~ The Opportunity ~
Today was the day my life would change forever! I frantically logged onto my computer in excitement. I watched as the lime green text filled the dark void of the screen as I quickly opened my inbox. With a jolt of wonder there I saw it, the single new message with the simple title, ACCEPTANCE FOR R&D. Upon reading the words I felt like I was a child again, giddy with excitement. Quickly I opened the message and read the digital letter of acceptance with fervor.
"To whom it may concern, Congratulations on being accepted for the wondrous profession of R&D at the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. You have been accepted for this role after much analysis and debate between our hard working managers here at The Company. This is no small feat that you have achieved, let us be clear. Provided alongside this message will be your encoded employee resignation form. Fill out this form completely and then turn it in at your nearest Wey-Yu Recruitment Office. Thank you for joining us at Weyland-Yutani! Now, along with your help, we can build better worlds!"
"It's happening, it's really happening" I thought to myself with glee as I began the paperwork. I typed as fast as I could, desperate to get started as soon as I could. After nearly 3 hours of filling out forms and gathering my official papers, ID, and transcripts, I had finally finished all the required forms. With great pride I inserted a Hand Card into my computer to download the form, and then began to get ready to leave. After the transfer was completed, I stowed the card safely away in my bag and began my journey to the Recruitment Office.
As I walked out onto the street I was greeted with the magnificent view of Europa's horizon. The great gas giant, Jupiter, stretched far across the sky, dominating the view around me. The world seemed brighter all around me as I began my journey to the Office. The smell of the grass, the breeze of the wind, the slight chill in the air, it all flooded my senses and filled me with vigor. In the distance I could see the remains of one of the great terraforming plants that turned this once desolate moon into the utopia it now is. Ever since Weyland-Yutani pioneered travel beyond our solar system, it seems as if life had only just improved.
After nearly an hour and a half of walking, I had finally arrived at the heart of Europa's colony, the Weyland-Yutani Headquarters. The building was monstrous, cleaving through the skyline as it reached towards the heavens, the place of work for over 10,000 employees. As I stepped inside the grand entrance hall I felt insignificant to the pure scale of the place. All around were monitors showing films of Weyland-Yutani's history and ventures in the galaxy. In the center of it was a large desk with nearly a dozen receptionists, pointing people to a number of directions. Hanging above it all, a massive banner from the ceiling with The Company's slogan on it, "Building Better Worlds".
As I stumbled in line I anxiously waited my turn. Slowly but surely the line dwindled till I had finally reached the desk. "Hello, welcome to the Weyland Yutani Headquarters of Europa, how may I help you today?" the receptionist asked with a forced grin and bored tone. I smiled and pulled out my card, handing it to her. "I am here to go to the Recruitment Offices, my files are right here." The receptionist grabbed the card and inserted it into her machine. After a moment of whirling and buzzing, the card was ejected and she handed it back to me with a smile. "Everything is in order, you're going to be headed to the forty seventh floor and there your recruiter will be waiting for you. Have a wonderful day Mr. Orion." I waved goodbye to the receptionist as I headed towards the elevators, taking one last look at the magnificent hall.
As I waited in the elevator I watched as the skyline began to shrink, ever more and more. With each story it conquered the once great colony grew smaller and smaller. Eventually, a pleasant ding filled the elevator as the doors glided open, revealing a much more humble receptionist desk than the one in the entrance hall. Behind this desk sat a single receptionist and their mountain of papers and cards. As I walked up to the counter they seemed relieved to finally have a distraction from all their paperwork. With an exhausted grin they looked up at me and chuckled, "Man I sure hope you applied for a receptionist role, I'd kill for some help. May I have your card please?". As I handed them my card a door to the right of me swished open to reveal a man in a finely tailored Wey-Yu outfit.
The man reached out his hand and gave a firm handshake "Ah, you must be Mr. Orion, I've been expecting you, please, follow me in my office. Don't worry about your card, you'll get it back. I promise.". As I followed him through the door, he led me through the labyrinth of cubicles that filled the floor, all the way to his corner office in the end. As I sat down in front of his desk I couldn't help but admire the breathtaking view of the colony's skyline on Europa, I had never seen it from so high up before. The man took a seat behind his desk and caught me gazing off into the horizon.
