They ran up to the landing deck, where Lee was waiting for them on the ship ramp.

"Let's go!" He shouted.

They broke into a run, but time seemed to slow as a half-grown xenomorph jumped down from the top of the shuttle and pinned him to the deck.

Dawson fired her rifle, but it was too late. The xenomorph bit out Lee's throat and bounded toward its new targets. Ripley was done. She snatched a grenade from Call's belt and pulled the pin as she ran. She leapt up to meet the xenomorph in the air, jammed the grenade in between the plates of its exoskeleton, and leapt away. The xenomorph burst apart, and the way was clear. Ripley, Dawson, and Call hurried onto the ship and closed the ramp behind them.

"Good to have you back," Smith said from the pilot's seat. "You had five minutes to spare. Where's Lee?"

Call lowered her eyes. "He's dead. Another one if those things got him."

Smith took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Then let's get the hell out of here before anymore of them make a move on us. It's what he would have wanted."

The ship lifted off, and shot away over the water. A few minutes later, there was a massive explosion. Through the back portholes, they were able to see Steelbourne being consumed by smoke and flames. "Good riddance," Vriess muttered.

"So where are we headed?" Smith asked. "The USM will probably be looking for us in the area. We need someplace to lay low for a while. Any suggestions?"

"We're not exactly from around here," Johner said. "So, no."

"I think I know a place," Dawson said with a smile.

The ocean waves lapped at Ripley's bare feet, and she smiled as she basked in the light of her first sunrise. Dawson and Call were with her, sharing this special moment with her. They had managed to land on another island, this one off the coast of New Zealand. Dawson said it had been one of her favorite getaways as a child. It was a peaceful place. More importantly, it was isolated. A refuge.

There would probably come a time when they would have to find another safe place. But for now, they deserved a good rest after all the horrors and loss they had endured. Who knew if it would be the last that they would get?

Australia, southern coastline

A sealed cryotube washed up on the shore, along with bits of metal and debris. The tube was remarkably undamaged - perhaps because it had been painstakingly fortified with extra shielding. Its life support was stable. Its flickering readout read

[queens].