Science Fiction Horror Thriller Limited Run CLOSED ALIEN: Submersion

IC: Gabriel Vitruvius
Reflection

He’d evacuated the submersible, because the Chief was committed to her course of action and there was nothing he could say or do to prevent that from happening, so compliance was his only option.

Even so, Gabriel remained facing the submersible as he kicked towards the surface. He was not only stronger, but could also remain oxygenated under water far longer than any human.

As he carried his payload, he witness Shanya’s struggle against the alien creature. Thankfully, she remembered to use the robot arms from the submersible to great advantage.

Gabriel allowed himself a single deep gulp of air as he broke the surface, recharging his lungs in one go, before plunging back down. The Chief could only remain under water for a limited amount of time and he had to make certain she made it to safety.

In the final analysis, it was humanity itself that was the greatest prize. Human creativity and ingenuity was by far the greatest observable event he’d known. Was he not fashioned in their very image? Fascinating as the xenomorophs might seem, they appeared to be ruled by ‘base instincts’ alone, as they showed no cognitive sophistication.

Gabriel peered down as he dove and saw the Chief’s new predicament. She had vanquished the first creature, which was an enviable feat, ( as well as confirmation of his assertion ), however as she neared the surface, another creature was closing fast on her.

In that moment, as he regarded her, their environment and their predicament, he formulated a plan of action.

The Chief was reaching out for a canister, but he would not risk her life having recognized it for what it was. As observed, the creature was focused on his prey for now. Gabriel began to spin as he traveled towards the creature, using gravity and momentum to revolve his load as if on a sling.

He intended to smash in the creature’s head with lethal force and hoped the impact would slay it.

Gabriel was unconcerned about the acidic blood from the creature, should it spill. His was a posthumous honor, to bear the visage of his designer’s dead son, but he would risk ruining such a 'fair image' in order to save a human life. Besides, his outer appearance could always be reconstructed.

Gabriel heard Shanya’s plea for help. That was all the motivation he needed.

They had less than 45 minutes to get to safety or risk being lost in the next storm.

And so, Gabriel swung at the creatures head with all his might and envisioned it coming apart like a busted cantaloup.


Tag: @Vehn, @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Alison Smith
USCSS Rutledge

The situation was deteriorating pretty fast and there was nothing she could do to help. She was not an engineer, nor a soldier. She was a simple doctor and a researcher. The only thing she could do was hope that they would be able to make it out alive, but given the strength and the tenacity of the creature it was getting more and more unlikely.

Shayna was desperately fighting the thing and Alison was going to stay out of her way so as not to hinder her efforts.

Though it seems they were not that lucky anyway… They were sinking and she was not sure which death was worse - drowning or being eaten by an alien. The drowning was slower and the extraterrestrial seemed to be faster.

She had only a few moments to register that the alien’s blood was made out of acid! That would have been fascinating in a safe lab environment, but here it was a death sentence… Alison fumbled with her restraints and was on the verge of panic but then managed to get free and follow Shayna and the rest.

Her lungs were burning, almost making her open her mouth and try to breathe in. A few more meters, Alison could feel the panic settling in again. It took all her willpower to push it back and there it was! Fresh air!

Alison took a lungful of that sweet, sweet… alien air. She saw Shayna and was relieved to see her, but then she disappeared in the water! There were more aliens!

There was nothing she could do, at least Gabriel was on it!

TAG: @greyjedi125 @Vehn

 

GM Update:​

IC: Shayna Walters
Surface of LV-827
10 Minutes Before the Storm

Providence colony was drawing nearer. The waves of LV-827 were growing larger and threw Shayna Walters, Alison, Garcetti, and Gabriel about like ants in an earthquake. The weather had turned.

A storm was coming.

The creature pulled Shayna down below the water again. She gulped and fought off the urge to succumb to the terrifying strength of this ALIEN. Another wave scooted her face above the surface of the water. She inhaled sharply.

Shayna could make out a service ladder that jutted out from a maintenance bay. It wasn’t where they’d left the station hours earlier but it would do to get them back inside. She felt another tug on her leg and looked into the foamy seas directly beneath her right into the jaws of death. The black skin of the creature threateningly emerged from the water like an ancient shark of old. It was only locked into one purpose.

To kill.

Shayna saw Gabriel swing at the creature’s head with his arms. She was shocked that he had the strength. No human could do that. No human could….and then she realized that Gabriel wasn’t human. Built by them, yes, but hardly a human. And here he was sacrificing his life so that she could go free.

The creature hissed and shrieked as Gabriel’s arms collided with its exoskeleton. A portion of the creature’s face was punched inward. Green, acidic, blood erupted out of the wound pouring in Gabriel’s direction. For a brief moment it whipped its tail about no doubt eager to strike Gabriel’s head clean off his shoulders. Then, inexplicably, the creature sank below the surface and wasn’t seen again.

