Author's Note: I'm sorry this update was a few days late. I caught a bad cold last week, and I was too sick and miserable to write very much. It's that time of year unfortunately. But now, it's pretty much gone, so I'm back on schedule. I may have rushed this chapter a bit so please excuse me. I'll edit it later as I write up Part 5.
Review Responses
Hawks nest427: I loved that scene. The fact they got John Hurt to re-enact it made it even better, lol. That would be a good one-shot adaptation.
Dez Guardius: Lol. You got the reference! That particular comic made me laugh and feel disgusted at the same time.
Pharamine: Don't mention it. I had to actually downplay writing that scene a little to avoid making it too gruesome and nightmarish.
Imperial Romance: I read about that too. Ridley Scott really wanted to capture the casts horror at the chestburster scene so you're right, their reactions were spot on. They were all totally freaked out. The cast member you mentioned, Yaphet Kotto (Parker), even locked himself in his room and refused to speak to anyone after the scene was shot.
JC: Those are good casting choices. I'll keep them in mind if "The Princess Bride" wins the vote.
Sindel34: Those will definitely be on the poll for the next vote when I adapt an animated movie. Personally, I'm surprised nobody else adapted "Toy Story" or "Monsters Inc." yet.
2EZ4ME: That's a pretty good point. In fact, it's subtle but noticeable that Ash was giving only half-useful advice on how to combat the Alien. He probably figured it'd make his job easier to simply allow the creature to kill off the crew. They were "expendable" after all.
thundercharger123: You and me both, brother. I still remember watching that scene through my fingers as a kid when I first watched that scene over a decade ago. Whether it's in visual or written form, that scene will always be terrifying.
Farmer Abe: It wasn't easy writing Nora's terrified and devastated reaction, but it had to be done. And I fully agree. Nora finally gives the RWBY audience the big-kiss moment we've all been waiting for, and now she needs space? Smh.
Guest, Oct. 27: That's exactly what I was going for. Wise old Ozpin and Oscar can both tell that the latter's counterpart is hiding something.
Batthan the Dark Knight: I couldn't have said it better myself. In fact, the old phrase "from bad to worse" is an understatement for this situation.
Guest, October 26th: I tend to adapt films that are legendary. Usually Oscar winners or nominees. Of course, there are a few exceptions if they are well known enough. "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" didn't even receive an academy award nomination, but it is regarded by some as the funniest movie of all time.
VirusChris: I'm happy to hear your positive feedback. The reason I had Gold-Sith give the audience puke buckets was because I highly doubt anyone in the RWBY cast witnessed something like that. I read that real live audiences puked when they saw that scene on the big screen way back in '79. I just figured it would be a nice recreation if a few audience members to lose their lunch as well.
triscythe59: Indeed. That scene is over forty-years old and still haunts many a dream. Also, you're correct. I forgot about that. I'll be editing past chapters so that Qrow no longer drinks.
Zero: Well, H.R. Giger was behind the Alien's design, as well as the derelict and the space jockey, so the sexual undertones shouldn't be a surprise.
StrongGuy159: It's about to get a whole lot scarier for the audience.
Xenozip: That's a very good point. In universe, people often underestimate the intelligence and learning abilities of the Xenomorphs with often disastrous results. Plus, with Ash sabotaging them at every turn, it may not have made a difference anyway.
Straw Hat PiratesFan2022: Indeed. Poor Nora will probably have nightmares from that scene alone :( The poll is still up btw. Choose carefully.
Soft, tranquil music played as the Nostromo continued gliding through space.
Cut to the engineering deck. An assortment of tools and items were placed on a table. Neptune picked up one of them while the rest of the crew stood around the table.
"Those aren't very conventional weapons," Qrow remarked on the items on the table.
"But didn't Jaune mention weapons earlier? And didn't Ren have a pistol on the derelict?" Nora recalled. (1)
"Even if they do, they can't risk shooting it if it's blood is corrosive as well," Penny reminded with a frown at how difficult the situation was for the Nostromo's crew.
"So, they have to resort to more mundane measures," Maria concluded as she sipped some tea.
"This is just an ordinary prod, like a cattle prod," Neptune explained to the others with a cigarette in his mouth. "It's got a portable battery. It's insulated all the way here, all the way up to here."
Everyone listened as Neptune gave his tutorial. Sun was munching on a candy bar while a brown, fishing net was draped in his lap.
