Ripping the trauma kit out of its wrapping, Paul handed Weyland one of the bandages, who pressed it against his shoulder, gritting his teeth and breathing hard.
"It…'ll… be…fine…" he croaked.
Behind them, the fight against Blood Moon was in full swing.
The pale creature was bleeding black blood from a few scratches, but the other three were looking worse. Xeno blood was sizzling on the floor.
It fought with relentless fervour against the three attacking it, and from what it looked like, it might be winning the fight.
Not once did it let them get into striking distance to use their lethal weaponry.
"Weyland, we need to get you to safety."
Akkan, can you withdraw?
Akkan dodged an angry tail-whip. We must withdraw. We cannot reach it!
Weyland is hurt, can you help me?
I cannot – The second swipe of the tail hit Akkan with full force, sending him flying, impacting hard into the wall. Immediately, he jumped back on his feet, shaking his head. Tell them to withdraw. I will disable it for a second.
"WITHDRAW!" Paul shouted, putting Weyland's good arm over his shoulder. "This will hurt, sorry Fred."
He lifted the groaning man up, and started to pull him towards the exit of the mortuary.
Akkan, meanwhile, on the other side of the room, crouched down low, and using the considerable force of his legs and his tail, propelled himself towards the fighting Blood Moon.
It had not seen him come, but still some instincts had sensed him. It pushed Aki away, and then neatly sidestepped his charge, doing exactly what Akkan had planned.
Slightly off balance, it spun around to face him, realizing, too late, what he had in mind.
Akkan's tail connected hard with it, sending it flying and crashing into one of the autopsy tables. It would be back on its feet in no time.
He turned, and with two huge steps, accompanied Paul out of the mortuary.
Eran and Aki were beside him, and quickly, they shut the mortuary door.
Only seconds after the door had slid shut, Aki heard the thud of the Blood Moon throwing its body weight against it.
He turned to Eran. The Xeno looked all right, even though he had received quite a few scratches. "Are you okay?" he clicked
Eran nodded.
Aki looked down at Weyland, who was very white, and clutching a blood-red cloth to his shoulder. He had been seriously damaged by Blood Moon.
"We need to go." Paul said "It will find a way around this door."
Akkan looked down at Weyland, and then lifted the man up with his arms.
Eran looked fascinated.
Aki agreed with Paul. "We need to go up."
"Why up?" Paul asked.
"I have an idea."
Eran and Aki had forced an elevator door, checking the shaft up and down for xenomorphs or Blood Moon, and apparently, it seemed empty.
They would have to climb up eight floors on a rickety maintenance ladder.
Weyland was holding on to Akkan with his good hand, whilst gritting his teeth. Akkan held him with one talon, and used the other one and his tail to support him while climbing.
Eran went first, then Akkan, Paul and Aki last. It was almost thirty metres up. Paul felt a slight jolt in his stomach when looking down. The Elevator shaft looked like it might go on down forever.
"Weyland, how are you doing?" he shouted up to Akkan
"I've been through worse." Came the reply, through gritted teeth.
And you, Paul? How are you, love?
I'm all right.
I honestly hope you are. I don't want you to get damaged or hurt.
I knowww love. You don't have to tell me. I don't want to get hurt as well. But we need to stop Blood Moon.
Why?
Paul climbed a few rungs silently, before answering. I suppose I feel responsible for all these things. Back on Sigma 44 we did a lot of groundwork for Xenomorph experiments. I feel morally responsible for the damage I caused, both to your race, and to mine.
For what you just said I want to hug you, but I can't because I am carrying Weyland. You are the best, Paul.
You're such a softie, Akkan.
I'm not! The alien sounded indignant.
Paul shook his head, and they kept climbing.
They passed the fourth floor of the spire. Halfway through.
Suddenly, Paul heard a thump, a crash, and a few floors below them, a door was forced, the halves broken out of the frames and falling into the elevator shafts.
They heard a loud hiss, and a large form poked its head into the shaft, and looked up to them.
It wasn't Blood Moon, but a large, dangerous looking xenomorph.
A praetorian!
It looked strange though, Paul couldn't quite put his finger on it. It seemed to be missing its lower jaw.
Hissing angrily, and gashing its inner maw, the formidable creature jumped up onto the ladder. Its chitinous crown gleamed in the subdued maintenance lights of the elevator shaft.
"HURRY UP!" Aki roared. Eran began to climb faster, but Paul knew that he and Aki would not be able to escape the praetorian. Even Akkan, carrying Weyland would have trouble.
Hissing, the large alien behind them moved upwards. Only six metres separated it from Aki now, when suddenly, Eran stopped climbing.
"Don't stop, Eran! Go on!"
The xeno shook his head. "Do not wait for me." He gurgled in his strange English "Kill blood moon!"
And then, he detached himself from the ladder, and leapt to the other side of the elevator shaft. Clawing onto the wall for a second, he twirled his spear, extending it.
"NO!" Aki roared.
Eran jumped, into the void, downwards, towards the praetorian, who was still climbing, focused on reaching for Aki's legs.
The Xeno soared downwards, spear extended, and connected hard with the chitinous crown of the larger alien, sinking the sharp spear into its head.
It emitted a roar, then a gurgle, yellowish xenomorph blood spurted out of the wound.
