Review Responses: Take note- I can't promise to respond to every single review. Please don't take it personally. Doing so would be extra work for me and I only have so much time on my hands. I'll only respond to those that catch my attention or recommendations I'm interested in.
Guest, August 13th: I love James Bond! I'm pretty sure I'll do an adaptation of one in the future, or at least make it a voting poll option.
Reader: Jul 30: Assassin's Creed would make a good choice for my one-shot fic. I'll keep your casting choices in mind.
dariuscrawford482: It's likely you'll get your wish if enough people want to see "Dead Man's Chest".
JPHardin1999: LMAO That's a great idea for a one-shot viewing. Nora and Ace Ventura are so alike. The audience would be in stiches watching her act like him.
JC: It's likely I'll write a "Predator" adaptation with Yang as Dutch in the one-shot fic. Jaune already had that role in two other multiverse fics. "Clue" and "Ghostbusters" would also make good one-shot adaptations. Thank you.
thundercharger123: You just got your wish my friend :)
CosmicWarrior: No offense, but I'm not a big fan of that film. I don't think I'll be writing an adaptation to that. Sorry.
BreadManFred: Thank you for the positive feedback and understanding I have other priorities in life. And I believe it's likely I'll write an adaptation for "Dead Man's Chest" in the future.
Omni warrior: My thoughts exactly, my friend. You'll likely get your wish in the one-shot fic.
MrAwesome: That movie rocked! I'm not too sure about a full-length adaptation, but a one-shot is definitely possible. Thanks for the suggestion.
Firestar001: I wish you luck with your story. As for your casting suggestion for Frost, just wait and see.
HeiHeiTurtal: "Pokemon" is more likely to appear in my one-shot fic.
Black Cross0: Thank you for the feedback. "Star Wars" is definitely a possibility in either of my multiverse fics. I saw the RWBY x Justice League. I enjoyed it for the most part. Finally, I've watched all of Volume 9. It was awesome! I'm not sure how the cast will watch the full-length feature multiverse after Volume 7. I'll need to think of something.
No Name: Apr 25: I don't know about that. It'll be too much of a stretch. Besides, I try to keep the number of audience members at twenty maximum.
Teen Shallot: For a one-shot, I could try "Bullet Train". If I choose it, I'd like to see the casting choices. Thank you.
Yawar: Their child will most likely be an OC.
DragonKing1987: I'm more of a fan of the 80's cartoon. If you'd like, I could do an adaptation of that in the one-shot multiverse with at least a few of your cast recommendations.
Fox Boss: Those are good cast suggestions if I ever get to "The Princess Bride". As for the others, I'll be adding "Ghostbusters" to a future voting poll for a comedy film. The rest of your suggestions might make it to the one-shot fic. We'll see what happens.
Guest, May 14th: Oooh, I loved that movie! I can't go wrong with Jim Carrey films. I'll most likely do a one-shot for "The Mask" in the future, though I could use some suggestions on who should play the title character.
KaiserBR2003: I'll think about it for the one-shot fic. I'll need to watch it first. If I like it, I'll message you for some cast suggestions.
Jlargent: I already did something like that in the one-shot multiverse. And no offense, but I'm not a big fan of musicals.
Guest. April 30th- "Jaws" and "Transformers" will definitely be in the one-shot multiverse fic. Not too sure about "Batman" from the 60s.
LeoLion1997: Lol. I agree with all of your points. Especially how the audience will react to Blake's increasingly hilarious antics in "Dead Man's Chest" if I ever get around to it.
Yang34: I'm posting "Toy Story" as an option in a voting poll for the next film alongside this update. After watching "Aliens" the audience could use a brighter film.
triscythe59: Trust me. You're not the only one.
NavyThunder4: I think that's the best zombie movie ever created. I'll think about adapting that one for the one-shot fic.
Author's Opening Note: Well, here it is folks. I had little doubt that I would publish one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time, especially after doing an adaptation of the first one. I know more than a few of you have been eager to read it. And I've been excited to write it. This viewing will take place during Volume 7, episode 6, since Jaune, Weiss, and Oscar had a movie night together. Only this time everyone will be joining them.
If any mistakes are made, please point them out and I'll fix them ASAP.
Inspiration: Aliens
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit story for entertainment purposes only. "RWBY" is the property of director and animator Monty Oum (RIP) and production company Rooster Teeth, and "Aliens" is the property of director James Cameron, production company Brandywine Pictures, and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
At General Ironwood's insistence, a day off was in order before the voting polls opened. Jaune and Oscar were the first to suggest the regular moviegoers decided to attend yet another one of Gold-Sith's back-to-back viewings at a private theater inside the Mantle multiplex, accessible only to them. They all filed into the theater, chatting amongst themselves.
"This was a good idea, Jimmy," Qrow admitted. "We could all use some downtime before the voting polls open."
"And what better way to spend downtime than watching Gold-Sith's viewings?" Ren said with a smile.
"I can hardly wait to see what Gold-Sith will show us this time," Marrow said excitedly.
Ruby gazed up at the screen. "Gold-Sith. We're here" she announced.
In response, the screen flickered on, showing Gold-Siths shimmering image. "Good evening, everyone. I hope all is well."
"For now," Ozpin answered, his voice resonating slightly. "We've decided to take the night off an enjoy another one of your viewings." [1]
Gold-Sith smiled. "Well then, gather your snacks and beverages, take your seats, and enjoy. And be forewarned, you all may be apprehensive to watch this next viewing at first. But ultimately, you will enjoy it."
