Dead Space: Zealot

by PyroFox117

AU. Sequel to "Dead Space: Ascetic". Titan Station has been overrun by the same force that consumed the Ishimura. Curtis and Nicole may be the only people who stand between the Necromorphs and the annihilation of humanity. They'll slice and dice their way through the Sprawl, helping friends, meeting a man thought dead, and being pursued by something... alien. OC X Stalker!Nicole

15. Ishimura's Revenge

7 Hours, 45 Minutes Post-Sprawl Outbreak

Uncanny silence hung like vapor as Curtis and company walked down a twisting tunnel made of white plastic and cellophane. His heart and breathing dipped below an audible volume, and their footsteps were muffled by the synthetic walls instead of reflected as echoes. LEDs mounted in a line on the ceiling dimly lit the way.

As a miner, Curtis was used to working with dirt-stained tools and metals older than humanity. Sterile environments were Nicole's old stomping grounds. Supposed they still were, given that she'd never left their apartment in years. This is too much, even for me, she thought, running a claw along the eggshell tarp. A gash appeared in it with the slightest pressure, allowing the torn halves to flutter.

"What do we need to do to pull off this scheme?" Ellie whispered, taking a hammer to the quiet.

"Not much," Isaac said back. "The lights are on, so the generators must have at least a little fuel. Or an emergency one was brought aboard. There's air and heat, so life support is on. That means we won't need to reboot the entire ship." Isaac worked on planet crackers even before repairing the Ishimura's systems during its darkest hour. Curtis trusted his expertise. "The one thing we have to activate is the centrifuge, which helps maintain stability for the gravity tethers. Without that, the Ishimura will start spinning like a top, probably tearing itself apart."

Sounded almost as dramatic as being compressed by a shockring.

"What else?" Nicole piped up.

"We'll start the tethers, too." He paused, and Curtis almost saw a smile behind three lines of light. "I think that's covered, though." Curtis felt himself smile, too. They knew exactly where to go: the Captain's Nest on the Bridge. More importantly, they kept the secret codes to activate the machines after looting Captain Mathius' body so long ago, which they used to drop a continent and stop the Red Marker. Couldn't imagine they'd been changed in the interim. It relieved him to have the tools they needed instead of improvising.

"But I'm worried it won't be enough." Isaac turned to Curtis as they kept walking. "I'm an engineer, but you've worked with this equipment more than I have. What do you think?" He was taken aback. It had been a while since the miner provided expertise on any subject except Necromorphs. Still, pride in his profession swelled in an otherwise aching chest.

Gravity tethers utilized the same technology as portable kinesis modules, though scaled up exponentially. This involved producing and manipulating gravitons, but the specifics were far too advanced for Curtis to get his head around. He did understand, however, that the science ceased working at massive scales. Colonies established on worlds scheduled for planet cracking planted groundside gravity tethers to assist the ones in orbit: that process took years, and it was why ships like the Ishimura couldn't swoop in whenever they wanted. Crackpot myths about dragging stars floated around the Transnet in defiance of the fact (though EarthGov might have hoped to solve these issues, given the solar system scale engineering they planned).

Anyway, Isaac wanted to know if the Government Sector was small enough to move with the Ishimura's gravity tethers alone. If it was too big, they'd have a problem. As someone who mined asteroids and comets for most of his adult life, Curtis would know… and he didn't believe there would be a problem.

"A smaller ship's tethers wouldn't work on something as big as the Shard, but I'm sure the Ishimura's will." GovSec seemed comparable to other rock chunks he'd seen hauled during his brief time aboard. Isaac nodded.

The group rounded another corner, where a small lift waited. Finally. Seeing another space would let them get their bearings. Hopefully, it'd lead to new paths instead of forcing them along one route. They stepped on and hit the button to ascend. When they did, the first things he saw were neon white letters flickering the Ishimura's name.

"Oh, no," Isaac muttered, and Curtis felt the same way. They were in the main hangar – where everyone entered this nightmare the first time. The cavernous chamber didn't look too different, having finished refurbishment. Pallets of various substances would surely be used on the areas ahead, however.

His instincts told him to move slowly so nothing saw him, but they couldn't afford to dawdle. Nicole's honed senses told him that no Necromorphs were in there, perhaps except some small patches of Corruption and a couple of Swarmers. The Marker doesn't know we've stopped, Nicole assured him. We might get through the entire ship without being found out. The Ishimura's a big place.

You don't say. His sarcasm earned him a light slug on the arm, which lifted his spirits higher. She loved him for his sense of humor, lame as it could be sometimes.

Curtis glanced to the right. Though no trace of it remained, he knew the USG Kellion parked there before being shredded from within by Necromorphs. Isaac didn't turn his head, so he probably didn't want to be reminded. That would ruin –

A metal pipe leaning against the guardrail about 20 feet ahead of them fell. The clang almost made him jump out of his skin. The echo seemed to never end; by the time it did, they were through the door and into a lounge that he remembered being choked with people and their belongings. Now thick coverings blanketed the walls, trying to hide whatever was underneath.

"Do you think they've cleaned it up?" he asked. "Or are they just trying to hide it, even from themselves?" Nobody had an answer, nor did they want to peel back the bandages to find out. Biohazard symbols emblazoned everywhere provided a clue. They silently continued. The maps had been shrouded, but everyone who visited the Ishimura felt their destination's magnetic pull.

The darkness whispered. Shapes of shadow stared at him from corners, always vanishing when he looked directly at them. Voices he nearly understood mouthed words at him from beyond. If he almost heard it, then it must have been worse for the three who weren't protected from insanity by a psychic connection (regardless of the other advantages they had, which already prevented them from snapping like sticks). Whether or not Necromorphs were present, he found it possible that literal ghosts haunted the ghost ship. Nicole wondered, too.

He didn't know if any place in recent human history hosted such suffering, fear, anger and death. Except for Titan Station.

Isaac visibly flinched a few times at different locations, though he said nothing about the horrible things that happened at each during those first frightful minutes. During them, the Necromorphs were nameless monsters that he had no context for, knowing only that they should not have been. The group passed a bench that he remembered succinct words about cutting off limbs being scrawled in blood above, though they had been removed by soap and time.

Finally, they stumbled into the tram vestibule. Several holo-screens spat eerie static, which may as well have been the moans of the damned. The air was rank with dust as their steps stirred it up. Even with the walls and floor looking different, Curtis immediately recognized this as the place where he and Isaac met.

"This brings back memories," the engineer said. That was one way to put it. Meeting Nicole was… more traumatic for the man, but they didn't need to worry about that. Not when their means of escape was right out the door. Without missing a beat, the threshold withdrew into the ceiling, and they stepped through. The gray smoke filling the deserted tunnel was oddly nostalgic, even as it reeked of chemicals.

The sign listing the different stops had been torn down, with only fragments of the edges remaining. That didn't matter, though, because he remembered that the Bridge was at the bow while Engineering waited at the stern. Even if he forgot, the embossed words on the floor would remind him. The only question was if the tram still ran. While he suspected it did (for he saw no other way for people to traverse the Ishimura except walking), there was no way to know other than to wait.

And wait they did. They learned more about each other in a moment of relative peace. He and Nicole told Isaac about some of the less important developments that happened in the universe, like the winners of the past few Z-Ball and urban brawl championships, and the portfolio Nicole built for herself as an artist. Ellie told them more about her life… which sounded pretty normal. Nothing that foreshadowed hunting monsters. There was even time to chat about more banal matters, such as their favorite vids and the last real meal they ate. It almost felt like a normal conversation between average folks.

However, Nolan didn't participate. The man's face looked gaunt. He withdrew into himself as the Marker reasserted its dominance. Curtis couldn't guess what happened inside his head, but he hoped Nolan had the strength to resist a little longer. He might know things about the Markers that none of the rest did. And nobody else deserves to die.

Minutes passed, and Curtis slowly lost hope that a tram would come. At least we haven't bumped into any Necromorphs. That was a start. As he opened his mouth, though, a low drone reached his ears. He stuck his head over the edge and saw a light approach from the right.

The train puttered into the station, and its door yanked open. He expected to see seats stained with ichor, but the upholstery had been replaced. The advertisements were stripped away, leaving a completely utilitarian vehicle. Not like the original possessed much charm. Hell, it had been reduced to a moving platform after the roof and walls were ripped off. A cart of cleaning supplies was stacked aboard, seemingly forgotten in the shuffle.

They looked at each other with trepidation before stepping aboard. Curtis slowly sat down, expecting something to go wrong. The seat could collapse under him, for instance. No such thing happened even with all his weight resting on it. Nobody else shared the same reluctance, instead wholeheartedly accepting this gift.

Curtis glanced outside. Could have sworn he caught a glimpse of movement in the tram control center, where they'd been a couple of minutes before. Felt his mouth crease into a frown, but there was no time to investigate; the threshold shut, and they were off. His blood pressure slowly dipped, and he exhaled a long sigh. His throbbing head made it feel like an important blood vessel burst even with Nicole suppressing his worst anxieties. Even so, he admitted that this expedition had gone shockingly well. Sure, it had been statistically unlikely that they'd have bumped into any Necromorphs, but Curtis didn't have the best luck. Things usually went wrong.

Isaac cleared his throat a few seconds later. "Um, Curtis and Nicole – I'd like you to come with me." Curtis assumed that to be the plan, but he appreciated the invitation. His only uses would be shooting and lifting things, though. "Ellie… keep going until you reach the Bridge. Make sure everything looks OK up there."

"Are you benching me, Isaac?" she asked.

