Disclaimer: I don't own Aliens, but the characters Anthony, the Queen, Half-Jaw, Sonar, and Xena are mine. Steal at your own risk.

The symbols that I used for indicating the different Alien classes' speech wasn't showing up on the website so I switched all the speech to be (sentence).

Chapter 3

Too Soft

Anthony struggled at first as the large alien carried back to the hive. It had him pinned so that his teeth, tongue, and claws couldn't strike it. It also had a hold of his tail. As they moved further into the hive his struggles weaken.

The Queen was probably influencing him telepathically and calming him down. He eventually stopped struggling all together.

Xena growled as she hauled the crazy xenomorph back into the hive. He sure was having a fit. When the Queen said this drone was peculiar, she was making an understatement.

(What is wrong with this drone?) She asked the Queen. (He's acting like those human's did when they were carried to the egg chamber.)

(I shall explain later,) the Queen replied. (Just take him somewhere safe away from other xenomorphs, until I've calmed him down.)

Xena moved toward a part of the hive that she had staked out as her own private lair. She looked around the chamber and then roughly threw the drone down. He had finally stopped struggling and the only moves he made were to get more comfortable.

Anthony sat silently. The large alien was sitting across the room from him. He could try to run, but he was afraid that despite its size the alien could probably easily catch him.

(Why is this alien so large?) Anthony asked himself. He had discovered that his telekinesis could be limited to only certain people. Therefore he was surprised when the Queen's voice answered.

(She is a praetorian,) the Queen replied. (Part of my royal guard and her name is Xena.)

Anthony suddenly stopped slouching and had leapt to his feet. The praetorian thought he was going to try and escape, but when he didn't, she stayed sitting.

(What happened to the humans in that facility?) Anthony asked. He cursed himself. Why hadn't he thought of it before?

(They were all taken to the egg chamber to be hosts,) the Queen replied. She sensed his distress. (What's wrong?)

(You got all of the humans?) Anthony asked his heart sinking. (All of them?)

(Yes,) the Queen replied. (Why? What do you care about them? They're the ones who turned you into one of us.)

(Not all of them were bad,) Anthony angrily growled. (Was there a young woman among them?)

(Yes,) the Queen said. (She looked exactly as you would describe her.)

(Is she alive?) Anthony asked his anger gone.

(No, it was an early birth,) the Queen replied regretfully. (You couldn't have done anything to prevent it. The face hugger had already attached to her by the time you were awake.)

Anthony let out a mournful howl and fell to the ground. He should have been angry, but he was too shocked to be.

If the Queen's face could have allowed it, she would be frowning. She had been hopeful at the discovery of Scar's running from home because his father was so… hostile. The fact that he had also been unwillingly transformed into a xenomorph by his own species would influence him toward joining the hive. But the death of this human girl could be counter-productive.

Any other Queen wouldn't have cared, but she for some inexplicable reason found herself concerned about the little human's fate. Most Queens wouldn't even have let an unfamiliar drone into the hive and those that would have would have thrown him out when they found he was formerly a human. Or a few might have used him to gain information, but they would have cared less what happened to it once it had lost its usefulness.

But she wasn't like most Queens. Her own mother had often told her she was too soft. But she wouldn't let that get in her way. Soft or not, she would still kill the human if he didn't fit in, or she would exile him from the hive. Both punishments were essentially the same. Death.

(My Queen?)

(Yes, Xena?) The Queen asked her train of thought interrupted.

(I wish to know about this drone,) Xena replied. (Right now he is huddled up in the corner and whimpering.)

(Yes, well, humans do that,) the Queen replied. She sensed Xena's bewilderment. (This drone is human. At least, his mind is. He apparently was mutated into one of us by his own kind.) Xena was now wondering if her Queen had gone insane, however she quickly dismissed the thought. She trusted her Queen. Her mother.

(These humans never learn. Do they?) Xena said. She was of course only speaking from what the Queen had learned from her mother, but the human's accomplishments when it came to experimenting with the xenomorphs was well known. The results were well known too. (But why keep him alive? He could be dangerous.)

(The instant he becomes dangerous he shall be destroyed,) the Queen replied. (Until then he could be quite useful.) Xena gave the mental equivalent of a nod. (You are to train him to fight.)

(Why?) Xena asked. (After all as soon as he outlives his usefulness… You aren't thinking of letting him stay here? Half-Jaw would never accept it and I'm not too thrilled about it either.)

(You will do as you're told,) the Queen said as gently as she could.

(Very well,) Xena replied and broke contact. The Queen frowned mentally. Perhaps she was becoming too attached to this human.

A human amongst the xenomorphs, I figured he wouldn't last very long, but I was wrong.

-Xena

Reply to Reviews:

Reply to Miikaadizi: Yes, well, Anthony's plight is still very serious, as is the Queen about killing him. (Did I spell your name correctly?)

Reply to SkinTymble: Anthony is not a human/xeno cross, but is a full xeno except for his mind, which is relatively human.

Reply to Queen of the Red Skittle: I like that you like it and the way things are progressing.