Author's Note: I'm proud to say that recently this story has favorited by over 1,000 users of this site.
Review Responses
24danibell: Those are some pretty good cast recommendations. I'll keep them in mind if Pirates of the Carribean wins the vote.
Pharamine: Holy crap. You have my sympathies for living in such a bitter cold area. I abhor the cold so I can't even imagine living in your hometown. But I'm glad my story could provide some warmth, even if it was adrenaline warmth.
Xander01: I couldn't agree more. Just one Xenomorph is bad enough. But an entire horde of them working together is an utter nightmare. Seeing the Alien Queen for the first time made my jaw drop.
thundercharger123: Me too. I lost those VHS tapes a long time ago. But both "Alien" and "Aliens" were some of my favorite flicks growing up. And when I get to "Aliens" someday, Yang and Ruby will especially enjoy watching Summer kick Alien ass.
triscythe59: I'll definitely make "Predator" a voting choice for a future adaptation. It's already been done, but so has "Alien".
Guest, Nov 23: Damn straight. After seeing so many of their good friends get brutally killed, they'll need some serious levity.
DragoonKnight Agnim: I don't blame you. You never know what could be lurking in one of those dark air shafts. Don't worry. The implication of what the Alien did to Lambert (Velvet) is simply too much, so I'll be altering it. Correction: Ridley Scott directed the first film, not James Cameron. And finally, yes, I remember that deleted scene. Just imagine how weirded out the audience would be to see Jaune about to sleep with Summer.
Farmer Abe: That's kind of cold, but if you don't like the two boys, to each their own. And yes, it's tough for Weiss to witness such a thing. On the other hand, I liked Adam as a character too and I feel they killed him off way too early.
LoamyCoffee: I know the feeling. I once watched "Alien" alone in the dark with surround sound speakers. I thought it wouldn't freak me out. Boy, was I mistaken.
VirusChris: I know that feeling. The vent shaft scene was especially creepy for me because of the claustrophobia and surprise involved. It would have to take one hell of a predator to be able to hunt Xenomorphs. And finally, I agree that "Alien Covenant" was a letdown. Ridley Scott could have done better.
Xenozip: That's what I find most frightening about the Xenomorphs: they're smart and have the capacity to learn the longer they live.
Straw Hat PiratesFan2022: Unfortunately, it's that time of year when everyone is sick. And yes, I heard of Kevin Conroy's death. I grew up with him, he was a Batman legend and will be dearly missed.
In the dining room, Sun angrily slammed Jaune's flamethrower onto the table.
"We found this laying there. No blood, no Jaune, nothing," he reported ominously.
Velvet looked up at Sun with reddened eyes, barely holding back tears of grief and shame.
A sense of unease swept through the audience at the implication of Jaune simply disappearing without a trace (1). Nora and Ruby barely held back tears as well for Jaune's counterpart, the former hoping that Jaune was somehow still alive and managed to escape.
"She probably feels responsible for Jaune's death," Yang commented on Velvet's expression.
"She looks like she's on the brink of collapse," Winter noted sympathetically, knowing any untrained civilian would be falling apart as well.
"They'll have to come up with another plan," Clover said, feeling the airshaft idea was futile.
Sun paused and slammed the flamethrower again in frustration. "How come I don't hear anybody say anything?" Sun asked angrily.
"I'm thinking!" Summer said loudly with a hand to her chin.
Sun picked up the flamethrower to check the fuel gauge.
"Unless somebody has got a better idea...we'll proceed with Jaune's plan," Summer proposed.
"So, moms in command now," Ruby said with a smile, hoping she'd finally triumph over the alien.
"But going back into the vents is suicide. It didn't work the first time," Weiss said doubtfully.
"What else can they do?" Jaune said, unable to think of another plan.
"What?! And end up like the others?!" Velvet said shakily, finally letting her tears fall. "No, you're out of your mind!"
"You got a better idea?" Summer asked impatiently.
"Yes! I say that we abandon this ship!" Velvet implored. tearfully "We take the shuttle and just get the hell out of here! We take our chances and … and hope that somebody will pick us up!"
"At this point, that's probably the safest option. Half the crew is gone, including the captain," Penny agreed with Velvet given how dire the situation had become.
"She's right. You've gotta know when to fold em," Qrow seconded the notion of abandoning ship.
"But what if somebody else stumbles onto the ship and runs into that thing?" Oscar theorized, afraid of the alien claiming even more unwary victims.
"That's a good point," Ozpin agreed with Oscar, wondering if the Nostromo had a self-destruct system.
"Velvet...shhh. The shuttle won't take four," Summer pointed out the flaw in Velvet's suggestion.