"That's not – "

"I don't have to listen to you! I can handle danger better than you know!" Without warning, she exploded. Venom tainted her voice. Embers must have burned in her eyes behind the mask while her face flushed crimson. It felt especially frightful after Curtis experienced this madness firsthand. He moved to say something, but Isaac acted first. In doing so, he demonstrated another great weapon in anyone's arsenal: empathy.

"I have no idea whether Engineering or the Bridge is more dangerous. It's important to make sure both are ready, though," Isaac calmly explained (though there may have been some voice filter chicanery to take off the edge). He made it sound like starting the ignition wasn't something they needed an engineer for. Ellie might have been better suited as a pilot.

Then he leaned in and whispered, "Someone also needs to keep an eye on Nolan. You know how to do that better than anyone." Bunched up on the cold floor, Curtis doubted the man heard. The words didn't bother him if he did. It took a moment for Isaac's logic to reach Ellie.

"You're right." As she backed off, he felt Nicole's hand drift a fraction of an inch away from her laser weapon. "Sorry, but it's getting really hard to keep my head straight. Tough to tell what thoughts are mine and which are its." She sighed. "I've been seeing things, too. For a while, it seemed like something was stalking us. And Kaleb…" She trailed off.

"I wish I could say it gets easier, but I won't lie to you. It just gets worse." Not particularly encouraging, but all of it would end once the Marker did.

The gondola got to their first destination a moment later. Curtis didn't know whether he'd rather stay or go, yet he felt glad to do something again. For once, it might not have been a nightmare.

8 Hours Post-Sprawl Outbreak

Nicole stepped into terra incognita. Her toes probed the floor, finding it identical to all the others. The Engineering Deck was the only part of the Ishimura she never visited during her journeys. Curtis' memories of being here during the early hours of the outbreak to fix Kyne's sabotage of the fuel lines filled in some gaps. Isaac also came independently to repair the centrifuge and engines.

She glimpsed Ellie through the slatted door as the vehicle continued its endless loop. Her head was turned away. It'd make a good painting, if she remembered it. I probably won't. So much in life turned out to be fleeting – and that was OK. The most important person would never abandon her.

'Til death do us part, Curtis thought as they walked. Even that obstacle seemed small, though it remained just as terrifying to those with a pulse. The walls remained just as white when they entered into another area. A circular chamber was mounted into the far wall, and what looked to be control panels inside had been plastered over. If memory served her husband, this was the Control Room where he met Jacob Temple for the first and only time. While he was alive and not trying to kill us at Mercer's command, anyway.

Her foot landed in something sticky, and time seemed to stop. She was frozen in fear, only able to glance down with her four eyes. A clear, syrupy ooze wrapped around her clawed appendage. Slowly, her mandibles opened; Curtis cringed at what he knew was coming and couldn't stop.

Nicole screamed. Primal terror overwhelmed her. A being designed to kill was reduced to a child. She felt like that kid she helped in the hospital: Audrey. Hadn't thought about her for a while. Nicole hoped she was alive and not executed by EarthGov for knowing too much.

The shriek ended as quickly as it began. Her jaws snapped shut, yet the fear remained. She'd have taken dozens of her kind over this one thing.

"Hey, calm down," Isaac said, his hand slightly raised. He saw the goo, too. Her body didn't listen; her lungs pumped air without an exchange of gasses, while the fragments of a dead heart pumped nothing. He bent down to collect a dollop in his hand. Even retracted his helmet to give it a sniff. Thankfully, he didn't go so far as tasting it. Then he shook it off his fingers. "You're jumping to conclusions. I'm not completely sure what this gunk is, but it seems like an oil emulsion. Probably from a broken pipe…"

Her head shot up to the ceiling. It was low in this room, so she had no problem observing it. Curtis' memories told her that most of the walls and roof in Engineering were lined with exposed pipes, wires and circuitry. The walls may have been covered, but the ceiling still looked like part of a Halloween haunted house. The holiday didn't pack the same punch for the last couple years. Indeed, she spotted a duct that dribbled the substance. Only this and nothing more.

She sighed and wiped her foot upon the corrugated floor.

Nicole searched Isaac's voice and body language for hints of deception to make them feel better. It was easy; he had been her lover for years, so she knew his tells. He believed what he told them. Still, it disturbed her that the Xenomorph being here was even a question. They left it behind. How could it have followed?

They got to an elevator that Isaac remembered. Curtis never went this way, so she flew blind. Isaac told them that they were close. At least it wouldn't take hours to walk wherever. It felt like a moment of safety; nothing would burst through the walls in a space so small. Such moments were ephemeral, so she enjoyed it while she could. The eerie quiet continued. The Ishimura used to be a hive of activity and noise. A thousand systems continually ran to keep the inhabitants alive. They blended into the background, yet they rarely faded entirely. Now, the dead ship surrendered to silence. Even the lift barely made a sound.

They stopped, and the door opened a moment later. Stepping out, she found herself before a room that puzzled her greatly. Well, she knew exactly what it was from the thick "glass" windows, drained-covered floor and all the sprinklers mounted into the ceiling. This was a decontamination area: the place doctors needed to be scrubbed down in after dealing with particularly dangerous pathogens, be they natural or manmade.

"Why is there a quarantine room in front of the centrifuge?" she asked Isaac as they stepped inside. It looked like the only way forward, unless the plastered walls hid other exits behind them. The chemicals that'd be sprayed on them were harmless to human flesh, she knew, so she wouldn't melt because some got on her. It was best not to swallow any, but Curtis and Isaac didn't need to worry about that inside their sealed suits. Some extra equipment had been left inside, for they ran out of space to put things.

"Beats me," Isaac replied, hitting the button to start the process. "It's not standard on planet crackers; I honestly think whoever designed or interpreted the deck fucked up and was never able to change it." A rush of fluid through pipes above meant the system functioned. "The centrifuge has – had – a small workforce, so not many people complained." Nicole supposed that was why the cleanup crew never turned it off, either. It only took a few inconvenient moments. The sprinklers began to spin, ready to douse them in antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, etc.

"You don't think Poul had a hand in it, do you?" Curtis asked. That was a good question; Isaac's father didn't design the Ishimura, but many of his advances in stasis and kinesis technology had been incorporated in retrofits, not to mention being standard for newer planet crackers.

"I doubt it," Isaac sighed. "Dad wouldn't have made a silly mistake like this." The question made him uncomfortable, but Nicole thought it needed to be asked after what Tiedemann said on the solar array. Maybe his father was out there somewhere. Though they'd likely never find him in the vastness of the universe, there was always a chance.

"Decontamination initializing." Nicole hadn't heard the Ishimura's AI in a long time, nor did she particularly want to. Liquid pelted her body, as if she stood outside in a storm. The red light flooding the chamber was more soothing than scary. The only noise was that of "water" hitting the ground. Warm steam rose, wrapping her in a blanket. This was the most relaxed she'd been for a long time. It felt like being in a sauna.

That peace shattered when something moved. A glimpse of black flashed through the window in the direction they went. Happened so quickly that she barely noticed, especially with all the dark shadows. Curtis also witnessed it, of course… though he believed it to be merely an object that fell over. Though they saw the same things, the two drew different conclusions. She hoped he was correct. Otherwise, they'd be dead in moments.

"Decontamination complete." The doors popped open, and she braced for an eons-old foe to burst through. Five seconds passed with nothing budging except residual wisps of steam that twirled in the air, now much colder. Still nervous as Hell, she tiptoed behind Curtis. Her cheeks felt hot even without blood to blush. This Necromorph couldn't shake such human feelings in the face of death.

And I wouldn't trade that for anything. Those were emotions and thoughts she'd only have dim recollections of if she remained ensnared in the hive. Nicole retained the full human condition, unpleasant parts included.

She poked her head around the corner and scrutinized where the black shape rushed by. Indeed, a black thing was still present: a broom with an ebony handle had fallen! It presumably leaned against the wall, only tipping once the decontamination chamber rumbled.

Curtis, I'm sorry for almost giving you aneurysms every time I see something, she thought. Isaac still took point, so he didn't notice this. Well, he probably did, but he wouldn't barge in on something that didn't involve him.

Your concerns make sense 95 percent of the time, so I'm not complaining. The perfectionist in her wanted to increase that ratio, though she recognized a number like that would be great in most situations – just not ones where every mistake mattered. Still, Curtis was smart enough (no matter what he thought of himself) to catch most of what she missed. It took two to counter what came their way.

A few steps later, she noticed that the corridor curved slightly to the left. She wondered if they might have circumnavigated the centrifuge. Those were circular, after all.

"The centrifuge is at the end of this bend," Isaac said. He gestured them forward with an empty hand while the other rested on his gun. The white, foamy surroundings didn't stifle a sense of danger. Nicole realized the biohazard coverings made the walls resemble those of a padded cell, which was where Isaac spent much of the past two years. The Ishimura simulated a gigantic insane asylum.

The three arrived at the round gate soon enough. She should have been ecstatic that their respite continued. However, Nicole was distracted by a large hole in the wall to their right. It spanned three feet in diameter, with the bottom edge bleeding into the floor. The edges radiated out and curled back, confirming that whatever made it came from the other way. The cleaners hadn't bothered to hide it.

"I wonder what came out of there," Curtis gasped.

"You don't want to know." Isaac didn't look back.

They went through the door. It sealed behind them, even as another waited several feet down. Then that one separated. The airlock turned out to be pointless, as the centrifuge had been sealed against space. Gravity, however, vanished like the sounds she used to take for granted. Three feet above the catwalk, she surveyed the centrifuge.

