Thicker than Blood
I do not own any film in the Alien franchise.
Chapter 11
This chapter has a minor sex scene, nothing too explicit. and No, it's not involving Cres'sa, sorry to those who want that. Soon. :-)
Annalise sat in the back cabin of the ship, saying nothing as she reached out with her mind to her lost daughter. She was so close.
"There! Is that them?" Reardon pointed down at a clearing where two figures, one definitely not human, stood.
"Look, Cressa, it's one of ours," Ed shouted, waving madly in the air at the ship that hovered overhead.
The ship slowly descended until it was inches above the ground. Wheaton led Cres'sa to the open door. He waited for her to get in, not an easy thing due to her body shape. He climbed in after her, and told the pilot to take off. The ship headed for the coordinates that Tanner had given the two teams.
Annalise went to her daughter, happy to see her. She pressed her forehead to Cres' carapace, embracing her. Sul'ss touched his daughter as well. The soldiers on board elbowed each other as they watched the family reunion. It wasn't something they were used to.
Both ships now met at the abandoned air base. No one had seen this base before, and they weren't expecting much.
Tanner's ship hovered over a large hanger. From up here, it really looked like nothing. Was this the right place? Reardon saw the roof of the hanger slowly slide open. It was empty. Reardon brought the vessel inside and down, until he made a soft landing on the hard deck. The second ship followed the first, to land next it. The roof closed, and the floor dropped.
The crew watched through the windows, as they were taken deep beneath the surface. The platform finally came to stop. Everyone exited the ships, completely taken aback at the size and scope of the room they now stood in. Banks of monitoring and computer stations lined one whole wall. There was virtual charts, weapons counters, the works.
"How long have you been working on this, Major? You couldn't have done this in mere months," Wheaton asked.
"Why weren't we told?"
"This place is awesome!"
"Are we fighting the Company from here?"
"It's great. From outside, you'd never know."
Everyone walked around, excitedly peering at the panels, screens, and other things they weren't even sure about.
Jenn spoke with Tanner while Jonathan mentally communicated with his parents and his sister. "So, sir, what is our next move?" She barely suppressed a yawn as she asked the question.
"Your first move will be to get some shut eye, Sergeant. That's an order."
"Where can I bunk down, sir?" Jenn only now just realized how tired she was.
"We have all the amenities here, Jennifer." He placed a prtective arm around her shoulders, and led her to a hall. "Down here, to the left, there is a bunk room with beds and showers. Go get some rest. You deserve it. Take the kid with you too." He nodded toward Jonathan. "You two did really well out there. You make a good team."
Jenn chuckled. 'Yeah, we sorta do. Unfortunately."
Tanner raised his eyebrows.
"Nevermind, sir. Thank you, Major." Jennifer headed over to the xeno family, interrupting them briefly. "Come on, Jonathan. Major Tanner insists we get some rest. Excuse us."
Jonathan spoke to his mother, bid his father and sister goodbye, and followed Jennifer to the hall, where they sought out the bunk room.
"Hey, this isn't bad for an underground bunker," Jenn exclaimed, as she opened the door and perused the area. Lined up along both walls were bunks that appeared to be more like mini hotel beds. Each had a pillow, clean crisp linen, and a blanket. She couldn't wait to curl up on one of those beds.
Jonathan removed his coat and sunglasses. He draped the coat over the end of one of the beds, and sat down on it. His eyes followed Jennifer as she chose one of the beds, sat, and removed her boots.
Lying down, Jenn stretched and moaned with pleasure. It felt so good to be on clean sheets and a soft mattress. She'd shower later, that was how tired she was. It would also be good to finally sleep without keeping one eye open at all times. She turned on her side, and closing her eyes, curled up for a long sleep. Something in front of her blocked the dull light of the room. She opened one eye, to see Jonathan standing over her. "Is there anything wrong?"
"No, not really. I just thought that...I mean, would it be ok if I lay next to you?"