The audience looked puzzled by their hosts words. But regardless, they took whatever prepared food and drinks they desired from the large tables lining the far side of the theater and took to their reclining leather seats.
The overhead lights dimmed, and the screen switched to the next multiverse viewing.
A blue blur shimmered onscreen against a pitch-black background, accompanied by unnerving music accompanied by feint snare drums.
The audience was unnerved by the title music. In fact, it was eerily familiar to a previous viewing.
Ruby shuddered lightly. "This is kinda creepy," she commented.
Jaune nodded slowly. "Yeah. In fact, it reminds me of…"
The blue blur, apparitional at first, began to break apart and solidify until it formed the letters of the film's title.
ALIENS
The music reached a softly shrill peak as the film titles letter 'I' brightened and glowed, enveloping the entire screen in white light.
Any comfort or calmness the audience felt seconds earlier vanished as they realized they were about to see another film involving the terrifying Xenomorph.
"Oh, Gods no," Ruby muttered with her head in her hands.
"Not again!" Nora complained as she tilted her head back.
Maria held up a hand. "Hold the scroll. The title said Aliens. As in…plural," her mechanical irises filled the lens as the implication hit her.
Maria's words only struck more fear in the audience.
The light faded to a view of outer space. Tranquil music played as Narcissus, the lifeboat of the doomed freighter Nostromo, drifted peacefully into view.
Everyone snapped out of their stupor as they recognized the shuttle onscreen.
"Looks like we're picking up right where we left off with Summer and Zwei," Jaune pointed out.
"Hopefully, Summer and Zwei are both still all right," Qrow said with concern.
Cut to an interior view of the shuttle. It was dark and a glittering layer of space dust blanketed everything. Only a few active electrical lights indicated the power was still working.
One of the shuttles three cryotubes was occupied. Barely visible through the layer of dust lay Warrant Officer Summer Rose and her pet cat Zwei, the two only survivors of the Nostromo. Both of them as dormant as the shuttle.
Penny observed the Narcissus's interior. "There's a substantial amount of dust inside the shuttle," she noted astutely. "Didn't Summer say she would reach the edge of human occupied space in only six weeks after the Nostromo was destroyed?"
Blake nodded. "That's true. She and Zwei must have been in cryosleep for much longer."
"Yeah. But how much longer?" Yang questioned with a slight edge.
Suddenly, a monitor came to life, the red letters "Proximity Alert" blinking across it. Something was approaching the shuttle.
Cut to an underside shot as the hull of a second, far larger ship descended towards Narcissus. With a heavy, metallic thud, the ship clutched the tiny shuttle with a magnetic clamp.
"What's happening?" Ruby asked in slight alarm.
"It seems that another ship has discovered the Narcissus," Vine answered plainly.
"Let's hope it's a human ship sent to rescue them," Weiss said warily, hoping there were no evil sentient aliens in the onscreen universe.
"It could be, assuming the shuttle has been emitting a distress signal of some kind," Ironwood supported Weiss's guess.
Outside the airlock viewport, bright light could be seen, as well as a large machine. With a sharp, buzzing, noise, a cutting torch began to burn a precise hole through the door. Sparks showered into the room.
With a heavy thunk, the door fell inward, and a large device swiveled inside via an extendable arm. It emitted a brilliant, blue, scanning wave that swept across the interior of the shuttle, including the occupied cryotube.
Next, after the scanner finished its work and exited the shuttle, a trio of men wearing orange hazmat suits and masks stepped inside, searching the shuttle with flashlights.
One of the men, spotted Summer's cryotube, approached, and gently brushed off some of the dust covering it.
"Bio-readouts are all in the green. Looks like she's alive," he said, removing his mask, a look of disappointment on his face. "Well, there goes our salvage, guys."
"Oh, good. They're all right," Ruby said with relief for Summer and Zwei.
Jaune cocked his brow. "But what does that guy mean by salvage? They're not rescuers?"
"Apparently not. It seems they're the space equivalent of maritime salvagers," Ren said.
Marrow shrugged. "Either way, I'd say it's lucky that the shuttle was discovered."
Cut to a space view of the shining planet of Remnant. Orbiting it was Gateway Station, a geosynchronous space station composed of residential and corporate buildings, interconnecting bridges, and cargo bays. Several spacecraft flew around the station.
"Remnant looks so beautiful from orbit," Winter commented before sipping a glass of lemon water.
"Indeed," Ironwood agreed. "Our attempts at space travel, while unsuccessful, did allow us to take photos of Remnant as seen from lower orbit and send them back to the surface via the CCT."
Penny nodded. "Father and I have seen them. They were very nice," she smiled.
Inside the stations medical wing, Summer was lying in a hospital room, complete with a view of planet Remnant. Orderly Pietro Polendina tended to her.
"How are we today?" Pietro asked as Summer began to wake up.
"Ohhh, terrible," Summer groaned, trying to sit up.
"Well, better than yesterday, at least," Pietro said positively.
Penny smiled brightly upon seeing her father onscreen.
"It's fitting for Pietro to play a medical role," Maria said fondly, remembering when Pietro provided her cybernetic eyes.
"I would imagine Summer wouldn't feel too good after being in cryosleep for who knows how long," Clover noted.
Elm shook her head. "Nope. There must be all kinds of health issues that could happen."
"Where am I?" Summer asked weakly.
"You're safe. You're at Gateway Station," the nurse replied as she adjusted so Summer could sit up. "Been here a couple of days. You were pretty groggy at first, but now you're OK."