"Just make damn sure nobody puts their hand on the end of it," Neptune warned as he tapped the ceiling with the prod, giving off a sharp electric snap.
"It shouldn't damage the little bastard. Unless it's skin's thinner than ours. But it will give him a little incentive," Neptune said as he set the prod down.
"Now we just have to find it," Velvet said in clean clothes, knowing it wouldn't be easy.
"That's a good point. If its skin is too thin, they might risk the acid blood spilling," Penny said again.
"Plus, finding it is easier said than done. That thing can't be more than two feet in length," Winter added, knowing the Nostromo's size would only make it easier for it the creature to hide.
"I've taken care of that," Oscar said as he lifted a device from the floor. "I've designed this tracking device. You just set it to search for a moving object, like so."
The tracker was a boxy device with a tube in the center, a display screen, and two handles for easy carrying.
"It hasn't got much of a range, but when you get within a certain distance, it'll start to give off a signal," Oscar explained.
"What's it key on?" Summer asked.
Oscar paused before answering. "Micro changes in air density," he answered, prompting a slow nod from Summer
"Give me a demo," Jaune requested to make sure the tracker was reliable.
Oscar complied and turned the tracker on while Jaune held it up by the handles.
Oscar waved his hand in front of the tracker's tube. It gave off a warbling whistle sound. "See?"
"Again," Jaune requested, and Oscar waved again, eliciting another whistle. "Got ya."
"Well, that's handy. But it could still take hours for them to find it with that," Clover commented.
Ren shrugged. "It's better than nothing," he said, knowing beggars couldn't be choosers.
Jaune set the motion tracker down. "Two teams. Oscar, Velvet, and I. Rose, you take Sun and Neptune. Now, anyone sees this thing, you catch it in the net that Sun's holding in his lap," he instructed.
"Sun, I don't want any heroics out of you, all right?" Jaune ordered as he continued. "Catch it, put it in the air lock, get rid of it. Now channels are open on all decks. I want you to communicate, keep in touch at all times, all right?"
Jaune looked around, the crewmembers silently acknowledging his instructions. "Let's go," he concluded.
Elsewhere on the engineering deck, Summer, Sun, and Neptune slowly navigated down a darkened corridor.
"I thought you fixed 12 module," Summer said as she led the way with the motion tracker in one hand and a flashlight in the other.
"We did," Neptune replied as he safely kept the prod pointed at the ground. "I don't understand it."
"The circuits must have burned out," Sun guessed as the trio reached the junction.
"That'll just make it harder to find the creature," Penny commented.
"Not to mention the camera monitors out on B and C deck," Winter added, remembering Summer's earlier argument with Jaune.
"It seems like the ship is barely keeping itself together," Maria remarked, noting the Nostromo hardly seemed to be a top-of-the-line vessel.
The trio reached a junction. Sun dropped his net and took out a small tool kit to pry open a nearby wall panel to repair the lights. Summer entered an adjoining room with her motion tracker swiveling around in search of the creature.
"What do we got here?" Neptune asked as he turned to Sun.
"Damn it! Hold your light over here, would you?" Sun requested in frustration while Neptune shined his flashlight on the panel. "Yeah, that's it. I don't know if this is going to work."
"If I could just put this in there," Sun grumbled as he fiddled with the panel.
"Right," Neptune muttered.
"Do you think the alien damaged the wiring?" Jaune questioned aloud.
"It's possible, given its size. It could probably worm its way into any machine it likes," Maria answered with a nod.
"That'll just cause more problems," Penny said in realization.
Sun received a light electric shock. "Oh, damn it," he muttered.
"Check the insulation," Neptune advised.
Finished with her search in the other room, Summer rejoined the two engineers.
"Oh, shit," Sun grumbled and stepped away just as the overhead lights flickered back on.
Just then, the motion tracker warbled as it detected something. The trio carefully moved to a nearby door.
"Steady," Neptune cautioned.
"According to this, it's within five meters," Summer notified.
Neptune opened the door, spilling bright blue light inside. The trio slowly moved inside with Summer in front.
"Micro changes in air density my ass," Summer griped as the tracker kept going off. "It's within five meters."
"Here we go," Yang said softly in anticipation.
"Get him, mom," Ruby added in support for Summer.
"Be careful," Sun cautioned softly.
