So sorry for the long (very long) wait for this chapter. Ugh I feel terrible about it. My one and only excuse is that it was determined to stay stuck in my head and never come out. But, here it is. Again, sorry for the wait and hope you like it
After two weeks of getting adjusted to life at the facility, most of the women felt somewhat at home. Most of them. There were still those who were determined on rejecting the Xenomorphs who were their so called 'mates'. They wanted nothing to do with anything that involved them. They honestly created somewhat of a spectacle and caused other women to become uncomfortable and nervous. Noticing this, Mrs. Lorren and a couple of facility workers had them transferred to a different dorm wing.
While the women were being negotiated with and given special attention, the rest went on with their day as normal as it could possibly be on different planet far away from home which just so happened to be populated by alien races. The mature grown women had most of the entire day to enjoy themselves other than the class informing them on their Xeno mates. Sarah and Raven on the other hand, being college students were obligated to at least take their core classes as well as 'Xeno 101'.
Raven slouched in her chair, resting her right elbow in the palm of her other hand while trying to unsuccessfully hide her grin. Mrs. Lorren, who taught all Xeno classes had asked Ravens class what they expected of and or if they had any questions on 'bonding', which was the term used in place of 'sex', with their mates. The whole class was quiet, except for a cough here and there which Raven guessed was to keep them from choking at the question asked. Sarah and Raven merely exchanged blank glances. Mrs. Lorren eyed the class for a few seconds then leaned back in her chair behind the desk and crossed her legs.
"Ladies, please. Work with me here, I know for a fact that all of you have at least one or two questions on the matter." she said somewhat annoyed as she pulled off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. The women shifted in their seats. After a minute or two, Mrs. Lorren then stood up to lean up against her desk to address the class. "Alright, here's what we're gonna do." she declared playfully with a hand on her hip. "I want all of you to have written down at least one question on a sheet of paper and turn it in by the next class. That gives you three days to think of one question, plenty of time. Oh and don't sign your name when you turn it in, okay?" some women nodded their heads in relief and the bell rang. "Ladies," she smiled, extending her arm towards the door "you are dismissed."
Almost all of their classmates where already out the door by the time Sarah and Raven where ready to leave. Smiling, Mrs. Lorren clicked her tongue at them. "Always last."
Raven laughed. "Well someone has to be."
There was a small knock at the door and a lady popped her head in. "Mrs. Lorren?….Your mate, Kraine, is waiting at the north entrance office." she informed quietly.
"Oh yes, thanks!" Mrs. Lorren began to gather her papers from her desk and shove them in her small briefcase. Sarah sent Raven a questioning look which then paused and turned to Mrs. Lorren. "You have a mate?" Raven asked.
"Huh?…Oh yes. A Xenomorph, we've been together for about three years now. A reason they appointed me to teach Xeno classes." she explained happily. Raven furrowed her brow as she noticed the woman held a hand to her lower stomach.
"Are…are you pregnant?"
"Why yes, yes I am." she answered proudly. "It's my first…"
Sarah's eyes widened a bit. "Aren't you scared?"
"Well…a little. I've never had a child before, but they have a very good hospital here with professionals who know exactly what they're doing. Not once have they lost a patient or their child." she said snapping her briefcase shut. "I better go before he gets nervous, see you girls next class!" she waved before heading out.
The girls waved back and watched her disappear in the small crowd of people walking through the hallway. "Wow." Raven said simply.
"…Yeeaah." went Sarah. Both stood there for a minute processing what they had just learned. Dozens of new questions popped into their heads.
Just as they turned to go to their rooms, a girl crossed the hallway and came up to them. "Hi." she greeted shyly "um..I'm Leah…"
Raven immediately recognized her. "You're that girl from the landing platform! Oh my God, wow. How are you, are you good?"
The girl laughed. "Yeah, I'm completely fine…Um, listen I just wanted to thank so much for what you did. I don't think anyone else saw what was happening besides you and I'm just so thankful that you did something to help."
"Well, yeah I'm glad that you're ok."
"Thank you for that, really. You saved my life." she said sincerely.
"I'm happy what I did actually helped."
"Anyway, yeah I just wanted to make sure I thanked you." Leah said again checking her watch. "I gotta go meet some friends at the tennis court, you guys are welcome to join if you like." she offered.
"Sure that'd be great but Sarah and I have plans for the pool today."
"We'll meet up with you guys some other time?" said Sarah adjusting her bag on her shoulder.
"Ha okay, talk to you later. Oh and have fun at the pool." with that, she was off to meet her friend waiting for her across the hallway
Raven and Sarah continued to their rooms. "Everybody seems to have plans with other people." commented Sarah. "How come we haven't?"
"We've got plans with each other." Raven grinned as she slid an arm around her best friends shoulder. "Besides we'll meet Leah and her friends some other time to play tennis."
"But today's just for us, right?" Sarah questioned smiling.
"Yup. Lunch, pool, and then we hit the spa."
"Awesome."
When the girls reached their dorm hall, each took off to their rooms to drop off their bags. Reaching her door, Raven noticed an envelope taped to it labeled 'Newsletter'. In fact, glancing at the doors around her, she found that most of the them had the envelope taped to them. Grabbing the letter, she let herself inside and swung her bag on the bed. Nika ran up to greet her. Plopping herself down, she ripped the top of it open and pulled out the letter.
Good news ladies!
The staff is planning your next encounter with your significant other. The event is taking place one week from now on August 7 in the small park on the east wing of the Facility. We are planning on the event lasting from two to four hours. Event is subject to change. More information will be sent out in a few days. We hope that you look foreword to this and also that you have a good week!