The platform they floated above ran around the room's edge almost at the top. "Downstairs" held complex machinery, the most notable example being a spire studded with tubes and lights stretching 20 feet up. A cornucopia of junk drifted around: more cleaning supplies, but also ladders, tools and floodlights that painted the walls with moving spots of radiance. One thing not present, however, was flesh. No bodies flitted except the three that just entered. The Corruption also remained absent. Not enough dead cells were around to form it.

The interior redecorating may not have been the best, but at least the renovation teams cleared the protoplasmic DNA soup that every Necromorph (except her) devolved into once the Red Marker died. She hoped EarthGov could handle orders of magnitude more after the Golden Marker met the same fate.

She estimated the cylindrical room had a radius of 25 or 30 feet. After so many enormous chambers, the place turned out to be smaller than she expected. The architects would quickly run out of space if every room ended up the size of a Z-Ball court. Enough waiting, though. They had a job, and only Isaac knew how to accomplish it.

"What's the plan?" she asked, setting down on the "floor" and sinking her claws into relatively soft metal. Curtis used his grav-boots on a surface intended to be a wall and walked around.

"I'm going to check out that pillar in the middle and run diagnostics," he said, already headed that way. She followed, the air ejecting from their scapulas sending ripples through a room that seemed frozen in time. "I'm not sure how long that'll take, but it should be quick. This place is well stocked, at least." He pulled over a wrench with kinesis and cracked open a panel to peek inside.

As he did, a noise emanated from every direction. She thought he might've tripped an alarm with his tampering, but the buzzing quickly coalesced into Ellie's voice.

"Hey, can you guys hear me?" Nicole tried to find the source. "Guess so, since I see you looking around. I can't hear you, but, uh, I'm not a hallucination. I figured out the PA system." They must have reached the Captain's Nest, then. "Nolan and I got here without any problems. Everything's in working order. And the escape pods were reinstalled." Good, that was the biggest hurdle they might have encountered. Well, that and maneuvering them. Nicole heard muttering in the background; sounded like Nolan wandered over to see what went on. He babbled something incoherent into the microphone before Ellie pushed him away.

"That's all for now. I don't have anything else to say. I'll read the ship's manual to see if I missed anything, but I'll check in again when I can!" Surprisingly little echo in the centrifuge. The words didn't linger… and neither would they. All they needed to do was retrace their steps to the tram and take it to the Bridge. Ellie said she encountered no trouble, so she didn't expect they would, either.

"Turned out to be an easy fix!" Isaac raised his voice in something almost like celebration. He wasn't happy, for none could be, yet the fact that things went their way for once deserved positivity. Curtis did a flip in the air! Between all that, she saw a glimmer of hope that everything would turn out all right.

One hiss slaughtered that optimism and burned its body.

She turned to face the music, but there was no point looking. It came back.

An eyeless head peered at them from the underside of the catwalk they just stood on. Its bladed tail whipped back and forth, eager to sink into soft meat. The arm and part of its skull that had been severed grew back, though they were still discolored, like scar tissue. Speaking of which, it bore more damage from the thrashing Ellie gave it in the CEC museum. Still, it came back as strong as before. How else could it have hunted them this far? Maybe it deserved to be called a Stalker instead of her.

Regardless, Nicole wasn't crazy. Curtis admitted that he was wrong through a mist of terror, but she bore no ill-will. Neither knew for sure; both worked with their own assumptions and biases. Not that it mattered now. No, they just needed to worry about getting out of the room.

It lunged for her – and not for a hug. Of them all, it hated her the most because of what she was. The six-fingered hands were large and powerful enough to crush her head like a melon. This was the end of more Necromorphs than she could count. The local hive mind was awash in images like this, followed by the sensation of being quadrisected or melted by acid. When scaled up across the collective unconscious of her entire species, it must have been billions.

That didn't mean she needed to follow the rules, though. She broke them all before.

Unfreezing from fear, she shot "up", evading the attack. It couldn't stop until it hit the back wall. By the time it did, she, Curtis and Isaac blasted to the end of the catwalk opposite the door. The engineer typed something into a holographic workstation, his ragged breathing heavy enough to hear at the other end of the Ishimura.

We should have killed it when we had the chance, she thought, her four eyes drilling into the monster. Sure, it thinned the Necromorph herds, yet now it turned its eyeless stare to others. It was obsessed with them. It must have been. Millions of Necromorphs remained for it to slaughter on the Sprawl, yet it chose them to torment. Sparing it just got its attention.

It scampered over the railing by the door and turned to look at them. She surveyed its entire length, for the first time seeing its whole body at once. Must have been about eight feet long, which made it almost as large as the biggest extant terrestrial animals. Arched its back in what might have been a display of intimidation, a way to regulate internal systems, or just to pop its spine. She wasn't a xenobiologist. Nobody is.

Isaac punched the final few commands into the holo-screen, which flashed to show the command had been executed. The tower telescoped into itself, lowering to the "floor". Suddenly, the space came to life with a subtle humming like those of old. They succeeded, for all the good it did. Curtis processed emotions too quickly for Nicole to latch onto one. Isaac looked ready to burst like a balloon inside his armor.

Meanwhile, the Xenomorph remained stationary. It knew its own weakness; one wrong jump led to wasted seconds, during which its enemies would slip through its fingers. With no other way out, they were locked in a standoff.

"Well, come on!" she shouted, channeling all her charisma into a cross-species taunt. It didn't work. Instead, the Xenomorph took a different course. One smash of its barbed tail put a dent as deep as her sink into the threshold. Another would render escape impossible. In a fight between it and them, the alien would win 99 times out of 100. No sane person was going to accept those odds, so the Xenomorph intended to force them.

Isaac unloaded with his Plasma Cutter before it delivered a second strike, which made the Xenomorph scuttle back. Getting hit would blast acid blood onto the door, which it didn't want. She and Curtis joined in, though her hope dropped like a stone. They didn't have the ammunition to keep this up for more than a few seconds. Once they ran out, it wouldn't have to close their means of escape; it could stroll up and rip them apart at its leisure. She'd permanently trade both her legs for a flamethrower.

The Xenomorph skittered across the walls, avoiding most of their fire. A few glancing blows hit, but they were absorbed by its natural armor plating. However, its path led it into the glare of a spotlight drifting around. The photon bath barely changed its dark sheen… but it did induce rage. One wicked tail swing cleaved the bulb, shattering it into dozens of pieces that each went a different way. Whatever method it used to "see" detected the vastly increased light level.

She should have been glad to rule out echolocation as its means of visualizing, yet she couldn't have cared less. Instead, it meant they learned of another deficiency that needed to be hammered hard enough to break this monster.

Curtis immediately knew her idea. To Isaac, she shouted, "Grab a light with kinesis!" Three remained, so everybody took one. She snatched hers with her claws and held up the spotlight like a shield.

Light turned out to be a weakness, much like fire. She was sure the Xenomorph would brave bright areas if it needed to, yet it stood to lose some of its edge. It particularly hated ones this bright. To be fair, it would've hurt them to stare at something brighter than the sun, too.

It recoiled from the beam before two more converged on it. That made it hiss. It jumped to the ceiling and fled. Meanwhile, the three sprinted to the door, doing their best to keep the Xenomorph in the baleful eye of the headlights. Nicole felt Curtis' heart throbbing as if it were her own. She slammed her hand on the door, which strained to open. It did, though, and she fell to the ground when gravity regained its power.

The light was a boulder in her hands. She had to drop it. Instinct told her to run, but she refused until the men joined her. Isaac fell on his back, scrambling backwards, but Curtis helped him up, grabbed the light with kinesis, and then they just kept running.

"How is the Xenomorph here?!" Isaac panted as they tore back the way they came from. Nicole almost tripped over a loose bottle.

"It must have caught up when we fought the Controller and clung to the outside of the train!" They stopped long enough for the Xenomorph to heal a little and converge on them. Only a matter of getting into the Ishimura after that, which was accomplished easily enough.

Where is it now?! Her thoughts bounced from one fear to another so quickly that she worried they'd spill out on the ground. She didn't hear or smell it. Surely it came, but she hoped it still sawed through the door. Nicole remembered that it figured out how to open DNA locks using severed human limbs. None of those were inside, so it'd need to utilize force and leverage. That'd put a few grains of sand in the hourglass.

They got to – "Oh no," Curtis exclaimed. A stench of chemicals hit her nose, making her feel transported to a completely different place.

The decontamination chamber opened wide to accept them into its maw. Nicole knew well that quarantine rooms possessed walls and glass twice as thick as normal, if only to live up to archaic safety standards that the government rarely cared about enforcing. Not to say they were impregnable, but it'd be quicker to go through the wash again. They just needed to hope the Xenomorph failed to notice.

Curtis and Isaac plopped down the lights they lugged around and turned them off while Nicole activated the sprayer.

"Decontamination initiated." Rain unlike any she knew drenched her. Water fell on Earth and rare terraformed worlds; few other terrestrial planets or moons possessed similar cycles. One of the exceptions had been Titan, which rained methane and other hydrocarbons. Maybe some of those were mixed into the downpour. It chilled her to the bone, despite being warm and pleasant the first time. Curtis shivered, feeling her cold and making it his own.

There was nowhere to run and few places to hide. Each carved out a nook behind one of the pallets. Nicole had the easiest time, being able to bunch herself into a ball, yet she felt like a child trapped in a nightmare. Powerless, she could only hide and cower.

I HOPE IT WILL NOT FIND YOU… BUT THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO.

She'd just have to hope luck shrouded them in shadow. Her eyes traced the room through a veil of mist. Nameless things seemed to writhe at the corners of her vision. It took a moment to decipher each contour of the wall and ceiling, for their hunter could blend in with its strangely mechanical body. If the Xenomorph were here, though, a moment would be far too long.

Rain kept falling. Seconds felt like hours. Would the storm never pass?

