Chapter Eight
Sophie yawned as she came back to consciousness from hypersleep. She always seemed to be the first to wake. As she looked down at her beloved mate, who still slumbered, she smiled serenely.
The sound of a cough brought her attention up as MacReady swung his legs out of his stasis pod. He gave a soft groan as he rubbed his head as he regained his senses. Sophie watched as Mac just sat there. She gave a moan so low, no normal human would hear. The sickness she had sensed when they first met had gotten worse, the reek of sickness was overwhelming to her acute olfactory orbs.
In the two years Sophie had been living with Kyle, she had made a special point of learning everything she could about human anatomy, physiology and everything else that would better enable her to care for her mate. Sophie knew almost as much about the human body and how it worked as most doctors did. Sophie had sensed sickness when Kyle was sick with the flu a few years ago, but that was a different kind of sickness.
As Mac finally got to his feet, he coughed lightly as he opened his locker, removed his clothes and got dressed. Sophie watched as Mac walked towards the hall, towards the mess hall. Sophie gave Kyle a soft kiss on the cheek before sliding most gracefully out of the stasis pod and following the captain of their ship.
As MacReady walked down the hall, he gave a soft groan as he staggered, listing faintly to port. His face creased into a light grimace of pain as he rubbed his temples. He was surprised when he felt something wrap around his waist. He looked over his shoulder as Sophie looked down at him, giving a soft moan. Even though Sophie couldn't verbally speak, Mac could tell she was worried. He gave a soft, weak smile.
"Don't worry, Sophie. Just a little groggy is all," he soothed as he rubbed his neck. Sophie gave a soft sound that was something between a moan and a trill, motioning towards the mess hall. Mac nodded as they walked, Sophie's tail wrapped around his waist the whole way helped alleviate the trace of vertigo. When they reached the mess hall, Sophie pulled out a chair and gently urged Mac into it. The bearded man couldn't help a smile. "Thanks." Sophie nodded as she unwound her tail from him.
Mac took a deep breath and sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. As his headache pulsed, he felt something warm running from his nose. He reached up and wiped the tiny trickle of blood away. He looked up as Sophie returned with a cup of hot coffee, offering it with a soft purr. He smiled as he took the cup from her. "Thanks a lot, Sophie. You're an angel." Sophie trilled at that. Mac inhaled the sweet aroma of his favorite Cafe au lait coffee, already feeling worlds better.
XXX
Kyle sat up in his stasis pod with a mild groan. He felt Sophie's mind softly brush his and smiled.
How's MacReady? Kyle mentally queried as his mate returned to the hypersleep chamber. She thrummed deeply as she walked over to stroke her mate's soft, sandy-blonde hair.
Much better . . . Kyle smiled.
"'Morning, you two," said Seth as he stood and rolled his shoulders. Sophie purred her greeting as Seth gave a soft smile at them before going to retrieve his clothes. Sophie walked over and purred at Sam as she got up from her stasis pod. The mocha-skinned woman smiled at her best friend.
"Good morning, Sophie. Hope you slept well." Sophie answered with a gentle hug. Sam chuckled as she returned the embrace.
After a good breakfast, the crew gathered on the bridge to see their destination at long last.
Kyle couldn't help staring at the pink and blue clouds of space-dust in the distance as they stared at the home planet of the Creators, and Sophie's people.
The planet was a silvery-gray color, with large rings around it. It looked like it was larger than Zerichs II, from what they could see. Mac gave a soft groan as he looked out at the planet.
"So, that's it . . . The home planet of the Xenomorphs and the Creators." Mac turned to the others. "All right, let's take her down," he ordered as he took his seat. "Terry, give me the coordinates from the derelict ship, if you please . . ."
"Aye, captain," replied the tech as he typed. Everyone else took their seats and buckled in as the Vortex began its descent through the heavy clouds. Kyle watched as lightning flashed through the extremely thick clouds, white-hot, illuminating the atmosphere to silvery-white.
"Whoa! Talk about weather!" exclaimed Hugo as Mac watched the screens.
"Terry, give me a scan of the surface. "Pea Soup" doesn't begin to describe this visibility," Mac groused as he adjusted for turbulence. The screens lit up with a display of the topography of the planet far below. The digital display showed a surface that was very hilly and mountainous in the area. As they flew through the storm, the screen displayed a flat surface not far from the coordinates. The screen also indicated that it was near a very large body of liquid.