"It is quite the view isn't it? Just imagine, we're not even half way up" He chuckled to himself. "Now, let's get down to business. My name is Johnathan Bishop, and I run this floor. It's here that we manage the recruitment for all employees of The Company who are set to be moved off of Europa, whether that be a transfer, a new position, or a contractual obligation." I blinked in surprise as I processed what he said, "Wait, I'm being moved off of Europa?" I inquired. Bishop smiled and looked to his monitor, "It says here you are to be immediately transported to one of our newest facilities, your role will be under..." he paused, his smile faded, if only but for a moment, before he cleared his throat and continued, "Excuse me," his demeanor changed back to its previous jolly form. "Your role will be under XX121 Research and Development. The facility is quite a distance from earth. Roughly a fourteen year journey. Currently the facility is still under development but by the time of your arrival, the whole facility should have been in full operational capacity for at least ten years."
I sat there imagining a whole new world, vast laboratories of top of the line equipment, and dozens of like minded scientists all around me making ground breaking discoveries. While the mention of XX121 had obviously set something off in Bishop, I was too distracted with the thought of a whole new world ahead of me. "When do I leave?" I asked, still partially daydreaming. Bishop chuckled, "I wish all hires were as excited to leave Europa as you are. You'll have until the end of the week to gather anything you would like to bring to you. From there you'll head to the space center where you'll be loaded on a Weyland-Yutani cargo ship which is also destined for the center. If you have any other questions or concerns about this job just give me a call." Bishop then began to sift through some papers on his desk, before finally finding his quarry.
In a satisfying thump, he leveled the papers on his desk before turning them around to me. It was a contract of at least 20 pages. Weyland handed me a pen and sat back at his desk. "This is your official contract starting your employment for Weyland-Yutani. You'll need to sign on pages one, four, thirteen, and twenty one. This covers any and all restrictions, payment, injuries, ect." For a moment I paused and had the temptation to wait, but as Bishop made an impatient glance at his watch, I decided to get it over with, no sense in risking a dream come true.
As I signed on the last line, Bishop gladly took the papers and threw it into his file cabinet. "Welcome to Weyland-Yutani Mr. Orion, you're officially a new member of our family, have a safe trip.". Giving me one final handshake, I turned to leave his office, only for him to call out to me just as I went through the door. "One last thing Mr. Orion! Due to your position, you've been gifted a sign-on bonus of ten thousand dollars into your account! Enjoy the bonus!" With the last sentence spoken, the door behind me closed automatically and I began the track back to my home to prepare for my voyage.
The following days I gathered all that I could carry, every old possession I knew I would need I had packed into my suitcases. Everything else would be sold to stores and scrapyards. I decided it best to save what money I could, who knows what this new world would be like. On that note a hint of curiosity hit me, back in the office Bishop had seemed worried with my position. Come to think of it, I had never even heard the term XX121 before. While tomorrow was departure I decided to do some last minute research as I logged onto the internet. One by one, filled with curiosity, my fingers punched in the letters and numbers. In one last clack of my keyboard I hit enter, only to be met with almost nothing. There were nearly no records of anything even titled XX121, however there were many results regarding alien lifeforms. My eyes widened in awe, if I truly have been put on a team with actual aliens... I just couldn't believe it, this job only gets better.
Still stricken with curiosity I delved further into the search to figure out exactly what I'd be working with. As I clicked on a link, the computer made no action. Annoyed, I attempted to do it again, only to be once again ignored. Deciding to keep trying I began to continue scrolling in search of any real information on what I would be doing. Every now and then I would see old articles from the past concerning XX121, all of them criticizing The Company for its practices and goals. They all mentioned experiments from the past and some even brought up humanity's first alien contact, the Xenomorph. My eyes widened at the word, Xenomorphs have slowly become more and more well known throughout the colonial worlds. While not much is known about them, ever since that encounter they have threatened entire worlds. They are a species widely considered to be the perfect, evolutionary killing machine. Is this the focus of the program? Deciding it was late enough in the night, I logged off and checked my bags one last time before heading to bed.
