Chapter Four: Large and Little Problems

Isaac stumbled as the tram shook.

"Oh, fuck. What now?" Isaac looked around, hoped it was just some debris that had fallen lose, maybe a body.

He got his answer when he glanced to the side, and saw a familiar grin through the window of the tram. Isaac yelped and threw himself to the far side of the tram as the Xenomorph smashed its hand through the glass and tried to grab him. Isaac yelled and gave a blast from the flamethrower. "Ugh! Get the fuck off!" he screamed. The alien screeched and pulled its hand back from the flames. Isaac didn't see it, glanced around. The glass behind him exploded, and he barely avoided having his head taken off, diving to the floor. He managed to turn and fire a jet of flame up at the dark hand that groped for him. It screeched again and withdrew. Isaac stayed where he was, laying on his back, panting as he looked around. Maybe if it couldn't see him, it would leave.

Suddenly, a long, black tail shot through the roof. Isaac yelled and rolled out of the way. Before he could attack, the tail retracted. The tail stabbed through the roof in a new spot, right above where he was. Isaac again rolled out of the way, just as the tail stabbed into the floor and metal. Isaac managed to give a blast of flame, searing the tail. He heard a screech as the tail flailed and retracted, but not without smashing several seats in the process. Isaac got to his feet and blasted a jet of flame through a hole in the ceiling, heard a screech from the roof. "How do ya like that?!" Isaac yelled. Isaac heard the groan of metal, whirled and saw the alien on the side of the tram, grinning at him as it clung to the side. He aimed the flamethrower, and it vanished. Isaac frantically looked around. He looked up, around, his whole body tense, waiting for a new attack. He heard glass crunch, threw himself to the far side of the tram as the Xenomorph forced its head through the broken window on the far side, the tongue snapping out at him, teeth clenching as it missed by inches. Isaac brought up the flamethrower, but it pulled back before he could fire.

Isaac moved back to the center, away front the side or windows. Isaac was pretty sure it was the same one that had been hunting him, that one without the back tubes. The same one he had set on fire. Part of him wondered if they were smart enough to hold a grudge. Isaac yelped as a tail erupted from the floor, coming within inches of making him a eunuch. Isaac threw himself back, fired the flamethrower. There was an angered screech as the tail withdrew, but Isaac knew it wasn't over. He got back to his feet, glanced around. Isaac gritted his teeth, and went on the offensive. He pressed the nozzle of the flamethrower to the hole in the floor and gave a burst, then did the same to the windows and ceiling holes. He heard screeches, felt the tram car rock as the thing moved around to dodge the flames. Isaac whirled, saw it ready to attack again, and this time hit it with a blast of Stasis before he put the flamethrower right through the opening and got it right in the chest, dousing it with flaming fuel. The Xenomorph screeched and shrieked loudly, leaping up and off the tram at last, landing on the floor of the tunnel and writhing in flame. Isaac couldn't help a dark chuckle. "Burn in hell, bastard," he panted as the tram car at last began to slow.

"Now arriving at the Bridge," the computer announced. Isaac gave a relieved sigh. The tram stopped and the door opened with a squeal and crunch of glass.

"Hammond, I'm here," Isaac said as he stepped out into the tram station, still a little breathless after that. A RIGLINK video screen popped up, Hammond's face greeting him.

"Good. I'm looking at the ADS cannons, and they're a mess. I'm gonna need your help. I'm not losing the Ishimura," said Hammond. Kendra's face then appeared.

"Yeah. It's a real mess. We're gonna need to put our heads together for this one," Kendra quipped.

"Yeah, I'm on my way to the bridge right now. See you in a few," Isaac confirmed.

"I'm in the Captain's Nest. Stay safe, Isaac. Haven't heard any of them in a while, but I know they're around," Hammond cautioned.

"Yeah, one of them played 'shake the can' with me on the way over here," Isaac replied.

"Wait, it wouldn't happen to be bigger and without those tube things on the back, would it?" Kendra asked. Isaac gave a soft chuckle.

"Friend of yours?" he weakly joked.

"That slimy SOB is the one that chased and separated us. Mean as hell," Hammond confirmed.

