Chapter two

Unexpected

She slowed her breathing as much as she could, it was all she could do to make sure she made it through this situation. In and out, in and out. Her warm breath filled the pocket of space that was immediately around her face, shifting the slime that surrounded her into odd positions. There was some comfort in the warmth that surrounded her, but some small part of her wanted out.

It had been a few days since she was left in this room to tend to herself. She had molted a few times and grown into her full drone body quite quickly. After that, she had started to make the room more…comfortable. With her mother's guidance, she learnt to call forth the sticky substance from within and use it as a building material to cover the walls and roof of her room.

She shifted a bit to get more comfortable, the resin pocket she had made for a bed was not the best fit for her body, but it was better than the cold metal of the floor.

As she rested within her self-created bed that was attached to the wall, she could not help it as her mind slipped to thoughts of the outside world. Mother had told her so many stories as she had been growing, but she could not wait to feel this thing she called the sun for herself. The warmth on her dark, ebony skin. It sounded wonderful.

Not like this prison she was in. This box was made of metal and steel. Her exoskeleton did not enjoy touching its surfaces, its cold, smooth surfaces. There was something…wrong about it. As her dislike for it grew, that was when Jolene had noticed her discomfort and helped her to produce the building resin. It was much better this way. And now, she had somewhere softer to sleep. Somewhere that was not the floor.

Astarte let loose a long sigh of air.

She had been curled up like this for a few days now. No one had come back through the door, not even to give her food. And she was becoming rather hungry. She was growing bord of doing nothing but resting, she always kept part of her mind on the door across the room, wishing that it would open.

Mother had reassured her that they would give her something to eat before long, that they would make sure that they survived. She explained that they were just waiting for her to stop growing. Regardless, Astarte wanted food, and badly. However, she had no choice int eh matter, she had attempted to force the door open a few times, but they had done well to make sure she could not. So, she waited patiently.

To pass the time, she would ask her mother questions.

"Mother?" She called out. "What happened when you were born? Did they ignore you like this?" There were a few moments of silence before she felt the familiar touch of her mother's mind flow into hers. It was warm and comforting.

"It was not… like yours, my daughter. I am…different."

"Different? How so?" She asked, confused.

"That…might be hard…to…to explain." The queen took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Whereas you… g-grew from an egg, I was grown from… part of someone else. Someone…human." Astarte took a moment to process what she had just heard.

"So… you are human? Like the ones who have us trapped here?" She asked, a bit more confused.

"No, I am…xenomorph. But…not fully. The woman who…I come from, she was human, they m-mixed her with our kind to… create me."

"So, you are not her?"

"No."

"But you know her?"

"I know her… memories. They are in… in my head, clear as day. That is how… I know your father. They knew one another, when she…she was alive." Astarte paused at the mention of her father and decided to change subjects.

"Who is father?" She could feel that the question had hit her mother harder than she had thought it would. "You don't need to answer."

"It's alright. I just…don't know how to…explain. He… I know I have never m-met him. But with the memories I have… I know that I love him. Even though… I know t-this love is not mine. I cannot seem to… ignore it." She explained. Astarte listened intently, wanting to know about her father. About who he was, if he was anything like Mother. She wanted to meet him. "He was kind… to her, when no…no one else was. He listened, like you do. He… was also funny and compassionate. Putting her needs before… his own."

He mother continued to tell Astarte about this man who she had yet to meet but felt such a deep connection to. All the while, the young xenomorph was receiving the most wonderful feelings of love and happiness from the queen's mind. Those intense feelings from the memories that Jolene had been passed down by her DNA doner. They warmed her from tip to toe.

So, for the next while her mother told her all the stories she could remember. How scared Jolene had been when she had first met her father, but then quickly came to like the alien once she knew she was not about to be eaten. How silly he was when they were around her small house, acting like a big cat. Astarte could not help growing fonder of him with each passing story.

She wanted to meet him badly, wanted to tell him all about who she was. But where was he? How would she find him? Was he here with them? Or somewhere far away? She had so many questions floating around her mind that she had almost missed the small port at the bottom of the man door opening and a large tray of raw meat being slid across the floor. It sat there on the floor for a minute or two before Astarte's mind noticed the object. She shifted her long head and noticed the large, square tray with wonderful colors gently floating around it.

The colors surrounding it, close to a royal purple, but a bit lighter, danced around one another and flowed like water in zero gravity. She was curious and wished to get closer to the wonderful display. She uncurled herself from her warm pocket within the wall and crawled down to the floor. She took a moment to stretch her stiff joints before making her way towards the meal, standing to her full height, almost bumping into the ceiling.