Mac frowned as he took the ship in and gently circled the flat plateau that overlooked their destination. "Coming in for landing. Hang on, everybody." Mac guided the ship gently down through the thick clouds and fog, the rain pattering on the windows as they came down. With a rumble and a bit of a jolt, the Vortex landed. Mac sighed as he looked over the screens as he turned the engines off. "Terry, give me an atmospheric," Mac ordered. Terry complied. The tech stared at his screen, one eyebrow cocked at the readout.
"Well, that's interesting . . . Almost like home. Primary elements are Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon and Carbon dioxide." Sam looked over Terry's shoulder at the readout.
"But almost none of the trace elements are known to the computer," she observed. Mac nodded.
"She's right. Let's test it on an Air Fern," he said as he tapped buttons.
The Zeralius Fern of Zerichs II, also known as an "Air Fern" was one of the most useful plants in space, and one of the few things Zerichs II traded off-world. The fern was extremely sensitive to air, and if it was placed in an atmosphere that humans couldn't survive in, it would die within minutes. It could be viewed as the Twenty-Eighth Century version of the canary in a coal mine.
Within a few minutes, they had an answer, and Mac was stunned. "Wow . . . The fern isn't dying; It's thriving," He looked at his crew with a light grin. "The air's breathable." This was met by appreciative murmurs from the rest of the crew.
Through all of this, Kyle had been in concentration with Sophie.
Sophie, can you feel any others? Sophie gave a very soft moan.
Yes. It's very faint, but I can feel them somewhere. Kyle could feel excitement from her, but also apprehension. Sophie had never been around others of her kind. Nor had he, for that matter. They had no idea how they would react to their unusual relationship. Kyle glanced up as Mac stood from his chair. "All right, let's get our suits on and we'll-"
"You guys are staying here." Kyle said bluntly. Everyone stared at him as Sophie gave a sound somewhere between a snort and a growl. "Me and Sophie can pass the scent-test, but you can't." Kyle noticed the confused stares he was receiving. "The rest of Sophie's kind would view you as prey; hosts. Or, to be blunt – meat on the hoof." Sam strode forward at this.
"Wait a minute! You two aren't going out there all alone!" Sam was exasperated. Sophie gave a soft purr as she gently took Sam's hand. Kyle smiled gently at her.
"Don't worry, Sam. We'll be all right." Sam frowned as she looked at them, uncertain, but then, there wasn't really anything anyone else could do. Mac sighed as he lit his pipe.
"They're right, Sam." They looked up at their captain. "Sophie and Kyle are different. The others aren't Bonded to a host." Mac looked at Kyle, his eyes questioning. "But, what are you two going to do?" Kyle sighed as he stood up.
"We'll tell them what we're doing and why we're here. They're not dumb animals, you know," replied the blonde. A-Mos sighed from where he stood, arms crossed.
"You're right, son. You have a mental Bond with Sophie, so it stands that you should also have one with the rest of them. I have a hard time thinking they'll attack someone who does." Kyle smiled at the former soldier's words. "That said, just be prepared in case things turn sour." Kyle nodded Sophie purred her agreement. Mac smiled as he cleared his throat.
"Okay, then. Take a suit and a survival kit with you. Just in case," Mac advised. Kyle nodded as he and Sophie headed off for the airlock. Sam looked at MacReady, who just smiled at her.
"Mac?" Sam pleaded. Mac puffed some smoke as he looked out the window at the rain.
"They know what they're doing, Sam. We've gotta have faith in them."
XXX
Kyle sighed with relief as he slipped into the slimmer survival suit. He was still a little nervous, but that was alleviated by Sophie, who sat next to him as he fastened snaps and buckles. A-Mos walked up and offered a large pistol in a leg-holster.
"Better to have it and not need it." Kyle smiled gratefully as he took the weapon and attached it to his belt and thigh. "You two just stay safe, you hear?" Kyle nodded and Sophie purred.
Seth sighed as he handed Kyle the survival pack.
"Just try to keep in radio contact, okay?" Seth tried to keep a calm, collected face, but Sophie could sense his concern. She purred as she very gently reached out and touched his hand. Seth smiled very softly at them. Kyle smiled warmly.
"We will. And I'll try to keep the lens of the camera wiped off so you guys can see what we see," Kyle said as he stood. Seth nodded. With that, Kyle and Sophie stepped into the airlock.
Sophie held his hand as the airlock cycled. Kyle smiled up at her.
Well, are you ready? Sophie gave a very soft thrum to acknowledge Kyle's words as she curled her tail around him.
Yes.
The airlock opened to the sounds of the rain softly pattering on the rock and ground. Kyle breathed deeply, appreciating the fresh smell of the rain as they carefully stepped out. The sand under their feet was a silvery color. As they carefully walked out, Kyle could see some of the rocks, and had no doubt anymore that they were on Sophie's home planet.