Inside the room were orange storage lockers and spacesuits hanging from the wall.
"Monty," Summer muttered, a bit unsettled by the room's appearance.
"Don't do that. Don't creep up on me with that thing," Sun scolded.
"You guys stick together," Summer instructed as she shined her flashlight around the room.
As Summer aimed the motion tracker towards the lockers, it began to malfunction; it's whirring whistle cutting in and out.
"Don't fail me now!" Summer snarled as she shook the tracker.
"What? What is it?" Neptune whispered to Summer.
"Sun. Neptune. It's in this locker," Summer informed the two men as she shined her light on the creature's assumed location.
Sun and Neptune moved over to Summer. "Where?" Sun asked.
"Here. Take this," Neptune whispered as he handed the shock prod to Summer.
"Get over there and get the net," Summer whispered to Neptune.
"Get it," Sun said to Neptune.
"I got it. I got it. I got it," Neptune said as he held the net.
"Wait a minute. Wait a minute," Summer said as she put the tracker down so she could hold the prod with both hands.
The trio slowly approached the locker with the net widened out.
Everyone tensed up and clasped the armrests of their seats as they prepared themselves for what felt like a certain jumpscare.
"All right. Now," Summer said as she held the prod up.
"Easy," Neptune cautioned his partner.
Sun quickly pulled the locker door open. A close-up of Zwei hissing was shown before he darted out of the locker.
"Monty!" Jaune yelped as he jumped in his seat.
"Damn cat!" Marrow grumbled, then looked apologetically at Blake. "No offense."
"None taken," Blake said, holding up an assuring hand towards Marrow.
"Why do cats always have to do that?" Yang asked in annoyance about felines hiding then suddenly popping out.
"What was he even doing in that locker?" Oscar wondered aloud.
Elm shrugged. "Maybe he was hiding from the alien," she guessed, hardly blaming Zwei for doing so.
The trio threw the net down on Zwei, but Neptune pulled it off.
"Wait! Don't let him go!" Summer cried as Zwei scampered out of the room.
"What the hell are you doing man?!" Sun shouted at his partner.
"It's the cat man," Neptune informed, prompting Summer to sigh while Sun chuckled.
"Hey, look now. We had to bag it, man," Sun said. "Now we might pick it up on the tracker again."
"Great. Now they've gotta catch Zwei and the alien," Qrow sighed.
"Why wasn't anyone watching him?" Blake asked, referring to Zwei.
"They were probably too focused on dealing with the alien," Vine assumed as he sipped a glass of water.
"I'll…I'll…" Neptune stuttered.
"Go and get it man," Sun finished Neptune's thought.
"All right. You get him. We'll go on," Summer agreed.
Neptune followed Zwei through the doorway he ran through while Summer and Sun picked up their items to continue searching for the alien.
Everyone looked skeptical at the trio splitting up and letting Neptune go alone. Weiss even looked concerned for the blue-haired engineer.
"That's a death wish in movies like this. They should all stick together," Jaune commented, having seen enough horror films.
"But the alien is so little. What could that puny thing do?" Nora said scornfully.
"Never underestimate your enemies, Ms. Valkyrie" Ironwood advised cautiously, prompting Nora to lower her gaze sheepishly.
Elsewhere, Neptune began searching for Zwei. "Here kitty. Here kitty, kitty," he called in a high-pitched voice that echoed slightly.
"Enough of that kitty crap," Neptune muttered under his breath as he stood in a doorway. "Zwei! Here Zwei!"
There was no response to his calls, so he tried mimicking a cat's meow instead.
"Meow," Zwei responded, his call feint but audible from somewhere close by.
Weiss, Yang, and Ruby all giggled at Neptune mimicking a cat's meow. The levity was mild but appreciated given how dark the film was so far.
Neptune perked in the direction of the sound and followed it into the cargo bay.
"Zwei?" Neptune beckoned again as he slowly searched the room.
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty," Neptune said again in a high-pitched voice, but Zwei didn't answer.
"Here Zwei," Neptune called as he gazed up at the rafters in case Zwei climbed up them. "Zwei."
"Meow," Zwei called again, a bit louder this time.
Neptune followed Zwei's meow. He approached a large machine sitting beside a stack of large gas cannisters. There was a space between the two that Zwei was hiding in. With a yowl, Zwei fell, then quickly climbed over the side of the cannisters before Neptune could grab him.
