Jonesy grows impatient, claws scratching delicately at the exposed legs of his master. He circles her several times round, pressing the soft pelt of his coat into soiled legs. Yowls loudly, trying to garner her attention but all he receives in turn is a quick pat to the head. Ellen's heart races in her chest as she gradually moves forward in the long line of colonists awaiting to hear the fate of loved ones. Captain Daniels is the bearer of such news. Colonists either sigh with relief, cry hysterically or both. One man even reaches over the table where Daniels is seated, shaking her shoulders madly. Walter is forced to subdue him, dragging the struggling man out of the humid tent.
Fellow colonists watch cautiously, anticipating how they'll react to their own news. The young woman is unsure of what will greet her personally, feet moving forward as the word "Next!" is shouted. It took one more week after her talk with Tennessee for the captain to recover enough to suffer the consequences of being leader to nearly 2,000 people. That meant facing raw grief at its ugliness. Jonah stands behind her in line, her best friend barely keeping her own sanity in check. He rolls his eyes at the seemingly never-ending line, sore from standing for hours. She gives him a sardonic smile, one brow raised high at his rather uncouth behavior.
"You're such a diva Jonah, I'm surprised you haven't put on your makeup for the day. What happened, loose your kit?"
Her shoulder is pushed playfully by manicured nails, ignoring her presence as he bends down to pet Jonesy, rubbing his chin with one finger.
"Bitch please, as if I would even put on anything in this humidity. Not remotely worth the time or the effort. At least I shaved, look at your legs you savage!"
Ellen can't help herself, she laughs whole heartily, bending over, clutching her stomach. Stern stares greet them but she couldn't care less.
Thank god for Jonah, is all she can think, studying the prickly stubs of hair on her calves.
"It's not that bad, I've gone sometimes two weeks without shaving."
"That's gross. Three days maximum for me. There's a reason why you can't get a boyfriend."
She retorts snarkily, waving her index finger at him like an old school matron.
"Oh, so what's your reason for not having one? Hmm?"
His face glosses over dreamily, hands clasping together as he stares at the ceiling.
"I'm waiting for the one, not worth getting involved otherwise. Way too much drama. Have enough of that with you in my life, girl."
"Oh gee, thanks. Appreciate your honesty."
"Honesty is the best policy", he winks while picking up the ginger kitten, resting him on his shoulder. "Which reminds me, have you seen the body on that Walter model? Yum-y."
Lips are licked damp as he glances at the behind of the synthetic model, Ellen's turn to roll her eyes as she blanches at the idea.
"No thanks, synthetics creep the shit out of me. Walter models included."
"Really? You grew up around synthetics, didn't you have a David 8 nanny model?"
"Yeah, I did. They eventually had to decommission him, started to act real funky as I got older."
The thought of her former nanny expedites already anxiety riddled nerves, the memoires of him once again making her heart pound an irregular staccato. Her friend gives an exaggerated frown in turn, lips pouting.
"Come on, David 8's I can understand being creeped out by but the Walter models? They are absolutely divine! All they have in common is their appearance, that's it. Don't be afraid of them."
"Agree to disagree on that one Jonah. My parents may be robotics specialists, having grown up around them all my life. Hasn't made a difference for me." Rubbing at her face roughly, she's exasperated at her own fear of androids, attempting to justify it. "Plus, don't you think it's weird this Walter model looks exactly like the old David 8's? I mean look at that hair, it's uncanny."
He puts his index finger on his chin, hips swaying as he studies the Covenant's personal model. Walter vainly combs his bleached hair while his right hand holds tightly the back of Captain Daniels chair, veins visibly stressed from synthetic flesh. Her large doe eyes seem to tear up for the briefest of moments as she glances at him from her chair. That disappears as soon as he whispers in her ear, an odd little smirk gracing his handsome face. Instead, she stands to address the remaining colonists in the room, attempting to clear her throat, hands rigidly placed on the table.
"Uh…sorry to announce this as you all been waiting patiently for hours to hear about your loved ones. I have to stop for the day, something has been brought to my attention that needs to be taken care of immediately."
She sways uncomfortably on feet that can barely stand her weight, flinching slightly at the collective groan in the room. Ellen loses it right there, temper over its boiling point, fist shaking in the direction of the weary woman.
"I've been waiting for 7 fucking hours to hear about what happened to my parents. I'm 5th in line at this point, what the hell!?" Can't you go a little longer!?"