"And persistent. Damn thing has been chasing me since it trapped me back in Fuel Management," said Isaac as he opened the door from the tram station. He headed into the next hallway, turning left, then right, and was greeted by a large sign showing a person being scanned in x-ray, alerting them all visitors had to submit scan before being allowed entry. Somehow Isaac doubted that would be an issue. He turned down the hall that led to the Bridge, and the area in front of security was a mess. There was evidence of heavy fighting, gunfire, acid holes, he even saw a few fallen weapons. An empty Pulse Rifle, a Divet pistol that looked like it had been splashed with acid, still clutched in a severed hand. Isaac suppressed a shiver as he walked past the broken windows and blood. At the end of the hall he turned and opened the door into the Main Atrium.

It was as big a mess on the Bridge as anywhere else. There was evidence of fighting and panic. Scattered papers and items, holes from acid, bloodstains. Isaac glanced around as he carefully walked onto the Bridge. There was a sudden bang as something smashed through the windows on the far side and into the deck. Isaac leaped back as he felt the pull of the air around him.

"Warning. Hull breach detected," the Ishimura computer alerted.

"Shit!" Isaac yelled as he held onto a railing, glancing up at the gaping hole, before a shutter sealed over the gap.

"Containment measures activated," the computer confirmed.

"Isaac! You okay?" Kendra asked through the radio.

"Yeah. But we gotta get the ADS back online, quick," he replied.

"At least containment and life support are holding," she mused.

"For now," he quipped.

"Well, at least asteroids don't bleed acid," Hammond joked. Isaac actually laughed at that.

"Don't jinx it, Hammond," she shot back. Isaac skirted around the large hole in the deck from the asteroid, and noticed another glowing console with a Security request. He tapped the panel and played the audio.

"Security, come in! We've been boarded! I repeat, the ship has been boarded! We're under attack! What are these things?! They've already killed or taken most of the deck staff! Where the hell is Chief Vincent?! We need security backup now!" a woman screamed over the sounds of gunfire, screaming and alien screeches. Isaac looked around, could only imagine the pandemonium that happened when the Xenomorphs overran the Bridge. Isaac made his way down and around to the lift that led down to the Captain's nest. At the bottom, Isaac turned and opened the door, and headed past the escape pod area. Isaac noticed all but one had been launched, and a red light above it drew his attention. He looked at the sign and readout, which indicated a critical damage to the escape pods outer hull. It was useless for escape. Isaac also noticed tools and gear spread out, as if someone had been working to fix things there. Isaac tapped his radio.

"Hammond, I'm at the door," said Isaac. The door unlocked and Hammond appeared, rifle shouldered, but not aimed.

"Isaac, so good to see you alive and in one piece," said Hammond. Isaac unfastened his helmet and took it off for the first time that felt like forever.

"Barely. These things are fucking nightmares," sighed the engineer as Hammond led him into the Captain's Nest.

"Amen to that. I can hold this position for a while . . . if no more asteroids come through the roof," the Security Officer quipped. Hammond walked over to a large hologram of the planet and Ishimura, brought up a screen and tapped it. "Here. All I can tell is the ADS power routing is shot," he said as he indicated the systems in question. Isaac squinted as he looked at it.

"Well, the administration systems aren't doing much. We could redirect power from there," Isaac suggested. Hammond nodded.

"Sounds like a good idea." Isaac looked at the hologram and thought.

"I'd need to rewire the junction boxes, but we'd get the power back to the ADS cannons, which is what's most important." Hammond nodded.

"Isaac, about what Daniels said," Hammond began, and Isaac looked up. "I don't know anything about illegal mining, alien ships or anything like that, I swear. I'm just here for the repair mission. That's all." Isaac looked at him for a long moment, and nodded.

"Look, Hammond, I don't know you or Daniels well enough to make a judgment, but I think CEC had to know at least something about what was going on here. No way they would not hear about something like this," said Isaac. Hammond frowned softly, but not at Isaac.

"The company, maybe. But shit like that's above my pay grade. We can talk about all of that later, when we're not worried about imminent obliteration." Isaac nodded his agreement. Hammond then brought up another screen. "Here. I'll give you full Clearance Level for your RIG, so you can access anything you need. You'll need to reactivate the atrium elevators from Security. You'll have access now. Once the elevators are back on, you can get to the junction boxes and rewire them to reroute power to the ADS cannons." As if to emphasize this, another impact shook the ship.

"Right. I'll get going," said Isaac, putting his helmet on and sealing it.

"I'll help how I can from here," said Hammond. Isaac nodded and headed back out and up to the Bridge. He had just made it up, and was climbing up the stairs to head back into the main atrium, when he saw movement. At first he thought it was a shadow moving, wanted it to be.