"Looks like you've got a visitor," the nurse motioned at the door.
Stepping into the room was a tall, slender businessman in his early thirties. He had black, slicked back hair, a pencil thin mustache, and was dressed in a white suit. He held Zwei under his arm.
Weiss and Winter were both surprised to see a young Jacques onscreen.
"Awww, Zwei," Yang cooed fondly at the onscreen feline, ignoring Jacques.
"It's good to see he's doing as well as Summer," Blake added, being fond of Zwei's feline counterpart.
"But it's not good to see my…sperm donor," Weiss said bitterly, refusing to refer to Jacques as her father.
"I almost didn't recognize him like this," Ironwood commented Jacques darker hairstyle.
Winter nodded slowly. "Indeed. As he got older, his hair began to grey, but he dyed the rest of it to make himself look more like a Schnee," she explained.
Summer smiled brightly. "Zwei! Come here!" she cooed as Jacque handed the feline to her. "Hey, come here! How are you, you stupid cat?"
"How are you! Where have you been?" Summer continued cooing to Zwei as she snuggled him.
Jacque took a seat next to Summers bed. "Guess you two have met, huh? I'm Gele. Jacques Gele. I work for the company," he introduced himself. "But... Don't let that fool you. I'm really an OK guy."
Summer stared uncertainly at Jacques, remembering only too well that the company set her and the rest of the Nostromo up to retrieve an alien.
Everybody gazed in deadpan silence at Jacque's counterpart for his claim of being an "okay guy".
Maria scoffed. "Riiiiight, and Salem is a paragon of peace and justice."
Maria's sarcasm prompted snickers and chuckles from everyone else.
"If I were Summer, I'd tell him to screw off there and then," Yang said flatly, prompting a few nods from the others.
Winter tilted her head. "Hold on a minute. He's using his original surname from before he married mother," she realized. "So, that means he's not a member of the Schnee family."
"No. In fact, your grandfather, Nicholas, is still alive and head of the SDC in this universe," Gold-Sith explained.
"So…Jacques wasn't responsible for the Nostromo incident? Or grandfather for that matter?" Weiss said in puzzlement, half-expecting her father to be the one behind special order 937 in the previous film.
"No. Your grandfather is as much an honest corporate executive as he was in your own universe," Gold-Sith assured. "Nevertheless, the SDC still has its share of greedy and corrupt employees, both high level and low."
"And what job does Jacques have?" Maria asked curiously.
"He's a junior executive and Special Projects Director for the SDC's special services division."
"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," Jacques said pleasantly. "They say that all the weakness and disorientation should pass soon. That's just natural side effects of such a long hyper-sleep. Or something like that."
Summer blinked. "What do you mean? How long was I out there?"
"Has no-one discussed this with you yet?" Jacques asked, surprised.
"No. But, I mean…" Summer looked around the room. "I don't recognize this place."
"No, I know. Uh... OK," Jacques said awkwardly, clasping his hands together. "It's just that, uh, this might be a shock to you. It's longer-"
"How long?" Summer cut Jacques off. "Please."
Jacques paused. "57 years," he answered bluntly.
Summer was stunned. "What?"
"That's the thing. You were out there for 57 years."
"What?!" half the audience exclaimed, equally stunned.
"By the brothers. Chronologically, she must be older than I am," Maria remarked, sounding impressed.
"That's one hell of a nap," Harriet commented as she sipped a diet-soda.
"Judging from the amount of space dust in the shuttle, I knew it must have been a long time. But I didn't think it'd be that long," Penny remarked.
"You had drifted right through the core systems," Jacques continued. "And it's really just blind luck...
Still shocked, Summer turned her head away from Jacques, half listening to him as he explained everything, the realization sinking in…
…but there was another feeling mixed with her expression.
"...that a deep-salvage team found you when they did. It's one in a thousand, really. You're damn lucky to be alive, kiddo. You could be floating out there forever," Jacques finished.
Summer began to breath heavily. As if something was bothering her.
Jacques noticed. "You…you okay?" he asked.
Next, a very feint heartbeat could be heard. Something was wrong.
"Hmm?" Oscar hummed curiously.
"Perhaps she's suffering a side-effect of prolonged cryosleep," Penny assumed.
Blake's ears twitched slightly as she picked up the sound first. "Oh no…it can't be…" she whispered, her eyes widening.
Suddenly, Zwei perked up and hissed in Summer's arms, as if he sensed something.
Summer let out a soft gasp. The heart pounding had grown louder. Zwei hissed again and leaped out of Summer's arms to hide behind a medical cabinet. Something was definitely wrong.
Low, eerie music accompanied the heartbeat as the scene dragged on.
"Oh!" Summer gasped again, louder, and clutched her chest in pain.
The scene started a stir in the audience as they quickly became anxious, especially once the heartbeats and music became audible.
"What's going on?" Elm asked nervously, hoping to the Brothers that it wasn't what she thought it was.
"She's acting like-" Yang started before the realization hit her like a bullet, her pupils dilating in utter horror.
Ruby and Qrow went rigid in their seats, the former's pupils also dilating. The rest of the audience stared bug-eyed at the screen, their mouths gaping a bit.
"You OK?" Jacques asked again, sounding more alarmed as he stood up.
From beneath the medical cabinet, Zwei hissed again, loudly.
"Oooooh….Gods!" Summer groaned loudly, arching her head back.