More colonists speak up, sharing her outrage
"Really lady, I'm 2nd in line here. Girl has a point. What's a few more minutes of your time worth? Huh? Wanna hear what happened to my wife!"
"Yeah!"
"He's right!"
"I want answers now!"
"Bitch!", another colonist joins the growing angry mob, throwing a can at her. Tennessee catches it daftly, giving the man a look that immediately shuts him up.
"Hey, almost everyone in this room has lost someone, including me and the captain! I suggest y'all show a little respect, she's still ill. The rest of you guys will hear back early tomorrow morning. In the meantime, Walter is gonna take down your names in order, he comin around right now."
The synthetic moves gracefully through the crowd, tablet awaiting a signature from the first person in line. This goes accordingly until he reaches the furious teen girl, pen thrown right at his face. It smacks with a dull thud, a neutral smile greeting her as he crouches to pick it up, tilting his head slightly.
"I suggest you control your temper Miss Ripley."
As hard as she can muster, a kick is thrown his way, catching him off guard. The crunch of cartilage is heard as her foot connects with his nose. Some cheer while others observe wearily, not wanting to fuel the riot. Jonah and Jonesy root her on as she rushes the captain and pilot, arm like a viper as she snatches the list in a blur. Tee immediately grabs for her, beefy arms struggling to reach. Daniels stands in a daze, not believing her eyes. That girl, the very same girl who she noticed on the day she received her concussion just kicked David. Destroyed his nose. A thrill runs through her, what she's been wanting to do all along accomplished by the rebellious teen.
God bless her.
She almost reaches the last names beginning with R when Walter grabs her by the scruff of her neck, throwing with unnecessary force. Back is smacked against the tarp of the tent, the unforgiving sun meeting her as she rolls onto the ground outside, the wind knocked out of her. His fury is palpable, Ellen panicking, backing away futilely as dirt digs deep under nails, feet kicking up soil. He dodges it with ease, hands bracing her ankles, dragging the screaming girl to the medical tent.
"Your actions have deemed it necessary for me to give you a sedative. Please be patient, this will be over shortly."
"Ah ah! Fuck you, you synthetic motherfucker!"
"Now, now, no need for name calling."
Her screeches can be heard throughout the entire colony, colonists peeking out from their temporary homes to see what the commotion was about. Tennessee stands slack jawed, the whiskey he just drank drippling out from his bottom lip.
"That kid has some serious issues. Hope Walter takes care of that hot mess."
"I don't think so, I'm going after them."
"Wait, Daniels-
She jogs on after them, feet pounding the ground erratically. Jonah joins the pilot as he watches, not so subtly glancing at his bottle of booze.
"Think you can share?"
"After that shit storm, you bet your ass I can."
He passes the alcohol to him, the young man taking a swig as Jonesy purrs sleeping, oblivious to his master's terror.
They weave through the corridors of the crashed Juggernaut, ethereal light faintly guiding their path. Water sloshes at trotting feet, shaky in the surrounding sludge. Walter is corralled in the middle, the engineers seemingly closing in on him as they soon reach their destination. It dawns on him then that the overseer's remaining comrades wait in the quarters that were once Elizabeth's. Voices can be made out, faint at first then increasingly louder as the synthetic greets their presence. Then silence.
Judgement is passed upon him right then, some backing away, some leaning in to observe him further. Oknor has to shield his vision to take a good look at the artificial being, arm raised to block the last functioning light in the ship's system. The man in his presence appears to be a male human in his mid to late 30's, aesthetically pleasing in his opinion. Features were void of emotion, seemingly blank as any sentinel would be. His eyes said otherwise. Many horrors had greeted this man in his lifetime, the faintest bit of fear dilating his pupils wider.
Must be wary of us. He has every right to be.
Mother Uytqyo gestures at Oknor to continue, the elderly overseer awaiting his prognosis. Oknor brings Walter to his knees as does he, both of them partially submerged in the dingy swamp water. Fingers gently pat the synthetic's face, prodding at the collagen specifically produced to mimic a human's own skin. He muses at his findings.
So, our children made their sentinels as copies of themselves, albeit an ideal replica. Sans any visible, tangible emotion. Interesting.
The overseer lays his palmwhere the synthetic would have a heart if he were human, other pressed against his forehead. His deep rumbling voice breaks the silence.