"Oh, no," Isaac whispered as he hunkered down by a guard rail, glaring across the atrium where a familiar creature was crawling on the far wall, above a broken vent. "Hammond, Kendra, we got a problem," he hissed.

"What is it?" Hammond asked.

"There's an old friend here who wants to say hi," he said and directed the feed to display what he saw.

"Oh, fuck," Hammond hissed.

"Not that thing again!" Kendra yelped. Isaac glanced down at his flamethrower, growled when he saw it was nearly empty.

"Yeah, I had a little go-around with it in the tram on the way here. Used up most of my fuel," Isaac said in a low tone, watching to make sure it hadn't seen him.

"Do you think you can shoot it?" Hammond asked.

"Bad idea. Even if I could hit it, all that acid would eat out right through the bottom and might hull the entire Bridge. Even worse, could damage tons of wires and conduits, most likely for the ADS. I can't fix everything. Too much damage and we're truly fucked." Hammond growled softly on the other end of the link.

"Isaac, come back down to the nest. I've got an idea," said Hammond. Isaac gladly headed back down rather than have to deal with that demon. Hammond was waiting there, the door of the damaged escape pod opened. The man had his hands on his hips. He looked at Isaac. "Well, do you think that thing would fit inside?" Hammond asked, and Isaac felt his eyebrows bounce up.

"Are you nuts?" Kendra asked, disbelief clear in her voice. Isaac felt another impact shake the ship. He looked at the pod.

"Well, if these things can squeeze into vents, I think so," Isaac confirmed, and Kendra groaned.

"Are you two listening to yourselves? This is a very, very bad idea!" she ranted.

"Well, we're fresh out of good ideas, so guess what's left?" Isaac shot back, and she groaned again. Hammond looked at him and showed him his left arm.

"Have a spare Stasis module. I'll hide out of sight, but you'll have to lure it in," said Hammond. Isaac nodded.

"I got full charge, and we'll likely need all we have on that brute," said Isaac. Kendra huffed and shook her head.

"I'll be sure to write 'here lies two idiots' on your tombstones," she said and cut off the feed. Isaac gave a soft chuckle.

"We don't have time for more. All right, I'll head up. You pull the lift back down after me, but keep that door open and be ready. It moves faster than you think, and will be hot on my heels," said Isaac. Hammond nodded.

"I'll be ready and waiting," Hammond promised. Isaac nodded, and took a deep breath, almost unable to believe what he was about to do. Isaac steadied his nerves, wishing he had some whiskey as he took the lift back up, heard Hammond call it back down behind him. His heart was already hammering as he climbed up the stairs. He looked, saw it still there, a little closer, on the ceiling. He stood up and waved his hands.

"Yoohoo! Hey! Fuckface! Remember me?! Come and get me! Take your best shot!" Isaac yelled. He hardly finished his taunt before it was moving, running along the ceiling and diving down to chase after him. Isaac yelled as he dashed down the stairs, turned and the alien barely missed him by inches. Isaac ran down the hall to the lift, dove down the shaft, tumbled into a roll as he hit the bottom and broke back into a run for the open escape pod. He turned and the Xenomorph was leaping at him, teeth bared, jaws open, claws aimed. It was suddenly enveloped in a blue glow, slowing to a stop in the air.

"Now!" Hammond yelled as Isaac hit it with another dose of Stasis. Hammond charged in and the two men pushed the large alien right into the pod, Isaac grabbing the tail and grunting as he shoved it inside, hitting it with another dose of Stasis, his last. Hammond slammed the door as Isaac jumped back, slamming against the far wall and sliding down to the floor.

"We . . . we did it?" Isaac asked, almost not able to believe it. Hammond grinned ear to ear.

"I don't fucking believe it!" Kendra said in shock. Hammond grinned wider as the Stasis wore off and the alien thrashed inside, screeching and wailing.

"Ha! That's what you get!" he yelled into the glass. The Xenomorph hissed and shot its tongue out, the glass cracking. Hammond jumped and grabbed the lever beside the pod and pulled it.

"Escape Pod 47 launched," the Ishimura computer confirmed. Hammond panted, but was still grinning.

"That was for Chen and Johnston," he said.

"You did it!" Kendra cheered. Hammond smiled and helped Isaac to his feet.

"Couldn't have done it alone. That was a hell of a job, Isaac. We get out of this, I'll put you up for a medal," Hammond joked. Isaac chuckled as he got his breath back.

"A round would be just fine," he said and held up his hand, Hammond grinning as he gave Isaac a High Five. "Now that our stalker is taken care of, I'll go take care of the junction boxes." Hammond patted him on the back, still smiling.

