks grabbed her wrist. She insisted on provoking him into something she'd more than likely regret later. The thing was…she intrigued him. He had threatened her half a dozen times since first laying eyes on her, yet she continued coming back for more. He began to wonder if she was a masochist.

She smiled at his rough treatment. "If you promise to behave yourself, I won't have to keep you locked up in my quarters."

"You're pushing my buttons, Jorden, all the wrong ones."

"Am I?"

For the first time since waking up in her room, he realized that she was wearing his coat. That was a death sentence for some people. He wanted to kill her, but not before he had a chance to fuck her brains out…fifteen different ways. Yeah, she'd be out of his system real fast after that. Where the hell had she come from? Suddenly here to mess up his life. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually lusted for a woman. Why was she suddenly in his life, making him think of things he hadn't thought of in ages? Like sex. Why did she have to be so goddamned beautiful? It would have made things a hell of a lot easier if she had the face of a chimpanzee.

"I didn't want to force you here, Hicks. Tell me what I need to know."

Hicks looked deep into her blue eyes. He couldn't look away. "I'll tell you what you wanna know."

Newt touched a button on her belt. "Are his clothes clean?"

A voice answered her back. "Yes."

"Bring them."

Hicks hadn't released her wrist yet. He wasn't finished with her and he'd be damned if she was going to deny him what he wanted.

Newt looked back at Hicks, clearly reading what he had in mind. She didn't back away when he leaned forward, pausing an inch from her lips. Her pulse was racing, her heart beating so hard she thought it was going to burst out of her chest. No man had ever affected her this way. He closed the gap between them and kissed her. There was nothing harsh about it this time. She instinctly parted her lips and wasn't disappointed when he accepted the invitation without a moment's hesitation or trepidation. She tasted his blood where she had bit him earlier.

Hicks thought things were only going to get much worse now because she was in his system for good. Like a drug. He wanted to kick his own ass for being weak. He should have backed off right away, but he didn't. He wanted her. More than anything else right now. Most of the women he'd been with over the years were seasoned professionals and as long as he used protection, he was safe. He never got emotionally involved, never let anyone get too close to him, never sought out a relationship. But Jorden was nothing like them. She was smart…and she was clean…

The door chirped and Newt pulled away from him. "Come in."

When the door slid open, Hicks turned to find Bishop walking in. "Bishop?"

"Mr Hicks," Bishop said, looking from him to Newt and back to Hicks. He sensed that he had interrupted something. "It's good to see you again."

Hicks frowned at the android. The last time he had seen Bishop was on the dropship, thirteen years ago. What in holy blazes was he doing here? He turned to Jorden suspiciously and he unconsciously ran his tongue over the bite mark on his lip.

The simple movement made Newt's cheeks heat up. Suddenly angry with herself for flushing like that, she started to walk out, pushing passed Bishop. "When he's dressed, Bishop, bring him to the Bridge."

Hicks turned and followed her with his eyes. He wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily. They had some unfinished business and before setting foot off her ship he planned on getting some closure to this little fling she unknowingly pushed him into. The door slid shut behind her and Hicks turned back to Bishop, who walked up and held his clothes out to him. "Bishop, what the fuck are you doing here, man?" Hicks abandoned the sheet and grabbed his pants.

Bishop had learned to ignore the unnecessary crude language humans used so often. He responded in a cordial manner. "I'm part of this team. Have been for some years now. She's incredible, isn't she?"

Hicks zipped up his pants and grabbed his shirt. "Who?" He wasn't sure if Bishop was referring to the creepy queen in the room or the one that had just walked out.

"Rebecca."

Hicks had been buttoning his shirt and stopped halfway. He looked up at Bishop. "Rebecca?" Rebecca Jorden. He knew that name from somewhere. He went into the recesses of his mind, deep in the vault he liked to keep closed. Rebecca. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that sadistic goddess is the kid?"

Bishop raised his eyebrows, not knowing who the kid was. "What kid?" he asked innocently.

"The kid from the colony on LV-426."

"You mean, Newt, as she liked to be called back then?" he smiled.

"Yes, yes…that's her?"

Bishop's smile faded. Rebecca had apparently not told him who she was. She must have had her reasons for not wanting to tell Hicks. And now he had said too much and didn't think he'd be able to retract what had already been said.

