Thicker than Blood
I do not own any film in the Alien franchise.
Finally, another chapter. If you've forgotten what happened before, please re-read at least the last chapter. I had to.
Chapter 7
Tanner's ship suddenly lurched to the side, as if it had been swatted by a giant hand mid-air. The pilots were attempting to right the vessel to an even keel while keeping it airborne, but they were failing.
The soldiers on board knew they were now under attack, and were preparing their weapons even as they tried keeping their balance.
Ed's eyes sought out Cres'sa and Jenn. The alien was obviously distressed, but was holding her own. Jenn was checking her equipment, while a worried Jonathan hovered nearby.
"Alright, troops!" Tanner called out, holding onto an ordnance locker door. "Someone is trying to do in the air what they couldn't do on the ground. If we have to crash land, be prepared to exit the ship pronto. Look out for an enemy ships or ground personnel, and fire weapons first. No time to ask questions."
The ship instantly sank, as if under a heavy weight. "Sir! They're on top of us," Sergeant Reardon cried out. His controls felt like lead, stiff and unresponsive.
Tanner knew instantly they were being forced to land. Or worse. Looking above him, he thought he heard sounds coming from outside, but that was impossible.
Sprinting to the nose of the bridge, he peered outside the window. He saw his other ship flying to the right of their position, an enemy ship hovering just above them. It was also steering them downward, like a dog guides sheep into a pen.
It was all Tanner could do not to shout aloud when he saw the vessel suddenly knocked from the sky by the other ship. It spiraled to the ground in a cloud of black smoke, only stopping when it contacted solid ground. Then it exploded. All on board were obviously killed instantly. Good soldiers, every one of them, Tanner thought. Sergeant Evans had been with him from the beginning, helping him handpick the best from every outfit.
With angry determination, Tanner turned and barked orders, satisfied to see them followed in seconds. "We're being boarded. Stand ready!"
A strange noise grew overhead, when several of the soldiers saw momentary sparks, then the metal bulkhead being sliced clean through. They aimed their weapons at the growing hole. A circle of metal crashed down onto the deck. Nothing happened.
Suddenly, a body shot down through the hole, landing in a crouch. One of Tanner's men opened fire, but the bullets had no effect on the intruder.
"Hold your fire! Do you want to tear up the fuselage?" This was obviously a construct, one of the Company's androids. But it must have been wearing bullet proof armor. Androids were not known to be invulnerable.
Soon, another figure jumped down, landing feet first before looking around the ship's cabin. Its eyes fell on the xenomorph that was hissing loudly, hands curled into lethal claws. The android tossed a container onto the deck. Gas began to pour from the object, replacing the oxygen with unbreathable air. The soldiers began coughing even as they continued to resist their attackers.
Thinking quickly, Sergeant Reardon punched a button that started the air duct system, drawing the gas and expelling it outside. Clean oxygen instantly took its place.
Meanwhile, unaffected by the gas, Cres'sa had stepped in front of the intruder when she saw him go for Ed Wheaton, grabbing it by the arms with sharp nails. She hissed threateningly, piercing the thing's clothing and skin beneath, as she squeezed tightly. A white substance began to ooze from the wounds she had created. She continued squeezing, then yanked outward, ripping its arms off the torso. The creamy liquid poured from every opening as it lay on the deck, still. Only one finger twitched uncontrollably.
The other android headed for Jonathan, who grabbed it by the throat, tossing it aside as if it were nothing. Several soldiers quickly surrounded the fallen attacker, attempting to hold down the construct. One pulled his blade from his boot, and brought it down, piercing one of the android's eyes. It's body began to spasm. They held it to the deck until the spasms stopped and the construct was still.
While the fight continued in back, the pilots were busy on the bridge, trying to keep their vessel airborne. The weight of the ship on top of them was costing altitude. It was now more important to land intact.
Reardon punched several buttons on the flight console, his co-pilot nodding knowingly. Both men clutched the guidance sticks, pulling them far to the left, while Reardon hit a blue-lit button, cutting off one of their engines. The ship lurched left and lost immediate altitude. The ship above them, now caught off guard and left with no victim beneath it, wobbled unsteadily. Unable to see where its objective was going, the ship's pilots concentrated on re-gaining control.