Jacques tried to hand Summer a glass of water, but she knocked it away, sending it crashing to the floor. The music became louder and more urgent. Jacques rushed to an intercom while Summer began to thrash about in agony, toppling over an IV pole.
Panic swept over the audience.
Nora's hands went to the sides of her head. "It's happening again!" she shouted, reminded of what happened to Ren's counterpart in the first film.
Ruby shook her head frantically. "No. Not mom. Not her!" she cried.
Maria began to sputter. "B-b-but that's impossible! There weren't any other facehuggers on the Nostromo!"
"Then how the hell did it get inside her?!" Qrow questioned loudly.
Summers gasps and thrashings rapidly grew worse.
"Nurse! Please!" Jacques pleaded for help through the intercom. "Someone get in here now! Now!"
"No!" Summer cried out as she realized what was happening to her.
Pietro and two other medical personnel rushed into the room and grabbed Summer's flailing arms, trying to figure out was wrong with her.
"Hold! Hold her!" the doctor ordered.
"Please! Kill me!" Summer begged, knowing full-well what was happening.
Finally, Summer lifted up her shirt. The assembled medical staff all gawked in wide-eyed terror at what they witnessed. With a horrible, wet, tearing sound, a Chestburster was beginning to tear its way through her chest cavity, stretching the skin as it prepared to break out.
"Nooooo!" Summer screamed.
Qrow broke into a cold sweat as the scene reached its peak, his eyes fixated on the chestburster about to emerge from Summer. Everyone else either leaned back in their seats or clasped their armrests, waiting for the inevitable carnage.
Ren and Nora whimpered and covered their eyes for obvious reasons.
"Oh, Gods! I can't look!" Ruby shrieked as she buried her face into Yang's chest.
"Nooooo!" Yang screamed in unison Summer's counterpart, holding Ruby close as she squeezer her eyes shut.
The scene abruptly cut to Summer sitting up in her darkened hospital room, holding her chest, and bathed in sweat. Beside her, a startled Zwei also woke up.
"No!" she cried, gasping for breath.
Ruby looked back at the screen, dumbfounded. "Huh?"
Yang slowly opened her eyes, also dumbstruck.
The theater was silent for a few seconds before most of the audience exhaled in relief the as they realized it was only a dream sequence.
Qrow wiped sweat from his forehead. "Thank the Brothers," he breathed.
"It was just a nightmare," Oscar said softly.
"Anyone would have nightmares after an ordeal like that," Ozpin remarked in sorrow.
Elm took her hand from her chest as her heartrate returned to normal. "I expect this whole movie will be a nightmare."
A video monitor activated at Summer's bedside, displaying Pietro's face "Bad dreams again? You want something to help you sleep?" he offered.
"No. I've slept enough," Summer declined softly.
The nurse nodded and turned the screen.
Summer reached over and picked up Zwei. "Zwei, come here," she said.
Zwei mewled softly as Summer held him tight to her chest, kissing and petting him.
"Shh! It's all right," Summer said soothingly. "It's all right now. It's over."
"Yes. But the cost was still great," Clover stated, knowing Summer would be haunted for life by her experiences with the alien.
"And, given the film's title, who knows how long it'll last?" Maria reminded forebodingly.
Cut to a later day. Summer was sitting on a park bench in front of a lush, bulimic park. Birds tweeted from the canopy above. She'd apparently returned to planet Remnant. [2]
However, the camera zoomed out to reveal that most of the park was actually just a simulation displayed on a grey screen. Summer reached over, picked up a remote, and shut it off. Behind Summer, Jacque entered the room, carrying a briefcase.
"Hi. Sorry I'm late. Been running behind all morning," Jacques said, sitting down.
Summer stood from the bench. "Is there any word about my daughter?" she asked.
Ruby's attention was caught at mention of her name, same for Yang and Qrow.
"Wait as second, if Summer was in hyper sleep for 57 years, that would mean Ruby would have to be around my age," Maria pointed out.
"Oh...great..." Ruby said impassively, not very eager to see herself as an old woman.
Yang shrugged. "Don't worry, sis. Maybe you're married and have kids of your own by now," she said wondering who the lucky guy was if that were the case.
"That's possible. And once Summer returns to the surface, they can be a family again," Ozpin said warmly.
"Yeah. But it'll be weird though, now that Summer is physically old enough to be Ruby's daughter," Qrow remarked.
Nevertheless, Ruby smiled at the thought of seeing herself and her mother together again, regardless of how old she was.
"Uh... I think we should worry about the hearing now. I read your deposition, and it's great. If you stick to that, we'll be fine," Jacques brushed off Summer's concerns. "There are gonna be a lot of heavyweights in there," Jacques warned. "Feds, Interstellar Commerce Commission, Colonial Administration, insurance company guys-"
"Do you have any news about my daughter?" Summer insisted, cutting Jacques off.
"Hearing? What hearing?" Ruby questioned.
"Probably an inquiry about what happened to the Nostromo," Maria guessed.
Yang frown. "Oh, great."
Jacques hesitated. "Well, we did come up with some information. Why don't we sit down?"
Summer obliged at the two sat down on the bench.
"I was hoping to wait until after the inquest," Jacques said as he opened his briefcase and pulled out a file. "Uh...Ruby Rose McClaren. Her married name, I guess. Age 66. And that was at the time of her death, which was two years ago."
Gasps of shock and sorrow filled the theater at the revelation that Ruby's counterpart was dead.
"W-what?" Ruby said uneasily at how unreal it was to hear her alternate self was deceased.