"Well, then why don't we draw straws and-" Velvet began to suggest.
"I'm not drawing any straws!" Sun angrily cut Velvet off. "I'm for killing that Oumdamn thing right now!"
"Right on, Sun!" Nora said with a fist pump. (2)
Jaune and Ren were a little offput by Nora's statement. But they couldn't blame her after it killed off their counterparts.
Weiss secretly wouldn't mind seeing the alien die after what it did to Neptune and Blake could easily understand Sun's counterpart wanting revenge for his friend's death.
"Right. Well, let's talk about killing it. We know it's using the air shafts," Summer began.
"We don't know that," Sun interrupted in the background as he walked around the table.
"Will you listen to me, Sun?! Shut up!" Summer shouted, briefly losing her temper.
A few people flinched at Summer snapping unexpectantly at Sun. But then Ruby, Yang, and Qrow smiled at the take-charge attitude Summer was demonstrating.
"Yeah. You tell him, mom," Yang said with a smirk of pride.
"The stress of the situation is beginning to affect her as well," Clover noted, seeing Summer was barely keeping it together.
"Even so. That's just the commanding presence they need right now," Ironwood said in admiration of Summer.
"Let's hear it, Sun conceded, giving Summer pause. "Let's hear it."
"It's using the air shafts," Summer said again.
"But we don't know that-" Sun began to disagree again.
"That's the only way!" Summer cut Sun off before continuing. "We'll move in pairs. We'll go step by step and cut off every bulkhead and every vent until we have it cornered. And then we'll blow it the fuck out into space."
"Swear, mom," Ruby scolded, knowing she'd get the belt if Summer ever caught her using such language.
Yang and Qrow sighed and rolled their eyes at Ruby.
"Is that acceptable to you?" Summer asked Sun heatedly about her plan.
"If you think it means killing it, yeah, that's acceptable to me," Sun conceded dully.
"Obviously, it means killing it," Summer said before glancing at Velvet. "But we have to stick together."
Velvet nodded and sniffed, trying her best to relax in spite of the perilous situation.
"How come I'm not saying anything this time?" Oscar wondered about his counterpart.
"Huh. He is being awfully quiet," Vine agreed about Oscar's counterpart.
In the back of Oscar's mind, Ozpin was contemplating what the former's counterpart's true intentions were.
"How are our weapons?" Summer asked Sun.
"Weapons are fine," Sun responded as he held up his flamethrower. "This one needs refueling."
"Will you get it, please?" Summer requested. "Oscar, go with him."
Oscar rose from his seat, but Sun placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"No. I can manage Oscar," he said as he walked past. "Don't follow me."
"You know, he doesn't seem very affected by the crew's losses," Ren added skeptically with narrowed eyes.
Weiss nodded slowly. "Yes. Now that you mention it…he has been acting more strange overtime," she said with a hand to her chin.
"Oscar? Any suggestions from you or MUTHER?" Summer asked Oscar.
Oscar crossed his arms. "No, we're still collating," he replied with his back to Summer.
Summer laughed in disbelief. "You what? You're still collating? I find that hard to believe," she said with a forced smile.
"What would you like me to do?" Oscar asked as he uncrossed his arms.
"Just what you've been doing, Oscar, nothing! I've got access to MUTHER, now, and I'll get my own answers, thank you," Summer said firmly.
"All right," Oscar said simply as he gave Summer a brief salute and stepped out.
Summer looked at Velvet, who remained silent as tears continued to fall from her reddened eyes. Summer then got up to head for the bridge.
On the bridge, Summer quickly went through the security checkpoints to access MUTHER, casting a cautionary glance behind her before stepping into the chamber.
"Time to finally get some answers," Harriet said firmly, admiring Summer's drive to get to the bottom of things.
"I have a feeling she's not going to like them. Or any of us for that matter," Maria predicted.
"At least they won't be in the dark anymore," Marrow noted with a shrug.
Summer sat down at the console and began to type on the keyboard. In front of her, MUTHER's main screen activated. Summer typed in the following command.
INTERFACE 2037 READY FOR INQUIRY
REQUEST CLARIFICATION ON SCIENCE INABILITY TO NEUTRALIZE ALIEN
Only to receive the following answer.
UNABLE TO CLARIFY
Determined, Summer typed in the following command.
REQUEST ENHANCEMENT
NO FURTHER ENHANCEMENT
SPECIAL ORDER 937
SCIENCE OFFICER EYES ONLY
"What do you think special 937 order is?" Ruby asked nervously as she sipped on a soda.
"Nothing good, that's for certain," Weiss answered.