It grew limp, letting go of the ladder, and slipped down the elevator shaft, taking Eran with it.
Paul, unbelieving, watched the two aliens fall, until they suddenly stopped, suspended in mid-air.
Aki, roaring with exertion, had grabbed Eran's tail as he was falling down, and was now holding the two aliens, one dead, one alive.
He had hooked one of his arms around the ladder, and his other one was holding onto Eran.
"LET GO!" he roared at the Xeno, who was still, teeth bared angrily, holding onto the spear, trying to pull it out of the praetorian's head.
"LET IT GO!" Aki repeated, the strain of holding the two xenomorphs contorting his face. "IT'S JUST A WEAPON! I NEED YOU! PLEASE LET GO!" He roared, his voice filled with pain and emotion.
At last, Eran let go of the weapon and the other alien.
Soundlessly, the body departed, falling down the shaft, leaving Eran hanging suspended in the air. Aki swung the xeno over to the ladder, and he latched on to it, climbing up to Aki, and hugging him, kissing him deeply.
"I thought I had lost you."
"I could not let the praetorian take you. I had to stop him. I am sorry for losing the weapon you gave me."
"You did well, Eran. It is just a weapon. You are what I need."
They kissed again.
Akkan set down Weyland against a table, and hugged Paul. Aki and Eran were moving the elevator doors shut.
"What's the plan?" Paul asked.
Aki cleared his throat. "We lure it into the airlock, and then, when it's in the door area, we close the door on it, squashing it."
Coughing, Weyland shook his head. "That won't work." He reached for his shoulder, pain contorting his face. "This bloody thing can almost dodge bullets. There's no way you can squash it with a door."
"Do you have a better plan?"
Weyland nodded "We bait it into the medical module. These things can be jettisoned. We jettison it, and then blow it up or open the door or something, and suck it into space."
Paul shook his head. "This won't work. You can only jettison those modules from inside. One of us must remain in the Module with Blood Moon."
Weyland's brow furrowed. "Paul, if you were to remain inside, couldn't you put on a spacesuit, and then, say, open the airlock door once the module is detached?"
Paul tentatively nodded "I think I can do that."
"The Shipstern bluff would then collect you and then us."
Akkan shook his head. That plan is even worse. You'd be with Blood Moon alone, and it will kill you.
I doubt it. Last time I could talk with it for quite some time.
"How long does detachment take?"
"Three minutes I think" Weyland said.
"I'll do it." Paul said.
I don't want you to. You'll probably die, and I'll be left alone.
I won't die. Paul said, with more conviction than he felt. We've done worse.
Yeah, we. You're alone now.
Only for a few minutes.
I don't like it.
Akkan shook his head again.
Paul straightened his back. They would do this. "I'm going to check for space suits. The rest of you get to check on how to detach the module. And keep an eye out for blood moon."
Paul rummaged through one of the lockers beside the airlock leading into the module. He was having a hard time finding a complete space suit that wasn't damaged.
Running his hand along one of the suits he inspected it for cracks in the pressure seals. This one looked good.
He still needed a helmet though. The last one he had seen was cracked and looked unsafe. He was worried, and, to tell the truth, slightly scared. He wasn't sure if he could hold off Blood Moon by talk until the ship had detached. The creature was pretty smart. It had a certain grasp of the Odessa's electronics, and it might see through their ruse.
But it was their final chance. To launch it into space. Weyland had informed him that the colonial marines would arrive soon, giving Blood Moon the possibility to escape again.
He felt responsible for all the deaths. He had helped create Blood Moon. It was an experiment, even though he hadn't carried it out, which was only possible by his theories. He had a moral duty to stop it from wreaking havoc.
If this meant he had to die, so be it.
Suddenly, he felt a talon on his back. Spinning around, he saw a xenomorph, Eran, behind him. The Yautja was also there, standing in the door of the locker.
Eran grabbed him, lifting him clean off his feet. The last thing he heard were the yautja's words: "Unconscious. Don't kill him. He's a good man."
He saw Eran's fist fly towards him, then-darkness.
Aki stomped into the Room where Weyland and Akkan were waiting. Weyland had closed his eyes. The yautja looked distraught. "There's been an accident with Paul! Follow me! And Take Weyland with you."
Akkan got up, scooping Weyland up, and following the yautja. Eran was nowhere to be seen. He followed the Yautja, who stopped in front of a room, just to the side of the airlock. "He's in there" he said, and Akkan, still carrying Weyland, rushed into the room.
Paul was lying on the floor, a big, purple bruise on his head. The xenomorph set down Weyland, and jumped over to Paul.
Suddenly, he heard a pneumatic hiss, and the door closed behind him. He spun around, looking through the door's window, at Aki's face.
A beep from the control panel informed him the door was locked. Aki quickly destroyed the control panel on his side.
Akkan slammed against the door.
"It is our fight. We must finish it." Aki said "You do not deserve to die just yet, Akkan the Xenomorph. You must care for Paul."
Eran, who appeared behind Aki, nodded. "Stay safe" he croaked.
Akkan slammed himself against the door, but it would not yield.
PAUL! He roared in his mind.
Eran turned to Aki, and nodded. "Let's finish it." He clicked in yautjan.