Hicks took Bishop's silence as an affirmative. He raised his hands to his head, running his fingers through his hair, then wanted to rip it out. "Fuck…holy fuck…"

Since he had guessed it on his own, Bishop decided not to deny it. "She's all grown up."

"Yeah, no shit." Hicks started pacing like a caged tiger. He felt strange, like he was stuck in some dream, like he had done something forbidden. Why hadn't she told him who she was from the beginning? He probably would have still refused to go with her, but he would have at least been more pleasant about it. He had acted like a complete asshole. But then again, she hadn't acted like the innocent young kid he remembered her to be. She had provoked him and was seducing him to get what she wanted. Yeah, there was no doubt about it. She was all grown up. He could still taste her on his lips. Oddly enough, despite the fact that he knew who she was, the knowledge still didn't quench the burning desire he felt for her. She had put herself in his system and now he couldn't get her out.

"Is everything all right?" Bishop asked with a small measure of concern.

Hicks felt sick to his stomach. Then his attention was drawn by the alien queen. He turned to face the thing and took three steps toward it before stopping. She had killed this queen with her bare hands. "Tell me something, Bishop. How'd she kill this queen?"

"From what the others told me, the queen had Rebecca pinned down and Rebecca ripped into the queen's chest plate with her fist, killing her instantly." Bishop shrugged as if he was telling him about someone crossing the street.

Hicks backed away from the queen and turned to Bishop. "What about the acid blood? Her fist should have disintegrated."

"No, not with the new armor the Colonial Marines are using nowadays. It stands up to the alien blood. Rebecca wears armored gloves, too. She likes to, what she calls, get up close and personal sometimes and takes precautious measures to ensure that she's protected from the acid blood."

Hicks turned back to the queen. He suddenly felt an overwhelming pride for Jorden. Or Newt, or whatever she wanted to be called. She had somehow overcome her fear of the aliens. It was something he had never learned to do. He had avoided any type of situation that involved them, letting others handle the bugs. "Do me a favor, Bishop."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Don't tell her I know."

Bishop was puzzled at first. "Don't tell her you know how she killed the queen?"

Hicks turned to him and frowned. "No," he said impatiently, wanting to follow it with 'idiot', but respected Bishop too much to call him that. "Don't tell her I know who she is."

Bishop nodded his head, not sure why the two of them felt the need to keep up the charade. "Yeah, okay. Your secret's safe with me."

Hicks moved toward the door. "But it really pisses me off that she didn't tell me." The door slid open and the two walked out of Newt's quarters. "Hey, Bishop, you got any smokes on ya?" He knew the android didn't smoke, but he liked joking with him.

Newt was alone on the Bridge, sitting in a seat behind the helm. The ship was on automatic so there wasn't much for her to monitor while Private Cole was on his evening break. She had one foot up on the control panel and was smoking a cigarette. Her thoughts were focused on Hicks. She couldn't shake the memory of that intimate kiss they had shared only moments ago. She reached up to touch her lips and her stomach tightened in knots. It wasn't how she had anticipated their reunion to go. She had always pictured it to be like the reunion between a father and daughter, only because she had pictured him to be so much older. But he wasn't old. No, he was irresistible. She had been attracted to him from the moment she first laid eyes on him at that lounge, when he came to her rescue against the Centurions. There was an animal magnetism about him that overwhelmed her down to her core. Just the way his hair hung down over his eyes sent her pulse racing. She didn't want to feel this way about him. But it was too late. The damage had been done.

She heard the footfalls behind her and turned as Hicks and Bishop walked in. The sight of him sent her stomach into knots again and she frowned, looking away.

Hicks could sense her uneasiness from across the control room. He decided to ignore it for the time being and planned to pretend like nothing had happened between them. But he knew it wasn't going to be easy. His knowledge of her identity and the fact that he wanted her more than ever was an internal battle he was going to have to deal with on his own.

Bishop led the way to the helm and motioned for Hicks to take the open seat beside Newt. Hicks hesitated for a moment, and then sat down without a word.

Newt didn't want to look at him for fear she'd blush like a schoolgirl in front of him again. "Tell me where it is, Hicks." She took a long drag from her cigarette.