A ventilation grate dropped from the ceiling and hit the central console with a loud clang. Nicole didn't know if she had ever been so afraid, except maybe for the few instances she thought Curtis had died. Even nearly perishing an hour ago hadn't been so bad; at least that was quick. She wanted to throw up or have a heart attack or have her body do something to relieve the building fear. Though unpleasant, those were natural human responses to terror. Necromorphs were meant to be eternally stoic, so they had no such release mechanisms. She had little choice but to let horror mount. Not like she could scream.

A huge, dark hand emerged from the vent. Then another. Both dripped slime. Then an elongated cranium egressed, blacker than black in the thick fog. She was tempted to shoot it, but it'd be atop her before she did any real damage. Had to hope that it wouldn't find them. It didn't realize the chemical bath meant people were inside – for all it knew, this happened constantly! Speaking of which, those same compounds did a fine job covering her pheromones.

It fell into the center with catlike grace. If only there were better places to hide than in piles of junk. She didn't want to die in any fashion, but being stabbed while buried in garbage was a particularly ignoble end. Then again, the Sprawl teeming millions had it equally bad. It padded in her direction, face near the ground. The fact it sniffed her out meant it possessed an olfactory system. Closer it came. Closer. The Xenomorph may as well have been the size of a mountain for how powerless she felt against it.

Part of her anxious mind questioned if it already knew she was there and toyed with her the way some Earth predators did. She didn't believe so; it was happy enough to kill everyone else it met without fuss.

"Decontamination complete." Just like that, the doors opened, and the rain ceased. They would have run if this happened seconds earlier. Now, they needed to wait. Unfortunately, the Xenomorph showed no interest in exiting. It was close enough to touch her now. She smelled hundreds of victims from the blood on its carapace, heard its claws clack against the ground, and almost felt hot, steaming breath on her buried body. More than any terrestrial animal, it was a mythical dragon. Only that comparison captured the fear she felt.

Curtis leaned out slightly from behind his crate. She saw the creature's back through his eyes. For all its strengths, it couldn't see 360 degrees around, so whatever invisible photoreceptors or electromagnetic organs it used were only at the front of its head (and perhaps the top, since that bore the same smooth surface). Again, this was very useful to know – or it would be, if she weren't yelling at the man she loved to hide himself, lest he be next on the chopping block.

Please, she thought, barely daring to do even that. Don't do this for me. She meant it. If it came down to only one of the two getting out, she'd rather have it be him. Of course, he felt the same way about her.

You know that I have to. He poured out his heart to her. That was more romantic than dinner or anniversary celebrations or imagining everything they'd do once the Necromorphs had been defeated forever. Why was love sometimes a curse?

She already knew his idea… and she couldn't stop him. His attention turned to the two lights he and Isaac stashed in a corner.

Helpful as they'd been, each needed to be almost as big as a dryer to pack enough lumens. These were things that illuminated sports stadiums and the exteriors of buildings. They weren't intended to be carried.

They were, however, massive enough to be thrown.

Curtis yanked one over and shot it at the Xenomorph! For a fraction of a second, Nicole thought the bug would be staggered. Such a hope was not to be. The beast caught it in both hands, gripping the metal frame tightly enough to bend it. Almost looked like it sported a mirthful grin. Then it returned the spotlight to Curtis even faster as Nicole poked her head from the garbage.

Her husband yelped and pirouetted out of the path, leaving the lamp to crash on the floor instead of breaking his ribs. That bulb took the brunt of the blow instead; glass spilled like salt in a circle several feet around. He stood up, becoming the bravest and stupidest person she'd ever known, even though he'd just soiled his RIG (though the waste was, of course, stored and recycled into useful resources).

Brave because he tried to save her, and stupid because there was no way she'd let him die alone.

She sprang up and lobbed a mop at it with her own hand, no kinesis required. The Xenomorph didn't know of her presence, after all. The faux wood handle hit one of its back tubes, harmlessly bouncing off. Maybe a piece of rebar would have pierced the hide, but there was no accounting for acid splatter if it did.

Both had been doomed by their own actions, though they probably would have been found out, regardless. At least Isaac had the good sense to save himself. They'd still fight to the end, though, pointless as it may have been. On that note, Curtis unleashed stasis on the monster during the instant it remained distracted by her attack. It twisted out of the way, having become wary when his hand was wreathed in an azure glow. Curtis used the technique the first time they met, and it wouldn't fall for the trap twice. The energy harmlessly burst against the wall.

There was nothing left to do except die. Nicole wished she stood next to Curtis so she could hug him. It was the end of everything they could be… not to mention the death of humanity.

Until light shone upon the monster.

A blinding flood of radiance poured over it, making it cover its poor excuse for a face with one arm. It jumped up and fled into the hole it emerged from.

Isaac stood, his legs literally knocking together as he held the last lamp. Nicole heard his teeth chattering from behind the mask. He turned it on while the Xenomorph was already distracted by two nuisances. As the beast sucked itself into the vent, though, its tail made a wild swing at Isaac. The light acted as a shield, penetrated so the man would not be. Their final piece of leverage was gone, but it bought them a chance to run.

8 Hours, 15 Minutes Post-Sprawl Outbreak

Curtis abused his calves and shins to the point of agony once again. The delayed onset muscle soreness would make it worse. That was why he tried not to think about the pain too much as he and the others tore down the labyrinth of halls that led to the tram.

The fact they survived was a miracle. Many miracles got them to that point, yet this was among the biggest. He heard something in the walls. A noise, quiet yet persistent, always came from behind. Or was it his imagination? The Xenomorph couldn't have been around every corner… unless it teleported! Why should that be impossible?

May as well have been dead by the time he reached the station. Everything burned, and he could waste no more Somatic Gel to patch the damage he imposed on himself. He wouldn't be able to move without Nicole blocking most of the pain signals. A minute of rest might help, but not for long or by much. He didn't know how Isaac coped, because Curtis couldn't have.

The train wasn't there. Either they needed to hike down the misty tunnel (which reminded him of the decontamination room and its steam) or wait for the gondola to return. "Wait to go or stay?" he wheezed. Nicole told him he hadn't punctured a lung, though he imagined somebody who did would sound about the same.

"I don't know… how many more steps… I can take," Isaac gasped, though he remained standing. Sitting meant he might not have the strength or willpower to get back up. Curtis tapped his foot, as if that would quicken their salvation. "Do you… think we can beat it?"

He and Nicole had no clue. The environment of the Ishimura seemed perfect for the Xenomorph. It could approach from any angle: swinging around a blind corner, setting an ambush at a choke point, or just pulling them into the vents with its tail. However, both agreed that they had a shot if they reached a large enough area – the Bridge's Main Atrium, for instance. The monster's agility would be of little help, and they knew it couldn't stand up to a protracted barrage of plasma. Curtis hoped there were Necromorphs around; that would distract the abomination with other prey.

Couldn't help but wonder if the Ishimura would have been better or worse if it got attacked by a few dozen Xenomorphs instead of zombies. Nicole cringed; she thought it would have been worse. Acid eating through critical components with no resistance might have rendered more systems inoperable than Necromorphs intentionally targeting them. Curtis was more positive, believing that thousands of humans had the intelligence and will to fight off the smaller numbers, especially because they wouldn't multiply as quickly. Well, probably not. He knew nothing about their life cycle or rate of reproduction.

The minutes ticked past. Curtis' stomach kept sinking. His eyes remained fixed on the path they came out of, though it could come from anywhere. Had they really shaken it loose? Or did it wait for the perfect moment to swoop in and finish the job?

His thoughts were so singular that the tram arriving nearly went unnoticed. Nicole had to tap him on the shoulder. "Thanks," he said, still scared out of his wits. They would have been doomed to several more minutes of terror if they missed it.

Curtis plodded inside, gripping a pole while making sure not to crush it. Maybe it was silly, but he didn't want to hurt the Ishimura more than he needed to. The poor ship had been brutalized more times than he could count. Every inch of it bore a memory too painful to speak of, though most had been forgotten. In his opinion, it deserved better than to be remembered as the site of murder and madness. Its work mining planets was one reason human civilization, for all its flaws, was still around. He felt kinship with the mountain of metal – both were hardworking miners who ended up being misunderstood by too many.

You're thinking about this ship like it's an old friend, his wife thought as she pulled him close. They nearly lost each other, and she did not intend to let that happen again.

It sort of is.

It was never his enemy – the things that infected it were, be those monsters, radical Unitologists or other kinds of evil. The Ishimura gave him what he needed to claw his way from place to place. It kept him alive when many things wanted him dead.

He pulled away, and his attention was drawn to the cart of liquids and solids used to scrub the ship of any hint of what occurred. The amount of bleach and disinfectants used on the Ishimura over the past two years must have rivaled the consumption of entire planets. Somebody – probably Weyland-Yutani – got rich off this. Even in a RIG like his, exposure to such huge amounts of toxins couldn't have been healthy.

"Guys, you're not going to believe this," Ellie's quivering voice came clearly over the intercom. Curtis spied a camera mounted in the corner, which must have been how she gleaned their location. He didn't know if that was a new addition or if it was always present and he just never noticed. "Unless I'm hallucinating, I saw that monster – the Xenomorph – on the cameras. It's following you." Curtis didn't know how he would have reacted if they hadn't already bumped into it (which she obviously had not seen). As it was, he sighed and appreciated that she didn't add more bad news to the pile. "I don't know if this'll work, but when it gets close to you again, I'll send noises to rooms you guys aren't in as a distraction."

Great idea. They had nothing to lose by trying it. Isaac gave a thumbs up at the camera.