Isaac made his way back out into the Main Atrium of the Bridge, past locked and damaged consoles, and opened the doors of the Security booth. Again, it was a mess and bloodbath. It looked like the poor people inside had thought they would be safe and locked themselves in. They hadn't counted on the Xenomorphs breaking in through the vents. Isaac found the glowing console to reactivate the elevators in the Atrium. He tapped the holographic screen, which turned green.

"Atrium elevators are now online," the computer announced. Isaac gave a soft smile. He then checked the armory for the security station. He found a few more magazines for the Pulse Rifle, but no fuel for the flamethrower. He did, though, find a text log. He picked it up and read it.

Alert to all Security personnel:

Weapons ineffective.

This is Torres. Our weapons are ineffective against the hostiles. Their armor is too tough, and what damage we do cause is superficial. Still makes 'em bleed, but that might be worse. Their blood is acid, I repeat, acid! Powerful enough to melt through the floor of several decks, and anything else. Directed heavy fire from several Pulse Rifles can kill one, but they move so damn quick we can barely nick them! Shotguns were little better, and forget pistols. If anybody snuck aboard some armor-piercing ammo, use it! We can patch hull breaches later, if we live that long!

Isaac sighed softly as he read. He hoped someone had found out the aliens were afraid of fire, but doubted it. With that done, Isaac went back out into the Atrium, to the elevator in the center, and entered, taking it down to where the first junction box would be. Isaac came out into a dim room, but nothing was out of the ordinary, thankfully. When he turned to the near door, he saw a red warning, indicating that the area beyond was decompressed. Isaac frowned, checked his gear, and opened the door. Sure enough, air blew by him as he stepped out into a vacuum. He turned sharply to his left, and saw why.

A large hole was burned in the floor by Xenomorph blood. The hole was nearly six feet in diameter. Isaac carefully edges closer, glanced down. The hole burned down through several layers of deck, wires, conduits, and out into space, where Isaac had a rather nice view of Aegis VII. Isaac sidled around the hole in the access hallway, around and down the bend in the hall to another door. Isaac opened it, and stepped into a chamber that was pressurized and with atmosphere. As the pressure equalized, his radio chirped.

"Isaac, I'm reading electrical hazards on the floor ahead of you," Kendra warned.

"Sixty-year-old deck plating doesn't play well with power surges and acid," he retorted. He check a storage room for supplies, but found nothing useful. He then headed into Mining Administration.

Isaac opened the door carefully, and scampered for cover. He was fairly sure he saw the head of one of the aliens where it clung to the ceiling. He hid behind pillar, and could see the sparking hole where that asteroid had smashed through the deck above, leading another deck down. He also could see arcing from some of the floor panels. I idly wondered if electricity could harm the Xenomorphs. He glanced around, saw the hole up into the Atrium, and realized all these holes from the blood of the creatures also meant they could get around easier, and maybe even get past loked doors and areas. The more he saw, the more he was piecing together what happened, and how bad it had really been. He carefully sidled around, glanced up, and sure enough, there was not one, but two Xenomorphs. He carefully picked up some debris with Kinesis, and shot it into the hole from the asteroid. The creatures looked over, climbed along the ceiling, and Isaac noticed they avoided areas where electrical sparks danced and arced. One climbed down the wall and into the hole, while the other seemed to watch. Isaac took the opportunity to sneak past to the far section, past several sparking areas, and at last reached the breaker panel. He touched the screen and switched the power over.

"Power transferred from Mining Administration to ADS cannons," the computer announced as the power went out, along with the lights. Thankfully, enough light came through the windows Isaac could see where he was going, and not worry about being ambushed. Isaac gave a soft sigh as he moved back along the walls and under cover, watchful for any of the creatures that might be waiting. Isaac saw one clinging to the wall, and the one that had gone down the hole coming back out. Isaac glanced to the side, saw a door to maintenance for the computer servers. He carefully slid around and over to it before disappearing inside. He checked for anything useful, and did find some cartridges for his plasma cutter, another canister for the ion torch, but he also found some spare circuits and cathode plates. He pocketed them all, then saw a holopad sitting on the toolbench. He picked it up and read.

Mining Administration Log.

