After that day when I met David, I thought things were going to become better, but that wasn't the case. The very next day, my restraints opened up automatically. I was confused as I got out of the position I was stuck in for so many weeks. Why was I released? Were they planning to experiment on me again? The door that led out of the prison opened up, and I was surprised to see that there were no humans walking up and down the hallways. It was strange, because this hallway was filled with humans every day, but today, it was unusually quiet. They were definitely experimenting on me, but I wasn't sure what they had in mind. Last time, they tested me on my combat skills. Do they want me to fight another one of their monsters?
I took a step out into the brightly lit hallway. Luckily, the hallways were built with very high ceilings so I could navigate through them without feeling cramped. I took my time walking down the hallway. It seemed that many of the turns that I remembered seeing in this hallway were gone, presumably walls that have been put up to block those paths. It was like they were guiding me through the halls to a specific room. Eventually, I arrived at a large rusty door and as soon as I approached it, it glided open. I did not have a doubt, people were scrutinizing me.
The door revealed a fairly large room, but not one that wasn't suited for any kind of brawl. The room was littered with soft squares(pillows) and bells hung from the ceiling. As I entered the room, my head would bump into a few of the bells which would cause a soft, charming ring that traveled around the room. It felt quite cozy in this room as a matter of fact. I heard a cooing sound and my attention was turned toward the center of the room. There was some sort of cradle in the middle of the room. I approached it with caution, not sure what to expect. I saw a bunch of those little squares inside the cradle and there was also a blanket. Something was wrapped inside it, for I sensed movement from it. I reached out my arm to see what was under the blanket. I was curious, and maybe that is what the humans wanted me to do. My claws grasped the blanket and I gently removed it to reveal what it was covering.
It was an infant. A human baby. It stared up at me innocently, not knowing what fear was and the difference between safety and danger. It cooed again as it tried to reach my tusks with its little plump hands. I let out a soft hiss, and the infant began to laugh. As it began to kick its feet, I noticed that its legs were cuffed by a medal shackle that was connected to the craddle.
What did the humans want me to do? There's a human baby in this room, now what? I turned to leave the room, but I that was when I began to hear the sound of a faint ticking. Was it a clock? No, it was coming from inside the cradle. I carefully examined the pillows that the baby was lying on and found a heavy object wrapped in a bunch of wires. I tried picking up the metal object, but it was bolted to the bottom of the crib. The object began to tick faster and I realized what I was staring at. I don't know why I did what I did, I could've easily just left and escape from the room unharmed, but I did something else.
I tried to grab the baby, making sure my claws did not scratch it, but I had to do something about the metal shackle. I clawed at it, but it wasn't doing much. The ticking was getting louder and I saw a red light begin to flash. I used my mouth and chomped down on the chain and it snapped apart. I pulled the baby out of cradle and dashed for the door. It was a little too late. I was only just at the entrance to the hallway when the bomb detonated and the explosion scorched my back. The shock wave sent me forward but I was able to recover and land on my feet. The burns on my back hurt quite a lot, but I was able to withstand the pain. I looked down to see if I have successfully shielded the infant in between my arm. It was still cooing as I looked down at it and to my surprise, it said the word, "Daddy!" as it stretched out its arms in a hugging motion.
Daddy? It saw me as its father. This was when all the questions rushed into my mind. Whose child was this? Why was it strapped to a bomb? Why would these humans allow me, an alien creature, to interact with it? What were they trying to achieve? I thought back to my hive and my children. I really wanted to see them again, but I couldn't. I can't possibly think of a way to get back to them. I was probably on a different planet, who knows how far from my home.
Then, the thought of Alice returned to me. Where was she? Does she think of me as a monster? Is she the one behind the camera, watching me? It was weird, but I wanted to see Alice more than I wanted to return home. She was the one who gave me purpose before. Then, I remembered that mysterious man. David. Where was he? Was he behind this as well?
Shaking off these questions, I stroked the baby's forehead with my claw. Its skin was very soft and delicate. The explosion has settled and I reentered the room. The room was dark and covered in ashes. The air was filled with the smell of smoke. Perhaps it was unhealthy for the infant here. I turned away and distanced myself from the room when a wall opened up in the middle of the hallway. This passage led to another brightly lit hallway that stretched as far as my eyes could see. I had no other choice but to continue, with the baby in my arms.
I arrived at another door, but this one was white and sparkling clean. It slide open smoothly and revealed a white room. The first thing that caught my attention was the xenomorph egg that was located at the center of the room. What was I supposed to do here? I walked over to the egg, and sure enough, I sense that a facehugger was present in there. The baby cooed again, and the flaps on the opened up.
I almost forgot about the facehugger stage. In my hive, my queen was genetically enhanced, so she laid eggs that produce what you humans call chestbursters. It was efficient, for our hive was able to thrive without the need of hosts. Plus, it is a sad life to have known that your life is only possible by another's death. If I still a drone, who served under the previous queen, I probably would have used the baby as a host for the facehugger, but now, I didn't have to follow another's order. The facehugger saw the baby and leaped out to "face hug" the baby. Without thinking, I grabbed the facehugger by the tail, stopping it from contacting the infant. The facehugger squealed as I held it in place. I tried commanding it to stop, but it didn't seem to understand. As it realized I was not going to let go, it sprung up towards my mouth.
No, I was not going to make the same mistake that happened that very first, fateful day. I yanked the facehugger by its tail, disorientating it, and I threw it at the wall with great force, making its blood splatter all over the white surface of the room. Thankfully, the baby was still fine and it was still cooing happily. All of a sudden, across from me was a camouflaged door that opened up. A man walked through the door. It was David.
"Well, it seems that I was right about you. Sorry, for leaving you oblivious to the situation. This was a test that my superiors wanted me to have done on you, and you have passed with flying colors!"
