A/N: Any character or theme or name or creature and anything else from the movies I DO NOT OWN. The plot for this story I do own, as well as Xenayakata and the species Xenyautan. These two are my creatations and mine alone so NO TOUCHIE! If anyone rips off my character or species I will send the real Xenayakata after them and she gets cranky when people rip her off.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Thanks to all reveiwers but especially Kae-she Katsumi who was here from the begining.
Thanks for reviewing and enjoy the story ;P
Chapter 5: This is My True Name
A week has passed since I first became a Xenomorph.
And what a glorious week it has been. The male knows more about me than I do.
And he has chosen a name to match my own.
Xenayokoda. King of Xenos.
It suits him; he certainly acts like a king when he wants something.
But he obeys me. I am his Queen and his superior.
I have changed much in the last week –a full three nights of itching, scratching and shedding the price for my recent and final growth- and so has Xenayokoda.
Xenayokoda no longer looks like the young Predalian I first met.
He has grown at least double his original size and his skin has darkened considerably but is still not the black which most Xenos sport. It is a pale, fleshy grey and in the right light it seems to glow.
He has grown into a proud specimen of a male; but then again he already was, only more so now- he looks like a King.
But I no longer even resemble the drone-like Xeno I started as.
I now have grown a magnificent seven-pointed crown which decrees my status as a Queen. Despite my status though, I am not much larger than Xenayokoda but I am faster and more mobile than any Queen has ever been. I am faster than even a runner and just as agile, but stronger than the past Queens.
I am indeed the Queen of Xenomorphs.
And my children have proved that.
There are nine in all so far. They have been born just as they should have been; all though they were born from eggs, they were not the hatchling face-huggers that have come before them- they are more.
I have made four drones, four Praetorians and a Queen.
Enough to keep the old Hive alive and thriving until I am ready to leave this place.
Because I am not ready to leave.
Something more must be done. I must do something here, but I do not know what. Xenayokoda is worried about me, I feel it. He thinks I will do something foolish.
He has become so protective of me.
He sees as well as I do the looks my Praetorian children give me.
It is their place to be the warriors of a Hive but also to be the mates to the Queen. The young Queen I have produced will not be old enough to mature and mate for another week yet but the Praetorians will mature in only a couple days. By then a new season will be beginning and with no other Queen capable of mating they will be turning to me for their needs. But I know that Xenayokoda will not share. He has told me as much.
To stop the inevitable, either the Praetorians must go or I must.
Because the young Queen will not be ready to leave until she has matured and the Praetorians will be her protectors until then, I can not send them away.
It is I that must go but this suits me; I must find what it is that I am meant to do here and I will do it as a human.
I control my body now. I will be human so that the Praetorians are not tempted and once the young Queen has matured, Xenayokoda will lead them to Mother's Hive where she can lay her eggs.
By then I hope to have accomplished what I am here to do and Xenayokoda will come back for me and I will go with him to meet Mother.
Then we will leave.
We will start a new Hive.
Our own Hive.
I have decided I can not live in Mother's shadow, in the Hive which She and Her first mate dug with their own hands. I can not live where I will only be remembered as an accomplishment of the old Queen. I can not live where I will only be known as Her daughter.
Xenayokoda and I both feel this way.
We will start our own life, our own Hive, well away from this place that humans are claiming as their own; there is no future for our children here. We will start anew.
A new home for a new kind of Xenomorph.
But first I must out what it is I must do here.
It is time to leave this place.
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The Praetorians have become harder to keep in line and I can not risk their obedience for much longer.
I have returned to my human form to keep them at bay but still they persist, only begrudgingly remaining leashed.
Still smell like Queen, They tell me, still smell like need male attention.
Xenayokoda confirms it. He is hard-pressed to restrain himself also.
This I do not understand.
As a human I should not be attracting male Xenos, even by smell. Maybe I will ask Mike and Tina when I return- surely the scientists will know why.
Xenayokoda has just left, leading my children off through the ventilation to where they will leave this place of humans and return to the Hive, where Mother awaits them.