Curtis didn't know how much it mattered, though. They already passed Ore Storage and headed for the Medical Deck. They'd be on the Bridge soon, he told himself. Then they could finish the mission. "Mission". He hated thinking like a military commander, but this was war. People died, and he couldn't save most, no matter how deeply he yearned to.

The tram slowed as it pulled into Medical. Half of Medical, anyway; it was unique among the Ishimura's divisions in that it had two stops instead of one. That was to get patients where they needed to be ASAP. Nicole turned her head away from the door, not wanting to see outside. The worst events of either of her lives occurred here: so many died, including herself. At least she wouldn't have to get out.

The bladed tail which burst through the ceiling a foot in front of his face made him reconsider.

"Fuck!" he shouted, diving out of the way. Was it possible for a heart to literally explode?! Because it felt like his nearly did. The stop at Ore Storage gave the Xenomorph time to catch up! It must have realized what happened and chased them miles down the tunnel!

The vehicle halted; the door was about to open. When it did, they'd be stuck in a tiny cage. In desperation, Curtis used his recharged stasis on the door. That'd buy them a few seconds to figure out… he didn't know what. Isaac, spouting profanities, trained his Plasma Cutter on the threshold. The car shook slightly as the Xenomorph jumped down and landed on the platform.

"Shooting it won't work," Isaac said to himself. "Can't scare it off. Fire! Fire works!" he triumphantly declared. It sounded like he broke down. Curtis and Nicole did, too. This thing kept coming at them, and they only survived by the skin of their teeth. Would this be the time they didn't? "…I can't make enough, though." Not unless he assembled a working flamethrower in 10 seconds.

The stasis slowly wore off. Long fingers reached under the frame. Isaac used his dose to stave off the monster for a few more precious seconds of life.

Curtis saw no way out. Their weapons would lead to them being melted by acid gas, assuming they penetrated the exoskeleton at all. The Xenomorph would immediately catch up if they cut through a wall.

Wait. His attention shifted to the cart of chemicals that accompanied them in the tram. He only recognized a few, but Nicole knew about more, including how they reacted with oxygen.

Are you serious?

We have 10 seconds. This is the only thing we can do. Even if it proved fatal, they'd go out with a bang.

…

Nicole's claws trembled as she dropped the empty bottle of drain cleaner. The smell bothered her less after the antimicrobial showers she'd taken, yet the concept of what they were about to do upset her. This was the dumbest, most desperate plan they'd ever tried – and she remembered the times she and Curtis blew up walls to suck Necromorphs into space. As Curtis said, though, what choice did they have?

It felt like the worst possible version of their earlier scheme to use a flammable chemical as an IED. Instead of harnessing science against their foes, they now inflicted it on themselves.

The stasis nearly wore off. That grotesque tail poked under the cobalt-hued door, groping for its prey; the Xenomorph became frustrated with these "toys" which kept escaping. It'd enter in about two seconds. Damn it. She hoped Ellie didn't see this.

Isaac fired a shot from his Cutter into the pool of hazardous compounds the three stood in after dumping the cart's contents on their heads. With that, they and half the tram went up in flames. Curtis and Isaac would be safe within their RIGs; none of these chemicals burned as hotly as hydrazine, which topped 6,000 Fahrenheit. This'd be maybe a third of that. Nicole also told herself she'd be OK, since Necromorphs stood up to hydrazine for a little while – even as every inch of her body burned. She had rarely been happier to not feel pain.

The door shot open. "Now!"

They burst out before the alien burst in. The three, burning, screaming and throwing shit, greeted the Xenomorph with the reckless abandon only people facing certain death could muster. It was there, a few inches in front of her face. Every nucleotide, each cell and the Black Marker itself yelled at her to run away. She ignored them all. Then she used all the air her lungs held in a mighty roar. Despite being closer than ever to what may as well have been a bogeyman, she almost felt invincible.

The pharyngeal jaws were clearly visible in its primary mouth, which dripped sticky saliva/slime. It could put them through her skull if it wanted to. She wagered it wouldn't, for it was an animal. And even particularly vicious animals should know not to stick their noses into things that could hurt them. Then again, the patterns of Earth life might not hold for something that came from the orbit of a distant star.

She didn't know if they scared it – it didn't immediately flee – but its arched spine and stumbled steps back indicated that the immolating trio forcing into its personal space perturbed it. Good enough. She felt herself smile even as her flesh crackled. A bath – one using water – and Somatic Gel would be needed to replenish what the fire took. At least the accelerant was the main thing that burned.

They ran to the door on the other side of the train platform. Wherever it led to wouldn't be safe, but she'd take anyplace the Xenomorph wasn't. Her whole body burned – and not because of the fire. Nearly all the energy within her had been used up. Just a little more…

The alien swiped at them as they dashed, but it refrained from going for the kill. Unlike Nicole, its psychological hang-ups held it back. They'd see how long that lasted; she doubted a fine veneer of fire would hold it off next time. Isaac slammed his hand against the blue hologram, which processed the genetic signature. It opened, and they slid inside.

Nicole rolled on the floor to extinguish the blaze. Curtis yanked a tarp down and smothered her. Thanks. Isaac waited for the fuel on him to consume itself. Self-immolation saved all their lives. Just another insanely dangerous stunt that she hoped to never repeat.

THAT WAS… VERY BRAVE OF YOU. THEN AGAIN, HUMANS ROUTINELY TAKE GREAT RISKS WHEN THEY HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE.

The Black Marker sounded consternated. Hey, she was equally frustrated that the only people who could save humanity needed to set themselves on fire. However, she also felt the menhir beam with pride at their quick thinking. Human planning contrasted with the psychology of the Markers, which devised strategies over months or years. If what "Kendra" said was true, the Markers the Sovereign Colonies constructed waited three years before they began their abortive assault that only barely failed.

Oh, we're completely insane when backed into a corner, Curtis thought while brushing off his shoulder. I can't imagine what the government will do if the Necromorphs ever reach Earth… Actually, he could, but he chose to not imagine such things to preserve their collective optimism.

INDEED.

The monolith sank to the backs of their minds to observe through their eyes. It must have been beyond stressful to watch this nightmare unfold. Then again, it used a great amount of its power to help keep Isaac, Ellie and Nolan slightly sane. Took a lot of effort to project carefully controlled anti-madness fields across 850 million miles (give or take) through shockspace, which were still being overwhelmed by the much closer Golden Marker.

THE PRAISE IS APPRECIATED. I AM HOARY, EVEN FOR ONE OF MY KIND. YOUR FOE IS MONTHS OLD: AN INFANT BY YOUR STANDARDS. IT MAY AS WELL BE AN EMBRYO.

The age difference was notable, she admitted. But having experience on their side meant less than she would have liked.

"Do you want to turn around?" Isaac asked, patches of him still aflame.

"I don't think we should risk that," she answered. It knew the tram was important; it might have waited for them to backtrack. "We can walk to the second tram station and continue from there." The only stop before the Bridge was the Crew Deck. Either way, they needed to take the tram unless they wanted to hike two or three miles. "I spent most of my time here during the week before I died, so I should be able to navigate." Isaac hesitated before nodding.

"Fine. I trust you." He went along with it despite clear skepticism about the idea. She raised an ossified eyebrow. Normally, he didn't roll over this easily. Maybe he felt bad about not heeding her warnings about the Xenomorph earlier (not that there was anything he could have done about it). Either way, she appreciated the trust he put in her.

They set off, taking in their surroundings now that immediate danger passed. To her surprise, they were different from every other destination they visited. The normal lights were dimmed, overwhelmed by the stifling purple glow of a few hundred blacklights. The UV lamps were everywhere, pointed at each inch of the floor, walls and ceiling. This shift in the spectrum made an unassuming corridor into a realm of nightmares.

Smear marks and footprints glowed white on the cold metal. Imprints of hands grasped for life in an echo across years. There was even a long message scrawled in Marker script that they didn't have time to translate. All were brought to "life" by a simple change of color. Some substances, including most bodily fluids, contained compounds that glowed under ultraviolet radiation. Blood ordinarily did not, but that changed when exposed to a chemical called luminol. She utilized that process as a doctor to detect certain proteins when Western blot testing.

Forensic investigators used it to identify crime scenes.

No time to think about that. They stepped in, and she hoped they didn't become more victims.

As before, Curtis and Isaac would be shielded from this environmental hazard by their RIGs. Nicole's biology protected her from all but the most extreme x-ray and gamma radiation – which, unfortunately, was the kind they ran into the most on the Ishimura.

More horrors cropped up as they rounded the bends: the outline of a Slasher on the floor, infant-sized tracks on the ceiling, and a splash of dots that she recognized as arterial spray. These incidents occurred over hours. In this demented realm, though, everything unfolded simultaneously. The very worst parts screamed in their faces like they did the Xenomorph's.

She expected Medical to be one of the first locations they scrubbed, but it waited for years to get its turn. Perhaps it proved too daunting to be taken up as the first assignment. Still, there was gore. And with gore came Corruption. Tiny blobs formed on different surfaces, all synchronously throbbing. They avoided stepping on any, just in case Necromorphs were around. It glimmered in the dark light… as did they.

The three glowed pale white because of the blood and gore smearing each one of them. Luminol must have been one of the chemicals that they dumped on themselves. Interestingly, they bore unique patterns. Nicole's claws gleamed the most, since she hacked up her kin with them. Isaac had a large swathe along his chest, while Curtis bore a marking that resembled a skull across his faceplate. How strange that he should be dead, too. Then again, she saw what was on her mind. Other people would interpret the Rorschach test differently.

She and Curtis came in here worried about ghosts haunting the ship. The only ghosts present, though, were them. Like the Ishimura, they lived in the past no matter how much they wanted to look to the future.

