Disclaimer: I don't own aliens, but every single character in here is mine! No stealing or my xenos will hunt you down.

Chapter 4

In Charge

Tom looked on as the soldiers stood around the three black body bags. The deceased soldiers' grieving comrades stood grim-faced.

Tom frowned. The xenomorph attack had certainly complicated things. They had managed to kill Barket and none of the other soldiers were very eager or fit to take command.

Tom had ended up more or less in charge for the moment. He had ordered the base's security measures repaired. He had welded shut certain unnecessary entrances and exits.

The soldiers finally hauled the deceased aboard the ship. They would be buried back on earth. Tom sighed. The aliens had captured three more men and it didn't take a genius to guess their fate.

Tom tapped the comm. that hung from his jacket. Rick the only marine who knew enough about machinery to repair the base's security systems answered.

"Who is it?" His voice crackled slightly with static.

"Tom, I want to know how far the repairs are," Tom said coldly.

"They're almost finished," An electric zapping sound followed and Rick swore angrily. "Yeah, we got power."

"All right, thanks," Tom's tone was still ice-cold. He switched contact to the security room monitor, a man whose name he had forgotten. "We've got power. Are the security cameras working?"

"Yep," the man replied cheerfully.

"Good."

"Sir!" A voice shouted behind him.

It was so sudden that he jumped in freight and yelped. Turning around he saw a freckle-faced marine.

"Jesus, what is it?" Tom growled.

"I've had experience fighting bugs, in fact several of the squad members have…" The private said.

"Yes and?"

"That wasn't normal bug behavior," Tom waited for him to continue. "Usually a xenomorph never retreats. They just viscously attack. These ones retreated."

"Well, it was probably just a scouting party," Tom said.

"I've never heard of a scouting party," the private said.

"Wait," Tom said. "Are you suggesting that we're dealing with some kind of super alien? I don't think so, there's nothing special about this group."

The private saluted and walked off. Tom stared after him. Tom was rather surprised he had just been saluted. Was he supposed to lead them now? No, that was ridiculous. He was just a businessman, not a soldier.

He shook it off and went to find Jean. It had just occurred to him that he had not seen her since they landed. She was probably just avoiding him on purpose, but he had to be sure.

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Jean looked around the hallway. It was a rather slim hope that she would find Anthony here, but she was determined to scan every inch of the complex.

"Hey," Jean spun around and her flashlight beam illuminated Tom standing behind here. "I was getting worried about you," Tom said. "We shouldn't be off wandering by ourselves."

"Oh, you were?" Jean said. "And what about Anthony. Are you getting worried about him?"

"I looked into the file," Tom said. "Apparently the computer log indicates that the human experiments were gassed when the place was over run with some hostile life forms."

"But there were no sign of any bodies," Jean retorted. "So maybe all of them are still alive somewhere."

"Maybe," Tom said smiling. "And if they are, I'll bet you they stayed near the base in case someone came to investigate."

"Yeah, well, I'll bet they didn't stay near the base," Jean said bitterly.

"How come?" Tom asked.

Jean sat down against the wall. "Because of what their fellow humans did to them. If anybody comes looking who's to say they won't be locked up again?"

"Maybe, you have a point," Tom said sitting next to her.

She looked over at him. "What will we do if we find him?"

Tom looked back and sighed. "I don't know."

"I don't think he'll be readily excepted into human society the way he is now," Jean said.

"Maybe, we can invent some kind of cure," Tom said though he knew the chances of that were very slim.

Jean laughed humorlessly. "Invent a cure? Where's the profit in that?"

"What do you mean?" Tom asked surprised at her sudden change of tone.

"What's the point of inventing a cure for it?" Jean asked. "Do you think it will sell? Somehow I can't picture you financing a cure. How's it supposed to pay off?"

"Is that what you think?" Tom said angrily. He got to his feet and faced her. "That I just care about profits? Well, I do care about my son!"

Jean sighed. "Is that why you had him going through that stupid advanced economics, business math garbage?"

"That…" Tom stopped short unable to think of anything further to say.

"Was what caused all this in the first place," Jean said.

Tom scoffed and stomped off down the corridor.