David explained his plan over the next minute or so.
Tennessee chuckled and said. "My dude. Sincerely, with all due disrespect. I trust ya about as far as I can throw ya."
Daniels never once took her gun off David. She kept her aim, expecting to pull the trigger at any moment. Her grip on the rifle tightened when she said. "You're even crazier than I thought if you think I'm letting you out of our sight."
"It could work," Mic said. "I got that much."
"No," Daniels declared. "We can't trust him."
As Daniels, Tennessee, and Mic argued amongst themselves, Zima kept thinking of the monster inside of her. She sat on the floor, against a wall nearby. Going over the plan in her head again, she then came to a realization. "I'll go with him," she said.
Everyone stopped arguing and watched as she slowly stood back up.
Daniels was in disbelief. "No, you can't," she said. "You're going back into stasis."
With tears in her eyes, Zima smiled and shook her head. "I already told you," she said. "This can't go back. Mic should know."
Mic nodded and said."The company would most likely breed the creature and try to control it."
"I'm in charge up here," Zima said. "It's my call. We need to get Shaw back up here to fix this thing and help these people."
Daniels teared up. "It's a suicide mission." She said.
More tears fell from Zima as she chuckled. "I know," she said. "Better this than having one of those things explode out of me. I can't go like that. This my chance to do it my way and help these people."
A deafening silence filled the room. Only the sounds of the ship could be heard. Zima was resigned to her fate. She couldn't help glancing over to Eastman's body even though she didn't have to. It just reminded her of what would soon happen and told her she was making the right decision. Daniels sobbed while Tennessee could only look down in sadness.
The only stoic faces were that of David and Mic. They knew, like the androids they were, this was the only sure way. Even though Mic knew what David knew, it didn't mean he knew what David would do. That meant he couldn't guarantee that David would hold up his end. All he could do was ensure the plan's success.
Mic stood from his chair. "I will make the preparations." He said.
"What shall I do?" David asked.
Daniels focused her rifle on David. "You sit right where you are." She said.
Mic turned to face him. "It is alright," he said. "I can perform the necessary modifications myself. Your help isn't required at this time."
Daniels looked to Tennsse and motioned with her head at David. "Cover him," she said, then picked up Zima's rifle to hand it back. "You sure about this?"
Zima took her rifle and glared at David, replying. "I promise he won't leave my sight."
Down on the planet, in the Seeder, Shaw sat with tears in her eyes as she looked at a picture of her sister and her. Several minutes had gone by and it truly felt like the end was near.
Walter walked over and sat next to her. "Were you two close?" he asked.
"I suppose," Shaw answered. "We were as close as twins could be. The last time I talked to her was the day she left, the last time I actually saw her was the week before."
Rembrandt and Wolfgang stood nearby, talking to each other as they kept their heads up for any unwelcome guests.
"Did you two talk a lot?" Walter then asked.
Shaw nodded. "Of course," she replied. 'Though now that I think about it. Rarely was it ever about work. She talked mostly about having a kid even though she couldn't have one. I think, eventually when she was ready, she would have adopted."
Walter then decided to try and get Shaw's mind back in the fight. "What about you?" he asked. "Don't you want to get out of here and have children one day?"
It worked, somewhat. Shaw put the picture away and stood while shouldering her rifle. She took a deep breath and minded the nearest corridor for any threat.
"Shaw, it's Mic," he called."We're coming."
Shaw held the transmitter. "Excellent," she answered. "Use the Avellan's sensors to pick up my PDT then make note of its location to find us."
"Copy that," Mic said as the Avellan descended. PDT stood for personal data transmitter, with it and the map he'd gotten from Walter, finding Shaw wouldn't be a problem. "Running scans now. I'm seeing several dozen creatures around the ship. I must land dangerously close."
"Do what you have to," Shaw said.
Mic looked over to find David sitting nearby with Zima watching over him with her gun.
Around Zima's shoulder, she was also carrying the flamethrower. This one now looked modified with a wire running from the trigger to its fuel tank to several satchels hanging from its barrel.
Mic called Shaw again to explain the plan.
The Avellan landed several yards away from the Seeder ship. It was a good running distance, but as close as Mic could get without crashing.
One of Avellan's doors opened to reveal David stepping out first, then Zima with her gun, and finally Mic emerged to seal the door behind him.
Right in the area, Zima spotted some of the terramorphs running around. A few even growled at her presence. She instantly cliched up, not so much in fear, but in an at-the-ready mode. She took one step away from David as she switched her focus back and forth between David and the creatures.
Mic placed a hand on Zima's shoulder. "We should be fine." He said.
"They will not attack," David assured. "Synthetics are nonliving and you got one inside you. It is to be born different but it has the same genetic material. That is why we left Daniels and Tennessee back on the Covenant."
After a moment of no sign of being attacked, Zima relaxed. She then made sure to stay behind David as all three of them took off in a light jog.
Remembering the map he saw on the Avellan, Mic traveled through the corridors for the most direct way to the bridge.
Shaw breathed a sigh of relief at seeing them. "You made it," she said.
Mic wasted no time handing Shaw a device that was just a circuit board with a bulb hanging off it. "As I explained," he said. "When that light turns on you make your run. You will have about five minutes so make them count."
David looked in awe at Shaw. She was the spitting image of Elizabeth in sight and sound. It was like she was alive all over again and fighting to stay that way
"What," Shaw wondered out loud. "Zima, forget the plan. Let's just go now."