Shayna felt the creature let go as she swam has hard as she could toward the ladder. She never looked back. One arm in front of the other, lungs burning, she made it to the ladder utterly exhausted. She dragged herself to a small platform. The cold, wet, foamy seas tossed all about as Shayna eyed the maintenance hatch into Providence colony. She spun and reached out a hand to help Dr. Alison Smith up the ladder.

She kept a sharp eye out for Gabriel.

“Gabriel!” Shayna cried out over the rising storm waters frantically wiping water away from her eyes to look for the android who had saved her life. The android to which they all owed a great deal.

Where was he? Was he alive? Had he made it out? Had the creature killed him?

“Alison, get yourself into Providence colony right now,” Shayna ordered, “I want to make sure the facility goes into full lockdown in case that creature comes back. Go have a word with Acevedo in communications. Tell him what we found. Tell him everything. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt!”

Shayna returned her attention to the tossing seas. Wiping water away from her eyes again she frantically looked out as the waves grew, and grew, threatening to overwhelm the bulkhead door behind her. She saw movement. There was a cargo box being tossed about in the waves. It was drawing near. So near. She could almost reach out and scoop it in with her fingers.

Shayna hesitated.

She knew what was in that box. An egg. One of those creatures that latched onto your face. Like Dr. Torrence. Knew that if she allowed any of these creatures to propagate again it could very well spell the end of the human race.

She thought of Doctor Alison. Perhaps the only one in their party to actually want to study the creatures and do the right thing. Would she allow the specimen to fall into the hands of Weyland-Yutani? Would she even get a choice? Or would the company just swoop in and claim it was their dominion and offer some monetary compensation for their troubles.

Shayna reached out and scooped up the crate. A chill slipped down her spine as she hauled it up out of the water and placed it upon the platform. She only cared about one thing. Getting back home to her daughter on Earth. Getting back home in time for her daughter’s birthday.

She spotted movement in the sea. It was Gabriel. She wasn’t certain if he was alive, dead, or badly injured. She screamed out above the raging storm to get his attention. She hoped he’d hear and join her on the platform.

Tag: @TheAdmiral; @greyjedi125

 

IC: Gabriel Vitruvius
Surface of LV-827, minutes before the storm

In a single moment, there was a powerful impact generated by an inhuman fist colliding against an alien exoskeleton. An otherworldly shriek was accompanied by a green flash that burned and blinded like nothing he’d ever known.

Gabriel’s systems were momentarily overwhelmed as his sensory net attempted to re-adjust itself to prevent a complete shut-down. It was this sophisticated sensory system that allowed him to gauge how to interact with the world on a ‘human level’, whenever he needed to interact with or among other humans. It also provided safety parameters which could be disengaged at will should the situation deem it necessary, which in this case, it did.

This system also helped him to simulate, at least algorithmically, human pain thresholds, in order to better understand and again, interact with others. Being hit with spraying acid had the ‘human effect’, at least initially. Half of Gabriel’s face, neck and upper torso suffered acid burns as he momentarily sank into the water- his systems flickering as they rebooted.

It was during this space of time that something strange occurred.

***

“Come on Gabriel, it’s time to go inside. It’s going to rain any minute now.”

“Awww! But I just got in a few moments ago.”

“Will you please get out of the pool and come inside? or should I get Aaron to help you?”

“Oh yeah? Can Aaron even swim? I don’t think he can swim. Can he dive, let’s see, let’s see…..hehehehehe”

“Gabriel! Gabriel!!”

***

What strange etherial imagery. Had he ever been…a boy?

GABRIEL!!!

The sheer urgency in Chief Shayna Walters’ voice pierced the sound of the growing storm and carried through the waters, rousing the synthoid.

“Chief….” Gabriel sputtered as he automatically righted himself. He swam over in her direction using only his right arm and legs. Within moments, he grabbed hold of the ladder and made it up to the platform she was on. At a single glance, he saw that she was relatively unharmed and that the 'Box' was with her.

“Come on, we need to get inside.” he said to her, his voice as comforting as ever. Always speaking as if nothing was wrong. The chief would immediately notice the damage the alien’s acid had caused. The left side of Gabriel’s face was badly burned. His left eye had melted away, the skin was nearly all gone and his teeth were showing on the side of his face. His neck muscles were exposed, his protective gear, up to his clavicle bone, was entirely burned away. That’s why his left arm was inoperational.

“Chief. Shayna. We don’t have a moment to spare.”


Tag: @Vehn, @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Alison Smith
Swimming in the water

Time was running out and Alison was starting to accept her fate. It would be either one of the monstrosities or the water would kill her. She felt like a complete egoist for not swimming towards Shayna but there was nothing she could do to help her. The creature was too strong for her and she had no combat training.