N. Thibodeaux.

Trying to work out how fast they spread, and it's not looking good. We thought they first came from that shuttle crash, but looks like the first sighting was on the Mining Deck of all places. Why the hell didn't they tell anyone?! We have no word from Cargo and Communications, so we fear the worst. Most people are holing up in Habitation or Medical. Haven't heard from them in hours. Looks like they wiped Security out in full. How the hell long can we hold out against something like this?

Isaac set the holopad down. He turned and headed back out, carefully peeking his head out the door. He was almost ready to move, when a long, thin string of mucus dripped near his helmet. Isaac dove out of instinct, tumbling and rolling forward. He looked up at the hissing Xenomorph that had almost caught him. Isaac brought up his flamethrower, but remembered he had no fuel. He heard another hiss behind him. He had no time. He brought up the Pulse Rifle and fired a burst, hitting the first alien square in the back, It screeched as blood poured from the wounds, but otherwise it more seemed angered than injured. Isaac whirled and fired to drive back the other one, then hurried for the door. He just made it through the door, hurried and ran for it. He glanced back and saw the aliens had also gotten through the door before it could close. Isaac dashed for the far door, opened it as the air was sucked out into the vacuum. He didn't care, running as fast as he could. He noticed, while fast, they were nowhere near as fast as that one he and Hammond jettisoned, the "Runner" as Isaac had mentally dubbed it. Isaac rounded the corner, and felt his heart leap. There were three Xenomorphs crawling in from outside one of the holes in the wall from an asteroid impact. Isaac knew his options were limited, so he chose one. He simply ran past. He managed to get past and to the door without being caught. He dashed into the room and closed the door, panting as he threw himself into the elevator and hit the button to head down to the bottom floor.

Isaac had the rifle up as the doors opened, but all that greeted him was a dark waiting room with empty benches. Isaac swallowed the lump in his throat and carefully opened the door. This time, first thing he did was check above and to the sides. It was clear, thankfully. The first door to his right was a break room. Isaac glanced around, and went inside. When he looked, he got a whole new kind of surprise.

There were candles on the floor, lit. They were placed atop symbols painted on the floor. Isaac couldn't make out half of them, but he did recognize the outline of the Xenomorph's head, as well as the spider-creature. He glanced up at a screen, and saw a still of the Derelict alien spacecraft.

"What the hell?" Isaac murmured, glancing around. Finding nothing else, Isaac left the room, but had an odd feeling as he glanced back one last time. Back out in the halls, Isaac carefully navigated down and to the door to Electrical Systems. Isaac entered a large room with numerous holoscreens that almost formed a maze. Numerous floor panels sparked with electric charge. Isaac carefully sidled along and past them Some were closer than others, but he managed to make it past. He went down another hall, into another large room filled with holoscreens and a large server tower in the center. He could hear electrical hissing and crackling, even more fierce than elsewhere. He stayed low and looked up and around for any signs of his alien foes. He saw none, but he did see a hole burned by acid that was still dripping. No doubt from where he had to nail that one in order to force it back and get to the door. The hole was not big enough for a man to fit through, let alone one of the Xenomorphs. Isaac pressed on, carefully winding his way through, and found the source of the noise, as well as his goal.

The asteroid that had crashed through the Atrium now rested against the far wall, large cables severed and flailing with electricity. Isaac could see the junction box just next to it. He huffed softly, waiting with his left hand raised for just the right moment. He fired the Stasis module just as the lines flailed upwards, then dashed in and switched the power off.

"Power transferred from Electrical Systems to the ADS," the computer confirmed, and once again, the lights went down. Isaac gave a soft sigh and wiped his brow. He heard something clink. His head snapped up, and his felt his heart leap into his throat. One of the aliens was crawling through the hole where the asteroid had come through, glaring at him with an eyeless stare, teeth bared, both sets. Isaac threw himself backwards and fired the plasma cutter he had been holding, as he had no chance to bring anything else up. The Xenomorph screeched as it was hit mid-leap, the plasma impacting its hard exoskeleton and searing it. Isaac fired again rapidly. The thing shrieked and backed up at the onslaught, bringing up its arms to guard its head and face. The plasma didn't seem to do much damage, but did cause a reaction, nonetheless. Suddenly, Isaac was grabbed.