Jaune creased his eyes. "What are you hiding, Oscar?" he wondered aloud in suspicion.
Summer frowned, already dreading what Special Order 937 was. But she had to know the facts. So, she punched in the following command.
EMERGENCY COMMAND OVERRIDE 100375
WHAT IS SPECIAL ORDER 937?
The following text on the screen finally revealed the terrible truth.
NOSTROMO REROUTED TO NEW COORDINATES. INVESTIGATE LIFEFORM. GATHER SPECIMIN.
PRIORITY ONE. CAPTURE AND DELIVER ORGANISM ALIVE FOR ANALYSIS.
ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS SECONDARY. CREW EXPENDABLE.
Everyone gasped softly or glared in shock and outrage as the cold, hard truth was finally exposed. Oscar's jaw dropped; he was downright appalled at his counterpart's betrayal, never expecting he'd play a villain.
"What?! Crew expendable?!" Yang shouted furiously as her eyes shifted red.
"So, this whole thing was a set-up to retrieve an alien for the SDC," Winter deducted as she shook her head in disgust.
"That definitely sounds like something the SDC would do. Especially with Jacques in charge," Weiss added, not at all surprised
"And those greedy bastards couldn't care less if the crew got killed in the process," Qrow finished with his fists clenched.
"I may have guessed as much," Ozpin mused in the back of Oscar's mind.
As Summer leaned her head back in despair, Oscar could be seen beside her with a chilling smile on his face.
"There is an explanation for this, you know," Oscar said smugly.
"I was in on it the whole time. And so was MUTHER," Oscar muttered as he hung his head in shame at betraying his friends.
Nora reached over and put her hand over Oscar's. "It's okay, Oscar. It's not the real you," she assured her teammate.
Jaune and Ren both nodded in agreement with Nora. While they were shocked by Oscar's counterpart playing a villain, they didn't bear any animosity towards him.
Enraged, Summer got up from her seat, grabbed Oscar by his shirt, and slammed him against the wall. "There is?! I don't want to hear your goddamn explanations!" she shouted in his face.
Summer released Oscar in exasperation. "I want...I want..." she muttered before finally breaking into sobs and then storming out of MUTHER's chamber.
"I can only imagine the distress and betrayal she's feeling right now," Ren said sympathetically.
Summer re-entered the dining room, a look of anger and stress on her face as she hit a nearby intercom. "Sun? Velvet?" she beckoned but received no answer. She turned around and saw Oscar standing beside the door panel.
"Oscar, open the door," Summer ordered,
A close-up of Oscar's face showed was completely devoid of emotion. Robotic.
"He's hiding something else," Penny realized, taking note of Oscar's complete lack of emotion.
"Yes, but what is it?" Ironwood asked the big question.
"He'd better not try to harm her," Yang said in a low but deadly tone.
Summer tried running for another door, only for it to close as well.
"Oscar!" Summer said angrily as she stalked towards the science officer.
Another close up of Oscar revealed a trickle of sickly yellow liquid trailing down the side of his head.
"Huh?" Several audience members said in unison.
"What is that?" Elm said in puzzlement while pointing at whatever was trailing down Oscar's head.
Ruby gasped lightly "He's not an alien too... is he?" she whispered in fear for her mother's safety.
Summer noticed the white liquid. "Let me by, Oscar," she ordered nervously.
Summer tried to force her way past, but Oscar quickly blocked her path with his arm. Oscar twitched before his hand shot out lightning fast. Summer gasped and ducked just as Oscar seized and tore off a fistful of her hair.
"I would have decked him if he did that to my hair," Yang snarled as she caressed her blonde locks protectively.
"No surprise there," Blake said, knowing only too well how much Yang treasured her hair.
Summer tried to crawl away from Oscar, but he caught, grabbed her and threw her hard against a wall. Oscar then stood impassively for a few seconds, looking down at the barely conscious woman. Then, he grabbed Summer again and threw her onto a couch. On the wall above it were various pictures of models. Oscar paused for a moment as he put a hand to his chest, his fingers twitching as if pondering what to do with Summer.
He then grabbed a magazine and rolled it up tightly just as Summer was waking up. Then he shoved the magazine down her throat to cut off her airway while she struggled to fight him off.
"Mom! No!" Ruby cried out in a wavering voice with her hands to mouth.
Yang shot up in her seat. "Get away from her, you sick son of a bitch!" she shouted with a clenched fist held towards the screen.
"The sadistic bastard is drawing out her death," Qrow growled at Oscar's cruelty.
Blake gently pulled Yang back into her seat. "Where the hell are Sun and Velvet?" she asked, wondering how they didn't overhear the struggle.