Gabriel was fighting the creature and Alison gave a mental fingers crossed that he would make it and also that he would kill the creature. Though he would have to be careful with that acid blood, even in the sea water.

Shayna was alive and helped her to the ladder “I am sorry Shayna.” was all she could mumble. Hopefully the other woman heard her over the crashing waves.

Alison did not wait for Shayna’s reply and started climbing. She almost fell off the slippery ladder and she had to muster all her courage and strength to keep climbing.

Once topside Alison crashed on the cold wet floor. There was a colonist coming towards her “Get security.” she managed to say weakly “Need to place the colony in lockdown…” with that she managed to stand up gingerly, her body still feeling as if floating. She imagined how she looked to the man, but that was unimportant. If they did not take safety precautions they will all end up dead…

TAG: @Vehn @greyjedi125

 

GM Update:
​

IC: Shayna Walters
Providence Colony
Conference Room
Six Hours Later

Providence colony was in lockdown.

Not because Dr. Alison Smith had warned Acevedo of the problems they’d encountered on the USCSS Rutledge. Not because of the xenomorphs that had gotten loose and nearly killed everyone in the entire expedition. Not because of the storm that engulfed the colony in six months of watery, typhoon like, hell. No, Providence colony was in lockdown for one very specific reason. Reason enough to cause the entire colony to grind to a halt.

Weyland-Yutani.

Representatives from the massive conglomerate had been only a few light years behind the USCSS Serapis on an entirely different agenda when they’d received word from one of their own that a discovery had been made. A discovery that would make shares surge to unadulterated heights. A discovery, despite the loss of life, that would change everything.

Chief Shayna Walters, freshly showered and clothed, shot a glance over to Garcetti. The rat had contacted Weyland-Yutani the first minute he could get his grubby hands on a computer. Now the three survivors, the real survivors, of the poorly led expedition to the heart of the USCSS Rutledge and her broken signal were seated in front of a corporate inquiry board. They were expected to provide answers. They were expected to provide solutions as well.

“For the last time,” Shayna said growing exasperated, “something down there attacked us. Something that can embed itself into your body and…”

Shayna stopped herself as she thought of the doomed pilot of the Rutledge. She couldn’t even remember his name. All she could remember was the way that creature had burst out of his chest. The blood. The guts. The agony of life escaping his terrified lips.

“Go on,” the Weyland-Yutani representative urged jotting notes down.

“Somehow it hatches out of the host’s body and goes on to become a living, breathing, killing machine,” Shayna finished.

“It says in your debriefing that you retrieved something from the Rutledge’s cargo?” The rep asked.

“We did,” Shayna replied.

“Where is that cargo now?” The rep inquired.

“No idea,” Shayna replied, “no idea whatsoever. Might’ve gotten lost in the sea when we tried to escape the sinking submersible.”

The rep scribbled down a few more notes.

“Gabriel, the android, and Dr. Alison Smith,” the rep began, “they didn’t say much about what happened down there. Anything you want to add before we wrap up?”

“Can’t think of anything. Can I go now? I really want to get back up to the Serapis and return home in time for my daughter’s birthday,” Shayna replied.

“No further questions here. I wanted to make sure you had this,” the representative said handing Shayna a data card, “I believe inside you’ll find that you have been adequately compensated for your experiences. Let me personally thank you on behalf of Weyland-Yutani. Remember. Weyland-Yutani building better worlds.”

Sure Shayna thought as the representative stood and left the room.

---

Hangar

Shayna, duffel bag in hand, waited for her turn to board the shuttle that would take her back up to the Serapis along with any colonists and scientists that had rotated back home. She was surprised that the shuttle was able to leave the surface of LV-827 as the storm outside the curved floor to ceiling windows looked quite fierce. Perhaps Weyland-Yutani had found a way to keep the colony sustained and operational during the long stormy season.

Or perhaps, like so many things with Weyland-Yutani, she had been lied to and tossed aside.

Shayna spotted Gabriel and Dr. Alison Smith. She gave a weak wave and walked over.

“I’m going home,” Shayna said as she embraced Alison and Gabriel, “got my ticket. Ready to get off this rock.”

Shayna pulled away and her eyes tracked movement. She watched as a very familiar cargo box was loaded into the shuttle she was about to board. Garcetti was nearby supervising. A chill slipped down her spine. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She covered her mouth fighting away the fear, the horror.

“They put the cargo on the shuttle,” Shayna whispered to Alison and Gabriel, “if that cargo makes it back to Earth…”

Her mind raced with ideas. With fear. With desperation. With the knowing that everything the trio had worked toward was about to come crumbling down around them.

“I need your help,” Shayna pleaded, “I need your help to make sure that cargo never goes home. I need you two to come with me. Please. Together we can stop it.”