He screamed as the long, black fingers curled around his left arm and chest. They were so long, they almost entirely wrapped around his whole torso. Isaac frantically fought, felt the claws cut into his armor plates, but it gave him enough room to move his hand down and fire the plasma cutter into its thigh. It screeched and dropped him quite literally on his head. Isaac scrambled up and fired warning shots as he backed up. Isaac managed to hit the one that was further away, and heard a hissing. He saw a yellowish-green cloud had formed where the plasma had impacted. The cloud hissed as it touched a wall, the metal melting and corroding right before his eyes. New terror gripped him as he realized that the plasma was turning their acid blood into an aerial mist, but just as corrosive and potent as ever. The Xenomorphs looked angry as ever as they stalked towards him, standing at their full height. Isaac fired again, and while they flinched slightly, they didn't stop. Cold terror gripped him as they advanced on him. He brought up his left and hand fired Stasis at them. The bolt hit both of them, and Isaac took the opportunity to run for it, bolting down the halls as fast as he could. He nearly forgot about the floor panels and electricity until a panel threw up blue bolts. He skidded to a stop, skirted around the panel, just as he heard something smash behind him. He turned and the aliens were hot on his heels, angry as giant, black hornets. Isaac dashed down the hall passages, leaped over a floor panel, turned and managed to hit the aliens again with Stasis.

As luck would have it, they were right above one of the panels, which sparked to life and extended blue fingers of lightning. Their screeches were slowed at first by the Stasis, but sped back up as it wore off, the two creatures jerking and shaking as they collapsed. Isaac stopped and huffed, grinning slightly. He reloaded his plasma cutter. Then, much to his shock and renewed terror, they began to twitch and get back up.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Isaac yelled as he turned and ran before they could fully regain their bearings. How the fuck is that possible?! That must've been thirty-thousand volts and at least twenty amps! he thought as he ran, opened the door, and dashed back for the elevator. Isaac made a mad dash through the halls, knowing they would be hot on his tail. He managed to make it into the elevator and close the door just as his RIG beeped.

"Isaac, I found something interesting," said Daniels' voice.

"I'm listening," he said as he pressed the button to take him up to the third floor.

"I looked into the Ishimura's med-sci reports, try to see if I could find anything useful. It looks like most of the data was either corrupted, or purged." Isaac frowned at this.

"Sounds like someone wanted to cover something up," said Isaac.

"Daniels, I'm starting to think you may be right about CEC," said Hammond.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Hammond," she replied with weak sarcasm.

"No, you're right. Too many things don't add up, here. How could they not see this ship on their first scans? How did prospectors not find it before the colony was established? Something isn't right." Kendra seemed surprised.

"Glad to hear it. Yeah, exactly what I was thinking," said Daniels as Isaac heard her typing.

"If that's the case, then the Captain was in on this. Only question is why?" said Isaac.

"No idea, but if CEC learned things went to hell here, might be them trying to cover their asses. And that's just about the aliens, never mind getting caught illegally mining in a quarantined system. Earthgov would have their heads on pikes," Daniels hissed. Isaac thought on this as the elevator rose.

"Daniels, find anything on Nicole?" he asked, hopeful.

"I'm still looking, and it's a mess here. I'll see what I can find, Isaac. But from what I can see, looks like she was helping survivors. Her name's mentioned sporadically. Don't lose hope. I'm sure she's somewhere," said Daniels, and Isaac gave a soft sigh. He hoped she was right.

The elevator stopped and Isaac very carefully stepped out into a new room. It was dark, but had a bit more signs of life. There was a couple vending machines, and despite everything, Isaac felt he could use a drink. He mentally marked the machine for the trip back, but noticed a holopad hung up. Isaac grasped and and hit the play button on an audio message.

"Elizabeth, it's Jacob. I came to the Bridge looking for you, but it's totally fucked up. I'm not sticking around in case whatever did this comes back, and neither should you. It looks like the admin staff went to the Habitation deck to meet with with other survivors and regroup. I'll head there, too. If you aren't with them, I promise I'll find a way to contact you. And . . . if you don't find me. I love you. I want you to know that."

Isaac felt a sting in his heart at that. It was so easy to forget that each death and loss was an individual tragedy. He put the pad back, just in case this Elizabeth was alive and found her way there. He then peeked his head out the open door and down the hall. He carefully made his way down the hall, on guard, head swiveling around. Oddly, the area looked like it had been hardly touched. Sure, it was a little dirty, but no more than what was to be expected on a sixty-year-old planet cracker. Isaac cautiously approached the end of the hall, peeked his head out. Nothing. He scampered out to where the final junction box was and switched over the power.

"Power transferred from Water Purification to ADS cannons," the computer confirmed. Isaac contacted Hammond.

"Hammond, last one's done," Isaac confirmed.

"Got it. Great job, Isaac. Looks like the ADS cannons are back online and, wait a minute . . . what the hell?" said Hammond.