Zwei quickly jumped down to the floor and ran through another half-open doorway.
Neptune was about to follow Zwei until something on the ground caught his eye. He knelt to pick it up. It was a yellow and hollowed out. Like a reptile's shed skin. It was suspiciously shaped like the Chestburster.
"Ugh. What is that? A molt?" Weiss asked with a bit of disgust.
Blake blinked in puzzlement. "What does that mean? It's growing?" she questioned, knowing it couldn't be a good sign.
"Typically, yes. Molting is a sign of growth with certain animals. I suppose it applies to the alien as well," Penny informed with an alarmed look.
"I guess it's not so puny anymore," Yang assumed, wondering what the alien looked like now.
Neptune was mystified, but he dropped the shed skin back on the ground and continued to the next chamber where Zwei had fled.
The next room was dark and damp. It housed one of the ship's landing tracts. Chains dangled and rattled from the ceiling and moisture dripped constantly.
Neptune removed his hat and stood under a steady series of droplets from the ceiling, letting them fall on his face to cool off, squeezing his eyes shut as he did so. He brushed a hand through his hair and slipped his cap back on. The chains continued to clink softly overhead as he continued his search for Zwei. The feint sound of a heartbeat became audible as well. (2)
Blake's ears twitched. "Uh-oh...Does anybody else hear that?" she asked warily.
Yang listened and paled slightly. "Yeah...that's definitely not good," she said, remembering the same sound played during the Chestburster scene.
"Oh no..." Weiss fretted softly, realizing Neptune was probably in danger.
Neptune walked over to the opposite end of the room. He spotted Zwei hiding behind some crates in a corner. The cat peaked out to stare at him.
Neptune knelt down to Zwei. "Hey. Hey. Come on, Zwei," he coaxed the cat towards him.
Zwei began to slowly come out from his hiding spot.
"Come on. Just grab him and get out of there," Jaune whispered,
"Come on, baby. That's a kitty," Neptune said with an assuring smile.
Just then, something uncoiled from above right behind Neptune. Something long and black. Like a tail.
Ruby, Nora, Weiss, Jaune, and Oscar all gasped at the sudden appearance of the tail. Everyone else became very still.
"Behind you, you dolt. Behind you!" Weiss said through clenched teeth as she sat back at the edge of her seat.
"It was hiding in the rafters somewhere. Maybe it was waiting there to ambush him," Harriet assumed, surprised by the creature's cunning and stealth. (3)
Zwei suddenly arched his back and hissed as he backed away at the sight of the tail.
Alarmed, Neptune stood up straight. "Hey, hey. I'm not gonna hurt ya. Come on," he assured Zwei as black a shape silently lowered itself from the rafters right behind him, half-hidden in shadow.
The heartbeat was then accompanied by low, eerie music as the creature tilted its smooth, head towards the oblivious Neptune, clear drool spewing from its mouth.
"Ewww," Ruby, Weiss, and Nora all said in disgust at the creature's salivating.
"How did it grow that large so quickly?" Maria asked in surprise, aware it had only been a few hours since the creature's "birth".
"Yeah. That's one hell of a growth spurt," Qrow commented in an unnerved tone.
"To hell with the cat! Get out of there!" Marrow shouted, prompting Blake to huff in offense.
Zwei kept backing away slowly, hissing. Neptune then realized it wasn't directed at him. Puzzled, he turned around to face the creature. He could only gape, mesmerized at whatever he was looking at.
It was the Alien. Now fully grown. It was a horrible sight to behold. It stood seven feet tall. Vaguely humanoid. It's skin insect like, segmented and jet black in color. Its elongated head was smooth without any eyes or nostrils on its face. It's arms and legs were long and slender. A segmented tail ending with a barbed tip and what appeared to be four ventral tubes protruding from its back.
Everybody else was just as mesmerized and terrified as Neptune's counterpart. Ruby, Nora, Weiss, and Oscar actually trembled a bit. Even the hardened and grizzled Ironwood was disturbed by the Xenomorphs appearance. It was like something straight out of a child's worst nightmare.
"By the brothers. Look at that thing!" Ren murmured as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
"My Oum...it's repulsive!" Winter said with a grimace.
"And I thought the Grimm were bad," Ruby said shakily while gripping her cloak, grateful that no such creature existed on Remnant.
