CHAPTER 1: Dusk

Keyes shivered as he rubbed his arms to try and bring some kind of warmth into his body. He'd been sitting in this dark cell for what seemed an eternity, only the dull blue hue from his monitors illuminating his pale skin and shiny armour. His radio flickered to life as a familiar smug tone begins to speak out on his private comm,

"How's the torture dungeon goin for ya?"

"Just fine Ray, just fucking fine." Keyes shot back.

"Yeah I'm sure it's a whale of a time brotha, shame you can't be up here on the flight deck hey!"

Keyes could almost feel the rays of sun hitting his skin on the edge of his mind, he stares wistfully into the cold blue screen in front of him.

"Real shame yeah, I know how much you worry for me down here. I'll see you at the mess jackass."

Ray's laugh barked out over the comm before shutting off abruptly. Keyes thumbed at his computer and did his bi-hourly glance at the cameras, truthfully he didn't even know why he bothered, but it was just about the only thing to do down here anyway. There was nothing but endless poorly lit corridors and storage rooms that hadn't been touched since he arrived at this posting.

Nothing, nothing, nothing.

His bitter thoughts began to return to him, why was this post even still on the watchbill? All they ever did down here was stare into the abyss. Right as he was thinking about what slop they'd feed him tonight, he heard something that jolted him in his seat.

Ping

The motion tracker had actually picked something up, he kept his eyes on it and waited with baited breath.

Ping

There it was again, what the fuck could it be? He flicked his comm back on and proceeded to report,

"Command this is Keyes, I've got something unusual down here on level G7, over."

"Roger Keyes, what have you got? Over." The gruff voice of Sergeant Jones came back.

"I'm picking up movement on the motion tracker, no visual, over."

The sergeant took a second to respond,

"Son, did you just call up a report on some fucking rat running around your level. Waste my time again and I'll have your ass running patrol duties until you die - out."

The comm snapped off, clearly the conversation was over. The tracker began to beep faster and faster. Keyes rubbed his face for a moment, something wasn't sitting well with him. He flicked his comm back on,

"Ray somethin ain't right here."

"What, that lil rat you got down there? Don't worry bud, a pulse rifle should be good enough for that caliber o' beast."

"I've done this duty six hundred god damn times and not once has anything ever moved down here, I'll put money down that it ain't happened on your watch either."

There was a long pause, Ray clearly heard his more serious tone.

"Yeah ya ain't wrong, nothin has ever pinged down there. Tell ya what, I finish in a coupla hours; how abouts I come down there and we wander around."

"Sounds good."

With that, the comm clicked off again. All he was left with was the occasional pinging from the tracker, he kept his eyes glued to the monitors now. Surely they would show something, anything.

He finally saw what he was looking for, a small… bug shot across the floor between two crates, leaving line of sight again. He rubbed at his chin for a moment, maybe he was just being paranoid, it could just be some small animal that found its way in through a vent.

After spinning around in his chair, he stands up and walks towards the weapon rack, might as well go prepared. He slaps the lock on the locker and the doors shoot open, his rifle presenting itself to him.

After grabbing it he marches out and towards the room he saw the creature in. Once he arrives he puts in the password, the door groans and splutters as it slowly slides open. Flicking on his flashlight he walks in tentatively, glancing around the room.

There is no sound but the hum of dim lights barely illuminating the room. Its yellow walls tainted with age and neglect. Keyes stands there for a moment and begins to doubt himself - did he really get out of his chair just to come find nothing down here?

Just as his doubts begin to make him turn and leave, he hears a stroke of legs against the floor next to him. Keyes swiftly turns to his right with his weapon raised, but it's too late - a shadowy mass with six legs is already in front of his face, he feels it latch onto his head, its slimy legs clutching his cheeks, digging into him painfully. What feels like a wet rope curls around his neck and grips it so tightly he can't breathe and his vision begins to spin.

The bug begins pushing his mouth open, with his screams only inviting it deeper inside him. Just as he passes out he feels it driving a slimy mass forcefully into his throat, filling his entire mouth.

Two hours later…

Ray stood there drawing a cigarette out from his pocket and giving it a quick light when the door beside him finally gives a hiss and slides open, relief washes over him as his change-over has finally arrived.

"Alright Ray, handover report" Hopkins demanded.

"Quiet shift Corporal, just your standard shipment intakes, no unusual activity" Like always, he thought bitterly, keeping that to himself.

"Tracking, well I'll take over now, go get some good food."

He took another drag from his cigarette, watching the workers unload boxes with their Weyland-Yutani guards absentmindedly talking with each other, looking like they had a better deal than him. Then he remembered his agreement with Keyes, he absent mindedly flicked his comms on and spoke,

"Ol buddy, I'm gonna come down and see if we can go catch us a rat to eat."

All he got in response was static. It's so boring down there - why hadn't he replied? Ray repeats himself.

Nothing. He switched to command comms,

"Command this is Ray, over."

"Ray, Command, what? Over."

"Has anyone had contact with Keyes? He's not answering his comms, over."

"Possible solar flare interference, to be expected, over." the disinterested voice came back - it was that asshole Jenkins.

"If that was the case, how are we talking?" he snapped back

The voice on the other end became suddenly even more curt,

"By all means, go check on Keyes if you're so concerned, Command does not have the resources to attend to simple issues like this, out."

Just as the voice closed his comms, Ray looks to his right and sees three marines sitting around smoking by their tool boxes. He drops his own cigarette on the ground and smushed it beneath his boot, fuck it.

The elevator groaned terribly as it made its way to his floor, the seconds beginning to feel like minutes as Ray continued to try and reach Keyes. His watch was supposed to end in an hour's time, but something wasn't right. Once the elevator had arrived Ray stepped in, only a single red headed woman, clad in a lab coat occupied it.

"Evening Ma'am"

"Evening marine, going for some rest?" She replied coolly.

"Nah checkin in on a battle buddy, haven't heard from him in awhile."

"Well, I hope you can brighten his shift, I know you don't get much entertainment on duty." She added with a note of sympathy.

Bright green letters appeared on the overhead display with a robotic sounding voice speaking out "level G7, biological stores department"

He nods to the woman and steps out of the elevator, looking at the guard house right in front of the entrance… Nothing. He hurries over to the door and inputs the code, it flies open and he jumps down onto the chair, immediately pulling up the cameras. They all have nothing, where the hell could he be? He flicks to the last camera, there he is! Collapsed on the floor and with… What the fuck is that?

Without another moment's hesitation he slaps his comms on,

"Command, this is Ray, we have a priority one casualty, more to follow."

"Ray this is Command, send."

"Keyes is unconscious on the ground with an unidentified creature attached to him, over."

It wasn't Jenkins that replied this time, instead the Sergeant chimed in,

"Roger Marine, we'll send a team to assist immediately."

Just as he thumbs his rifles' safety off,

Ping, Ping, Ping, Ping.