"What?" Isaac asked, worried. He heard typing.

"It's saying 'Auto-targeting offline, calibration data not found'. Fuck. No auto-targeting. The cannons are useless," Hammond growled. Isaac thought for a moment.

"What about manual targeting?" Isaac asked.

"You want to go out there with all those asteroids raining down, and target the ADS cannons manually?" Kendra asked incredulously.

"If either of you have any bright ideas, I'm all ears. We don't have time to argue. If I can give the cannons enough targeting data manually, it'll re-calibrate the system." There was a long pause, then a sigh.

"I'll open exterior access. I just hope you know what you're doing," said Hammond, the link cutting off. Isaac headed for the nearby door, first stopping to check in the EVA Prep Room for any supplies. This time, thankfully, he found some fuel for his flamethrower, which he gladly reloaded. He then headed down the hall and took the elevator up to the top. Isaac kept his flamethrower ready as he opened the doors, came out into a medium room just in front of the airlock. "So, what's the plan?" Hammond asked as Isaac's radio chirped.

"I'll sync a few of the ADS cannons to one of my tools. I target an asteroid, the cannons take it out, and I re-calibrate the system," Isaac explained. Hammond gave a sigh.

"I just hope you're a good shot. Do it," said Hammond, and the radio switched off. Isaac noticed a glowing security panel, and pressed the button.

"Oh, god! Someone stop him!" a woman's voice called.

"This is Second Officer Chic, I need Security here right now!" a man's voice commanded.

"Don't bother. No one's coming," said another man's voice, sounding tired and defeated.

"White, please. Step away from the controls. We need our first officer!" Chic pleaded.

"The Captain's dead, Vincent's team is dead, who's left?" White replied, voice trembling.

"Step away from the airlock! That's an order!" Chic said evenly.

"I saw what happened to the Captain. Saw what they do. I . . . I can't let that happen to me. I can't!" White said, sounding close to tears. "T-they even got Spike. My poor little pup. Those monsters." White was almost sobbing now. "And all because of that fuck Matthias! And that fat bastard, Eckhardt!" White almost screamed.

"Think, White! Do you really believe CEC won't send a rescue mission for their precious planet cracker? We just need to hold on!" Chic shouted back.

"Yes . . . you probably should do that," said White in a listless tone. There was a sound of an airlock cycling open.

"White, no!" Chic yelled before the roar of escaping air drowned everything out, and the recording ended. Isaac turned to the airlock, hesitantly reached out and pressed the hologram, and opened the inner airlock. He walked inside, waited for the door to close, then pressed the hologram for the outer door. The airlock cycled for a few moments, then opened, his RIG alerting him he was entering a vacuum. He stepped out onto the hull of the Ishimura, and looked around.

He was at the end of a long trench along which were situated the ADS cannons to provide protection for the cannons and also for the hull against impacts, rather like some ancient armor had ridges to spread out force from an impact. Isaac disengaged his mag-boots and floated up. He engaged his jets and flew to the nearest ADS cannon, bringing out the Pulse Rifle. He pressed the hologram and synced the cannon with his aim.

"Syncing targeting system," the Ishimura computer droned.

He aimed up at some of the incoming asteroids, and fired. The ADS cannon tracked his aim and fired where he did. The asteroids were obliterated by each shot. Isaac couldn't help a small smile under his helmet. Isaac shot several asteroids with the huge cannon before the computer chimed in again. "Calibration complete. Auto-targeting, now online." Isaac grinned and flew to the next one, stopping to refill his oxygen along the way. He flew to the next cannon and did the same. Isaac concentrated and tried not to panic as he targeted incoming asteroids. He lined up the shots and aimed true, hitting most of them. Once again, the computer of the ship confirmed the re-calibration of the ADS cannon.

"One more to go," Isaac mused as he flew to the last cannon. That was when Isaac saw movement. "Oh, are you fucking kidding me?!" Isaac swore as he saw several of the Xenomorphs clinging to the hull. They were very much alive and moving, confirming they could survive in vacuum.