Goodbye Xenayakata. I hear him think faintly. Will return at your call. Hopefully soon.
And then he is gone.
Now it is my turn to leave this sanctuary.
It is much harder to crawl through vents as a human. Fleshy, sweaty skin sticks to the metal and makes moving a great labour.
But I get there in the end.
I am above the room where I was born and educated. I know its scent well.
More things that are strange; I retain my Xeno sense of smell and can see in the dark better than I could as a human before.
More questions to ask Mike and Tina.
I pry open the grill and start to manoeuvre so I can drop down into the room. I am glad I am doing this as a human; if I tried as a Xeno I would get stuck for sure.
I am hanging onto the edges of the opening now looking down. It is not very far and I know just how to land without hurting myself.
As I drop to the floor I hear the doors opening but it is too late. I stand slowly and, hoping it is friend not foe that awaits me, turn to face them.
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I must be dreaming. I think.
This woman that is standing here in front of me can't be who I hope it is.
But who could mistake those eyes?
"Xeno?"
My voice is hoarse with anxiety as she fixes her blue, glacial stare on me.
So we are finally reunited, Mike? I hear her velvety thoughts flitter through my mind and I know it is her.
My heart gives a leap. But questions race also.
Where has she been? How has she matured? What happened in the first place? Why is she naked? Why is she naked!
Suddenly it's connected in my brain that she hasn't got a stitch of clothing on.
I hurriedly retrieve a sheet from the cupboard to my left and move towards her, wrapping the sheet around her shoulders.
I see her frown.
"I'm sorry Mike. I've lived as a Xenomorph for so long, I'd forgotten that it's indecent for humans to go around without clothing."
Not that I mind.
Now where did that come from! I ask myself.
"That's alright Xeno." My voice sounds a lot steadier than I feel. "What I really want to know is where you've been these last ten days and how you managed to stay alive on your own; you were so small before."
That's good, keep it professional. I think.
She tilts her head ever so slightly as she stares at me.
Shit! I forgot she can read my thoughts!
"Yes, you have seem to have forgotten, Mike." She says softly.
Double shit!
"Um, I-I'm sorry about that Xeno, i-it's just that, you aren't- I m-mean you don't-"
"I wish you would just say what it is you want to say." Xeno says sternly.
That stops my tongue from tying itself in knots.
"What I mean to say," I say, as smoothly as I possibly can, pushing one hand through my hair. "Is that, damn it, you're not a five year old human anymore Xeno. When you turned around, the sight of you knocked the wind out of me. I didn't know it was you until I saw your eyes. I guess I never thought that if you ever made it back here on your own that you would have matured and- and well look the way you do."
I've put my foot in it for sure.
But she looks down at herself beneath the sheet and I can see the surprise in her eyes.
"I suppose I have changed, quite a lot as far as appearances go."
"Yes, you have." I agree, moving to the cupboard behind her to fetch some garments that hang there. "A full grown woman has things a little girl doesn't that make clothing a necessity."
She accepts the pieces of cloth from me but then looks at them blankly.
Shit.
I remember now that she had never dressed herself before the accident that had split us up.
I take the shirt from her gently and show her how to put it on. Then the underwear and pants. It feels so strange to be showing and adult how to do something so trivial but I know that in some ways she is still so very young.
Once she is dressed, she glances down at her coverings in a look close to disgust.
"How the hell do you move in these things anyway? I can't wall crawl in this. It's too confining."
"You mean as a Xenomorph?" I ask, thoughtful. "I suppose you would have to take it off again. Very time consuming, though I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it."
As I realize what words have just passed my lips I can't believe how easily we have fallen back into out old routine of Questions and Answers. It is like she had never been gone.
I lift my gaze to hers and I see that she is thinking the same thing.
"I'm glad that you're back, Xeno." I say quietly, but I know she can hear me as well as if I had shouted the words. "It certainly wasn't pleasant around here when The Powers That Be found out you'd gone missing. And Tina went completely ape-shape at me for losing you."
"It wasn't your fault," She says and I see that she is very quick to point the blame in another direction. "I shouldn't have run off when I had changed. I could hear- I mean I was scared."