"It's in the Plato Sector. Coordinates 157 mark 14."

She turned to him then, momentarily surprised. "You memorized the coordinates?"

"I didn't trust myself to write it down somewhere because I knew I'd forget where I put it."

Newt turned to Bishop and the silent command had been relayed. Bishop turned to the computer and began punching keys. She involuntarily jumped when Hicks moved toward her, only to see that he was reaching for the pack of cigarettes resting on the control panel in front of her.

Hicks saw her jump when he reached over. He lingered near her to retrieve a cigarette from the pack and to light it. He could have done it from his seat, but he wanted to understand her sudden uneasiness around him. "You know, smoking's not good for you," he said as he leaned back in his seat again, dragging on the cigarette.

"Everything I've done in my life isn't good for me. Why stop now?"

Bishop turned toward them. "I've got it."

"How far away is it?" asked Newt.

"It's approximately sixty-eight point three light years away."

That meant cryo-sleep. She despised going anywhere that required cryo-sleep. "Tell me what you saw there."

Hicks knew she was talking to him. "You know what I saw. You wouldn't have been looking for me if you didn't know."

"Why didn't you go back?"

"Because the mother fuckers are down there."

Newt knew he meant the aliens. She stubbed out her spent cigarette and reached for the pack of cigarettes to light another one. "I'm sorry I had to use drastic measures to bring you up here. You're free to go."

Hicks knew his mind had been made up before he had a chance to even toy with the idea. "I'm going with you."

Newt hadn't expected that. She turned around in her seat to face him. "What?"

"You heard me."

"You were dead set against even supplying me the information, Hicks."

"I changed my mind."

"Yeah, well, I've changed mine, too. You're leaving."

"Tough shit. I'm staying."

Newt knew she wasn't going to be able to talk him out of it. She had managed to make him see things her way when she shot that dart and tranquilized him in order to get him on the ship. She could use the same method to get him off the ship. But she didn't think he'd ever let her get away with that stunt again. "Fine. But I'm in charge here."

"I'm not looking to take over your job, Jorden. You're welcome to keep your command."

Then a thought occurred to her. "Wait a minute, we're short one cryo-chamber. I have just enough for me and my crew."

Bishop chimed in. "Actually we have just enough. Sergeant Miller started his leave this morning because his wife is having a baby any day now. He picked up a shuttle from Aquifer earlier today."

Newt wanted to reach out and choke Bishop for not catching on to what she had tried to do. She knew Miller was gone. Miller was her second in command. Why would Bishop think she wouldn't know that her second in command was on leave? She almost had the perfect reason for Hicks to leave and be out of her life. She hated not having control over her feelings. Hicks was stirring up emotions she had long ago locked up in a vault. His presence affected her, clouded her mind, and made her want him with every fiber of her being. "Thanks for that bit of news, Bishop."

The sarcasm was lost on Bishop, but Hicks caught it.

"Should I plot a course to the nearest colony for provisions?" asked Bishop.

"Yes," replied Newt. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hicks looking at her. He hadn't stopped looking at her since walking in. Her mistake had been in provoking him. He was expecting some kind of sexual favor for the information he had provided. If she went down that road with him, she'd get emotionally attached, maybe even fall in love with him. Love, lust, what did it matter? It was all the same to her.

Hicks got up and moved toward her. She flinched again, but barely. Maybe someone other than himself wouldn't have caught it. But he saw it. He put one hand on the top of her chair and the other hand on the armrest, trapping her. "I want my chain back." If he was going to pretend that he didn't know who she was, then he needed to play the part, all the way.

Newt looked up at him. She pulled the chain over her head and when he held out his hand, she dropped it into his palm. In her mind she thought that he was lingering over her way too long. "Bishop, when you're finished over there, give Mr Hicks a grand tour of the ship, please. And give him a uniform. It'll draw less suspicion if he's dressed like one of us."

"No problem. I'm finished anyway. Right this way, Mr Hicks."

Hicks barely suppressed a smile at the way she managed to take control of every situation, or at least what she thought was control. He understood her now. She held up a brave front, but he knew that deep down inside, she was still the innocent little girl he remembered. He moved away from her and joined Bishop as he slipped the chain over his head. "Lead the way, Bishop," he said in a fairly bored tone.