"No," Penny and Yang whispered in tandem grief.
Summer's gaze was fixated on the photo Jacques held in front of her as his words sank in.
"I'm real sorry," Jacques said softly as Summer took the photo.
The picture showed an elderly woman with fully greyed hair, but her distinctively silver eyes and smile left no doubt that it was Ruby Rose.
"Ruby…" Summer whispered as she caressed the photo of her only child.
"She was cremated and interred on Patch Island. And no children mentioned," Jacques finished his sorrowful report.
"Summer spent an entire lifetime in that cryotube while Ruby thought she was dead," Ozpin lamented.
"And she left no grandchildren for Summer to meet," Elm added.
"So, she has nobody left to go back to on Remnant?" Weiss finished, feeling terrible for Summer's counterpart.
"I promised her...that I would be home for her birthday," Summer said shakily. "Her eleventh birthday."
Summer finally broke down in tears as she held the photo close to her face.
Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Nora, and Penny all teared up a bit as well, dabbing their eyes with napkins. Everyone else looked heartbroken by Summer's loss and grief.
"It's so surreal her own child was biologically older than her and died of old age," Maria said with a downcast look.
Ruby sniffled. "But, what about Yang? And dad?" she asked, hoping they were okay while Summer was in cryosleep.
"Well Ms. Rose, Taiyang isn't your father in this universe, nor is Yang your sister," Gold-Sith revealed.
Ruby and Yang were taken aback. "Really? That's so weird," Yang commented.
Cut to the inquest elsewhere on the station. Summer stood in front of a large screen displaying the dossiers and photos of the deceased Nostromo crewmembers one by one, starting with Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias.
"They'd like to go back to this point about the override destruct order," an executive muttered from offscreen.
Weiss and Blake both frowned upon seeing Neptune and Sun respectively, reminded of their gruesome deaths aboard the Nostromo.
"I don't understand this," Summer turned around, clearly frustrated. "We have been here for three and a half hours. Now how many times do you want me to tell the same story?"
The camera shifted to reveal a long conference table with eight suits seated at it. Jacques could be seen seated on the left.
"Look at it from our perspective, please," a familiar voice implored, his head and face unseen.
Ironwood turned his ear towards the screen. "I recognize that voice. That's Arthur Watts," he angrily identified the speaker. "What part does he play here?"
"He's chairman of the ICC board on Gateway station," Gold-Sith answered.[3] "And the ICC is responsible for monitoring and conducting trade throughout human inhabited space."
Yang narrowed her eyes. "Are they connected to the SDC?"
"Well, they're ostensibly a separate organization, but they answer directly to the SDC."
"Then I have a feeling this won't go well for Summer," Weiss predicted.
Watts gestured to Summer's seat opposite him. "Please," he repeated pressingly.
Summer sighed and sat down.
"Now you freely admit to detonating the engines of, and thereby destroying, an M-Class star freighter. A rather expensive piece of hardware," Watts said.
The camera panned around, revealing Arthur Watts dressed in a pinstripe business suit.
"Forty-two million in adjusted lien. That's minus payload, of course," Sleet, an insurance broker said dryly.
Blake rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure. Just forget about the dead crewmembers!" she hissed.
"Or their families, who never even learned what happened to them," Penny added sadly, feeling a twinge of sympathy for the loved ones of the deceased Nostromo crew members.
"They care more about the loss of that damn ship and are probably trying to get an insurance claim to recoup their financial losses," Qrow sneered as he took a swig from a water bottle.
"The lifeboat's flight recorder corroborates some elements of your account," Watts admitted as he continued. "In that, for reasons unknown, the Nostromo set down on LV-426, an unsurveyed planet at that time. That it resumed its course, and was subsequently set for self-destruct, by you, for reasons unknown."
"Not for reasons unknown. I told you: We set down there on company orders to get this thing which destroyed my crew. And your expensive ship," Summer reiterated her story.
Watts gestured to his copy of Summers report. "The analysis team, which went over the lifeboat centimeter by centimeter, found no physical evidence of the creature you describe."
"Good!" Summer exclaimed, standing up. "That's because I blew it out of the Goddamn Airlock. Like I said…"
Penny scratched her head. "No physical evidence? But what about proteins left from the Alien's saliva? Or its corrosive blood scorching the floor plates when Summer shot it with the grappling hook?" she recalled from the first film.
"Either Watts is lying, or they'd simply dismiss it as conclusive evidence of the Alien's existence," Ironwood speculated with a frown.
"And don't forget, the incident was 57 years ago. Anyone in the company who was involved is likely dead. So, any incriminating evidence on the matter must be gone as well and the whole thing was probably forgotten about," Winter finished with intuition.
Oscar held up a finger. "That brings us to one thing I don't get: how did the SDC even learn about the aliens or that crashed ship in the first place?" [4]
Maria scratched her chin. "That's a very good question. I suppose only time will tell," she said simply.
Summer turned back around just as the screen showed Velvet Scarlatina's profile.
"Are there any species like this hostile organism on LV-426?" Sleet asked ECA Representative Camilla, the latter smoking a cigarette.
Camilla shook her head. "No. It's a rock. No indigenous life."
Summer turned back to the board. "Did IQ's just drop sharply while I was away?" she asked with a hint of outrage.
Behind her, the profile of the treacherous android Oscar was displayed.
A few people snickered or chuckled at Summer's snarky remark while Oscar averted his eyes from the screen, ashamed of his counterpart.