"Why did you change; that's the important question." I scratch my chin, thinking. "Did you touch something specific before you changed?"
"Found a small jar which contain this yellow stuff. When I opened it the yellow stuff splattered all over the place and began to burn."
"Yellow stuff?" I repeat, and my voice cracks as I do.
"Why are you upset?" She looks at me quizzically. "What was the yellow stuff?"
"It was Xenomorph blood! Xeno blood is acidic! That's why the bag burned and that's why you changed; the nanobots in your blood- even though you couldn't control them then -could still change your form, if they were given a blue print. The blood carried the blueprint to the nanobots when you came in contact with them and so you changed."
"But that doesn't not make it your fault." She insists.
"It does because I must have accidentally left the container in the bag." I finish. I can just imagine what Tina will do to me when she finds out that I really was responsible for the accident. "Tina is going to kill me when she finds out."
"She doesn't have to find out."
I look at her, mouth agape, as I realize that she's suggesting that we lie on my behalf.
"That's called lying, Xeno." I say sternly; I certainly can't encourage her to lie.
"It wouldn't be lying," She says, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "Lying is saying something that isn't true. We could just…not tell Tina about the Xenomorph blood. It wasn't your fault Mike, it was mine."
I sigh.
She has a point.
"Fine then. If you're willing to keep this quiet, Xeno, I'm not about to put my own head in the noose."
I laugh to my self. "She's probably going to be more concerned with the fact that you're back than with how you managed to change and mature. It means we don't have to try and recreate another you."
She looks worried and puzzled as I say this.
"Another me?"
Shit.
"Never mind Xeno, it's not important. You're back and that's all that matters."
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I look upon Mike with curiosity.
He is nervous and relieved at the same time. His pheromones are swarming around him crazily and I almost laugh because they make me feel giddy.
Now he is looking at me curiously.
I can not help but grin.
"I am sorry for being so serious Mike. I have missed being with you and Tina. I have spent too much time hiding from marines with guns. They don't hear me when I think to them and they don't wait for me to try. I have not had much to smile about for a long time."
He smiles at me now and opens his arms. He wants a hug.
I go to him and hug him. I remember this very clearly. I loved Mike's hugs; never too tight but firm enough to warm me. Though I remember being quite a lot smaller the last time I received a hug, it still warms me and I feel safe in the embrace.
Mike suddenly seems a bit uneasy and he pulls away.
"Well, we'd better let Tina know that you're back. She'll be happy to see you."
I feel a little confused. I don't know why Mike pulled away from me. He's never done that before. Maybe he is anxious about Tina finding out about the Xenomorph blood?
I will not say anything about it. I don't want Mike to get in trouble.
Mike moves towards the door and motions for me to follow him.
My breath catches in my throat.
I have never been out side in my human form, never walked the halls, even as a Xenomorph. I am slightly wary. I think Mike sees this.
"It's alright Xeno," He says softly to me. "You'll be fine. You're a human, remember?"
I look down at myself, my hands and my bare feet. I am human for now; no one is going to shoot at me. I take a deep breath as Mike activates the door to open. I take a single step into the outside. I look around.
No sign of danger. I force myself to relax. I am thinking like a Xenomorph, I need to think like a human warrior. I need to think like a marine. Just like Mike and Tina taught me to. I smile at Mike and breath easy. I'm ok
And no one has tried to shoot me.
Suddenly a voice shouts and I jump in surprise, ducking behind Mike.
"What the Hell do you think you're doing!"
Tina comes storming up to Mike, a look of fury on her face that frightens me.
"You know that this lab is out of bounds for civilians Mike! So take your bimbo somewhere else!" Tina scowls, giving me a disgusted look.
"Ah, Tina, this is-"
"I don't care who she is! She is not allowed inside that room!" Tina continues, cutting off Mike's words.
I decide that if she won't listen to Mike, I will have to make her see. It is obvious that she doesn't recognise me like Mike does. I step out from behind Mike so that Tina can see all of me.
"Tina, it is me." I say softly.