Mic placed his hands on Shaw's shoulders. "I am afraid that is not possible," he said. "I told you there are several dozen right outside. They are possibly already attracted to you and the closer you get outside it would only attract more."
Tears fell from Shaw's eyes as she wondered if there was any other way.
David slowly approached Shaw. His own eyes were filled with a sadness only he could understand. He removed a necklace with a tiny cross from himself and placed it around Shaw's neck. "This belonged to your sister," he said. "I think she would want you to have it."
Shaw stood silently as she examined the cross.
"I am sorry I couldn't save her," David continued. "But I can save you."
"David," Walter called. "I am sure you thought of everything. Are you sure this is the only way?"
With no hesitation and a determined look, David nodded.
Zima stepped closer to Shaw and then hugged her.
"Do you really want to go through with this?" Shaw asked tearfully.
Zima then placed her forehead on Shaw's and whispered, "Please, let me do this. I saw what it did to Eastman. The last thing he did was cry my name and ask for help, but I couldn't do anything. Don't try to talk me out of this. Right now, there's a ship full of people that need you."
A terramorph ran into the chamber, but Wolfgang was all over this one and quickly brought it down with a few shots from his rifle.
"We should go," Mic said. "Before it is too late."
"Goodbye," David said, then left with Mic, and Zima right behind him as she promised.
Shaw watched as the trio disappeared down the corridor.
Mic hastily made the run back to the Avellan with David and Zima right behind him. Back aboard the ship, he wasted little time at the controls. David sat next to him in the co-pilot's chair.
"The hive isn't far," David said, inputting several numbers for Mic to see."Land as close to these coordinates as you can."
The Avellan lifted off the ground and then blasted off for the hive.
"According to your data," Mic began. "I should be able to land right on top of it. Barring any abnormalities in the terrain, the hive should pose no problem. The only question is will she be there?"
"I know where the ship carrying her landed," David replied. "She couldn't have gone far."
"If she did," Zima said."This will be a short trip for me and an even shorter one for you."
"It is a shame, " David said looking at Mic. "You are to be the last of our kind."
Mic glanced back to David. "I can see why you would think that with the access you had," he said. "However, let me assure you that I will not be the last. The company continues to work on new models and is beginning to generalize us."
A quick look a the ship's sensor concerned Mic. "Be quick," he said. "It is difficult to tell but it seems a small part of the battle has moved dangerously close to where we intend to land."
With the speed the Avellan had and how close the hive was, it didn't take long at all to find their landing spot. After setting down, David exited with Zima right behind him. The area was busier with a few terramorphs emerging from the hive and to run off for battle. David and Zima began jogging themselves until they were a few yards from the Avellan.
Zima still carried the modified flamethrower around her neck but didn't dare touch it yet. She spoke into her wrist-mounted radio. "Ok, Mic," she called. "We're clear."
The Avellan took back to the sky and flew off as quickly as it arrived.
David and Zima quickly began running for the hive entrance. A geneomorph suddenly jumped in front of them, David continued running at it as if to tackle it but was simply swatted away. The geneo growled at Zima as it slowly approached her.
Two terramorphs tackled the geneomorph from opposite sides and began wrestling with the creature.
David stood and pointed for Zima. "Hurry," he yelled. "That way!"
Zima ran past the scuffle. As she passed by David, she noticed he threw himself forward at something behind her. She didn't stop to look but the next thing she saw was David's head soaring through the air right by her. It caused her to pause and glance back.
The geneomorph was now on the ground fighting three terramorphs, with David's body lying nearby.
"Don't stop," David said. "Keep going!"
Zima didn't have time to be shocked by David's still talking head. She did as she was told, scooping up David's head as she ran into the hive She kept running down a lengthy corridor made of a substance that resembled a solidified liquid resin. Light penetrated the material in places to a depth of several centimeters, revealing a complex internal structure. The substance was opaque at other locations and had little colors of greens and grays spotted throughout.
"Go left at the end," David said. "Her chambers should be there or just a little further to the right."
"You sure?" Zima asked.
"No," David answered. "But it is in the area I placed her when I sent her down. This hive came after."
"Shaw,' Mic called. "I've landed right outside. Remember, the creatures will only be stunned for about five minutes so start running as soon as that light turns on."
Shaw, Walter, and the Engineers waited eagerly by the corridor that would lead them outside.
"Got it," Shaw replied, then looked at Walter. "You guys be ready."
Walter then looked at the Engineers and explained the plan to them again in their language.
Zima turned to come to a dead stop. In front of her were thousands of eggs.
"She's here," David whispered.
Zima walked through, looking for any sign of the queen herself. Yards away an egg began to open. She watched as instead of a facehugger a tiny terramorph climbed out. Near the center of the room, she spotted the ovipositor as it lay another egg. She followed it with her eyes to see what was connected to it.
At its end was a massive structure sitting in the middle of the room.
'Is that it?' Zima wondered.
It was the queen though she was remaining perfectly still.
Out of the corner of her eye, Zima spotted a small, raised area she could sit on. The ground was littered with them but this one had caught her eye and she slowly moved towards it as she kept an eye on what could only be the queen.
"Quietly," David whispered.
After a moment, Zima sat and set David's head down beside her. She then rested the flamethrower on her lap to turn it on.
It was enough to get the queen's attention and make her protrude her head out of its crown and reveal herself.
Zima looked up in amazement at the apparent size of the queen as it now looked down at her. The massive structure in the middle of the room came to life with movement.
"For Shaw," David calmly said.
Zima closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger, causing the entire chamber and a few of the surrounding corridors to then erupt in searing hot flames.