"She's got that sharp sense of humor the real Summer had," Qrow said fondly.
"And I learned it by watching her," Yang declared proudly.
Everyone stared at Yang as though she'd grown a second head. The blonde brawler took notice and simply crossed her arms with a huff.
"Ma'am, I already said it was not indigenous," Summer repeated her account. "It was a derelict spacecraft. An alien ship. It was not from there. Do you get it? We homed in on its beacon."
"And found something never recorded once in over 300 surveyed worlds," Camilla refuted as she looked at Summer's report and read verbatim: "'A creature that gestates inside a living human host"."
"Yes," Summer nodded.
"These are your words. 'And has concentrated acid for blood'," Camila finished.
"That's right."
"Even if these guys are completely uninvolved in the plot of the first film, they're not buying her story for a second," Elm noted.
"And, Gods forbid, if anybody else ever finds that crashed ship and those eggs, they'll wind up just like the Nostromo crew," Harriet fretted.
"Or worse," Blake said, pausing from the horror of it. "They might wind up bringing those things back to Remnant."
Blake's words created a fresh feeling of dread in everyone else.
"Then they'd better get someone down there and blow that damn ship and all those eggs up!" Nora shouted.
Ren held up a hand. "Easy, Nora," he soothed his partner.
"Look, I can see where this is going, but I'm telling you that those things exist," Summer said, acknowledging the futility of convincing the suits.
Next, Captain Jaune Arcs file appeared on the screen.
"Thank you, Officer Rose. That will be all," Watts dismissed, wanting to end the meeting.
"Please! You're not listening to me! Ren, the crew member...," Summer implored, briefly faltering over her words. "Ren, who went into that ship, said he saw thousands of eggs there. Thousands."
Coincidentally, Lie Ren's file appeared next.
Ren and Nora shifted uncomfortably in their seats upon being reminded of the grisly death of the former's counterpart. They, like everyone else, never wanted to see a chestburster "birth" again.
Watts lost his patience. "Thank you! That will be all!" he said loudly.
Summer shot up, glaring at Watts. "Goddamn it, that's not all! Because if one of those things gets down here, that will be all!" Summer shouted before furiously snatched up a handful of papers from Sleet. "Then all this bullshit that you think is so important. You can kiss all that goodbye!" she finished, throwing them away.
A few people were unsettled by Summer's outburst, especially Ruby and Yang.
"You're not helping your case, Summer," Qrow muttered through clenched teeth.
"You can't blame her for exploding like that," Elm said in understanding. "She's lost her daughter, her friends, and nobody believes her about the alien."
The conference room was dead silent as Watts and the rest of the board stared at Summer, their opinion of her now sealed. Jacques himself facepalmed at Summer for digging a deeper hole for herself.
On the screen, the word 'CLOSED' crawled across, signifying the inquiry was over.
The suits all rose from their seats and collected their things as they prepared to leave.
"That could have been better," Jacques said bluntly.
"I doubt that. They probably made up their minds before she stepped into that room," Oscar said before munching on a handful of popcorn.
"Yeah, but now they probably think she's a lunatic," Marrow said expectantly.
"So, what's going to happen to her?" Ruby asked, looking worried.
"Look, I think-," Jacques began to speak before Summer walked away. "Summer?"
Summer ignored Jacques and followed Watts as he and his colleagues headed for an elevator. "Watts, why don't you just check out LV-426?"
"Because I don't have to," Watts replied condescendingly. "There have been people there for over twenty years, and they never complained about any hostile organism."
"What do you mean? What people?" Summer asked in alarm.
"Terraformers. Planet engineers," Watts answered. "They set up atmosphere processors to make the air breathable. Takes decades. It's what we call a Shake 'n' Bake colony."
Watts tried to enter the elevator, but Summer blocked his path with her arm. "How many are there? How many colonists?" she demanded.
"I don't know. 60, maybe 70, families," Watts gestured to the elevator, irritated. "Do you mind?"
Summer moved her arm, allowing Watts to head out.
"Families. Monty…" Summer whispered, her eyes closing in horror and exasperation.
Watt's revelation caused almost everyone to reel back with widened eyes. They didn't want to even imagine an infestation of aliens in a populated area, yet there was now a very real possibility of such a thing happening now.
"There's people living there?" Blake said in dull shock.
"F-families? Including children?!" Ruby said in shaky terror.
Harriet threw her hands up. "Wonderful," she said sarcastically.
Cut to Summer's modest apartment on planet Remnant. She was sitting with a lit cigarette between her fingers, looking quite worn out. Her apartment was messy: the bed was unmade, and dirty dishes filled the sink.
Zwei hopped down from the kitchen counter, mewling.
Ruby knitted her brow. "She's starting to let herself go. She wasn't a smoker in the first viewing," she said with concern.
"Some people smoke due to stress or anxiety," Penny said. "No doubt, it's to cope with the trauma of the Nostromo incident."
"What about the inquest? What did they decide?" Oscar asked Gold-Sith, knowing the consequences had to be heavy.
"Unfortunately, Summer was sentenced to a month of psychiatric probation and had her license as a flight officer suspended indefinitely," Gold-Sith answered.
"That explains that shoddy apartment she's living in now," Qrow noted.
Nora shrugged. "Well, at least she didn't get locked up for blowing up the Nostromo," she said, looking on the bright side.
"That's true," Yang agreed, not wanting Summer to wind up doing time in the slammer.
In the shabby hallway outside Summer's apartment, Jacques turned the corner, heading for the former's door. Following Jacques was a tall man with short black hair and formal military garb.