Tina looks at me and appears to be about to say something before she gasps and holds one to her mouth in shock.
"Xeno?" She exclaims.
I nod and smile at her. She sees me now for what I am.
She reaches out to me, touches my face and then pulls me into a tight embrace. I hear her crying.
"Don't cry Tina, I'm Ok." I hug her back, trying to sooth her and to try and relax her grip on me. Quickly she regains control of herself, swiping away her tears and straightening her clothing.
"We were sure that marine had gunned you down. We heard the reports of a Xenomorph infestation…and eradication."
"He did not catch me. I was too fast for him." I smiled as I say this. "Fear gives a Xenomorph speed and determination to hide."
"Of course, of course." Tina agrees swiftly, eyeing me in a way that makes me feel uneasy. "We must set up the monitors immediately and the nanobots reader as well; we'll need to determine what capacity they're functioning at presently."
"Tina, shouldn't we enrol her as a marine first?" Mike suggests. "Then we could explain time with us as check-ups."
"Good idea Mike." Tina says absently, tapping on fingernail on her teeth in a way that I have learned as meaning that she is thinking.
Tina grabs my arm and starts pulling me down the hall and I can hear Mike behind us, trying to keep up. We turn a corner and I dig in my heels, forcing Tina to stop.
I smell something I don't like, something familiar. A marine comes around the corner and walks down the hall towards us. As he is about to pass us he stops and looks at me. He whistles under his breath and looks around me to Mike.
"And just who is this, Mikey?" He asks smugly, looking me over again.
I recognise his voice; he is the marine who shot at me when I first became a Xenomorph.
"Don't you have something more important to be doing Tony?" Mike sighs and I hear the agitation in his voice; I don't think he likes this marine either. The marine ignores Mike though, focusing his gaze on me. He does a mock bow, keeping his eyes on me.
"Private, First Class, Tony Marker, at your service, ma'am." He grins at me, showing his teeth and I feel like showing him my own; in my Xenomorph form. "And what might your name be?" He asks.
Mike and Tina look at each other in panic and I can hear their minds work as they both try to come up with a name quickly but I already have one.
"Stormer." I say confidently. "Xeno Stormer." Marker stares at me for a moment, his eyes bulging.
"Stormer?" He asks when he recovers his voice. "You wouldn't be related to a Brenton Stormer would you?"
I smile at him but make my expression slightly mournful.
"He was my father and thanks for bringing it up." I put enough bite into my voice to sound grieved and appalled at his reminder of my 'father's' tragic death.
"Hey, I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if you knew." Marker seems startled by this new information. "I didn't even know he had a daughter."
"Well now you do." I turn to leave, indicating to Mike and Tina that we should go but Marker has not finished.
"Hey," He grabs my arm, turning me back to him before I can pull free of his grasp. "What's a civilian like you doing here anyway?"
"I'm not a civilian." I reply, really starting to dislike this arrogant male.
"Then what are you?"
"She's a Captain." Mike interrupts before I can answer.
"A Captain!" Marker backs away from me like he's been bitten.
"Yes, a Captain." Tina affirms with a grin. "She's just been transferred here and she's coming with us to get a physical, hence the lack of uniform." Tina looks at her watch. "Well, we should get going."
As soon as we are around the corner, Tina and Mike both ask how I came up with the name but I just laugh.
"I pay attention to my surroundings; I had heard that this marine had passed on and utilized that." They continue to ask questions on our journey and I answer them but my mind is on other things.
I think about Brenton Stormer. He sacrificed himself so that We could be free from the human race, for all the Xenomorphs, for me. In a way, he was a father to me.
I wasn't conceived like a normal Xeno or even like a human, I was made. I have no true father or mother, though the Empress gave rise to my being. Still, I call her Mother; maybe in this way Brenton was my father?
This feels right in my heart, to call Brenton Father and so I will.
I am Xeno Stormer.
No.
I am Xenayakata Stormer.
This is my true name.
End Ch5
Mmmmm...things are getting more complicated. If anyone couldn't follow something, just email me and I'll explain or better yet, review! Hope you all liked this chapter and I'll see you all next week!