His tentative query made him seem almost child-like, and not the strong fighter she has seem him be. "Uh, sure," she answered, scooting over a bit. The cot sunk in as Jonathan lay next to her. Awkwardly, she sank back onto the mattress, and curled up into his arms. It felt warm and safe, so she closed her eyes and nestled against him.
Jonathan smiled. At last, Jennifer trusted him. He feared he would never reach her, and it was something he needed very much. He waited for her to fall asleep. When her breath became steady, he reached over to play with a tendril of her dark hair. It was soft, and curled around his finger as if alive. No one on his world, save for his mother, had hair. He lay back with the tendril still wrapped in his hand. So it was, together, the tired soldier and the mutant alien slept.
Or tried to.
"What's this?" It was Ed Wheaton standing over the pair.
"Ed, damn it. The major said we could sleep, and you come barging in here. Now leave please!"
"I will, sweetheart, but first I have to give you a message from said major. We're having a meeting in about 5 hours, so get your rest. Just be there on time."
"Do I at least have time to shower?"
"Sure, if you play your time right," Ed answered.
Jennifer reached over and grabbed a pillow off the neighboring bunk. She tossed it at Ed's head. "Get out, Wheaton."
Ed threw the pillow back on its bed, saying as he backed out of the room, "I'm going, I'm going. No hanky panky between you two now."
"Get out!" Jennifer sighed, and let her head fall onto Jonathan's shoulder. She fell asleep in 2 minutes flat.
OoOoOoOoOo
Jennifer roused from a restful sleep, although she felt it wasn't nearly enough. Jonathan was nowhere to be seen. She rose and headed for the shower facility. Private cubicles lined one wall. She grabbed a towel off a wall shelf, and entered on of the cubicles. Removing her clothes and hanging them on a wall hook, Jenn turned on the water to a pleasantly hot stream. She stood under it, and reveled in something she had not felt in days. It was so good. She pressed a button on the wall container that released shampoo into her palm. She cleansed her long dark hair until it was squeaky clean. Then she soaped her body, enjoying the fresh smell of it. When she was done, she just closed her eyes, and let her muscles relax in the hot water.
She suddenly felt hands on her waist. Turning, she was ready to elbow whoever it was behind her, when she saw...
"Jonathan! What are you doing here?" She was about to berate him soundly, when she felt his hands slide up her torso to her breasts. His lips nibbling on her neck didn't help any either. She gave up, and leaned against him, letting his hands do what they wanted. It had been a long time since she had been with anyone. And she had come to trust Jonathan during their time together.
Jonathan had feared Jennifer would get angry and stop him, but her subtle movement gave him silent approval. It pleased him, since he was far too aroused to stop now. He turned her body slightly, and reaching for her hands, pulled them up. He placed them flat on the shower wall. Positioning himself behind her, he pressed himself against her, letting her feel his arousal. he had never mated before, so every sensation was new and exciting to him. Although they were standing, Jonathan was covering her body with his, so close was he to her. He felt her press back against him.
Jennifer had not wanted to be with anyone for quite some time. And she barely had to time wonder about the consequences of being with Jonathan. Hell, she just didn't care. "Do it," she whispered. She squirmed against him, making herself more accessible to him. Her breath was taken away when he entered her, such was his size. She had no idea that the mutant human/xenomorph would be more xeno than human in that area.
When Jonathan heard Jennifer gasp as he entered her body, he pulled back, having no desire to hurt her. But when she wriggled against him, he knew he had not damaged her in any way. He continued to thrust into her, each time, feeling her muscles contract around him. It was becoming impossible for him to think, relating back to the animal desires within him.
Human and alien continued their sexual dance as the warm water sprayed over their joined bodies. Hands were as bodies, clasped together, fingers tightly entwined.
Jonathan felt his muscles tighten. He plunged deeply into Jennifer once more, when he felt something odd and wonderful suffice his entire body. He stopped moving as he felt a delicious pulsing in his male organ. He could not hold in the groans of pure pleasure.
