12 years before
Project Inflexus
"And we would like to greet the man behind this research, Frederic Bishop Weyland! He will accompany us to the Agamemnon. He is the one who is aware of what we are looking for."
Weyland, visibly younger, in his twenties, dressed in a smart suit, stepped through the door. After having left Weyland-Yutani's rapid strike unit, his father had sent him with these Marines to the wreck of the Agamemnon, a colonization ship that had been lost a year back. He was instructed to retrieve files that were confidential. Secret files, not even saved on a computer. The Agamemnon had been floating for a year until they found it. All the power had been lost, and it was floating dead in the Quadrant Sigma.
After having located it, a team of marines had been dispatched, to check what was going on.
Now they were so close to it.
The marines were getting ready. Ready to board the Agamemnon, and he was going with them, whenever they were going to like it or not.
They didn't like it, obviously
"Hey, I'm not taking him with us. At least not till we know what's going on. He's going to get in the way and-"
"I am quite capable of fending for myself" Weyland said, putting his hand inside his brown overcoat.
The marine snickered, but a glance from his captain silenced him. "We are taking Weyland with us. He is the only reason we're boarding the Agamemnon before it will be towed for salvage. There's a file on board, a file that needs to be retrieved under all circumstances.
"What's in that file?"
"The names of the descendants of the Project Inflexus." Weyland told them.
"Don't you have that file already? I remember there was quite a scene about it being stolen, and then retrieved."
"That was the list of female descendants. The one on the Agamemnon contains the names of all and every descendant of Project Inflexus."
"What's Project Inflexus anyway?"
Weyland frowned "I'm not going to tell you guys that. It's top secret."
The soldiers grumbled, but got suited up. The captain passed Weyland. "There's nothing in there we are supposed to know about. I heard Project Inflexus had Xenomorphs involved. Do we have to expect xenomorphs?"
Weyland shook his head. "No, there weren't any Xenomorphs aboard the Agamemnon."
"Good."
The marines left the briefing chamber, and ventured towards the boarding capsules. Weyland followed them. They were under orders not to disturb any possible evidence.
Five soldiers, the captain and Weyland stepped into the first boarding capsule. Two remained on the mothership.
"Capsule A to Mothership, the hatches are closed and secured, and we are ready for blast-off"
The boarding capsule had been attached to the hull, and they had hacked an airlock to get inside.
The soldiers were securing the perimeter, finding nothing but deserted corridors and hallways.
"This is like, really creepy, captain. Shouldn't there be bodies? The life support is still running, but there should really be bodies. What made this ship go haywire?"
"I need a terminal, and I need a bit of time. I can locate the file by means of the main computer."
"You guys heard Weyland, find him a terminal, and secure it! I want to be out of this creepy vessel as soon as I can!"
The marines scouted around as instructed and managed to locate a terminal. Weyland set to work. He wasn't exactly a trained administrator, but his knowledge of the ship's computer should be sufficient to locate the files.
Working the computer, his mind wandered to the tragedy that had occurred here. He didn't know the cause, nobody did, and they were to tow the Agamemnon back to earth, for the crime scene investigation teams to find out the exact cause.
They hadn't found any bodies up to now, but that didn't mean anything. It wasn't smelly either, but if the life support was still running, it would've neutralised the smell anyway.
He kept navigating himself through the menus, until he found what he was looking for.
A file cabinet in Room 111.
"I've found it! Room 111! It's not far, close to the hypersleep chambers for the colonists."
The captain called his marines together, and they made their way down the corridor. Every single door on this ship was open. They scouted through living quarters, the galley, even the toilets without finding anything interesting.
It was only till they entered a room with a lone billiard table inside, that they found the first body.
The shrivelled human remains were spread out on the table. His head was caved in, and blackened remains of blood were all around the room.
"Oh my god! What happened here?"
The captain looked at the dead man with disgust. "Whatever hit him was hard and fast. Looks like they killed each other. That's definitely a wound a human would inflict."
They went on. Bodies started to appear, in rooms, on corridors. Their skin was shrivelled and shrunken, and most of them had died of a blow to the head.
Those weren't clean kills. Those were acts of rage, of violence powered by anger.
The closer they came to Room 111, the more bodies they found.
Room 112 contained a woman with her child, in a last, horrifying embrace. It made Weyland's blood run cold just looking at it.
He had never seen a massacre like this one. He had dealt with just about the worst humanity could dish out, even with the aftermath of a xenomorph infestation. But never had he seen such mindless murder.
Xenomorphs killed for survival, whilst these kills here were for sport.
The door to room 111 was open, and the file cabinet had been throw to the floor, its contents strewn all over the floor.
One single file lay on the office table.
His file.
Three androids were leaning over it, immobile and dead, their power long drained.
"That's it. That's the file."
"I don't like this." The seven persons crowded at the entrance of the door.
"Gunner, go get the file, and bring it to Mr. Weyland."
"I'm not his-"
"That will do. Do as you're ordered"
"Yes, Sir!"