"Imagine if Salem ever got her hands on one of those creatures..." Ozpin muttered internally, imagining army of xenomorphs at the Grimm Queen's command while Oscar shivered at the mere thought.
The alien let out a raspy hiss and quivered as it slowly opened its drooling mouth, full of sharp metallic teeth.
Then it's piston-like tongue jetted out and punctured Neptune's forehead. The mechanic screamed in agony, blood dripping down his face as he fell to the ground. Then, with murderous strength and speed, the alien lifted him aloft into the cooling ducts.
If seeing the alien in all its full-grown horror didn't elicit gasps or dropped jaws, Neptune's death certainly did. It was nearly as bad as the Chestburster's scene. Weiss in particular gasped sharply with a hand over her mouth, utterly shocked at her former crushes' death onscreen.
Zwei silently watched the entire scene, powerless to help Neptune. His eyes wide yet awed at what he'd just witnessed. Neptune's screams of pain had stopped. The soft clinking of the overhanging chains were the only sound.
The theater was silent for a few seconds before anyone spoke.
"Things have gone from bad to worse," Jaune muttered from the edge of his seat. (4)
"Absolutely," Marrow agreed as he slowly munched on some popcorn.
Ruby and Yang were grateful that at least Zwei was left unharmed for now.
Cut to the dining room. Sun had his sullen face buried in his hands, clearly devastated by Neptune's death.
"Whatever it was…it was big and…" he mumbled to Jaune about what he just witnessed.
Blake's ears drooped. "Oh, poor Sun," Blake cooed sympathetically at Sun's loss with a hand to her chest.
"I can easily imagine his pain," Jaune said with a lowered gaze, struggling not to think about Pyrrha.
"Me too," Ruby said softly, immensely thankful that Penny was rebuilt after the fall of Beacon.
Jaune gazed at Sun as the latter gave his report. "You sure it took him into the airshaft?" he asked Summer.
"Disappeared into one of the cooling ducts," Summer confirmed morosely.
"No question. It's…it's using the air ducts to move around," Sun added in a low voice.
"Such a clever and elusive way to navigate through the ship," Blake commented, knowing it wouldn't have made a difference if the camera monitors were still online.
"And given the Nostromo's size it could probably slip in and out of any room it wants," Penny added
"Including the upper decks where they're gathered at," Elm concluded, feeling she could never sleep if she knew that such a creature was crawling around the ventilation system.
"Could it want Neptune alive?" Velvet asked Summer in concern.
Summer paused before glancing at Velvet. "What?" she asked.
"Could Neptune be alive?" Velvet asked again.
"No…I mean. I don't think so," Summer answered bluntly as she placed her hands on the table.
"Must she be so brutally honest?" Weiss scolded Summer's counterpart.
"There's no point in lying to her," Harriet said, knowing it was hard to tell the truth.
Jaune continued going over the schematic. "Well, this airshaft may work to our advantage. Here. It leads up to and comes out in the main airlock," he observed with a hand to his chin.
Nora smiled. "Looks like Jaune's got a plan," she said confidently, believing her leader could handle the situation.
"Let's hope it works," Ren said skeptically.
"All right, there's only one big opening along the way, we can cover that up, and then we... drive it into the airlock and zap it into outer space," Jaune proposed a new strategy to deal with the alien threat.
"This son of a bitch is huge!" Sun emphasized, doubting the plan would work. "I mean…it…it's like a man. It's big!"
Velvet took a shaky drag from her cigarette as the situation became more dire.
"She's barely keeping it together," Yang noted about Velvet with a sympathetic frown.
"You can't blame her. She's just an everyday Joe like the rest of them, not military personnel," Clover reminded, not optimistic about the Nostromo crew's chances at stopping the alien.
Ironwood nodded slowly. "Indeed. They're not trained to deal with this kind of situation," he agreed as he sipped a glass of water.
"Ren's son," Oscar said softly, catching everyone's attention.
"Come on, Oscar. The science department should be able to help us. How can we drive it?"
"Yes, well it's adapted remarkably well to our atmosphere, considering its nutritional requirements. The only thing we don't know about is temperature."
"Okay. What about temperature?" Summer asked. "What if we change it?"
"Let's try it," Oscar recommended. "I mean, most animals retreat from fire. Yes?"
"Fire. Yeah," Jaune agreed. "Sun, can you rig three or four incinerator units."