I hope we can move on one day, Curtis thought, turning to her with luminescent warpaint across his mask. Yeah. They could never forget (nor should they), yet she longed for a day where he didn't wake up in a cold sweat next to her from dreaming about a nightmarish tomorrow. But I'll settle for getting to the next room for now.

Isaac pressed a hand against the next door, which swiftly opened. When it did, Curtis regretted his wish to move on. Most chambers wouldn't have given them pause. This one stopped all three in their tracks.

Cracked coffin-sized tubes lined the walls, surrounding several slabs meant to prep patients on. Mechanical claws hung limply from the ceiling to safely move people into long-term "accommodations", for tactile gravitational manipulation didn't work on animate organisms. More blacklights revealed slaughter across the floor.

They found themselves in the cryogenic stasis room. A great battle happened here. A friend was lost (though only temporarily), while Challus Mercer boasted of a plan to end humanity. Him. She bore her teeth. The man turned out to be the worst monster she'd ever met, more than any Necromorph or alien or even the Markers themselves could hope to be. The things he wanted to inflict on her were unforgivable. Plus, he was a terrible Second Medical Officer.

Curtis knew what she went through even without the Link they shared. Both had been threatened with sexual assault… and in both cases, those people ended up dead.

She felt a cold spot on her shoulder, as if it was being grasped by a clammy hand. A voice whispered words she couldn't quite make out into her ear. Both were faint, but she knew she felt them. It was enough to jolt her forward.

Are you OK? Curtis asked. Which meant he hadn't felt what she did. Sensations almost always leapt between them like lightning, but this proved to be one of the few exceptions. Nicole didn't like that one bit. The Black Marker also made no comment.

No worse than before. It wasn't a lie, either. She could handle a little scare, no matter where it came from. Regardless, her attention was seized by the table-sized fluorescent splotch near the center. This was the very spot where Elizabeth and Brant Harris – the two Hunters – dueled, impaled each other, and were ascended.

Curtis imagined religious pilgrimages that ancient adherents of dead faiths used to tread. There were no answers here, though: only echoes and sadness. Still, it might be the closest he'd ever come to completing such a journey.

The only other door leading out was locked. They didn't dare to force their way in because of the noise attracting the Xenomorph, so Isaac tore off a panel and pulled wires. The silence continued to unsettle her. At least the "voice", if it was ever real, departed.

"Got it." Isaac's whisper was loud enough to disturb the stillness like a stone dropped in water. It opened, and they were through.

It became the more open-ended area she was familiar with. Most of the rooms were unlocked, but some remained sealed. Isaac opened one, revealing utter blackness inside. The clean-up crew hadn't gotten everywhere. An indescribable stench wafted out, which made the humans cough and even caused her to retch. She normally found the odor of rot pleasing, yet that proved too much for her. Years of fermentation made it cloying.

They fled the aroma – and whatever the Marker created inside. She probed one lonely mind in its depths, though it hadn't noticed anything amiss. After that, they didn't open any more locked rooms. The main passages had all been explored, thankfully.

That brought them to the preoperative holding area. It was where people were prepped for major surgeries, such as being fitted with a new limb from the BPC. Beds were surrounded by IV tubes. General medical supplies (which they had little use for) sat on tables, and dozens of personal lockers held each doctor's belongings. UV lights continued to reveal much, such as far too much blood being shed on each cot.

We're getting closer, she thought to Curtis as they gingerly tiptoed.

A gentle tapping in the vents above made them pause. It came again, a little louder. That sent the trio scrambling for cover as quietly as possible! They'd need better hiding spots than normal to escape the Xenomorph's wrath when glowing like neon signs!

They crawled into the three closest lockers. Each proved large enough to hold a single person. Curtis and Isaac must have barely been able to move, but Nicole was slender enough to have some articulation. She pressed her eyes against the three ventilation slots to spy. Luckily, there weren't enough holes for anything outside to easily see in.

A grate fell from the ceiling, but the alien snatched it and put it in the vent before it silently dropped down. The clatter would have caused its prey to flee. It stood to its entire eight-foot height as that eyeless face looked around the room. Must have seen or heard something, despite their best efforts.

It was darker than usual, which Nicole didn't think possible. Light seemed to bend around it like a black hole. Despite her fear, she again found that interesting as a scientist. Many Earth species, especially non-mammals, had body parts that fluoresced under UV light. That included some scorpion species, which were the creatures that the Xenomorph most resembled.

Another piece of evidence to support her hypothesis that it originated somewhere with virtually no light.

Any thoughts of research vanished when it padded to a locker on the opposite wall and ripped through the metal as easily as Curtis unwrapped a candy bar. A medical smock and other belongings spilled out, which the Xenomorph sniffed. Then it moved onto the next one, repeating the process. No swears expressed the helplessness that smothered her.

The pattern became clearer with each trashed trunk. Those cabinets were the only places in the room capable of hiding them, and it (correctly) believed them to be there. Only a matter of time before it got to them.

The smell of Necromorph would normally have been strong enough to lead the monster in her direction. However, the chemicals she emptied on herself saved her one last time – they masked her scent, which instead blended into the Medical Deck's sterile bouquet.

Can we run or fight? Curtis asked, his mind soaking in the same dread hers did. Yeah, they could. Whether they'd survive was a different story.

I think we should wait a little longer. It started on the other side of the room. Maybe it'd open half of the lockers and then leave after not finding them. She thought that was less risky than bursting out and shooting or sprinting away. Isaac already gave her the lead to make such choices for them. She felt glad he trusted her, but putting their lives in her claws also turned out to be a burden.

Suddenly, her back went numb. That voice chattered in her ear again, a little clearer this time.

"You've come back to me," was one thing she made out. "We can be together in eternity," was another. She had no recourse but to close her eyes and hope whatever happened stopped.

The Markers tormented Curtis with a "Shadow Man" while she wasn't around. He figured this to be a manifestation of his fears, insecurities and the rest of his id. The Markers manifested loved ones to entice their victims into madness, but Curtis lacked anyone whom he cared about, which led to a black void manifesting. While that role was eventually filled by a mockery of Nicole, the silhouette stuck around as a lacky.

Maybe the "ghost" was connected to that somehow? Maybe the Xenomorph poisoned her in some way after spending so much time around it. Or, just maybe, Mercer possessed enough hatred and vengeance for some part of him to remain near where he died. When the object of his lust returned, that fragment stirred to action. She'd never know for certain unless Mercer manifested an ectoplasmic form and shook his fist at her. Ghosts would be proven fact if they could interact so obviously with the real world, so she didn't need to worry. All the same, she heard all the things Mercer said in life, all squarely aimed at her.

The cold and horror together sent a long shiver up her cartilaginous spine. That was a vestigial response that the human she used to be would have benefitted from more.

A mug atop the locker she stowed away in fell and shattered. The sound was that of bone breaking on steel – something she'd heard too often. Did her tremor shake the cup loose? Or did Mercer shove it off? Turned out to not matter when the beast dashed at them without so much as a sound. Earth predators usually made noises or flashy movements to intimidate prey. The Xenomorph didn't need to; the most it ever managed were rare hisses.

Nicole almost slipped back into the personal belongings of someone long deceased (she didn't want to check who), as if that'd hide her. No. She drew her weapon to fight to the last. Almost pulled the trigger, as did her husband, when a new noise occurred.

A bloodcurdling scream rang out. The Xenomorph pivoted without missing a beat. That was a more certain sign of life than a falling bauble. Suddenly, it ended. Nicole remained frozen before breaking the trance. She quietly cracked open the locker – which nearly became a coffin – as her friends did the same. Isaac shook as much as she did in that moment of dread.

She remembered one particularly terrible moment on the Ishimura when she and Curtis were surrounded by too many of her kin to fight. The only hope she saw for survival was to play dead. It didn't work. They would have been found out… except that another survivor's distant shriek got the Necromorphs' attention first. Curtis felt worthy of death afterwards, and both hoped nothing like that ever happened again.

And it didn't.

Though it came later than Nicole wanted, Ellie made good on her idea to bait the Xenomorph with decoy noises. She only realized it was fake thanks to Curtis' knowledge of games and vids. The Wilhelm scream was an instantly recognizable stock sound… not that the alien would know. They kept going, not daring to say a word. It took a few more rooms before Curtis and Isaac started breathing normally again.

"Hey, guys," Ellie said over the intercom. She sounded as nervous as they were. "Wherever you are, please hurry. I – I keep seeing Kaleb. He's right next to me, telling me to leave without you all. I know that's wrong, but I'm not sure for how long…" Nicole winced. At least she stayed sane enough to know none of that was real. That was more than Nicole could say about herself! "Nolan's the same. He's talking with his wife and kids – I don't see them, of course – and looking at me funny." She coughed a little and inhaled deeply. "Not trying to worry you too much, just come quick. Glad I got the alien off your backs." The line clicked off.

"I feel so bad for her," Isaac whispered. "Wish there was something we could do other than say 'you'll be OK' when she might not be." It frustrated Nicole, too. She hoped more than anything that they wouldn't be too far gone.

We wouldn't need to kill them, Curtis commented. What if we tie them up, throw them in a closet and come back once we finish off the Marker?

Great idea, actually, but it assumed they'd have a spaceship to get back in. They might… but it might also be a suicide run. If they didn't return, the duo would starve or suffocate. She guessed that was a risk they needed to take.

So close now. Each step brought them closer to making their little group whole. Nicole turned one of the final bends before stopping cold. The alien hunched at the far end, and she couldn't tell what it did from this distance. She stuck out an arm to stop Isaac and gestured to turn around. The monster stayed put, so it hadn't noticed them this time.