Sun and Velvet finally arrived at the scene to help Summer.
"The hell are you doing?!" Sun shouted as he grabbed Oscar's arm that held the magazine while Velvet tried to pull him off from behind to no avail.
Oscar grabbed Sun by the chest with his free hand, eliciting a groan of pain from the monkey Faunus. Velvet kept trying to pry Oscar away.
"What the hell is he?!" Nora shouted in question, no doubt voicing everyone else's thoughts.
"Could he be...?" Penny speculated, suspecting Oscar's true nature given how machinelike he had been acting (4)
Finally, Sun grabbed a small fire extinguisher, pushed Velvet aside, and struck Oscar on the back of the head with it. Oscar let out a high-pitched mechanical sound as more of the liquid spewed from his mouth. He finally moved away from Summer.
"Get her up! Get her up!" Sun ordered Velvet as the latter helped Summer.
Velvet dragged the barely conscious Summer away from danger while Sun watched in shock as Oscar began to spasm and spin around erratically, spewing more of the liquid from his mouth. He emitted cries and groans in a mechanical voice that sounded distinctly like whirrs.
Oscar straightened out and stopped spinning as he moved towards Sun. Sun struck Oscar again in the face with the extinguisher, almost completely severing his head with a wet cracking sound. Oscar's head hung on by a thick cord and strands of spaghetti-like intestinal tubing could be seen protruding from the neck.
Everyone gasped or gaped in surprise and disgust at the clearly non-human innards of Oscar's counterpart.
"What the hell?" Harriet said in alarm. "Is he an alien too?!"
Penny shook her head. "No... he's a robot! I can't believe I didn't see it earlier," she said in shock while everyone stared at her for her guess.
"Android! He's an android!" Sun shouted before he continued raining down blows onto Oscar with the fire extinguisher, knocking the latter to the floor.
Sun finally stopped hitting Oscar as the android lay prone, his hands twitching as more fluid squirted from his headless neck.
Sun stared in disbelief. "It's a robot! Oscar is an Oum-damned robot!" he said.
"You were right, Penny," Ruby said in surprise.
"Well, that explains a whole lot," Marrow said as he looked back on Oscar's actions throughout the film.
"I should have guessed with how... odd he's been acting throughout the film," Maria noted, remembering the past Judge Tyrion's strange behavior before his frightening reveal as a toon. (3)
"I'm not surprised at all. I may have even suspected as much," Penny said with anger towards Oscar's counterpart for endangering the rest of the crew.
Sun leaned in towards Oscar, only for the android to suddenly sit up and tackle Sun to the ground, trying to throttle him, emitting more synthetic whirring sounds.
"Holy shit!" Sun cried as he barely kept Oscar's hands away from his neck. "Help me get this fucking thing off!"
Velvet laid Summer down on the floor as she rushed over to unsuccessfully pry Oscar off. Then, crying hysterically, she grabbed one of the cattle prods and plunged it into Oscar's back, frying his circuits in a puff of smoke.
"Oh Monty! Oh Oum," Sun muttered, now covered in Oscar's milky robot blood as he finally stopped moving.
Sometime later, Summer was fiddling with the sickly yellow wiring in Oscar's neck to reactivate him as the android's body lay sprawled out on the dining room table.
"How come the SDC sent us an Oum-damned robot?" Sun questioned offscreen.
"All I can think of is they must have wanted the Alien for their Weapons Division. He's been protecting it right along," Summer replied as she worked on Oscar's wiring.
"The SDC wants to use that thing as a weapon?" Jaune questioned in bewilderment at the idiocy of such an idea.
"They're foolish to think they can control that thing," Ironwood remarked, knowing it would be a fruitless endeavor (4).
"Reminds me of Dr. Merlot's attempts to control the Grimm. It'll only end in disaster," Ozpin said internally as he reminisced about the mad scientist.
"That explains why the SDC replaced their last science officer with an android. They wanted someone who would carry out their orders without question," Maria deducted, remembering Jaune's words earlier.
"Sun, will you plug it in?" Summer requested.
"Uh...I don't know why," Sun answered in puzzlement at reactivating Oscar.
"Cause he may know how to kill it," Summer answered, hoping to get some much-needed information.
"That's a good point. He must know something after studying the Facehugger in his lab," Oscar said with a nod.
"Perhaps. Though I doubt he's willing to share such information with the other crewmembers," Ozpin said doubtfully.
Summer grabbed a soldering tool and stuck it into the wiring beneath Oscar's severed head. With a few sparks, the tool gave Oscar a jolt of power, his hand twitching with each spark. Summer then propped Oscar's blood caked head upright on the stump of his neck facing the crew.
