May 15, 2181
Video Log: Dr. van Hold, Larissa, Security Clearance: Green
Mission Time: 04:01:51 Local Time: 10:22:14
Larissa gently put Ellie down onto her chair. Putting one of her old lab coats over the girl as a blanket, Larissa whispered, "You sleep here, okay? We have a lot of good people looking out for you, and the monsters won't get you, okay?" Ellie nodded slowly as her eyes closed, the events and stress of the past few weeks catching up to her and putting her to sleep. Once the scientist was sure that Ellie was asleep, she turned to the xeno that stood a ways off from her.
Larissa sighed. "Alright," she said to Allen. "Normally, I just dissect bugs like you, but considering all that's happened since you came into the picture, I'll stick with as much noninvasive as I can. That alright with you?" Allen nodded. Larissa waved over to her 'operating' table. "Well, in that case, please take a seat on the table so we can get started."
Allen went over to the table and climbed onto it, waiting for the scientist. He wasn't sure what to think of her. She seemed nice, but then again, she had all but blatantly admitted to butchering the corpses of his fellow xenos. Not that Allen really cared, but still. Larissa walked up to Allen holding a small recording device.
"You mind?" she asked him. Allen shook his head no. Nodding, Larissa set the recorder down and activated it. "This is Doctor Larissa van Hold, of Driftech Research and Development on Tau Ceti. I am currently awaiting confirmation from my boss and the surviving Marine and Army contingent of our continued evacuation. In the meantime, I have the opportunity to examine a healthy, and surprisingly nonhostile Internecivus raptus, known more commonly as the Archeron Xenomorph. I will now start with a physical examination of the subject in question," Larissa said, her voice cold, dispassionate, and professional. She picked up a small flashlight as she continued talking. "Subject is of the subspecies Warrior, coloration dark cobalt blue. Has three scars running down the right hand side of its head. Height is estimated to be about six feet and seven inches; length is roughly twelve. Weight, if past subjects are a good guide, should be about two hundred pounds." Larissa looked at Allen and sighed.
"Now, would you please open your mouth?" Allen did so. Damn, it was like being back in the dentist's office again. Larissa continued. "Subject has standard dentation, and the secondary mouth is…oh my God, it's gone," she whispered. Shining the light in, Larissa's face exploded in shock. "This is unbelievable! Subject has no secondary jaw to speak of, and instead has a tongue. Helps explain why the area near the back of the jawline is sealed off, as opposed to exposed as seen in previous specimens."
Larissa stepped back, and looked at Allen. "My God," she said. "What in the hell are you?"
[][][]
May 15, 2181
Video Log: Cpl. van Hold, Nathan Security Clearance: Blue
Mission Time: 04:08:46 Local Time: 10:28:09
Dutch had managed, with Charlie's help, to place a grand total of ten plasma rifles, each having nearly ten batteries with full charge, five M38/A Pulse Rifles with about ten clips to share, a single M56/C with five drums, a pair of M65/Bs with ten drums of ammo, and four XPP-2/A Plasma Cannons, with four cells each. Oh, and then there was Charlie's new Big Fucking Gun. Dutch had no fucking clue as to what in the hell it did, and he prayed that he wouldn't have to find out.
One of the soldiers, Frost, came into the garage and saw all the hardware. "Damn," he said. "This is some pretty damn advanced shit here."
Dutch nodded. "Yeah, I know. The Corps only has the PIG, and we don't even have those most of the time," he said. "So, what's your story?"
Frost shrugged. "Inner city kid from Detroit. Wanted out I suppose." Dutch looked at Frost with interest. He was lean, young, and had more than a few scars exposed from his now rolled up sleeves.
"So how long have you been in?" Dutch asked.
Frost sighed. "About three months. This is my third drop. Almost splattered myself on the way here." Frost looked back at the door. "El-tee managed to catch before I hit the ground. Hell, if he can, he'd save everyone the trouble of dying and go in alone. Just who he is, you know?"
Dutch nodded. "A real leader huh?" he asked. Frost nodded.
"Yeah. Hey, uh, Dutch, what did happen on VF-132? I heard that your squad bought it, and that you turned into a messenger, but other than that, nothing in the rumor mill. So, way I figure it, I can get the info from the horse's mouth," Frost said, leaning back on the door frame.
Dutch sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "Well," he started. "We were called in to investigate a colony gone dark. We come in, prepped for a bug hunt. Only, we get ambushed by Yautja shortly after we hit the ground. They took out the Austrailialus, and between them and the bugs, killed everyone but me, a female Yautja, and an android. About three weeks later, Major Tanner and his group come by and save me and Standard before we got overrun. After that well, you know the rest."
Frost was about to comment when the P.A. come on.
"All units, please report to Triple See on the double. We have a plan," Kestrel said over the comm. Frost looked over at Dutch.
"Okay, well, let's go see what the big guys have to say." Dutch nodded and the two troopers left the garage.
/\/\/\
May 15, 2181
Video Log: Dr. van Hold, Larissa Security Clearance: Green
Mission Time: 04:17:34 Local Time: 10:39:32
Larissa stood off to the side, giddy with barely contained excitement as the soldiers and Marines shuffled into the Central Command Center. Noticing her brother, Larissa edged over to Nathan. "Nate, you would not believe what I have just seen," she said quietly, leaning over to him. Nathan looked at her oddly as Tanner waved to get their attention.