As she approached, she noticed small shifts in the purple color that was emanating from the meat. Different colors would emerge and then disappear as she watched. It was beautiful to watch, but not for too long, she was hungry.

Her mouth began to drool uncontrollably as she looked at the pile of meat.

Then, something in her mind snapped, some ferial instinct in her subconscious that had always been there. She lunged at the raw meat and began tearing huge pieces away with her razor-sharp teeth. Piece after piece began to disappear as she ate uncontrollably, her mind becoming a blur with a single focus. Consume.

"Astarte? What is it? You…feel…feel agitated." Her mother called to her. She did not hear it. She needed to eat, she had to eat. Her claws dug deep into another large chunk of bloody carcass and brought it to her mouth. "Astarte! STOP!"

Her clawed hands stopped; her teeth froze in place as they were halfway through a piece of meat. Something had run though her mind so forcefully that she had no choice but to obey. She tried to move her limbs, but they would not listen. She…she was stuck!

As she stood in place, frozen like a stone statue, her mind slowly became calm, and the blood frenzy went back to that hidden part of her mind. She looked down and realized what she had been doing. She had been in such a frenzy that there were now small pieces of meat and blood all over the floor as well as her clawed hands. It made her small room look like the floor of a slaughterhouse.

"M-mother? W-w-what was that?" She could feel parts of her body beginning to shake, as if she was withdrawing from an addictive drug. As she continued to look down upon the scene that she had created, she felt it again. The urge to consume, to feed. She began to feel it take over once more.

"Astarte! Stop, y-you need to… control yourself. Now!" Her mother's voice cut through her mind and thoughts.

It helped to subdue the urge to eat. It gave Astarte enough control to turn her elongated head away from her meal, to get the image out of her sight. She took a few steps towards the opposite wall and took in a deep breath in attempts to clear her head.

Whatever that was, part of her wanted it. Almost needed it. It felt…good. But somehow, it scared her at the same time. She was completely out of control of herself when it took over. She could not control any part of her body, the urge to feed controlled every limb and claw. She did not like that.

"Mother," She asked as she continued to breath heavily. "What is that?"

"They don't have…a name for it. But it's something…that happens to a… pure born xeno. The urge to feed. I c-can help you to…control it, but you need to learn…to be stronger than it is." She explained. As her words ran through Astarte's mind, she had to battle herself to not let it take over. Her mind knew that the pile of flesh was just behind her and was there for the taking. However, if she did, she was not sure if she would be able to bring herself back.

"I need to be strong." She repeated her mother's words in her mind. Reminding her of the short mantra that she had come to enjoy. "Beautiful and strong."

"Yes, my daughter, beautiful…and strong." As she heard her mother repeat the statement, she found that she rather enjoyed it coming from her.

"Mother, will you help me to become strong?" She asked as she turned around to look down at the meal once more. Feeling the urge once more.

"Yes, I will, my d-daughter. I will."

Astarte took a deep breath before making her way back to her meal. This time, eating in complete control, with the help and guidance of her mother.

For the next few days, this schedule repeated itself like clockwork. Astarte would be left alone, until the small opening would allow a large tray of meat to be pushed through. She would eat, the tray would retract, then she was left alone once more. At the beginning it was rather nice for something new to be happening, but now she was growing tired of it.

She had built more of her resin upon the walls, covering every last inch of space she could but making sure to leave the human sized door and food door alone. It was more comfortable this way, it made it feel more like a home to her mind. She did not like the smooth surfaces of the metal walls, they didn't seem…natural. This just felt right.

As the days went by, she was thankful she had her mother, who knew so much about the world that Astarte could learn all she wanted to know. Unless there was something that mother did not know, it would be ridiculous to think that she could know everything. It sounded like the world was a rather large place, with too many things to learn about in one lifetime. However, Jolene did her best, answered all the questions she could and fed her daughters curiosity.

This was how they would pass the time. It was much later when something new happened. She was in the middle of resting as a new sound rang through the room. A hissing sound that she had never heard before. She mentally snapped too and quickly scanned the small room that she had called home.

It wasn't until she looked toward the now opening door on the opposite wall when she realized what was happening.

Someone was coming into the room.

Her instincts took over. She froze her body within the pocket that she had created for herself. Doing this would blend her in with the wall's patterns and camouflage her within the room. She waited and watched as a single human entered the room. But something seemed…off.