As the vehicle pulled up to the entry terminal I unloaded my bags. As I looked up at the space center ahead of me I marched inside to begin my new life. After sifting my way through countless checkpoints I finally saw it ahead of me, the vessel that would bring me my new life. Sitting in the middle of the concrete clearing was a massive freighter the size of a small office building. Pipes and tubes curled along the ground, swirling atop one another and connecting to various valves in every direction. The whole space blared with the noise of machinery and vehicles. Nearly a dozen workers covered the launch area, loading equipment and supplies onto the ship. Beside one of the daunting landing gears stood a man in ballistic armor and a helmet, all branded with the Wey-Yu logo and the United Systems insignia.
When he saw me he quickly jogged over to my position. "You the new scientist they're bringing with us?" The soldier asked as he tried to shout over the noise. I screamed yes as I handed him my newly issued Weyland Yutani ID I recently received. With a quick look he took the card before handing it back. "You came just in time doc! We're just about to start take off procedures! Let me take some of your bags for you" The marine hoisted my bags over his shoulders and motioned for me to follow him as I felt the whole ground shake. Looking back to the ship I watched as the massive cargo ramp began to retract back, sealing the cargo bay off from the outside.
The soldier led me to a much smaller, man sized ramp positioned just next to one of the landing gears and stood aside to allow for me to enter first. As we entered the spacious airlock of the ship I could hear the hydraulics around me hiss, moments later a loud clunk signaled the sealing of the door. Suddenly, pressurized air shot into the room as a loud, orange light began to dance color around the airlock. After a few moments, silence finally once again graced my ears as the last door finally opened.
The soldier took the lead and began leading me through the suddenly claustrophobic corridor. The halls were a hexagonal shape, lined with pipes next to the floor and grates lining the walls. Deep yellow fluorescent lights illuminated the path, although not very well, and suddenly with a great shock, the whole ship seemed to shift. "Feels like engines are about to start warming up, better get settled in quick, I'll give you the tour come orbit." The soldier said as he turned into a much larger circular room, fitted with a respectfully sized table for dining and splitting off into many other halls as well. Staying close, the halls took a much nicer shift in presentation. Turning to a pleasant white and black color scheme, complemented by smooth white surfaces along every angle of the walls. The pipes were concealed alongside any metal with a soft white, plastic like padding. The lights seemed brighter and the air conditioning emanated a relaxing hum.
As the soldier walked through a door he showed me my living quarters. "Like I said we ain't got the time now for a tour, so dump any loose items in here while we take off." As directed I placed my bag and suitcase alongside where the soldier left my things and quickly followed him back out. A deep hum soon filled my ears, causing the soldier to quicken his pace. "C'mon, the bridge is just up ahead of us."
I entered the bridge only to see several other crew members manning the central command station in the middle of the bridge. The sound of voices echoed from speakers as the crew finalized the launch procedures. The soldier beside me grabbed me by the shoulder and moved me into a seat by the wall before strapping me in. "Trust me, you don't wanna be standing for this." he said as he strapped in next to me.
A loud speaker filled the bridge as a voice took over, "This is Europa Ground Control to USCSS Astara, all checks are finalized and you are clear for launch, follow the directed route and safe travels." The captain pressed a key and responded quickly, "This is USCSS Astara to Europa Ground Control, engaging launch now.". Suddenly the ship began to shake and the engines' roar flooded all other sounds. I could feel myself getting pushed into my seat as the ship began to rise. As we ascended above the port I could hear the whole ship moving as the landing gears retracted and systems set us in for our course.
"Engaging main thrusters in five..." a voice called out through the bridge. "Four...", the ship began to shift its nose directly upward towards the stars. "Three...", I could hear the ship begin to emanate a low and loud pulse as the engine neared full power. "Two...", I looked to the soldier beside me as I saw him grinning back. "One...", suddenly in a burst of brilliant force I was flown back into my seat as I saw the sky grow to a deep blue at an incredibly fast rate. The engines roared in fury as they hurled our ship to the beyond. Breathing became harder the longer the ascent lasted but I managed to stay conscious, or at least enough to keep my senses with me. Mere minutes after the launch I could see the heat try to yank us back to orbit, but the vessel did not yield. Finally, in a quick and sudden moment, everything ceased.