Marrow pointed at the screen. "There's you, general."
"Yes. But I'm much younger her. Perhaps early to mid-twenties," Ironwood observed his counterpart, noting his lack of skunk-stripe and youthful, clean-shaven face.
"Hmmm, so your rank must be much lower," Ozpin presumed.
Summer answered the door and peered out at the two men.
"Hi, Summer. This is Lieutenant Ironwood of the Colonial Marine Corps-" Jacques began before Summer shut the door, cutting him off.
Qrow couldn't stifle a snicker.
"That was a bit rude," Winter scolded Summer's disrespect towards Ironwood rather than Jacques.
"After what happened at the inquest, I can't blame her for wanting nothing more to do with Jacques," Maria said in understanding.
"Summer, we have to talk," Jacques implored. "We've lost contact with the colony on LV-426."
After a pause, Summer opened the door again, a look of consideration on her face.
Many people shared Summer's expression. Though none of them were surprised by Jacque's report.
"Oh no," Ruby mumbled.
Qrow rolled his eyes. "Oh, really? You don't say."
"It was only a matter of time," Ironwood sighed.
"So, what do they want with Summer?" Yang asked.
A bit later, inside her apartment, Summer poured two cups of coffee and picked them up.
"I don't believe this. You guys throw me to the wolves and now you want me to go back out there?" Summer handed Jacques one of the cups, shaking her head. "Forget it. It's not my problem."
Jacques accepted the coffee. "Can I finish?" he requested.
"No. There's no way," Summer refused, approaching Ironwood to hand him the other coffee cup.
"Summer, you wouldn't be going in with the troops. I can guarantee your safety," Ironwood assured.
Summer just scoffed lightly.
"What military branch am I part of again? The Colonial Marines?" Ironwood questioned Gold-Sith.
"Yes. They're the main force-in-readiness of the Atlesian army and are responsible for providing security for all of Atlas' colonies and are the vanguard of the kingdom's ground forces," Gold-Sith supplied information.
"So, they're this universe's equivalent of the Ace-Ops?" Harriet asked with interest.
"Not quite, but they're somewhere between the regular army and the Ace-Ops," Gold-Sith specified.
"Sounds pretty cool," Marrow said before tapping his chin. "I wonder if any of us will playing marines?"
Nora smiled to herself, hoping she'd get to see the marines kick some alien ass. And she wasn't the only one.
"These Colonial Marines are tough cookies," Jacques said, sitting down. "They're packing state-of-the-art firepower. There's nothing they can't handle."
"Lieutenant, am I right?" Jacques requested Ironwoods support.
"That's true," Ironwood confirmed. "We've been trained to deal with situations like this,"
Summer poured a third cup of coffee. "Then you don't need me. I'm not a soldier," she said, sipping her drink.
"We don't know what's going on out there. It may just be a downed transmitter," Jacques continued. But if it's not...I would like you there as an advisor, and that's all."
"Let's pray to the Brothers that it is a downed transmitter," Oscar said hopefully.
Maria sighed deeply. "I highly doubt it, sonny. We all saw the film's title," she reminded.
"Then they need to get to LV-426 as soon as possible," Clover declared, hoping it wasn't too late.
"What's your interest in all this?" Summer asked, a tad suspicious. "Why are you going?"
"The SDC co-financed that colony along with Colonial Administration. We're doing more than just dust mining. We've been getting into a lot of terraforming, building better worlds," Jacques explained, fiddling with a cloth on the table.
"Yeah. I saw the commercial," Summer said offhandedly, snatching the cloth and tossing it aside.
"Look, I don't have time for this," Summer said impatiently. "I've got to get to work."
"Oh, right," Jacques stood up "I heard you're working the cargo docks."
"That's right," Summer confirmed.
"Running loaders and forklifts," Jacque paced across the room to put sugar in his coffee.
"Yeah. So?" Summer asked defensively.
"Nothing. I think it's great that you're keeping busy," Jacques said, returning to his seat. "And I know it's the only thing that you could get. There's nothing wrong with it."
Ruby, Yang, Qrow, and Weiss all glared at Jacques counterpart for his subtly patronizing and rude attitude towards Summer.
"He's just any typical corporate yuppie," Weiss described Jacque's counterpart succinctly. "Two-faced, greedy, manipulators who condescend to everyone."
"That's how Jacques fooled our grandfather into turning control of the company over to him once his health began to decline," Winter reminisced.
Jacques set his coffee down. "What would you say if I told you I could get you reinstated as a flight officer?" he offered.
Summer stared at Jacques, her interest piqued.
"The companies already agreed to pick up your contract," Jacques finished his proposition.
Everyone familiar with Jacques eyed his counterpart suspiciously.
"He's gotta be playing her somehow," Qrow said accusingly.
"That's just how sleazy suits like him act," Ironwood said. "They'll butter you up or tell you what you anything you want to hear."
Summer glanced at Ironwood, then back at Jacques. "If I go."
Jacques nodded. "If you go. Come on, that's a second chance, kiddo," he pressed loudly. "Get out there and face this thing. Get back on the horse."
"Spare me, Jacques. I've had my psych evaluation this month," Summer said coldly.
Jacques stood up again, locking eyes with Summer. "Yeah, I know. I've read it. You wake up every night, your sheets are soaked in sweat-"
"I said no! And I mean it!" Summer snapped impatiently.
Jacques finally shut up.