Sincerely, your Facility friends and staff
Oh dear God, no. Last time they had an 'encounter' she came within a hair of having a heart attack. Besides what were they planning to do at the park. Have a picnic? Yeah, a picnic at the park with a large and lethal Xenomorph. That would definitely be something to see. Only thing was, she didn't want to be there to see it. Honestly, to go through that all again was insanely nerve-racking. All those feelings, urges, and emotions. They had hit her like a brick wall. And Mrs. Lorren had definitely not lied about the urge to mate, or 'bond' as they called it. Natural and to be expected. What the hell part of that was natural?
Honestly, Raven felt incredibly powerless in this whole situation. She had no choice in meeting this Xenomorph, it was all mandatory. For all of the women.
Mrs. Lorren and the Facility felt so confident that once the women met the Xenomorphs they would choose to stay with them and raise a family. A family, what did that even mean? How could she raise a male Xeno as a son?
Not only all of that, Raven felt that she was being used. This whole freakin' Facility program was so that both the Xenomorph and Yaujta races would eventually evolve back into having females and them being able to give birth. Basically, her only purpose was for breeding. Where the crap was the dignity in that? What exactly was in it for her? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!
Except…they had given her the chance to meet a potential 'soul mate'. To have a…'family', with someone you were most compatible with. And she did have the right to deny him.
One thing though, seriously scared Raven the most. What if, after she met Niroh, she wouldn't want to deny him? How would her life continue after that?
A knock at the door disrupted Ravens deep thought. She turned to see Sarah take tentative steps into her room.
"You read the letter?" she asked.
"Yeah," Raven looked down at the paper in her hands "I read it."
"I kinda thought you would be more excited about this…"
"I am…" Raven sighed "It's just…ugh. I'm not like you Sarah, this wasn't my dream, to become mated to alien life-form."
Sarah sat down next to her and began to pet Nika. "What was your dream?"
"I don't know!" she breathed frustrated, looking off to the side "Graduate college, become a scientist, travel the world, have adventures, maybe get married, buy a nice house and have some kids. You know, the whole white picket fence thing." by now Raven was beginning to tear up.
Sarah put a hand on her shoulder. "You're looking too much at what this is. You need to look at what it can be. Go ahead and do what the Facility wants you to do. But in the end, the decision is all yours. Remember that."
Raven sniffed and rubbed her eyes furiously. "You're right."
They sat there for a few more minutes before Sarah broke the silence. "C'mon. The rest of the day is ours, and I want to make the most of it."
"That and take advantage of their spa." muttered Raven smiling.
"Haha Of course."
"Right, lets go. Lemme get my shorts before we go." she said getting off the bed to go rummage through her drawers.
"Ugh!…I forgot mine, be right back." Sarah jumped off the bed and disappeared out the door.
Out in the forest, Niroh was patrolling the grounds as well hunting for a snack. Trotting atop a fallen decomposing tree, he scented something strange on the breeze. Jumping off, he followed it to a patch of shrubs. Realizing a rouge male Xeno had passed through there, he snarled. The scent had not been made recently, but that did not make it any better. The rouge must be kept out in order to protect their mates. Niroh shook himself in an attempt to calm his nerves. He would inform Malek, his superior, of his discovery once he returned to the hive at nightfall. A rouge this close to Facility grounds would not be tolerated.
Out of curiosity, Niroh scaled his way up a nearby tree to see where this scent was from the Facility. Reaching the top and scanning around, Nirohs nerves were frayed even further than when he first found the scent. He was not near the Facility. He was in one of the four housing territories. All of them were built in the heart of small mountains. Considered luxurious by both human and Xeno standards. Since they had no eggs to incubate, there was no nesting or 'sludge' to keep them warm. The housing territories were very large and intricate. Each two floors was designated for a bonded pair to make their home. Niroh had never been inside but had been told by one of his brothers that inside was like a series of tunnels and passages leading to large rooms. He hoped eventually he would make one of the territories his home.
Once couples were bonded and their months at the Facility over, they then came to one of the housing territories. Here they would stay and raise their young. The scent was now an immediate threat that needed to be eliminated. They can not and will not risk an attack to their young.
Niroh must go back to hive now and inform Malek. But making his way down the tree, he caught another scent from below. This time it was human. Niroh hopped quietly onto some branches and hid himself in its leaves, surveying the ground below him as two human males came into view. He allowed his body to relax as he noticed them dressed in Facility uniforms. So this is where most of the Facility's man power had gone. Their main goal was no longer to protect the women who were to be bonded. It was to protect the young of those who already were and ensure the future of evolution.
"Yo dude," he heard one of them say as the male brought the screen of his large wrist brace to the others face. "There's supposed to be a Xeno here a few feet from us but there's nothing here."
"Maybe it's malfunctioning." the other commented.
Niroh couldn't quite understand exactly what they were saying, but from what words he could make out, he guessed they were trying to pinpoint his location based on his tracking chip. When he first went to the Facility to see about his mate, they placed a tracker on he and his brothers so they would not be mistaken for rogues and be shot at. This human was using his arm gadget instead of his head gear, which Niroh supposed would be much easier on locating. The head gear used something similar to heat thermals using the tracker chip and worked in sync with their weapons. The Xeno shape would show white with a tracker and lit blue when aimed at with a weapon. The human technology came in very handy when skirmishes between rogues and Facility friendlies got a little out of hand.
"No, I don't think so it's been working every other time. He's gotta be around here somewhere, those buggers can really hide."
To end their confusion, Niroh continued making his way to the ground. Not stopping to see their amazed and alarmed faces, he hurried off and disappeared through the trees toward his hive. For some reason, he felt it urgent to tell Malek about the scent. And Nirohs intuition had never failed him in the past.