"Give me about twenty minutes. I'll do it," Sun complied softly, still grieving for Neptune.
"All right. So, who's the lucky one who goes into the vents?" Harriet said sarcastically.
"Yeah. Lucky. Right," Qrow snarked as she sipped a glass of water.
Velvet snubbed out her cigarette. "Who gets to go into the vent?" she asked tentatively.
"I do," Summer volunteered softly.
"No," Jaune overruled Summer. "You and Oscar take the main airlock. Sun, Velvet, you cover up that maintenance opening, please."
"He probably feel's responsible for the Alien getting on board in the first place and is trying to atone for it," Clover, admiring Jaune's bravery and protectiveness of his crewmates.
"But wasn't it Oscar who opened the hatch in the first place?" Ruby reminded with an arched eyebrow, causing Oscar to clear his throat awkwardly.
"Either way, it's a brave but foolhardy endeavor. They know next to nothing about the creature or what it's capable of," Ironwood remarked, knowing that fighting such a mysterious opponent was never wise.
"Well, they definitely can't go back into cryosleep. They'd be sitting ducks for that thing," Yang said, then briefly imagined the alien creeping towards a helpless Summer as she slept in her cryotube. She quickly shook the thought out of her head.
Cut to MUTHER's chamber. Jaune was seated at console, typing on the keyboard in the hopes of receiving advice from the computer.
"Maybe MUTHER can assist them. She is a supercomputer after all," Penny said hopefully.
"It's worth a try, but since she doesn't know a thing about the alien, it may not do much good," Ironwood said doubtfully as he slowly sipped a glass of water.
INTERFACE 2037 READY FOR INQUIRY
REQUEST EVALUATION OF CURRENT PROCEDURES TO TERMINATE ALIEN?
But Jaune only received the following response to his question.
UNABLE TO COMPUTE
AVAILABLE DATA INSUFFICIENT
Jaune stubbornly tried again.
Penny blinked in confusion. "I don't understand. Isn't MUTHER programmed to help the crew?" she questioned.
"You're right. Even without knowledge on the alien, she should be able to share some input on the situation," Oscar commented before sipping a soda.
"Something's not right here," Ozpin said softly about MUTHER.
REQUEST OPTIONS FOR POSSIBLE PROCEDURE
He received the same fruitless response from MUTHER.
UNABLE TO COMPUTE
AVAILABLE DATA INSUFFICIENT
Jaune paused before he typed one final question: WHAT ARE MY CHANCES?
DOES NOT COMPUTE
Jaune put his hand to his forehead, perplexed by MUTHER's lack of support.
The audience looked discouraged by Jaune's obvious lack of optimism towards the plan. Then again, they weren't entirely on board with it either.
Cut to the airlock. Yellow strobe lights flashed across the chamber as warbling alarms went off. The inner hatch opened. The camera zoomed out to reveal Oscar and Summer in an adjoining corridor.
Summer shut the door while Oscar prepared the motion tracker.
Down on the engineering deck, Sun and Velvet were in position while wearing headsets. The former was wielding a flamethrower and the latter held a motion tracker.
The round vent hatch slid open with soft scraping sound.
"Let's hope this works," Oscar said with no short amount of worry shared by the audience.
"It's very risky, but they don't have any other options," Ozpin said internally.
Cut to the interior of the dank, octagonal shaped vent shaft. In the background, Jaune could be seen crawling forward with a flashlight and a flamethrower in his hands. He also wore a headset to communicate with the others.
"I'm at the first junction," Jaune reported to the others.
"It looks really stuffy in there," Yang commented on Jaune's location.
"The heat from the flamethrower must make it worse," Vine added, noting that Jaune's counterpart was panting and sweating.
"Good luck, fearless leader," Nora bid Jaune.
Jaune smiled faintly at Nora, but he still felt uncertain about his counterpart's chances while Ren and Oscar crossed their fingers and prayed that he would succeed.
On B deck, Summer and Oscar peered through the viewport of the door they were standing behind while wearing headsets as well.
"Jaune, I'm right here," Summer informed the captain.
"Sun?" Jaune beckoned.
"Yeah," the engineer confirmed.
"Velvet?"
"We're in position. I'm just trying to get a reading on you," Velvet responded as she fidgeted with the device she held.