The human was shoved in by another, almost causing them to trip and fall to the ground and they stumbled over the resin that covered the floor. They were just able to keep their footing and came to stop in the middle of the room, finding good footing within the resin. Astarte watched as they almost instantly snapped back around and ran for the door. They froze when they saw that it had been slammed closed behind them. Leaving them trapped in the darkness with the unseen watcher.

The human slowly turned and scanned the room, scanning past Astarte as if she was not even there. Good, her camouflage was working perfectly. She thought about making her move and pounce towards her pray, but something told her to wait. Let them feel as if they are safe and secure, then strike. So, she waited and watched. Letting the pleasure of the hunt take over her body. It was intoxicating.

It did not go unnoticed.

"Astarte? What is it? You…feel out of control a-again." Her mother, ever watchful, cut into her hunt.

"There is a human in my room. I…I want to…to attack them. I…almost need to. It feels…good." She responded as drool began to run down her sharp teeth and maw.

"A…Astarte no! D-do not harm…them! They will…hurt you!" She almost did not care, something about the thought of fresh meat fought all sense of reason. As the human began to explore further into the room and approach her hiding place, she readied her body to attack. She tensed her muscles as her acid blood pumped faster and faster.

"ASTARTE! NO!" The words hit her mind like a MAC truck. Pain shot through her body in an intense wave that started from her head and moved to every nerve. She was forced to grab her elongated head in response, hoping it would stop the pain. This caused her to fall from her hidden position within the wall.

Her large, heavy body impacted the ground with a loud thud. It was thankfully dampened with the bio-resin that she had covered it with, but only a little. Her body curled in on itself as it was assaulted by the mental attack from the unseen source. Her tail twitched violently back and forth. Her claws dug into her smooth, domed head. Then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Astarte was left on the floor with no trace of what had just happened.

She snapped to her feet, thinking that the human that had been in the room would have begun their own attack. However, when she got to her feet, she found the human backed against the door, furiously banging upon the metal surface. She…was trying to escape? Was she not here for a fight? Was she not here for some odd experiment? She was confused as she looked at the small human. Their body was surrounded in a yellow mist of fear. Astarte paused as she began to realize that this human was not meant to be here. She then felt the mental touch of her mother.

"Astarte…I am…sorry. I did not…want to do that, but y-you cannot hurt them. They…will kill you. I know too many…of us that have died. I cannot…lose you too." She could feel the sadness behind the words that ran through her mother's mind.

"Others? Mother, what others?" She asked, curious as to why her mother had never mentioned this. There was a bit of a pause before the response.

"They are not…from myself. They were…volunteers. They w-were offered money…to be experimented on. To be changed into….us." Astarte took a moment to process this information, still watching the human before her struggle with the metal door. There were more of her? Were they here with her? Why could she not hear them within her mind like her mother? So many new questions began to form. "Astarte, I can feel your confliction, and I will answer…all your question. But later. You need to m-make sure you don't…harm this human. They…will come get them if you…leave them alone."

She heard her mother's words and decided that it was probably smarter to follow her orders. After all, she had been here longer than she had. (She also did not want her mother to attack her mind again.) Astarte let out a huff of air, turned around, and climbed back into her cozy pocket upon the wall. She would just go back to sleep until the human was gone, suppressing her hunger. She began to drift into the zen like state she called sleep just as she heard footsteps approaching.

She snapped her large head out from where it had been resting, thinking some form of attack was happening, she came to look upon the human figure who was now only ten feet from her. The two looked at one another for what seemed like forever before the soft words of the human cut the silence.

"Ww-w-w-what are y-y-y-ou?" They sounded terrified. The yellow mist that was still around her reinforced that. Astarte did not know how to respond, so she went back to sleep. She heard a few more soft foot falls getting closer and closer.

So, she let out a quick rush of air through her teeth. It was not quite a hiss, but it got the message across. The human fell back and let out a quick yelp as they landed on their rump.

Astarte, curious as to what happened, turned her head once more to see. As she had expected, the human had fallen backward and was now on the floor. One hand rubbing the hip that had hit the resin covered floor. Astarte watched as the small being looked toward her and froze, probably thinking she was about to be attacked. Astarte stayed within the wall and once again they simply looked at one another, studying each other. She grew bored of this exchange and shifted into a more comfortable position to sleep once more.

"You're…you're real." The whisper was almost lost over the hum of electrical equipment that was within the walls and floor. However, Astarte's hearing was much better than that of a human. There was something behind the words, something that Astarte could not discern. She turned her head to look at the smaller being within her room. She watched as they retreated a step, but then settled when they realized that she was not going to attack. She then repeated her statement. "You are, aren't you. You're real."