Jennifer felt Jonathan begin to cum inside her, his penis feeling as if it were even larger than he had been at first. He filled her so with his semen, that she felt it begin to run down her legs, before it was washed away by the water. She felt herself lose control, as she experienced the strongest orgasm she'd had in ages. Her hands clenched on the tile of the shower wall as she bucked against her new lover.
Both relaxed as the waves of pleasure began to taper off, and Jonathan slipped out of her.
"Oh my god," Jennifer whispered. Her breath came out in pants as she tried to steady her heartbeat. Jonathan once again, had his hands over hers, clenching her fingers in his. She twisted around so that she could look up at him. His black eyes connected with her very human eyes. She reached up to place a hand on the back of his neck. She pulled his head down to kiss him, capturing his lips with her own.
Jonathan tasted her, his hands running up and down her wet back.
Too abruptly, Jennifer pulled back. "I have to get cleaned up, Jonathan. We have that staff meeting soon." She reluctantly stepped back, reaching up for a washcloth.
"Please allow me," he said, his voice low. He could have mated with her again, but she was right. Uncle Tanner would expect them to be there. He took the washcloth from her hands and knelt down in front of her. He gently cleansed her, ignoring the tiny gasps she made as he finished up. No time, he told himself. Standing, he bent down to give her one final kiss, before leaving the cubicle.
Jennifer moaned, unwillingly to part from Jonathan so soon, but then she smiled. There would be time, later.
Both headed to lockers that contained fresh clothing, then went in search of the meeting place. The mutant followed his human, now certain she was his mate, and his alone. And he would fight anyone who might try to part them.
OoOoOoOoOo
A guard stopped Jennifer as she and Jonathan went in search of the conference room. "This way, Sergeant," said the guard. He took them to the correct room, and left them.
"Take seats, you two," Tanner said.
Jennifer saw a coffee machine sitting on a side table, next to containers of scrambled eggs and cooked bacon. "Oh my god, I have to have some of this first."
Tanner smiled. "Go right ahead, both of you."
Everyone was sitting around a large table. Each seat had a small computer pad built into the table top. In the middle of the table hung a rather large clear panel.
"This complex is fantastic, sir," Jennifer remarked to Tanner.
"And it's all ours, Philips. Even the Pentagon knows nothing about this base."
Wheaton nodded his approval. "We never got much help from them anyway."
"All surveilance and defensive systems are online, sir," one soldier announced.
"Perimeter alerts active, sir!" another said crisply.
Tanner touched the panel, which came to life. Several boxes appeared in the panel, graphs and other illustrating of statistics. "Ok, so far, we know little about these off-worlders. Casualties have been bad, and we don't even know why. Our losses number 12, while intercepted data indicates the Company losses to be at 187."
"187!" one of the soldiers uttered.
We managed to dig up a few intel reports dated over 25 years ago.
"There was one report made by a Major Alan Schaefer..."
"Is that Dutch Schaefer?" Anyone who had been in the military more than 15 years knew who Dutch Schaefer was.
"The same. He and his team were sent into Central America on a rescue mission back in 1987, when they were attacked by some unknown force. The major's team was picked off one by one, until the major was the only one left. He claimed to have been attacked by some alien creature. According to the report, the creature managed to take some body part from each soldier. Some were even skinned."
"Hunters. They must be hunters of some sort. Killing and taking trophies from their kills basically. That's what the reports indicate, sir."
"Why have we heard nothing about this before, Major? Alien visitors killing people and taking body parts. Seems something would have leaked out about that, especially to the military."
"So far, there have relatively small-group contacts, nothing widespread. It's one reason the general populace has no idea of their existence."
"Over the ensuing years, there have been reports across the globe of mass killings where the victims looked like they had been hunted. All were armed, and all had some body part or parts missing. Not all were military, however."