Summer calmed a bit. "Now please leave. I am not going back! And I am...I would not be any good to you if I did," she said, clearly scared out of her wits to return to LV-426
"OK. Shh," Jacques said softly before reaching into his coat and pulling out a plastic, transparent business card, and set it down on a table. "Would you do me a favor? Just think about it."
"Thanks for the coffee," Ironwood said as he and Jacques left.
In the background, Zwei was sipping milk from a little saucer. Summer knelt down to the feline to coddle him.
"I can't blame her at all for not wanting to go back to that Gods-forsaken planet," Harriet said in understanding.
"Part of me feels she does want to go back to avenge her friends, but she's too afraid of the aliens," Ren weighed in.
"But, on the other hand, she doesn't want to stay in that apartment and barely make ends meet with her new job while she's still traumatized," Clover followed up.
"So, she has a dilemma on her hands," Ozpin concluded.
Sudden cut to Summer's apartment later that night.
"Aagh!" Summer cried out from her latest nightmare as she sat up abruptly, panting and drenched with sweat.
Summer began to sob softly as she rubbed her chest. She got out of bed, lumbered into the bathroom, began to splash water onto her face from the sink. She then gazed into the mirror; her face full of fatigue.
"Oh mom…" Ruby muttered, wishing she could reach through the screen and hug Summer's counterpart.
"The nightmares aren't stopping anytime soon," Vine commented.
"I'm not surprised. PTSD like that could take years to recover from," Ironwood said, having witnessed such trauma firsthand in many a soldier.
"So, what is she going to do?" Yang fretted. "With the way it's interfering with her sleep cycle and possibly her job."
Finally giving in, Summer plugged Jacque's business card into her phone console. The console began to beep as the words "Stand-by" appeared on the screen.
After a few seconds, a tired Jacques answered and appeared onscreen. "Hello," Summer? You OK?" he asked dully, having just woken up.
Summer got straight to the point. "Just tell me one thing, Jacques. You're going out there to destroy them, right? Not to study. Not to bring back. But to wipe them out," she asked.
Jacques nodded. "That's the plan. You have my word on it."
Summer hesitated for only a second. "All right, I'm in."
Weiss narrowed her eyes. "I understand that's not our version of Jacques, but I still don't trust him," she said dubiously.
"Neither do I," Winter shared her sister's opinion, cupping her chin. "In fact, something's fishy about this whole thing."
"I agree. But frankly, I believe it'll be good for Summer to go back and face her fears," Vine suggested, despite the danger involved.
"It would help her get closure for her deceased crewmates on the Nostromo. And it'll only be an advisor role. She won't be on the frontlines," Clover finalized, having faith in Ironwood keeping Summer out of danger and handling any potential alien infestation.
Ozpin said nothing, but in the back of Oscar's mind, he knew Winter was right to be skeptical. For twenty years, LV-426 had no problems with the alien. And now, after what had to be a short amount of time, contact had been lost. He highly doubted it was a coincidence. [5]
"I think that-," Jacques started, but Summer hung up before he could finish his reply.
Summer looked offscreen. "And you, you little shithead, you're staying here," she smiled.
Zwei, lying on the bed, looked up at Summer, shooting her a look that said: "Fine by me."
"That's right, he is," Ruby nodded fervently, never wanting Zwei near an Alien again.
"Lucky him," Elm commented with a smile.
"Don't call him a shithead, mom," Yang giggled.
"It wouldn't make sense for her to bring him anyway," Blake added, also not wanting Zwei's feline counterpart to be hurt.
Cast
Summer Rose as Ellen Ripley
Zwei as Jonesy
Jacque Gele as Carter Burke
James Ironwood as 2nd Lieutenant Scott Gorman
Arthur Watts as Paul Van Leuwen
Camilla as ECA Representative
Sleet as Insurance Broker
Author's Note: I've already got a good idea on who to cast for the rest of the marines. But if anyone else has ideas, I'm open to them before chapter 2 is published in a couple of weeks.
Anyway, while Aliens isn't as frightening or dark as the previous film, the audience could definitely use something to lift their spirits back up afterwards, like an animated film. Don't forget to vote in the poll I've posted alongside this update.
Author's Points
[1]- I'll be adding this to a few previous viewings where the rest of the audience can hear Ozpin inside Oscar's mind, courtesy of Gold-Sith. In fact, I'll heavily editing all of the previous films and adding review responses and author's points. I'll be sure to inform you all when they're ready, but it'll be a while before they're all ready.
[2]- This is one of the few scenes from the director's cut that I plan to include in this adaptation for time reasons. And for another very good reason, as you'll all find out.
[3]- To this day, I'm still unsure if Van Leuwen was truly in the dark about the Xenomorphs and Weyland Yutani's desire to retrieve one, or if was he was just playing dumb all along. Either way, I cast Watts to play him because I'm quite sure he would find the Xenomorphs fascinating, and in case the latter theory is true.
[4]- Before "Prometheus" and "Alien Covenant" came out, this has gotten me wondering as well. Just how did Weyland Yutani find out about the derelict? How did they learn about the Xenomorphs? Personally, unless you count future films as canon, I believe that a lone company bigwig acted on their own to reroute the Nostromo to LV-426 and planted Ash aboard with specific instructions to secure and deliver any potential lifeform. Who knows?
[5]- In hindsight, it should have been obvious there was something very suspicious here. As Van Leuwen said, people had been living on LV-426 for over two decades without any xenomorph incidents. Then, two months after Ripley's report, contact with the colony is lost.