"Oscar, can you hear me?" Summer asked offscreen.
Oscar's mouth twitched a little, but he didn't answer.
Fed up, Summer then slammed her hands on the table. "Oscar?!" she shouted.
Oscar's eyes snapped open, the milky liquid leaking from his mouth as he stared at the crewmembers. "Yes, I can hear you," he confirmed, his voice now carrying a tinny, mechanical pitch.
Ruby, Yang, and Weiss all gagged slightly at the sickening sight of Oscar's severed head speaking and spitting out the milky android blood. The others were also visibly disgusted at such a sight.
"Okay. That's totally gross," Yang commented with a grimace.
"Yeah. Almost as much as the facehugger," Nora agreed as she pushed her plate of pancakes away, suddenly losing her appetite.
Summer sat in a chair facing Oscar. "What was your special order?" she asked.
"You read it. I thought it was quite clear," Oscar answered simply.
"What was it?" Summer repeated, wanting Sun and Velvet to hear the truth as well.
"Bring back life form, priority one. All other priorities rescinded," Oscar replied.
Sun stood up furiously, his shirt torn. "That a damned Company! What about our lives, you son-of-a-bitch?!" he hissed.
"I repeat. All other priorities rescinded," Oscar said ruthlessly.
Blake scoffed. "Oh, sure. Who cares about a few workers getting killed when there's money to be made," she said with bitter sarcasm.
"With my father in charge, that's routine for them. At least for the board members," Weiss said with a scowl.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Winter agreed with her sister.
"How do we kill it, Oscar? There's gotta be a way of killing it. How... how do we do it?" Summer demanded.
"You can't," Oscar answered softly.
"That's bullshit!" Sun retorted as he sat down beside Velvet.
"You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? A perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility," Oscar praised the creature.
"You admire it," Velvet said in disbelief.
"I admire its purity. A survivor unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality."
"That sounds like something Raven would say," Qrow scoffed, imagining that Raven would share Oscar's sentiments about the alien.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," Yang agreed with her uncle, never agreeing with Raven's "strong vs weak" worldview.
"Look, I've, I've heard enough of this and I'm asking you to pull the plug," Sun implored.
Summer complied and reached forward to silence Oscar for good.
"Last word," Oscar requested.
Summer paused. "What?" she muttered angrily.
"I can't lie to you about your chances, but...you have my sympathies," Oscar said with a cruel smirk.
The audience glared fiercely at the screen. Penny looked especially angry at another android programmed to deceive and harm people instead of helping them like her.
"That smug son of a bitch," Nora sneered, then looked apologetically at Oscar. "Sorry, Oscar. I didn't mean you."
Oscar held up a hand in understanding. "I know, I know," he said assuredly, feeling his own twinge of loathing towards his villainous counterpart.
"They'll make it. Just you wait," Ruby said firmly, confident Summer would lead Sun and Velvet to safety now that she was in charge.
Summer tore out the wire from Oscar's neck, finally disconnecting the android.
"We're gonna blow up the ship," Summer declared finally, eliciting a nod from Sun.
"Blow up the ship? Does she mean self-destruct?" Elm questioned.
"Most likely," Clover said while munching on some potato chips.
"It's a good idea. That way it'll guarantee the alien will be eliminated," Ironwood agreed with Summer's decision.
"We'll take our chances in the shuttle. Blow up the ship," Summer concluded as she grabbed her flamethrower as she headed for the door.
"Good. Come on," Sun said as he gently grabbed Velvet by the arm and guided her towards Summer.
Before leaving, Sun turned to look at Oscar's severed head. The smug grin still plastered on his face. Angry, Sun fired a couple of blasts from his flamethrower, burning Oscar's synthetic skin off his head to a plastic skull hidden underneath. The self-satisfied smile was finally gone.
Penny's face scrunched in discomfort at Oscar's exposed skull, hoping she didn't look similar beneath her own synthetic skin.
"Geez...that was pretty brutal," Ruby commented.
"You can't blame him after Oscar dragged them all into this horror show," Harriet defended Sun's action.
"When we throw the switches, how long before the ship blows?" Summer asked as she took the lead down a corridor with a flamethrower at the ready while Velvet walked beside her with the tracker in hand.
"Ten minutes," Sun answered and he covered the rear with the other flamethrower.
"No bullshit?"
"If we ain't out of here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket ride through space."
Sun's line elicited a few chuckles from the audience. Even a bit of humor helped alleviate the film's fear factor.