Scoping for a possible landing sight, Tanner's men set the ship on a course that would take them into a wooded area somewhere in Kentucky. At least, they thought it was Kentucky. Much of the planet was developed, even overly so. But small parts of the United States were still open land, with little population. They could easily hide there. No time to mourn their dead just yet. First, they'd re-group and take out the enemy, then get stinking drunk as they toasted each of their comrades more than once.
Jonathan had lost his sunglasses in the scuffle. Scanning the deck, he found them in a corner near the bridge, and bent to pick them up. Tucking them into his coat pocket, he listened as the pilots looked for a landing spot.
"There," Reardon said, pointing at a small forested area. He guided the ship into the trees, hovering slowly as branches scraped harmlessly on metal. Then he landed beneath the covering of a copse of pines. They locked down the flight controls, and leaving their seats, grabbed for their rifles.
The other members of Tanner's team had no idea their companion ship had crashed, with all hands lost in the ensuing explosion. Tanner ordered everyone off the ship, and gave them the bad news. He could tell his remaining troops were holding in the fury they must be feeling. He told them to keep their focus, that there would be time to mourn later. "For now, fan out in pairs and keep moving. Head for..." Looking at his electronic compass, he continued, "...coordinates 27B-T6. Good luck." Reardon, Cope and the others ran off in varying directions.
Tanner took Jenn and Ed aside. "Keep the xenomorphs safe at all costs. We cannot let the Company get their hands on either one of them. I think it's best if you separate. We'll try to lead the attackers away from you. Ed, head North. Jenn, go South. We'll rendevous at coordinates 27B-T6. Stay sharp out there."
Cres'sa nudged Tanner with her head, small sounds issuing from her open jaws. She didn't like being parted from the human who was her mother's closest friend. He had always been there, and now she must leave him.
"It's ok, CeeCee. You go with the sergeant. Do whatever he tells you. We'll meet up soon." He reached up to rub her smooth carapace. "You know as well as I do, if anything happens to you or your brother, your mother will have my hide." Patting her one more time, he took a step back, and left one final order for Wheaton. "Take care of her, Ed. It's important."
Ed gave a curt nod to his commander. He then looked over at Jennifer, and nodded at her, smiling. Gesturing to Cres'sa, Ed said, "Come on, girl, let's go." Loping into the forest, the xenomorph behind him, Ed hoped they beat the other ship to the ground with time enough to keep their whereabouts unknown.
Tanner went over to Jonathan, and placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing him close. "Do nothing to disappoint me, boy. You follow Sergeant Philip's orders too." Glaring into his charge's black eyes, he repeated, an underlying threat all too obvious, "Do nothing and follow orders."
Jonathan returned the steely gaze, but resolved to give Major Tanner, the only human his kind ever fully trusted, no reason to doubt him. "Yes, Uncle Richard.
Jenn sighed. Now it was just she and Jonathan. She had already decided that if he did anything to cross her, she'd kill him before the Company even had a chance to capture him. Staring at him, she barked, "Let's go."
Jonathan's eyes followed her as she headed deeper into the forest. He smiled and put on his sunglasses. He then sprinted lightly to catch up with her.
Ed ran headlong into the forest, his ears listening for any movement. He knew Cres'sa was not far behind, and was sure to catch up. But although she was fast, she moved with an awkward grace, having trouble navigating through the brush and hanging branches.
Even Ed found the branches a nuisance, unable to avoid them slicing at his face as he moved through them. When the footfalls behind him stopped, Ed also stopped, whirling around expecting to see Cres'sa, but instead found himself staring at the business end of a standard rifle. Before he could react, he felt the sharp sting of a bullet pierce his upper chest just outside the edge of his armor. As he collapsed to the ground, his last vision was of a helmet being removed from a uniformed body.
Cres'sa had sensed the soldier following them. Hiding back in the brush, she allowed him to pass her. It was then she noticed her human protector had stopped and turned in their direction, the attacker shooting him without warning. In anger, she strode up to the strange gunman, and clasping his helmet, tugged hard. The soldiers helmeted head separated from his body in a spray of blood. The now headless torso fell to the ground, still pulsing blood from the gaping hole of his neck.
Anger pushed aside by panic, Cres'sa threw the head into the brush. She flexed her fingers, now sticky with blood, human blood. She had never killed anything before. Reaching down, she grabbed Ed by the ankle, and dragged him in the opposite direction. Cres'sa had no way of knowing if the soldier had time to send out any directionals, and that others would soon be following.