The rocks had a very distinctive look to them. They were hardly at all like the rocks on their world. They had that distinctive biomechanical look to them. As they walked through the rain and the edge of the plateau, Kyle noticed how moist the air was. It reminded him of back home on Zerichs II.
Sophie was, at the same time, thrilled, and wary. She kept Kyle very close to her, keeping her senses as sharpened as she could. As they walked, Kyle took note of the flat plateau they had landed on, and frowned. It didn't seem natural, but, then again, who was he to say what was natural on an alien world?
When they came to the edge of the plateau, Kyle stared down into the mists down below.
He couldn't be sure, but he thought he could hear the sound of waves. There was a path that led down into the valley below. Kyle looked at Sophie as she stared down at the mists that obscured the valley.
Sophie, are they down there? She gave a very soft rumble.
Yes. I can feel it. Kyle nodded as he began to walk down the path, Sophie right beside him.
The two of them kept their minds linked as they ventured down into the misty valley below. Through their link, Kyle could feel a faint sense of something his human mind had a difficult time comprehending. He knew it was the minds of others of Sophie's kind, but it felt . . . diffuse. As if he were listening underwater, or looking through silk curtains.
Thankfully, neither Kyle nor Sophie could sense anything that felt like the Creators. That said, Sophie did, indeed feel other creatures and life around. Kyle carefully glanced around, but the mist and rain obscured his vision beyond about fifty feet. Sophie scent-tasted the air with her tongue as they moved. Kyle heard a few rocks and pebbles move, somewhere in the mist. Sophie comforted him.
Her instincts and Hive Memories told her nothing around them at the moment was threatening. If anything, they would be tasty. As they got closer to the bottom of the path, Kyle noticed the rain slowly coming to a stop. He reached up with a gloved hand and ruffled his mop of wet, sandy-blonde hair. Sophie purred softly as she ran her long fingers through his hair. The young blonde smiled at his mate as they finally reached the valley floor.
There were more rocks strewn around, but these looked different. They looked cracked and broken. Kyle glanced around as Sophie smelled the air.
"Mac, are you guys reading me?"
"Loud and clear. Video is solid. Sophie feel anything yet?" Mac responded.
"Yes. She can feel they're somewhere around here." Kyle heard Mac give a soft sigh on the other end.
"You two be careful. We don't know what might be out there." Kyle nodded as he looked at Sophie.
"Don't worry. We're being cautious," Kyle chirped over his headset.
As they walked into the valley, Kyle saw more and more of the broken, shattered rocks. Some of them were bigger than Sophie. Kyle noticed the area lighten up as the mist lightened ever so slightly. He looked up, and his eyes grew wide as he stared at the diffuse silhouette that towered about them.
"Kyle, is that what I think it is?" Sam gasped over the radio, as stunned at what she was seeing as Kyle was. Kyle nodded as he stared up into the mists at the two, massive prongs of one of the Creators' ships that loomed high above them in the mists.
Even though it was hidden and diffused by the mists, Kyle was awed by the immense size of the massive Juggernaut. Standing on the bridge of the derelict ship they had been, deep underground and looking at a hologram, Kyle had not realized how gigantic these ships actually were. Sophie growled softly as she wrapped her tail around Kyle and pulled him close. As Kyle looked down at the ground, he could see other shapes in the mists. Obscured, diffused shadows that he was just barely able to perceive.
Sophie kept him close as they walked through the mists. Kyle blinked as he saw one of the huge shapes begin to take form as they came closer. It was a building, and not one crafted by human hands.
The whole structure was huge, looking to Kyle's eyes like a rounded pyramid, as paradoxical as that sounds.
"Looks like somebody cut a giant onion in half . . .-" Victor's voice died away, his jest falling flat. Kyle couldn't help a bit of a smile at that. He was right. Kyle noticed that the very top of it looked fractured. As his eyes drifted around, he realized that the jagged rocks everywhere were pieces of these buildings. Sophie kept Kyle close. Just like the ruins on HS-90, she was extremely wary of the Creators' city.
As they walked, Kyle saw more and more devastation. Some of the buildings were nothing but giant piles of rubble, while others were nearly intact. Here and there, Kyle noticed strange things that seemed to be growing out of the rubble. Sophie's Hive Memories associated the strange, living objects with plants. They weren't dangerous, whatever they were. Kyle noticed that there was a distinctive lack of color to the environment.
Everything was a silvery gray, or shades thereof. Kyle surmised that whatever happened had to have happened a very long time ago, as some of the buildings and even the ships were overgrown with plants. At least, he thought they were plants.