"The airlock is open," Summer reported while Oscar stood silently beside her, a stoic expression on his face.
"Okay, Rose," Jaune acknowledged.
"Ready," Summer answered.
In the vent, Jaune hit a button on a control panel and the vent behind him slid closed so the Alien couldn't sneak up behind him.
"Moving up," Jaune announced.
The audience sat tense and nervous as the scene dragged on. Just the thought of the alien suddenly popping out from anywhere in the vents was nothing short of nerve-wracking.
Velvet's tracking device showed Jaune as a dot moving across a wire grid. An electronic beep emanated every time the dot moved.
"All right. I've got a reading on you now," she notified Jaune.
"That doesn't seem like a very reliable tracker. It only shows what direction Jaune is heading, not what level he's on," Penny remarked with a frown.
"It was probably just slapped together on the fly," Yang guessed as she sipped a soda.
Jaune slowly moved through the vent in a crouched position. The only light came from his flamethrower and flashlight. His headset slipped off as he approached the next closed vent hatch.
Jaune put his headset back on. "Open the hatch to the third junction," he ordered.
The hatch slid open and Jaune awkwardly carried on.
"Just watching this makes me feel claustrophobic," Blake commented, never wanting to navigate through a cramped gloomy airshaft, especially with that thing on the loose.
"I don't blame you. The lack of lighting only makes it creepier," Ruby said nervously.
"Jaune is either very brave or very stupid to do this," Harriet said while shaking her head, while Jaune looked unsure if he'd been complimented or insulted.
"Okay, I'm through. Rose?" Jaune said over the radio.
"Yes," she acknowledged
"Close all the hatches behind me. I'm moving on."
Summer was hesitant at first but complied with Jaune's order.
"That works in favor of him and the Alien. It can't sneak up on him, but he can't escape if it corners him," Vine remarked.
"Then he'll have to be on his toes the whole way," Ironwood added.
The hatches behind Jaune slid shut and he pressed on through the vent shaft.
"Jaune. Hold it a minute. I think I got it," Velvet reported.
Back on C deck, Velvet saw a second dot appear on the tracker, indicating the alien. "Yes, I've got it," she confirmed.
Sun shifted over to Velvet's side to observe the tracker screen.
"Where?" Jaune asked.
"Somewhere around the third junction," Velvet answered.
"Okay, moving on," Jaune whispered.
Jaune reached the third junction and carefully stepped over it, his flamethrower at the ready. It was now spacious enough for him to stand up straight.
"It is right around there, Jaune. You need to be careful," Velvet warned.
Jaune put his flashlight down and released a stream of fire down the vent shaft to herd the creature towards the airlock.
"All right. I've reached the third junction. I'm going down," Jaune informed the others.
"It's not there," Penny noted with uncertainty.
"So, it must be moving towards the airlock," Ruby said with a smile, thinking the plan was working.
Yang however frowned. "I don't know sis," she said cautiously.
Back on B deck, Summer silently stood listening to everything while Oscar kept his blasé' expression.
Jaune clambered down the junction ladder towards the lower vent shafts. Over him, yellow strobe lights flashed on the junction ceiling.
Velvet suddenly looked frustrated with her tracking device. She gave it a light whack, indicating that something was wrong.
"Uh oh..." Nora muttered, hoping the tracker wasn't malfunctioning.
Jaune had just reached the second level vent shaft.
Sun eyed the monitor with concern. "What the hell's the matter with that box?" he asked with concern.
Velvet paused for a moment. "Jaune, you're going to have to hold your position for a minute. I-I lost the signal," she said with a hint of alarm.
Velvet's words created a sudden feeling of cold dread in most of the audience now that the alien's trail was lost.
"Oh, come on. Not right now!" Oscar groaned as he sagged in his seat.
"We should have seen that coming," Harriet said, realizing Yang was right about the tracker.
"You can't always rely on technology to solve problems," Clover said, speaking from experience when he lost his scroll.
Summer suddenly looked worried at Velvet's transmission.
"What? Are you sure?" Jaune questioned as he absent mindedly touched a slimy substance on the floor. He lifted his fingers and examined it. It looked like saliva.
"It was just there. It must be ahead of him," Qrow said warily.
"Those vents run through the entire ship. It could be anywhere," Ironwood countered, worsening the audience's anxiety.
"Look around. Are you sure it's not there? I mean, it's gotta be around there somewhere," Velvet insisted.