The trio reached a junction. Summer checked one of the corridors before addressing Sun and Velvet.
"We're gonna need ice dust for the life support system. You two go down, get all the dust you can carry," She ordered.
"What? They're splitting up again?!" Marrow said in disbelief at Summer's decision.
"Last time they did that, Neptune got killed," Weiss said sadly, remembering her former crush' death.
"Indeed. Splitting up would be most unwise at this point," Ironwood commented, seeing that only three crewmembers remained, and they had no clue where the alien was located.
"I'll get the shuttle ready. I'll give you about..." Summer said before checking her watch. "About seven minutes. Come back up here. I'll shut the switches off, and we'll blow this fucker off into space."
"Swear again," Ruby said disapprovingly at the screen.
Yang sighed. "Knock it off, Ruby," she said irritably.
"She's a grown woman. She can say what she wants," Qrow agreed with Yang while Ruby pouted.
Sun nodded. "Okay. All right. Come on," he said to Velvet.
"Take care of yourself," Velvet told Summer cautiously.
"Seven minutes," Summer reminded her crewmates.
Sun and Velvet headed for the engineering deck via ladder while Summer headed down a corridor to the shuttle.
Summer entered the shuttle and set down her flamethrower before typing commands at a large console.
Outside, the Narcissus' viewport shined brightly as the lights activated. Next, the shield protecting its underside retracted, allowing it to launch.
"It's almost over. Thank Oum," Ruby said with relief, prompting nods from a few other audience members.
"Don't be too sure, kiddo. They're not out of the woods yet," Qrow warned his niece.
"I just hope they finally blow that alien bastard to hell," Nora said, wanting to see the creature pay for the deaths of Ren and Jaune.
Next, Summer grabbed a nearby hair tie and pulled her hair back into a short bun before approaching the pilot's seat to check the shuttles systems on a computer monitor.
"Take it easy," Sun could be heard addressing Velvet over the intercom.
"Meow," the soft cry of Zwei was heard over the intercom from somewhere on the ship.
Summer paused after hearing Zwei's call. "Zwei?" she said softly.
"Oh, right. I forgot all about him," Elm said with a nod.
"Thank Oum he's okay. I was worried the alien might have got him," Ruby said gratefully while her teammates nodded in agreement.
"But where is he sneaking around this time?" Jaune wondered, knowing Summer would have to search for the feline.
Cut to a shot outside the Narcissus. Summer could be seen in the shuttles viewport as she turned and headed back towards the bridge to search for Zwei.
Meanwhile, Sun and Velvet stepped into the dark cargo bay. Velvet was pushing a cart with a large bright flashlight on it while Sun stuck close with his flamethrower at the ready. When they reached the opposite side, Velvet grabbed the flashlight and set it down to illuminate as small craft she climbed aboard and began to remove ice dust cannisters from it.
"They must be extra careful. The alien seems to have stuck to the lower levels of the ship," Penny noted from her observations on the creature.
"And it's dark down there. It could be hiding anywhere," Ren added as his gaze carefully swept the cargo bay.
"Ren, please stop. You're making me nervous," Nora pleaded with her partner, who cleared his throat awkwardly.
Summer stepped ascended to the first deck via ladder. She scanned the area for Zwei.
"Zwei?" she beckoned but got no answer.
Not giving up, Summer walked to a nearby spacesuit locker to grab a pet carrying case.
"That's right, mom. Don't even think about leaving without Zwei," Ruby said with a nod, knowing she'd have done the same.
Sun and Velvet finished loading dust from the shuttle onto the cart and decided to move on
Velvet grabbed the flashlight. "All right," she said as she pushed the cart towards another room to gather more ice dust.
The audience was anxious as Sun and Velvet carried out, expecting the alien to show up any second. They could only hope Sun could at least scare it off with his flamethrower.
Sun took point and lit the way with his own flashlight as he and Velvet entered the next dimly lit room.
"Okay, check the bottles," Sun instructed Velvet as he gazed around the room.
Summer continued her search for Zwei as she slowly navigated down a corridor towards the bridge.
"I understand she loves the dog, but given the circumstances, maybe it'd be better is she forgot about him and focused on escaping?" Harriet suggested reluctantly.
"Harriet!" Clover scolded her teammate, while everyone else glared at her for her insensitivity.
"Mom would never do something like that," Ruby loudly defended her mother, knowing she was a dog lover as well.
"I'm sorry..." Harriet mumbled with her gaze lowered.
"How you doing?" Sun asked as he checked the ice dust bottles Velvet passed to him.
"Fine," Velvet replied from the other side of the room as she noisily rolled the metal cannisters towards the door where the cart sat.