"I feel great pain inside you, artificial man. What has transpired here, that has led to your downfall?"
Walter unconsciously blinks several times, failing to understand the ceremony before him. What was their goal? Why bring him here specifically to interrogate? Were they giving him their blessing? His voice cracks in response, fluid gurgling his speech.
"My name is Walter. I was built specifically to serve the colonist ship, the USCSS Covenant. Roughly three years to our intended destination, a distressed signal was caught by our sensors. Responding to its call, we landed on this planet. What greeted us killed most of our crew. Including me."
He chuckles at his explanation, Walter perturbed at the overseer's muffled laughter.
"Killed? Aren't you only a machine? Who is to say you have a soul?"
A test? Why is doing this? Shouldn't he be concerned with what transpired here, not my perceived death? The synthetic fumes at Oknor's semantics.
"I met the woman who sent that signal while I was without corporal form. You'll have to take my word for it."
"Oh, is that so? Elaborate."
The friendly tone dissipates, replaced by a cold flat one. He now has his helmet pressed close to his face, reflection greeting him in the suit's visor. His body stiffens, wrestling for control.
Focus, focus.
"The woman…Elizabeth's soul told me you were coming. Said this place was a settlement, that when she came to meet you, humanity's creators, disaster struck. David, her companion at the time, killed them all. Used the few survivors as lab rats to create the "perfect organism."
"The beast."
"…we referred to it as the neomorph, a new lifeform that we've never seen previously."
"That couldn't be farther from the truth. That thing has existed for as long as the Ma'kala have, if not longer."
The overseers in the room nod in tangent, agreeing on his statement.
"This David, what kind of man is he?"
"Not a man, machine. My twin brother."
"Thinks himself a god?"
"Based on limited interactions, however brief, I would say yes."
"Hmm."
Azuei interrupts, fellow overseers mildly surprised at what she says.
"I think it's our turn to answer some of his question, don't you think?"
The commander peers at her sidelong, chin resting on her cane. She walks to stand by Oknor's side, index finger pointed threateningly at Walter.
"Very well, what are your concerns sentinel?"
He didn't have to think twice about what he was going to ask.
"I want to know approximately how long it has been since my...decommissioning. Origae-6 was roughly 7 ½ years away from the time we reached your settlement. The people I swore to protect are in danger, depending on how much time has passed, I want to calculate if they're still live."
Wal'os gestures to his wounds inflicted by the neomorph, roughly grunting.
"Good Gods man, you think they're alive after all this time? Look at what I suffered. If what you say is true, they're probably dead. Right Azuei?"
"Well, there's a small percentage they survived based on my findings." Teeth bite at her bottom lip, not wanting to give false hope to the synthetic. "To bring the beast back to full compacity, more research would be required by this David character."
"How long?"
"Months if not years, sentinel. Calculating what you've told us, comparing it to my satellite recordings…I'd say about 7 earth years, 8 months."
Walter doesn't verbally respond to the news, tears speaking for themselves. They flow silently, the new sensation bringing his operating system to near shut now. Eyelids flutter, struggling to keep awake. Oknor lifts him from under his arms, sternly shaking him.
"Keep it together, we are each other's only hope now. I wish to speak with him in private presently, Mother Uytqyo being the exception."
The group of engineers hesitate for the briefest of moments, filing out in a single line to their operational ships. Azuei and Wal'os look sympathetically at the android, silently wishing him luck as they leave the room.
"Now that that's out of the way, I want to know if you know what this symbol is."
Elizabeth's cross is brought out by Oknor, light bouncing off the gleaming gold. Mother makes an indiscernible noise, cane bouncing erratically. Nervous.
"Yes, the symbol of Jesus Christ which Christians identify by. Elizabeth was a practicing practitioner."
"I have a story to tell you about the man who's represented by this cross, the reason behind my people's downfall. Listen carefully, for what I'm about to tell you not even my subordinates know the details of. This information is relevant to our current situation. Are you ready?"
"Of course."
"Then let me start."
Author's note: I'm sorry if Jonah is too fabulous for you guys but I'm not. lol XD Didn't even know Hallet and Lope were a coupe until I confirmed it on wikipedia. Movie just threw those characters away. Anyway, he's loosely based on a good friend of mine from my college days, very flamboyant. Ellen needs a good friend, thus Jonah was brought into creation. :D