"What now?" Isaac asked after they put a few chambers between them and it.

"There's a way around, it'll just take a little longer." That worked for him, so they buckled up for a slightly longer hike and hoped Ellie held it together.

Nicole recognized every location in the sea of black and blue. Each had a special significance, such as being a colleague's office, a crucial facility, or the site of an unspeakable crime. They burned themselves into her mind, though she hadn't thought about most since leaving the Ishimura. All rushed back to her – though none as much as the one she stood before.

SICK BAY 2

The electronic sign flickered over the door frame. Of every single place on the Ishimura, this was the one she least wanted to return to. It felt like a morbid joke. There were other ways around, but she didn't dare dawdle longer. People counted on them, so she pushed down her fear and pressed her hand against metal.

Curtis said nothing. He wanted to, but he couldn't relate. After all, he was alive.

The gate clicked open, and they went inside. Nicole somehow expected it to be different from other places because of its personal significance. That turned out to be incorrect – no shrines to the Marker or government mysteries were to be found. The only notable distinction was that even more blood had been spilled than usual. Over half the surface area glowed like phosphor, including the walls and ceiling. No idea how the Necromorphs managed that.

Well, there's nothing to do but get to the other side. Each step clawed open old wounds. She remembered every doctor she worked with during those final, desperate minutes. The groans of the damned wafted into her ears. She felt a man weakly grip her forearm as she sawed off his mangled leg while only the smallest dose of morphine dulled his agony. Even so, she stayed to fight a losing battle because that was what she devoted herself to. She took on the mantle of Chief Medical Officer to protect lives. If only I did a better job.

That wasn't her fault, for the outcome could never have changed. Still, these were human beings. Until the Marker took away everything special and molded them into what it wanted them to be.

She seethed, and nothing Curtis said or did would change that. So he didn't say or do anything. He knew she needed these moments to herself, so he voluntarily cut their Link. "Mercer" gave her no such privacy. The spectral hands were back… groping her. She hoped it was some demented figment of her imagination.

"Don't you remember what happened?" "I wish I had been here with you." "They became so much more… and you killed them."

Nicole's feet subconsciously led her in a different direction. Veering off the intended path, she ended up at a door. She knew what waited behind, and she needed to see. There would never be another chance.

It opened, revealing a tiny alcove with a medical computer and no other exits. A single bloodstain painted the floor by the chair. She squatted down to take a good look at it, followed by a sniff. O negative, she knew. Hints of char revealed that it came from the hot, violent transformation process instead of being spilled while the victim lived. Then she gingerly picked up a syringe that somehow survived intact when almost nothing else did. Dried morphine crystals crusted to the side. It didn't feel real. Other than her consciousness briefly inhabiting Curtis, this was the closest she'd ever come to an out-of-body experience.

Then she stood and took one big stride to the computer. This was the terminal where she appropriated Lexine's brain patterns and the recordings of the Red Marker's signal to determine its purpose was to alter nearby DNA into something it reanimated and controlled. No scientist before her had determined that – except for perhaps Earl Serrano, if Kendra was to be believed. More importantly, it was where she sent what she expected to be her final words to Isaac.

It's all fallen apart here. I can't believe what's happening. That unbelief happened again. Thankfully, she did reunite with Isaac, even if it came in a way neither expected. To him, it had only been a few weeks. That speech might have still repeated in his mind.

"What is this?" he asked.

"It's the room that I died in." She turned around. Curtis snapped back into her mind, and he felt mortified for not remembering.

"Oh." That was the only word he mustered.

"I wanted to stop quickly… to see it again. Thank you for letting me." He nodded.

"You're welcome." They turned around, and Nicole didn't bother to look back. "I'm glad I got to see it, weird as that sounds. It's what made you… well, you." It did, in fact, sound strange, but it also made her happy if seeing that spot of floor gave him more closure.

Speaking of closure, the force following her had none. It prodded, whispered and invaded her space. She wondered if it tried to possess her – if so, it had no luck.

Get out, whatever you are, she thought, shoving a clawed hand through the turbid air it occupied. I don't want you, and I never will. Go back to Hell or stick around – just leave me alone. The sounds and feelings ceased. If this was Mercer (an enormous "if"), she didn't know if he left of his own volition or if her will acted as an exorcism. Either way, she had a feeling that she'd never deal with him again.

They got to the tram station a couple minutes later without any other complications. To add to their good fortune, she heard the soft swoop of the gondola approaching.

8 Hours, 30 Minutes Post-Sprawl Outbreak

Curtis marinated in an odd concoction of different emotions. Terror that the Xenomorph would catch up with them. Elation that they nearly finished. Trepidation for Ellie and Nolan. Bittersweet at finding where Nicole died and had been reborn. And wonder that ghosts might have been real. Maybe. Together, it was a brew he'd never experienced. Just another part of being human. It also helped keep his mind off the red-hot ache in his legs.

His right hand drifted to his Line Gun as they stopped at the Crew Deck. Last time, the layover gave the alien enough time to catch up with them. That might happen again, and he braced for the possibility. Too bad they ran out of ways to light themselves on fire. Then again, Nicole's flesh became blackened and crispy after daring to do that (though thankfully, her RIG was fire retardant). Next time around would probably be worse.

I'd probably be fine, she informed him as she carefully scraped some of the char off with a claw. Hopefully we can leave it here, though. Hopefully, yet it chased him from GovSec to PubSec. It might have been canny enough to follow them "home", especially because it bore such a grudge.

Curtis sighed as the train departed, slowly gaining velocity. No subtle lurches shook the car, so he felt confident it hadn't latched onto the hull. They really did give it the slip. For a moment, he relaxed and felt grateful that nothing ratcheted up the tension another notch.

The intercom clicked, and he waited for Ellie to give them some good news.

"Nolan's finally lost it! He's gone completely nuts!" she screamed. A wet crackle rang out, maybe the noise of a tooth being knocked loose. The man shrieked incomprehensible nonsense. "He's got a screwdriver, and – " The message aborted as quickly as it began.

Any sense of peace Curtis tried to cultivate had been uprooted. He stood, wobbly on his feet, and waited right next to the door. He hated that he expected something like this to happen, despite his hope that all of them might survive. The only questions had been which of the two would break first… and what they'd do with the one that did.

They hadn't decided between tying Nolan up or executing him on the spot. The latter presented a "permanent" solution – but how could they kill someone who was a victim of the Marker? Whatever they did, they needed to decide quickly.

"Are you ready for this?" Isaac grimly asked, even more desensitized to these choices than them. He'd been thrown from one awful situation to another.

"I don't know," Curtis answered. He wouldn't until the moment he needed to pull the trigger on an innocent person. Neither would Nicole – she wanted to help people, not destroy them.

"I'm not sure I am, either," he said as they stepped off the plank. Curtis took one look around to check for the Xenomorph before they ran as fast as they could. That turned out to be slower than before, except for Nicole. Humans, she told him, had to deal with lactic acid buildup and depletion of phosphocreatine that dramatically lowered their sprinting speeds after a short time. It'd be a short trip, though.

The Bridge was in better shape than he'd ever seen it. Then again, he'd only visited once before the Necromorphs advanced so far. That was when Kyne killed Mathius with a needle through the eye. Come to think of it, that was the exact same thing Nolan rambled about. If only he kept spewing nonsense instead of possibly killing their friend. He and Isaac got to the Atrium when Nicole was already halfway across.

Unlike Medical, which was in the early stages of cleanup, and Engineering, which appeared to be in the middle, the Bridge had been finished. Millions of manhours created an environment virtually indistinguishable from the original. Even crew members of the Ishimura like him couldn't spot a meaningful difference. Well, except for the Government Sector leering at them through the massive windows.

No monsters jumped out to stop him and Isaac as they jogged across the room. No traps needed to be sprung, and nothing unexpected waited in the shadows. Odd for things to almost qualify as normal here. They ran down the stairs and to the small lift, which Nicole hadn't gotten past. They may have been slow, but the elevator was slower. In fact, it didn't move an inch. Did Nolan break it?!

Isaac pushed past and extracted some tools. No noises came from below, which turned Curtis' stomach. If they didn't fight, it meant one of them won. Based on the fact Ellie never sent another message… The engineer finished the job before Curtis finished his thought.

They descended, and all fell into the escape pod bay before the platform reached its nadir. He jumped up in case Nolan set an ambush. The escape pod room indeed had its four payloads replaced. Beyond that was the Captain's Nest, where the scientist stood over Ellie. His fingers dripped blood as they trembled, and the expression upon his face was one of utter horror.

Nolan turned to them. As he did, something dropped from his hand and rolled toward them. It was the screwdriver Ellie mentioned… skewering a popped eyeball. The brown iris and black pupil clung to the metal because of sticky vitreous humor. The man's mouth shook so much that it took him a moment to form words correctly.

"I – I'm so sorry. I d-didn't mean to…" He knew Nolan didn't. The Marker was impossible to resist once it got a strong enough hold on somebody. Curtis could barely believe he lasted this long. "It wasn't me." He dropped to his knees and stuck out his arms while weeping, as if gesturing to be handcuffed. No matter what happened, the Golden Marker killed another person they cared for. It already won. "But if you need to kill me, I understand."

Curtis didn't want to do that, but they couldn't take him with them after what he did. Was leaving him here more merciful? If they didn't return, his death would entail far more suffering than a bullet through the head.

"Nolan," Isaac said, taking a cautious step forward, "we're – "

"She's still alive!" Nicole exclaimed, rushing past Nolan. Suddenly, Curtis heard the faint sound of shallow breaths. She spun the captain's chair around and slipped into it, tearing through her pockets for the right medical equipment.