Astarte simply tilted her head. Of course she was real, how could she not be? She was right in front of them. Did they not see her? Perhaps they were hard of seeing and needed help. Astarte peeled herself from the wall and landed upon the floor, this time onto her feet. She took a few steps forward and watched as the yellow mist from the human intensified, it filled the room. Astarte stopped right in front of them so they could see her better.

For a moment, the two stood in front of one another, not moving, not saying a word. (Not that Astarte could if she wanted to.)

The xenomorph watched as the human's chest expanded and contracted with their breath, then she noticed that she could hear the small heart beating from within their soft chest. The rhythmic thumping was fast, giving away how frightened the human was. As the alien looked at the human's chest, it was only then that Astarte bothered to notice the physical features of the human in front of her.

Long hair that looked quite ruffled surrounded the more angular features of their face. A cute button nose sat above the thin lips that drew in shallow breaths. A long slender neck sat above the exposed collar bone that was between the thinner shoulders they held. The tight-fitting tank top revealed a lot of the breasts that were upon the human's chest. The simple pants clung to her nicely curved hips. The pants themselves looked as if they were about to fall off from being so tattered and not made for her.

As Astarte looked the woman over, she began realized that she was a bit worse for wear. There were wet streaks from tears on her cheeks that looked only minutes old. A decently sized cut on her forehead and an even larger one on her right arm showed that she had been in a struggle a few days past. The dried blood and condition of the wound revealed its age. What on earth had happened to this human? It looks like she had been in a fight or beaten by someone else. Astarte realized that she also may have been experimented on. Something about that did not sit right with her.

As Astarte was analyzing and observing, so too was the human. She took in every inch of the eight-foot nightmare that was before her. Black ebony exoskeleton, smooth elongated head, claws that could tear her to pieces. Astarte was a predator, the perfect organism, born from the death of a human being. The human woman worked up the courage to slowly outstretch her hand towards the xenomorph.

Astarte, not feeling threatened in the slightest, let her place her warm hand upon her smooth face. Astarte watched as the yellow mist that was emanating from her, slowly began to mix with a pleasant shade of blue. One that was calming and peaceful.

"Mother, the human…she is touching me." She asked, not really knowing what to do.

"Maybe just… leave her alone. Retreat to…the wall and let her…h-have her space." Jolene instructed her.

Part of her wanted to do just that. However, some part of her felt sorry for this small woman. Why had she been hurt? Why had she been thrown into this room? Was she meant to be food, or perhaps a plaything? She wanted to know more.

"Mother…this is what you use to be?" She asked as the tiny woman sat still in front of her. Hand still upon the xenomorph's head and breathing quickly. It was then that Astarte noticed that the woman winced slightly as she took in the air of the room. Were her ribs broken as well?

"Yes. Why?"

"I think… I think someone had hurt her. She is injured, and not by me." There was a moment of silence from the queen.

"Poor things. She…might not be…here of her own…will." Something about that struck Astarte. She might be a prisoner here, just as much as her and mother were. But how? To do this to one of their own kind? One of their own species? It did not sit well with her. She found her anger beginning to surface but snuffed it out before it could take any foothold in her mind.

The human's hand retracted from her face and went to rest, crossed with her other arm, upon her own chest. It was then that Astarte noticed the shivering of her body and realized that she must be cold. Either from the shock of being rammed into a room with an eight-foot monster, or from some other unknown injury perhaps. Astarte watched as she began to sway, her eyes fluttering. It was only Astarte's inhuman reflexed that she had that allowed her to catch the woman before she hit the ground with her head. Her eyes closed tight.

The xenomorph brought the woman down to the floor with the gentle touch of a mother with her child. Astarte wanted no more harm to come to this woman who reminded her so much of herself in some way. As she lay upon the ground, her breathing became rhythmatic. She was unconscious. The adrenaline of being tossed into the room must have been the only thing keeping her awake. Now that she knew there was no threat, her body had a chance to relax.

Astarte looked down at the small woman and wanted to help, but the xenomorph could only think of one thing to do that might help. She went down to the floor and curled up around the woman, letting the heat that was produced by her own body flow into the small frame of the woman who now sleep within her embrace. After a moment or two, she was glad to feel the shivering from the woman begin to subside. As they continued to lay upon the floor, Astarte began to slip into her own sleep state, with this new, fragile woman within her arm.

Wondering what would happen next.