"Maybe she should keep the noise down. What if it attracts the alien?" Clover theorized, knowing noise discipline was important.
"I wouldn't worry too much. If it shows up, Sun could drive it off with the flamethrower," Blake said with confidence in her old friend and crush.
"Assuming Oscar was right about it being afraid of fire," Penny, knowing it was likely the android was lying.
Cut back to Summer looking for Zwei on the bridge. "Kitty?" she said.
"Ok, go ahead," Sun was heard over the intercom.
Summer set her flamethrower down on the floor. "Psst, psst, psst," she beckoned softly as she began to search the bridge for Zwei. "Kitty, kitty, kitty."
"Come here, boy. Nice kitty," Summer said as she searched under a few consoles but there was no sign of Zwei.
Summer moved deeper into the bridge towards the viewport.
Everyone became tense as they expected another jumpscare courtesy of Zwei's feline counterpart.
"He's doing that on purpose to mess with them," Marrow accused Zwei.
Summer then heard a rattling sound coming from one of the seats. "Zwei? she said as she homed in on it.
Finally, Summer spotted Zwei. She reached over to grab him, but Zwei jumped away, causing the seat cushion he sat on to rise up rapidly, startling her while Zwei ran off again.
Summer put a hand to her mouth in shock. "Zwei! Oum-damn it!" she cursed in frustration.
Everybody else was as annoyed as Summer's counterpart.
"These jump scares are gonna kill me at this rate," Maria groused as she clutched her heart.
"I hate it when cats do that," Ruby grumbled before glancing at Blake. "No offense."
"None taken," Blake assured Ruby as she at from a can of anchovies.
Summer ran around the seats and spotted Zwei sitting on the floor like nothing happened.
"Now I've got you," Summer whispered as she picked up Zwei and kissed him on the head.
"Awwwww," a few audience members cooed softly, including Ruby.
"Just like you and the real Zwei, sis," Yang gushed softly while pinching Ruby's cheek, who giggled and gently pushed it away.
"Here sweetie. Nice kitty," Summer cooed as she carried Zwei to the pet carrier, the feline growling irritably as he was placed inside.
"Good call. That way he won't wander off again," Weiss said in agreement.
Back down on the engineering deck, Velvet was still noisily rolling cannisters of ice dust to the cart in the doorway.
Then a tall, gangly shadow fell over her from behind.
The audience went rigid at the sight of the inhuman shadow, knowing it had to be the alien.
"Oh shit! It found them," Qrow said softly.
"All the noise from the cannisters must have tipped it off," Elm presumed.
Velvet did a double take turned around slowly, her eyes widening towards the doorway the alien walked in through.
Sun also spotted the Alien from the other side of the room. "My Oum," he muttered with wide eyes.
Velvet began to gasp and whimper as the creature drew closer.
Back on the bridge, Summer was preparing to leave the bridge with Zwei in the case.
"Get out of the way!" Sun shouted over the radio.
Summer paused as she overheard the transmission, immediately realizing something was wrong.
"She's gotta get down there and help them," Ruby said urgently.
"They should have all stuck together," Ironwood said again, already fearing the worst would happen to Sun and Velvet.
"No…I can't…" Velvet cried.
"Get out of the way, Velvet! It's gonna kill us!" Sun shouted frantically.
Summer quickly set down Zwei's case and the flamethrower.
"No! I can't!"
"Velvet, for Monty's sake, get out of the way!"
Summer rushed over to a nearby intercom. "Velvet?" she said.
Frightening and perilous music played as the Alien slowly rose up from a crouching position, towering over the petrified Velvet.
"Ugh. It's so ugly," Weiss commented.
"And look at how big it is!" Jaune added in surprise.
"It must be as tall as Tatsuhashi," Ren noted, remembering the seven-foot member of Team CVFY back at Beacon.
Sun stood nearby, watching the scene unfold. "Get out of the way, Velvet!" he shouted.
Summer could hear Velvet begin to cry hysterically over the radio.
"Sun? Velvet?" Summer beckoned her crewmates in vain.
Velvet continued to cry and whimper while the Alien bared its teeth. It almost seemed to savor her fear and helplessness as it inched closer to her.
Velvet's fear was palpable. Ruby and Nora trembled as they clung to Yang and Ren's arms respectively. Everyone else went rigid or sat back at the edge of their seats, praying that Sun could save Velvet somehow or that Summer could intercede in time.
"What is it waiting for?" Elm questioned while slowly sipping a soda.
"It's almost like it wants to enjoy her fear first," Penny observed in disgust at the creature's sadism.