Isaac glanced up. He thought about using the ADS cannon, but knew that was a dumb idea. He was more likely to blow more holes in the Ishimura, and if the cannon began auto-targeting aliens, then it would fire regardless of where they happened to be. As satisfying an idea as it might be, he had a better idea. He grabbed some heavy debris with Kinesis, aimed and fired. The Xenomorphs looked quite surprised when a large piece of heavy spaceship hull smashed into them and sent one careening off into space. He picked up another piece and aimed. He was a bit surprised when they scattered, leaping in different directions like roaches fleeing from light. He turned, aimed and fired at one of the monsters that was climbing along the hull towards him Isaac shot the heavy girder at it, and while it managed to jump and avoid that, it couldn't dodge his shot of Stasis and the follow-up piece of debris, sending the black creature off into the depths of space. Isaac picked up another piece of hull, turned, and saw the last one. He shot the heavy metal at he alien, but got a very large surprise when he did.

The Xenomorph picked up a piece of hull like he had, and used it like a shield, swatting away the debris he shot at it. Isaac felt his blood chill. He aimed his left glove, and was shocked when it threw a piece of broken hull at the Stasis shot, which froze in flight. His eyes went wide. He aimed the rifle and fired, but the Xenomorph was faster, scurrying along the hull like a spider. Isaac grabbed his flamethrower and ejected the canister. He threw it with Kinesis ahead of the Xenomorph, and fired at it with the rifle. This time, he got it, the canister exploding as it was shot. Much to his surprise, it actually harmed the creature, blowing a limb off and sending the black monster bouncing off a wall, where it scrabbled up and disappeared over the edged of the trench. Isaac hurried to the last ADS cannon and tapped the hologram. He fired at the incoming asteroids as fast as he could, eyes flicking in case any more aliens attacked. Thankfully, none did. In a few shots, the Ishimura computer chimed up again.

"Data migration complete. ADS re-calibrated. Auto-targeting systems enabled," the computer confirmed, and Isaac sighed with relief, refilling his oxygen from a nearby station. Isaac's radio chirped.

"You did it, Isaac. ADS are back online ship-wide. Thank god. Engaging autopilot now," said Hammond, sounding beyond relieved.

"Right. I'm heading back inside now," said Isaac, heading back to the airlock as the ADS cannons now destroyed asteroids automatically and without any issue. Isaac kept his eyes peeled for any more Xenomorphs, but he saw nothing. He went inside the airlock and slumped a bit as he waited for it to cycle. Oh, what he wouldn't give for some coffee and to be able to sit and relax, even if for only a little while. As the airlock door opened, he was surprised when a RIGLINK video popped up. He was expecting Hammond or Kendra. Instead, it was a face he recognized, but didn't know.

"Mr. Clarke? Can you hear me?" said a man with shorter brown hair.

"Who are you? Wait . . . you're a doctor, from Medical," said Isaac as he realized where he had seen his face.

"My name is Doctor Terrence Kyne. I am . . . I was the Chief Science Officer of the USG Ishimura," he said. "Ms. Daniels, Mr. Hammond, can you also hear me?" he asked.

"Yeah. Yeah we can," said Hammond.

"How're you alive?" Kendra asked. Dr. Kyne sighed at this.

"It's a very long story, but I will share it with you. I want to help you," said Dr. Kyne, surprising them.

"Wait a minute . . . have you been watching us?" Kendra asked. Dr. Kyne closed his eyes and nodded.

"I was able to watch you on the security feeds, but I wasn't able to message you until now. I think your redirecting power disabled something that was interfering. Regardless, I want to help you survive," he said firmly.

"Where are you?" Isaac asked.

"I've managed to isolate myself on the Crew Deck. I have been lucky, and the Xenomorphs do not seem to know I am here. For the moment. I can't say the same for others on the Crew Deck, though . . ." Isaac could see the tired look on Kyne's face, the bags under his eyes.

"All right. Is the tram station at Crew Deck active? I'll be over," said Isaac. Dr. Kyne looked surprised.

"While I appreciate the gesture, Mr. Clarke, I think it will be safer for all involved to stay where we are, for the moment," said Dr. Kyne.

"He's right, Isaac. Running around with those things prowling is not a good idea. The less we expose ourselves to danger, the more likely we are to life through this," said Hammond. Kyne gave a soft smile and nodded.

"Mr. Hammond is very right. I would not want you to risk yourself for my sake," Dr. Kyne replied. Isaac could hear something in his voice at this. Sounding like regret, anguish.

"Isaac, come back to the Captain's nest. It's safe enough here. Daniels, are you secure where you are?" Hammond asked.

"As much as I can be," she replied. Dr. Kyne nodded.

"Good. Try to make as little noise as possible, and stay out of sight," he advised.

"All right. I'll be there. Isaac, out," and with that Isaac headed back towards the Captain's Nest.