Slowly, the marine addressed as Gunner edged into the room. The inanimate androids gave the whole scenery a surreal feel to it.
Gunner grabbed the file, and scooted back, a brave smile on his face. Weyland practically tore it form his hand and opened it.
Project Inflexus – Name of Descendants, the first page read.
"It's the one. We've got it. Now let's head back!"
With a visible sight, all soldiers turned, and started to walk back.
Except Gunner.
Gunner stared at Weyland, who was the last to leave the room.
And suddenly, something burst from his ribcage. A human hand. Blood spurted out of the wound, and the solider fell to the ground with a blood-curdling thud.
An android stood behind him.
"SHIT! RUN!" Weyland turned around, suddenly feeling the android grip him by the lapels of his coat.
He left it with the android and started to flee.
"Weyland? What happened? Where's Gunner?"
"Gunner is dead. The androids. It was them! Listen, you've got to go now!"
As if on cue, the three androids stepped out of room 111.
"Open FIRE!" The captain shouted, and Weyland dropped himself flat on the floor.
Five guns went off, tearing at his eardrums. Casings clattered on the floor.
The androids were practically torn apart in a cascade of white liquid spurting from them. The firing stopped, and Weyland jumped to his feet.
"What the fuck is wrong with those things?"
"I don't know! But there will be more than three on board, so I suggest we-"The captain was cut short by another android stepping from a room. It drew its fist back and crushed the commanding officers skull with ease.
Weyland ran.
He wasn't ashamed to admit it, but he just hadn't planned at dying at the hands of an android. Hell, he had a few million in cash back home to take care of, and a file in his hand worth a few more.
He heard shooting behind him, and then running.
"Return that file please".
The android had grabbed him by the shoulder, sending him spinning to the floor. He dropped the file, and emptied the clip of his revolver into the head of the synthetic.
White liquid shot out, and the head practically exploded.
Behind him, he heard screams, and gunfire.
If he could only get back to the boarding capsule, and escape this vessel. He tucked the file under his arm, and started reloading his gun.
Behind him, the gunfire ceased, and he heard the sound of another man running behind him.
"Weyland! Wait up! Don't leave without me!"
One of the marines, bar his helmet and his gun, sweat glistening on his bald head had managed to escape.
The androids were standard-issue service androids, and therefor slow and cumbersome, but equipped with inhuman strength. They filled the corridor now, at least five of them walking behind them.
If they couldn't reach the boarding capsule, and manage to get it launched off, the androids would cave their heads in.
"Come on then! It's no use fighting them!"
"The captain's dead. Hell, everyone is dead!"
"I know. I've seen it. But don't worry, private. The Capsule isn't far away!"
They ran on. The synthetic voices of the androids started to fade away, being replaced by their laboured breathing and the thump of their feet on the metal floor panes. They had to take care not to trip over the bodies that were already becoming scarce. Weyland clutched the file in his hand, taking care not to let go.
They ran. They ran until they were out of breath, leaning against the wall of the corridor, breathing hard.
"I suppose…we're..not…gonna get…back home…" the marine coughed.
"We are…I….Promise…" Weyland rasped.
They had to get back. They just couldn't die out here. Weyland didn't so much care for the soldier, but rather for himself.
"Go!" They went on.
It seemed ages, until they spotted the terminal.
"It's close! It's got to be around here somewhere!"
They checked room after room, and ultimately, just before they thought they had taken a wrong turn somewhere, spotted the open hatch, and the boarding capsule behind it.
Weyland jumped in, whilst the soldier frantically tried to close the hatch on the hull behind him. "I can't get it sealed! I can't!"
"Leave the goddamn hatch and get us out of here! I don't care about the Agamemnon!" Weyland roared, so loud the soldier jumped.
He did as he was ordered, and closed the hatch. "Mothership? Mothership, can you read me?"
"Private Sanchez, we read you. What happened? Where is the rest of the team?"
"Dead! Quickly, pull us back!"
Silence from the communicator.
"Could the rest of the squad still be alive? We'll send in Rein-"
"WE ARE GOING TO DIE IN HERE IF YOU DON'T HURRY!"
"Just a second."
Weyland grabbed the communicator "12.000 dollars for both of you, if you get the capsule off now!"
That settled it.
The capsule started to detach itself, and with a hydraulic hiss, was pulled back.
Weyland breathed out a sigh of relief.
"We did it."
"What's in that file? I mean really. What's Project Inflexus?"
Weyland leaned back "I suppose it doesn't matter anyway now. Project Inflexus was the attempt by the military to create a super-soldier by crossing human and xenomorph DNA. The attempt was unsuccessful, but they kept track of the descendants of the 8 females that were involved in Project Inflexus. This file contains the names of not only the female descendants, but also the male sons and grandsons."
He opened it, staring at the name at the beginning of the page.
Paul Cromwell, aged 14. Current Location – Earth. Grade of DNA coherence: Unknown.