"Check it out, Velvet. You may be getting interference," Jaune said as he gazed at the fluid on his hand, knowing it was a sure sign the alien was just there.
Jaune swallowed, the anxiety of his counterpart was palpable. The rest of Team ORNJ quickly became worried for their leader's counterpart.
"Jaune. Are you sure there's no sign of it. I mean, it is there."
Alarmed, Jaune unleashed a stream of fire from his flamethrower down the vent shaft.
"It's gotta be around there!" Velvet said, becoming panicked.
Jaune fired another stream. But nothing happened. The Alien had given him the slip.
"Where the hell is it?!" Nora whispered with her hands on the armrests, her fear shared by everyone.
"You think it's just waiting for him like it did with Neptune?" Weiss questioned softly.
"It could be. It seems to be an ambush predator," Penny deducted from the alien's behavior so far.
"Jaune?" Summer said with growing concern.
Jaune craned his head back. "I can't believe this is happening," he whispered in exasperation.
The music had shifted to a more urgent and perilous tone.
"All right, uh…am I…am I clear Velvet? I wanna get the hell out of here," Jaune said, sounding on the verge of panic.
"I don't blame him. I'd be practically soiling myself if I were stuck in those vents with that thing," Marrow admitted.
"He'd better get out of there and regroup with the others," Ironwood recommended.
Just then, the second dot reappeared on the tracker. It was moving ominously straight towards Jaune.
"Oh, Oum! It's moving right towards you!" Velvet cried.
Alarmed, Jaune looked up at the ladder he just climbed. "Uh…" he muttered uncertainly.
Everybody went rigid as the scene dragged on.
"Don't just sit there! Move!" Jaune urged his counterpart.
"Get out of there, Jaune," Ren whispered urgently as he and Nora held each other's hand for comfort.
"Please no..." Ruby muttered, not wanting to watch her first friend at Beacon die.
"Move! Get out of there!" Velvet said, while Sun eyed the screen.
"It's moving towards you! Move!"
Panicking, Jaune quickly climbed down the ladder to the first level while Velvet continued babbling on the radio.
"Jaune! Move, Jaune!"
"No, Jaune. Go back the way you came!" Ruby called towards the screen.
"He's panicked," Penny pointed out.
On B deck, Oscar was completely stoic while Summer looked all but certain Jaune wasn't going to make it.
"Move Jaune! Get out!"
Oscar tilted his head slightly. "Why am I so calm during all of this?" he questioned.
"He's hiding something. I know it," Ozpin deducted, his inner sense of suspicion piqued.
Jaune reached the bottom level and shined his flashlight towards the camera.
"No! Not that way! The other way, Jaune!" Velvet kept screaming.
Jaune shined his light the other way.
And came face to face with the Alien as it raised its hands towards Jaune with an ear-piercing screech.
The startled audience all jumped or yelped in surprise at the alien's close-up jumpscare. None of them were pleased to see it so close.
"Jaune! No!" Nora as she reached towards the screen.
Elm put a hand to her chest. "Holy shit..." she breathed as her heart rate returned to normal.
"I'm getting sick of these jump scares," Qrow grumbled.
Static filled the motion detector screen and all audio from Jaune cut out with a shrill whine.
"Jaune?!" Summer said loudly as she held her headset close.
"No…" Velvet cried in anguish.
"Take it easy," Sun said as he took the tracker from Velvet.
"Jaune?" Sun beckoned on the radio, but there was no answer.
Summer closed her eyes in despair, knowing that Jaune was gone.
Nora, Ren, and Oscar all hung their heads in grief at the apparent death of their leader. Nora even struggled to hold back tears. Everyone else was disheartened as well, knowing the situation was rapidly snowballing, especially now that the Nostromo's captain was dead.
(1)- A blink and you'll miss it fact, but the Nostromo crew did indeed have pistols of some kind. But, for obvious reasons, they couldn't use them on the Alien.
(2)- Again, that subtle but blood-chilling harbinger of danger as the alien approaches.
(3)- I can't help but think the Alien heard Brett coming from the next room and cunningly hid itself up in the rafters to jump him at the right moment. After all, the xenomorphs aren't just mindless beasts and are masters at ambush to boot.
(4)- There is no better way to comment on that scene in my opinion. Two dead crew members and the Alien has grown larger than a human.