"For Monty's sake, Sun. Do something?!" Blake shouted at the screen.
Sun grabbed a metal hook from overhead and lunged toward the Alien. But it was futile. It sensed him and swung its tail, striking him in the ribs. Sun was knocked against a wall as the Alien quickly grabbed him by the neck and held him against the wall. The music intensified.
Blake sucked in a breath through her teeth as she anxiously watched Sun seized by the alien.
Summer retrieved her flamethrower and Zwei's case as she rushed off the bridge and began to descend towards the engineering deck.
"Hurry mom! Hurry!" Ruby whispered urgently with her hands clasped together, hoping against hope she could save Sun and Velvet.
Yang just shook her head, feeling it was already too late but didn't have to heart to tell Ruby.
There was a close up of the Alien's face as its lips curled back, revealing its shiny metallic teeth as drool spilled out, as if smiling at Sun. Sun screamed as he tried in vain to dislodge the creature's iron grip on him.
Summer rushed down a ladder to the engineering deck, carrying Zwei as carefully as she could.
The creature's deadly, piston like tongue prepared to strike.
"Get out of the room!" Sun bellowed at Velvet right before the creature's second mouth pierced his forehead, spilling his brains out.
The audience recoiled at Sun's death, which was almost as gruesome as Ren's.
"No!" Blake cried out for Sun, her ears drooping in grief.
Yang frowned and put a hand over Blake's. "I'm sorry, Blakey," she said softly.
Summer ran down the engineering corridor, following the sounds of what was transpiring.
With Sun dead, the Alien focused its attention back to Velvet with its slender arms outstretched. The rabbit Faunus remained glued to the spot she stood on. Her mouth was agape as she gazed up at the approaching creature.
"Oh no... Velvet..." Ruby whispered, now realizing the rabbit faunus was doomed.
"Why didn't she run away when she had the chance?" Nora asked aloud.
"Deer in the headlights. She was just too scared to move," Maria answered, hardly blaming Velvet for being scared out of her mind of the creature.
The alien's barbed tail slowly slithered up Velvet's leg and towards her lower back as the chilling music finally stopped.
Summer continued running down the dark corridor. The only illumination came from yellow strobe lights. She reached a junction as she heard Velvet screaming and hyperventilating. Then finally, there was a sharp, blood-curdling shriek from the poor Faunus that echoed loudly. Then there was silence, save Summer's footsteps.
Everyone shivered or winced in discomfort at Velvet's scream of terror and agony. Whatever happened to the poor girl must have been terrible judging from the sounds.
"She's too late," Elm whispered sadly.
Summer finally arrived at the coolant room and peaked inside cautiously with her flamethrower at the ready.
"Sun?" Summer said softly, before turning to look inside the room.
Then she shuddered in horror at the carnage: In the foreground, Velvet dangled from the ceiling with only her legs visible. Her pants and shoes were stained with blood (5). Sun was hunched over in the background. His punctured forehead leaking blood onto the floor.
No one wanted to imagine what the Alien had done to Velvet.
"What did it do to her?" Blake had to ask with a mix of fear and anger.
"We're probably better off not knowing," Jaune said, eliciting nods from everyone else.
Terrified and now alone, Summer took off back the way she came in case the Alien was still lurking about.
"She's on her own now," Yang said, quivering momentarily at the idea of being in Summer's counterparts' shoes right now.
"Then it's all up to her to kill the alien and escape," Clover concluded as he and everyone else wished Summer the best of luck, no matter how slim her chances were.
(1)- I've decided to leave the deleted scenes out. I felt that the original theatrical cut is more frightening regarding Dallas' death as he simply disappears and is never seen again after running into the alien. It leaves the audience frightened and curious as to what could have possibly happened.
(2)- I knew there were a few reviewer criticisms about the audience spitefully celebrating the villains' deaths, which I edited. But you really can't blame Nora for wanting the Alien dead after it has killed Ren and Jaune. Besides, it's more of a vicious monster (like the Grimm) rather than a sentient being. Killing creatures like that is nothing new to the cast at all.
(3)- Like Judge Doom, there were subtle hints that Ash wasn't human all along that make a lot more sense upon a second viewing.
(4)- It makes sense that Penny would deduct that Ash is an android before Parker (or Sun) said it aloud.
(5)- For anyone who saw "Alien Resurrection", you'll know Ironwood is absolutely right.
(6)- This scene was altered for obvious reasons of implied rape being present. I would never subject Velvet to something so depraved. Although, according to Ridley Scott, the Alien killed Lambert by ripping a hole through her face and then slingng her bloodied corpse from the ceiling. He never explained why her pants and shoes were missing though.