The shaking stopped as the sound of the thrusters slowed to a silent hum once again. Small bursts of directional jets could be heard as our ship began to plot its course. Although I knew it was coming, the weightlessness of space still caught me off guard as I was kept in place only by my restraints. I looked on in awe at the sight of the galaxy around me, only to hear the chuckle of the soldier who had guided me through this whole ordeal.
"There really is nothing like your first launch, enjoy the feeling while it lasts." The soldier said as he too joined me in star gazing. After a moment a green light filled the bridge and an automated voice rang out "Attention, artificial gravity has been established, it is now safe to travel the ship.". I began to undo the straps holding me in and finally stood up, nearly falling over while doing so. The soldier grabbed my arm and helped me gain my balance. "Take things slow for now doc, it's a weird adjustment. C'mon, I'll show you around."
As we walked back we eventually arrived back in the main dining area from before. The soldier turned around and extended his hand. I accepted his hand shake and began to let my eyes drift around the cabin. "Welcome to the USCSS Astara Doctor Orion, I don't believe I had a chance to properly introduce myself. I'm Lance Corporal Samwell Vasquez, I've been assigned to guide you around and help you out when we first land, after that I'm gonna be stuck as a glorified police officer." He took off his helmet and began walking around the room. "Layout is pretty self explanatory, signs show you how to get around for the most part. Follow me and I'll take you to the lockers."
As I followed Vasquez down a hall we arrived at a spacious room full of showers, toilets, benches, and lockers. He walked up to a locker and handed me a crumpled piece of paper with numbers strewn upon it. "Here's your locker, inside is what you need to wear for cryo sleep. To get to the pods you'll need to head back to the dining area and head towards the cryo wing. For now though, let's get some grub. Never sleep on an empty stomach."
Vasquez and I walked back to the dining area where we met the four people from the bridge sitting around the table. As we took our seats one of them pushed over a large plate full of artificial steak and re-hydrated veggies my way. "I don't know what's so special about this hull, but damn! They actually gave us real food for once!" one of the crew members commented as they tore into their meal. They all nodded and returned to their meals, savoring every bite. The smoky scent of artificial beef filled the compartment as we all enjoyed our meal together.
As the captain gulped down a chunk of streak he pointed his fork my way, "After this, you need to get changed out, all systems are going on minimum power as soon as possible to conserve resources.". The captain adjusted his gaze to Vasquez, "You showed him where to go?" he asked. "Yes captain, he knows what to do, I told him just before we came to eat."
After the meal I stripped down into the so-called "outfit" I had been given in the locker room. What it really was, was just a fancy pair of underwear and nothing else. As I arrived in the cryo-chamber I looked for my designated pod. Upon finding it I felt strange and hesitated to get in. Suddenly the door opened and Vasquez walked towards his pod as well. He saw me eyeing my pod like it would kill me and pointed at me.
"It ain't that common to be afraid of the pods, not everyone really likes the whole 'freeze and just hope you get woken up' approach. Best recommendation I can give is to just treat it like any other nap. Close your eyes and picture something nice, for me it'll be a nice bottle of tequila and a whole lotta guns. See ya fourteen years!" He joked as he closed his lid to his pod. A pressurized stream of air escaped the vents as a small beep signaled the process had begun.
I shifted my way into my pod, it was as tight as a coffin, but not nearly as comfortable as one. As I closed the pod I felt as the pressure shifted and closed my eyes. I felt my body relax and let my mind wander to the unknown. In my final moments of consciousness I pictured the labs, the workers, and all that we could accomplish for humanity and beyond.
- Authors Note-
Thank you for reading the first full chapter of The Sixth Specimen! This chapter captures the length I would like to shoot for in most of the others, fair warning however, I can't guarantee all will be this long (some may even be longer!), but this should give you a good insight on the length of the chapters yet to come. Currently, I am hoping to upload a chapter roughly every week, most likely on Saturdays. If you have any interest in this story and would like to see it continue, please let me know! A little encouragement can go a long way in the end. Make sure to leave any feedback, whether it is good or bad, and I'll do my best to respond to everyone I can. As always thank you so much for reading my story, and have a wonderful night.
This is your Narrator, signing off.