"Alright, listen up!" he said loudly. "We have a plan on how to get everyone off this rock in one piece. Kestrel, your plan, you tell 'em." Said Army commander stood up next to the 3-D mapping system in the middle of the room.
Kestrel looked at each of them as he began talking. "Okay, I'll tell you what I can. As far as we know, there is an illegal Weyland-Yutani facility thirty klicks south of us. We received orbital imagery from the Nevada, and we have confirmed that there is a single UD-22 Navaho Heavy Dropship on site. Now, to get there, we'll be loading up several of the transport mules stowed in the garage, pile as much hardware and survivors as we can, and make a run for the outpost. We get there, we make a brief stop and get some incriminating evidence on our favorite assholes, and get off this rock. From there, we nuke the whole site from orbit, and nuke the ashes again for good measure." Kestrel looked around. "Any questions?"
Frost raised his hand. Kestrel nodded. "Sir, what can we expect getting there? I mean, are we going to pass by the nest, or what?" Frost asked, several remaining Marines and a few of the soldiers nodding and agreeing as well.
Kestrel gestured to the map. "So long as we avoid this area like the plague," he said, the indicated area lighting up as red, "We can expect light to minor resistance." Noticing the rather excited Larissa, Kestrel asked, "Is there something you'd like to share Doctor…?"
"van Hold," Larissa said. "It's not so much the evacuation as it is about our new arrival."
Tanner waved her up. "Go ahead miss," he said. Larissa nodded as she made her way to the front. Getting to the table, she hooked up her datapad and began talking.
"So, I was examining Allen, the xeno, just getting a physical when I made a hell of a find," she said rapidly. The map dissolved and turned into a wireframe image of Allen. "The first thing that I noticed was that Allen had no secondary inner jaw," Larissa said. "He has a tongue. A very long one, but a tongue none the less. That's why this area here," she pointed to the jawline. "Is sealed off. After seeing that, well, I had to continue testing. I gave him a cursory eye exam, you all know, the part where we flash the light in your eye to measure the dilation. And, well, he flinched. Not in that it was just light, but almost like he was blinded by it." At this point, Larissa was on a roll. "As it turns out, our friend here does indeed have eyes. I'm not sure where, or even how they work, but I know that they're there."
She turned around and smiled. "But the crazy parts are these." Without warning, another wireframe popped up, this time, detailing the skeletal structure of Allen. The soldiers all noticed the oddity that Larissa now started explaining. "He has two skeletons. We have your standard exoskeleton made out of basically Teflon, and then the inner skeleton I'm guessing is some sort of acid resistant calcium compound that we've never encountered before. And to top it all off, his blood isn't nearly as acidic as any other xeno. I personally think that his blood is about…a quarter of the strength of that of a normal bug. Shows amazing intelligence, and he has repeatedly told me, through a terminal, that he hates needles."
Kestrel and Tanner looked at each other, and then back at the doctor. "Ma'am, normally, I'd say you were nuts," Tanner said.
"However, at this point in time, well, we'll just accept what you just said," Kestrel finished. "Now, I need every survivor in the garage, and I want all of our gear on those vehicles ASAP! We leave at 1100 local! Dismissed!" Kestrel shouted.
"You heard the man, spread the word!" yelled a Latino sergeant. "Assholes and elbows, let's get a move on people!" Soon, the troops were out of the room. Except for Nathan. Larissa walked over to her brother and simply fell onto him.
"Umm, sis, you tired?" Nathan asked. Larissa nodded.
"Nate, I haven't slept for more than four hours for ten days straight," she murmured. "I could use a nap right about now. And an apology from you."
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Larissa, can we not go into this argument again? Every time we meet, we get into the same old argument."
Larissa looked at her brother evilly. "Hey, it does not make you look weak to send your older sister a Christmas card!"
Nathan snorted. "Larissa, you're Jewish! And Mom couldn't exactly heave us both out at the same time, so don't expect that being born a minute before me makes you the better sibling!"
"Yeah, well, I don't go around screwing my equipment!" Larissa said hotly. Her exhaustion soon fled as she saw the pained look on her brother's face. "Nate, I'm-"
"Larissa, look at me."
Larissa looked up into her brother's eyes. "Larissa," Nathan said calmly. "Standard, despite being an android, is one of the sweetest people I know. And no amount of bullshit paperwork saying that she's an artificial person is going to change that. Whether you accept the fact that we're happy together or not, I will always be happy to be your brother. Might make me angry and annoyed as hell, but I'll still love you."
Larissa almost broke down and cried. "N-Nate, I'm sorry, it's just that, so many of my friends are gone, and I don't even know if we're going to make it off this rock, and-"
Nathan hugged his sister, his hard metal chest plate calming the sobbing scientist. "Laris, I know. I lost my entire squad in one day on VF," he said. "But we will survive, I promise.
"I promise."
\/\/\/
Elsewhere
It lay there, underground, waiting for prey. The small things in white, they were the first live prey it had ever had, and despite the multitude of bones, it found their taste quite exquisite. Then came the black shelled things, whose blood made it go into a rage. Yes, their blood, blood that could kill most things on contact, whirled it into a frenzy! But now, it lay in wait. Now, it waited for the hunt to begin.
It was the king of the darkness, and the shadows of death were his domain.