When she stopped, Cres'sa moved over to Ed and peered down at his unmoving form. He was unconscious, but by tasting the air around him, she could tell he was still alive. The blood on his shoulder no longer oozed from the gaping gunshot. He was fortunate that the other soldier had not been equipped with a pulse rifle, but the xenomorph had no idea that any weapon was less deadly than another.
Cres'sa crouched next to Ed, emitting a low keening. She pushed gently at his body, tilting her head when he didn't respond. Her tongue tasted the flesh of his cheek. Why didn't he move? And where was her brother? Had the invaders killed Jonathan? No, she would have known if he had been killed.
The blood on her hands was drying. She felt revulsion, but an instant of curiosity compelled her to lick one hand with the tip of her tongue. She knew her kind had a history of killing humans, but being half human gave her a different reaction to the idea of killing unless pressed to, as she just had been.
She lapped at her palm. The blood had an unusual taste, not bitter, not sweet. It was unlike anything she had tasted before. Then revulsion replaced her curiosity once more. She ran her hands over the dirt, trying to remove the sticky mess from them. It only made a bigger mess. She raised her head up, screeing in anger and frustration. Then she went silent, swinging her head from left to right. Had she been heard?
Cres'sa nudged at Ed, willing the human to move so that he could tell her what to do. She reached out to touch the body of the man who had watched over her since her arrival on this planet. He might die because of her. She had killed to protect him, yet he still might die. She pushed again at him harder, mewling her distress.
Not knowing what else to do, Cres'sa curled up beside him, and waited. She would wait with him until he came around, or until he died.
Unbeknownst to his sister, Jonathan, along with Jennifer Phillips, had also taken a route through the woods that would afford them protection.
As Jenn lead the way, she asked, "Do you think your sister can handle herself should she and Ed come across any attackers?"
Jonathan answered icily, "She can, Sergeant Philips. My sister may be young by your accounting, but her human half makes her quite intelligent. More than any of our kind. We can protect ourselves, you don't have to worry about that." Placing a restraining hand on Jenn's shoulder, Jonathan stood behind her and whispered, "We shouldn't stay with these others. If they're being hunted, we would do better to go our own way."
Jenn stared at the mutant human, shrugging off his hand, hissing, "We don't abandon the team! We'll meet up with the Major, as ordered."
"I can keep you safe, Jennifer," he insisted, reaching for her again. He tugged at her wrist, startling her as he pulled her forward.
"Where the hell are you going?" she demanded as she jerked back against him. She did not want to be alone with him. Turning on him, she spoke sharply, "Wait a minute. Who's protecting whom? We follow orders and stick together, got that?"
"You humans are so arrogant. My kind would overrun you and take your precious world away from you before you could mount an offensive."
"If you were a man, I'd kill you where you stand for saying that." She'd had her fill of this half-human, the mission be damned. Alien or no alien, orders or no orders, as soon as she was able, she'd ask Major Tanner to relieve her of playing guardian to this insufferable asshole.
Jonathan grabbed Jennifer by the arm, bringing her even closer to him. "You serve one purpose, to do as I say." His uncle's words of warning had all but left his memory.
Jennifer struggled against Jonanthan's tight hold on her wrist. His breath was hot against her skin, but she wanted nothing more than to run from him, since killing him was out of the question. Mustering all the strength she had within her, she pulled hard, releasing herself from his clutches. She then raised her rifle to her shoulder, pointing it at him as she said, "Stop pushing me, or you won't live long enough to regret it."
Jonathan stared at her, then threw his head back as he laughed derisively, mocking the female's bravado. "You can't kill me, Sergeant. It's your job to protect me, remember?"
Jennifer gripped her rifle as she glared at the mutant who stood there, laughing at her. Damn him. She could shoot him now, and claim he had been killed by the enemy. But no, her sense of honor wouldn't allow it. The rifle came down as she admitted defeat only to his taunts. "Stay or go, I don't care anymore." She turned on her boot heel and left him behind. Jenn sighed when she heard footfalls behind her as she moved through the brush. He hadn't taken the bait and gone without her. Oh well, until she could speak with Major Tanner, Jonathan would remain a lodestone around her neck.