While everyone was discussing the information the panel was showing, Cres'sa sensed something different in her brother. A new scent surrounded him. It was...it was similar to what Cres'sa tasted when she was around the female human who protected her brother. She also sensed different emotion through their bond. Her brother had draped his arm over the back of the chair the female was sitting on. His hand was touching the female, caressing her shoulder, playing with her hair. Jonathan had mated with the female! Cres'sa felt it through their bond. She looked over at Ed Wheaton. Feelings welled up inside her she didn't understand.
"There was a later expedition to the Antarctica, circa 2004, where there were several deaths reported. This expedition had been funded by Weyland Industries. It resulted in the demise of Mr Charles Weyland himself.
"Wow. So those things have been here for some time," Reardon piped up.
"Actually, they may have been here as far back as ancient times." Pulling up a picture, Tanner continued. "This is a drawing found in a pre-Aztec temple." The photo showed a crude depiction of one of the creatures that had killed some of Tanner's people.
"Son-of-a-bitch. It's one of them."
"That's not all. The same temple had this drawing."
The panel showed a depiction of a xenomorph. Jonathan sat up, and stared at the screen. "Our people have been to Earth before, and so long ago."
Tanner answered, "Apparently. Some of the drawings indicated that the hunters, if we will continue to call them that, fought with the xenomorphs."
"But how did they get here?"
"We don't know yet, Jonathan. Perhaps these hunters brought them. There have been reports about attacks in Asia and Japan, India, England and the US, dating back to late BC times. Many ended up as legends, tall tales of encounters with gods from the sky, things like that."
"This is insane. So how do we fight them?"
"Based on our own experience, they seem to have some sort of shields that make them practically invisible. Schaefer's report indicates that as well. So, mission one, find out what the heck can provide cloaking and how do we counteract that. Two, watch for any reports of attacks on ships, bases, or people. So far, it has only been military or armed personnel that have been hit. No private vessels, passenger ships, or free citizens that we know of."
"Sir, do we stay here for the time being?"
"Yes, I want each and everyone of you to get used to your assignments. You will find duty rosters posted on the announcement board. That is located in the break area. Sleep periods and meals will also be posted. The guards have one purpose, to keep watch. But we all have that responsibility as well. Flight personnel will check over the ships, and make sure they are ready to be operational at all times. We'll have another meeting in 72 hours. Ok, people, let's get to work!"
Everyone left the conference room and headed for the large break room, where several interface panels held duty, sleep and meal assignments. Notes were made and added to personal data files with reminder alerts.
Ed made sure he had his information, then turned to Cres'sa, sensing something different in her mood. "What is it, girl?" He started for the supply room, with the xeno following close behind.
When the pair had reached their destination, Ed started hunting for the things he needed to get to Reardon for ship maintenance.
Cres'sa waited for the human male. As he passed by her, she reached out to caress his hair.
"What are you doing, Cres? Come on, help me here." Ed began to pull items from shelves, making note on his computer pad what he was taking. He was blocked by an antsy xenomorph. "Ok, Cres, what's up with you? You're acting very weird."
Cres'sa placed a hand on the chest of the male, her fingertips running down the front of his shirt.
Ed watched the route Cres's hand was taking. What was she doing?
Lifting her head, she rubbed the carapace along Ed's shoulder. She opened her mouth to taste his scent from the air around him.
Ed stepped back. "Girl, if you are thinking what I think you're thinking, now is not the time." He had to admit he was feeling something, and wasn't sure what that was. He had never even had any fantasies about being with his charge, yet he knew that they had, somehow, formed a bond, a connection that he couldn't explain. He rubbed her carapace. "It's ok, girl. It may be nerves. Or maybe, you're going into puberty, xeno style. I think I'll talk to your mother." He shook his head and smiled. "Let's get the rest of these supplies, ok?"
Cres'sa held onto the things that her human passed to her. Yes, he was her human. As her brother had his human, she had hers. She could sense ever so slightly, the arousal in him. She decided it would not be long until she mated with him.
Author's Note:
Ok, I'm sorry but this chapter wasn't as Cres'sa/Ed centric as I had hoped. It won't be long. If things get too erotic, I will change the rating to M just to be safe. Thanks, readers.