"Boy, this place was really blown to hell . . .-" Mac murmured absently over the headset. Kyle nodded as he and Sophie walked through the ruined streets.
"Yeah. This place looks like a war-zone," Kyle said as he glanced around. There were a few pieces of what looked to be the huge, U-shaped ships lying on the ground or smashed into buildings.
Kyle looked up at the huge silhouette of one of the ships, still whole, crashed into one of the larger buildings. As they approached, Sophie gave a hiss. Kyle felt Sophie's turbulent feelings and steeled his nerves as they neared the broken wall and peered into what remained of the building.
If they had ever had any doubt that Sophie's kind had been on that world, it was swiftly erased as the sight that greeted them inside.
"Good god," breathed A-Mos through the radio as they all took in the ruined remains of the hive. Although it was still very misty, Kyle could clearly make out the huge shape of what remained of the Queen, laying where she had fallen, so long ago. Her womb was still attached, but little more than dust, as were the Cradles. The whole building looked like it had been scorched. Some of the walls look like they had partially melted. Sophie gave a sad, keening moan at the discovery. Kyle wrapped his arms around his mate, sending feelings of warmth, love and comfort through their link.
I'm so sorry, Sophie. Sophie keened sadly as she hugged him.
There are still others alive. Kyle nodded as he stroked her face.
You're right. And we will find them. Kyle gave the love of his life a soft, gentle kiss on the cheek as they continued on.
"You two okay after that?" Seth demanded. Sophie gave a very soft purr of gratitude at Seth's concern. Kyle smiled sadly.
"Yeah. Thanks, Seth." They were both thankful that they weren't alone out there. Pretty much everything they could see and hear, so could the others back on the Vortex.
"Kyle, Sophie, you two be extra careful, now. It looks like that city was bombed something fierce. Even if it was a long time ago, ordnance can still go off years later," A-Mos warned. Kyle sighed as he looked around the misty, ghostly remains of the Creators' city.
"You're absolutely right. Thanks for the heads-up, A-Mos,"Kyle said with gratitude.
Kyle and Sophie wound their way through the destroyed city, passing countless destroyed buildings and ships. Some were much smaller ships, apparently fighter-ships. Curiously, they hadn't seen any bodies or skeletons of Creators. Then again, after such an obviously long time, local scavengers would have carried off and eaten any bodies they could reach. Indeed, through Sophie, Kyle could sense there were quite a few animals in the city. Kyle made careful observations as they headed towards where Sophie could sense the others were. It wasn't always easy going, nor was it a straight path.
As they neared where Sophie was telling them to go, Kyle started to see buildings that weren't damaged. Kyle couldn't tell if these buildings had been missed, or were deliberately spared.
"Magnificent architecture," Sergei croaked his voice filled with awe at the alien buildings.
As Kyle and Sophie rounded a corner, they stopped and Kyle drew in a breath.
"Oh yeah? What's this do for you?" Kyle inquired as he stared up at the single largest building that he had ever seen.
The massive pyramid was bigger even than the Great Pyramid of Giza. Like the others, it had that same, rounded form to it. The massive building seemed to be completely untouched. What little damage could be seen were minor chips in the surface. Sophie crouched low on all fours as she gave a low, hissing growl at the sight of the building.
They're in there . . .- Kyle looked at Sophie, then back to the huge building, feeling Sophie's thought trailing off as emotions and hive-memories began to percolate within her mind. They carefully approached the massive, rounded pyramid, both of them on edge. As they neared the base, Kyle could see an opening. The large arch was smooth-lipped, just like those on the derelict ship had been. As Kyle looked up, he could see the silhouette of another of the U-shaped ships in the mists, resting on top of some cliffs in the distance.
His gaze drifted back down to the entrance of the pyramid as Sophie stood upright beside him. Kyle looked at his mate as he gently took her hand. Sophie looked at him and smiled lovingly as she softly squeezed his hand.
I love you, my darling Sophie. Sophie thrummed deeply.
I love you too, my beautiful Kyle. Sophie softly wrapped her tail around him as they turned to the entrance. Kyle took a deep breath as he and Sophie walked into the darkness, hand-in-hand.
Author's note: Extra thanks goes to my mother, for her help with ideas and catching the occasional error that slips by, as well as her medical knowledge. Thanks also goes to my friend LadeeKittee, who happened to find the book, Giger's Alien for me, which has not only helped with the artwork I am doing for the story, but also given me ideas for the story itself.
As always, reviews and cover ideas are welcome, and I give full credit to those who gave suggestions.