"What?" asked a shocked Nolan, his head pivoting back. Isaac seized the distraction to rush the would-be killer and pin him to the floor. Couldn't let the Marker reassert control to finish the botched job. Curtis merely stood, feeling out of his depth. He'd help if Nicole needed, yet he was presently content to lean against a bulwark and be exhausted.

Another sharp thing in the eye, he thought. That must mean something. Nicole agreed. It came up too many times to be a coincidence. Perhaps they'd find answers once they reached the Government Sector.

He watched his wife work. That was rare, at least when it came to medicine – she hadn't practiced on anyone for years (though she made sure to keep her skills sharper than her talons). With her knowledge, he grasped that the trauma remained confined to the patient's… Ellie's right ocular cavity. A little more force would have penetrated the brain with catastrophic results.

She applied gauze, salves and disinfectants to the area, as well as to minor lacerations on other parts of the face. Good thing he hadn't broken through the rest of her armor. The fact Nolan almost breached an industrial RIG by himself meant the Marker undid the subconscious restraints that held every human back, and for good reason. It might not have been possible to survive for more than a few minutes operating beyond those limits.

"There's nothing else I can do for her without better facilities," Nicole said, shifting Ellie's bulk. "She'll live, though I'm not sure when she'll wake up." Nolan looked ecstatic even with a knee in his back.

Isaac reluctantly rose. Threat or not, they needed to leave. Curtis' body begged him for respite, but he had none to give.

"Nolan, I'm sorry, but you need to stay here," Nicole said. He agreed with that, and he was pretty sure Isaac did, too. Even if not, he was still outvoted, seeing as Ellie couldn't cast a ballot while incapacitated. That still made them more of a functioning democracy than EarthGov had been for generations.

"I completely understand." He tried to be agreeable while still sane. Then his eyes widened, and he shrieked. Curtis thought he'd snapped once again and raised a hand to conk him out. Before he did, though, he realized the wide eyes weren't looking at him.

Oh no. He whirled around to learn what he already knew; the Xenomorph ran at them from the lift on all fours. Nicole slammed the big red "panic button" on the control interface, which made the door to the Captain's Nest wrench shut and lock. The alien, unable to stop, headbutted the metal. Took a few swipes, but it was unable to pierce it. Made sense that captain's personal sanctum would be better fortified than usual. Then the noise stopped.

"Holy fuck," Nicole muttered. Nolan saved them from all being massacred, so that was a point in his favor. This thing would not take a fucking hint. Well, neither would they. There was some old saw about an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. One needed to give, and he didn't want it to be them.

"There's no way it's gone," Curtis said, daring to press an ear to the gate.

Isaac stomped over to the executive terminal. "I'll start the gravity tethers before this nightmare makes me forget." Curtis uploaded the permissions and hoped they hadn't been altered.

The Ishimura rocked in the docking cradle, and blue beams shot from the bow to their target. Gravitons seized the fragment of moon and hauled it in like a gigantic fish ensnared in a net. Started slowly, though it'd gradually accelerate, given the lack of friction in space. Still, Isaac said he was pretty sure it wouldn't be significant enough to cause too much damage to either side. "Pretty sure" was good enough for Curtis.

"You idiots!" Tiedemann shouted over their collective comms. "You have no – "

They all closed the pop-up simultaneously. No time to hear the director bray. Nothing he said would stop them. The only thing left to do was hop into the escape pods. The monster didn't plan on letting that happen. However, it lacked the power to tear its way inside. That locked them into a standoff. Until it grew desperate, anyway.

"There's only one vent in here." Curtis pointed at the ceiling right above the captain's throne. That was its sole option – unless it cut itself and bled all over the door. It had been hurt enough that he didn't think it'd want to voluntarily inflict more pain on itself. Even if it did, it'd take a few seconds to bore through. "It'll be too smart to trick with the radio again."

The prey hid right in front of it, and no noise would be sufficiently deceptive.

"We're waiting, then," Isaac said, to which he nodded. Nobody was really in charge, but he thought it was a better plan than walking into the double jaws of death. "Then we'll leave."

"That includes you, Nolan," Nicole added. "We're not leaving you here with this thing." The Government Sector had Necromorphs running around, but the Xenomorph scared Nolan much worse. They couldn't be cruel enough to let it tear him apart. Of course, that only delayed whatever they'd decide to do with him. Backed against the wall, he wasn't in much shape to be grateful.

The only thing to do was wait. Curtis kept standing, for he needed to be ready to at a moment's notice. Though he wanted to finish as quickly as they could, he appreciated the pause (such that it was). His body demanded a pittance of rest after eight hours of near-constant exertion. So rest he did: he had no energy for even light tasks like reading Altman's journal or wondering what fresh horrors they'd face ahead.

Minutes ticked by. The Government Sector came closer. That was another benefit of waiting; the escape pods would have an easier time hitting a bigger target. Still, the Xenomorph turned out to be more patient than he expected. He didn't want to remain much longer, especially when the Shard accelerated on a collision course. Nicole became similarly antsy, so she started pacing the room like this was their apartment. Through it all, he kept a close eye on Ellie. He saw no sign of movement, though Nicole told him she stabilized. The yellow "health bar" on her back let them know for certain. If she died, the RIG would alert them…

15 minutes after locking themselves in, Isaac suggested they open the door and take their chances. Curtis leaned toward agreeing. Maybe the Xenomorph did leave? Nicole was also willing to risk it. Her claw pressed the button to unseal the threshold.

Right as the bladed tail came through the vent. The alien's patience ran out, too. Perfect.

He tagged the appendage with stasis before it fully retracted into the vent. Isaac also tried, but his shot missed by mere inches. Regardless, that'd give them the time they needed. He and Nicole picked up Ellie while Isaac corralled the screaming Stross.

"OK, who goes where?!" Curtis barked. Each pod was large enough to hold two people (though it was a squeeze, as he knew), but not three. Somebody needed to be alone. "I can be by myself!" His Link with Nicole allowed him to find her again. Though he didn't want to be physically alone in GovSec, it was a sacrifice he'd be willing to make.

Then the bottom fell out on the duct the Xenomorph was in. The damage combined with the alien's mass pulled the tube down, crashing to the floor of the Captain's Nest. The beast, quickly tearing free from the time cage, ran at them in slow motion. It seemed to know that they'd used all their stasis, for Ellie was in no shape to do hers.

Nolan screamed again, leaping into the nearest pod and closing it before anyone got a word out. OK, he volunteered to be the one flying solo! Damn it. No use chastising him when he'd already left the ship.

Curtis and Nicole hefted Ellie into another pod, which Isaac sprang into. "I'll see you on the other side!" he shouted before the closing hatch muffled him. Curtis could tell, though, that he looked at Nicole until the last moment.

They crammed into a different one; he took the chair, and she sat in his lap. A split second later, the Xenomorph clawed at the window. The pharyngeal jaws snapped against the "glass", trying to punch through. He almost laughed. Even a foot away from death, he felt safe. Nicole wished she shared his optimism.

She yanked the simple ceiling cord, which turned them to face space. He remembered this part. Right before the magnetic railgun kicked in, though, he felt the sphere slightly shake. As it often did, the Xenomorph decided to hitch a ride. That tempered his elation somewhat, but he told himself it'd fall off once they were in space. No way it could hang on during the entire ride. After all, this bucket of bolts didn't have inertial dampeners!

10 gs pressed into his eyes, and his entire body was plastered against the chair. The only thing to do was remain awake while the cannon shot them out.

The force slowly ebbed when the acceleration stopped. The trajectory that Isaac programmed took them straight for GovSec, which quickly grew. He saw every spire jutting out by now.

I think we'll be all right, he thought. Nicole's tense muscles (which was pretty much all of her) began to loosen, and she put her hands on his knees. At any other time, having his wife on his lap like this would have been downright cozy.

Whatever comfort they felt didn't last long. The nearer they got, the more they braced for impact against a space rock. The words "proximity warning" flashed across the viewing port in holographic text. Rudimentary programming was about to vent some gas to push the pod out of the way, but Nicole cancelled it. "Collision in five. Four. Three. Two."

"One."

…

Hello again, everyone! Merry Christmas, happy New Year and other winter holidays, etc. I'm not getting another update out in 2023, so I might as well say those things. Sometimes I use author's notes to reflect on the past year, but I'm not feeling it this time… except for one thing. I finished the graduate program I'd been enrolled in! I'm now certified to teach high school English in the United States! Being a teacher is tough work, as I've learned, and I'm not certain that's the path I'll pursue – I have a lot to think about. I'm very proud of the effort I put in, though, and writing these stories has changed my life for the better. Anyway, I'll talk about the actual chapter now.

The places on the Ishimura the characters visit are the same as in the game, but replacing all the enemies with a single foe turns the canon on its head. It was interesting for me to write because it taps into a kind of fear that's been lacking in my stories. The terror has relied on hordes of monsters that are all out for blood, along with that of the unknown and other cosmic themes. This is a more intimate sort of terror, with a single entity out to get our heroes. Nicole being haunted by Mercer's ghost also fit that bill! I'll leave whether that was real or her imagination up to you, but at least she's managed to put that to rest.

Other than that, we're finally heading back to the Government Sector. The Marker must be starting to sweat. I estimate that the story is about two-thirds finished, though my guesses have been wrong before. Even if it is accurate, that still means I need to write about 75,000 more words! We have a while to go before wrapping up.

Thanks to CelfwrDderwydd, Kaijucifer and Antex-The Legendary Zoroark for reviewing since last time. I really appreciate it! Makes me feel like a professional author. Maybe I will be someday… that's not foreshadowing or anything, but maybe I'll write an original story that gets published. Who knows.