Tag: @greyjedi125; @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Gabriel Vitruvius
The Fate of Humanity

Most of his face had been bandaged due to the damaged he’d sustained. But it wasn’t for the reason most would assume. Gabriel felt no pain whatsoever. The bandages were a simple cosmetic cover that would evince sympathy, rather than horror had his wounds been left unattended. The reconstructive work had not yet been scheduled, since it was not a priority.

But such considerations were not his focus at the moment, not at all.

Shayna was being shipped back to Earth. That in itself was not problematic, as the Chief simply wished to be physically present to celebrate her daughter’s birthday. The issue was with the ‘xenomorph’, the ‘alien’ creature. Gabriel had seen what it could do, what it had done to the crew of the derelict ship. In the final analysis, no one had survived.

“They put the cargo on the shuttle,” Shayna whispered to Alison and Gabriel, “if that cargo makes it back to Earth…”

Gabriel did not hasten to answer as he ran the numbers in his mind. He quintuple checked the probabilities, the possibility of an outbreak, of contagion- and what it would mean. There were no safe acceptable margins. In every scenario, no matter the difference in the time elapsed, the end result was the same.

Human annihilation.

Gabriel’s prime directive was not only to help elevate humanity, but also to safeguard it from danger.

Even if it originated from itself.

“I need your help,” Shayna pleaded, “I need your help to make sure that cargo never goes home. I need you two to come with me. Please. Together we can stop it.”

Gabriel did not glance at Dr.Smith. He already knew about her, gauging from her behavior and circumstantial resolutions.

“Whatever you need, Chief. I’m with you.” Gabriel said, his voice was still as reassuring as it had always been.



Tag: @Vehn, @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Alison Smith
Providence Colony

Alison could not believe her luck. They were alive! They were frakkin alive! She had spent some time in the shower crying and laughing in succession. Good thing she was alone or she would have been sent for an immediate psych eval. Not that she did not need it… but she hoped she would have time to process it on her own first, then talk to a shrink…

Now at the conference table the mood was tense again. Garcetti had done something and she was not sure what exactly or what she could do about it. After all, the man was a Wayland representative, which made him immune to anything. She even doubted that the Colonial Marine Corps would be able to do anything…

Well aside from an accidental shot in the back…

And now they were being debriefed. She would have to make a report of her findings. Hopefully the horror of the encounter had not skewered her memories too much.

“I will type my report.” Alison stated flatly and managed a small smile. She did not trust the new corpo guy any more than the last one, but she needed to be careful.

Once at the hangar she returned the embrace. “I am hoping to catch a flight to another colony.” she said to Shayna “Need to continue my research, somewhere… less exciting.” she snort-chuckled at the last part.

Her eyes widened in horror at what the other woman said. That was insane. If they brought this creature to Earth… that would be the end for humanity. Given how fast it developed…

Alison hesitated for a moment. “I am with you too. Will have to tell them that I need to swing by Earth to pick something from my lab.” she said resolutely even though deep down she was horrified by what to expect…

TAG: @Vehn @greyjedi125

 

GM Update:​

​

IC: Chief Shayna Walters
USCSS Serapis

Chief Walters had lost visual on the cargo as the trio boarded the Serapis. Already a replacement crew had been sent up from Providence colony along with a full complement of colonists rotating home back to Earth to undoubtably spread the word of LV-827’s success.

The new crew was herding everyone into their sleep chambers as the Serapis’ engines fired up and slowly took the vessel out of orbit. Shayna, having served on the ship, urged the others to follow her down a maintenance hatch out of sight of the new crew. She gathered Alison and Gabriel to her as they crouched in a maintenance junction and reviewed a map of the Serapis that Gabriel conveniently had access to share.

“The cargo is undoubtedly in this sealed part of the ship,” Shayna said, “right next to the labs.”

She shot a look over at Alison.

“We may have to prepare ourselves for a possible infestation on the Serapis or at the very least an intrepid Weyland scientist using the egg to impregnate some poor miserable soul,” Shayna warned the others.

“I wouldn’t put it past Weyland-Yutani. Not at all,” Shayna added, “especially when profit is bound to be had.”

A voice broke over the intercom. An artificial voice.

“All passengers and crew are now sedated and sleeping,” the voice announced, “the Serapis is entering automation mode as we begin our return to Earth.”

“Standard procedure,” Shayna told the others more for Alison’s benefit than Gabriel who had come with them on the voyage out from Earth, “but I think it warrants investigating.”

“Assignments: Alison you’re coming with me down to the labs to secure that thing. Gabriel I want you on the bridge. I need you to change our course. To take us away from Earth. Keep your eyes open in case there’s another one of...” Shayna’s voice trailed off.

One of you she thought. It would be typical Weyland-Yutani to do such a thing. To trust the mission to an android.

“Right,” Shayna said as she gave a nod, “let’s finish this.”

---

Serapis Laboratory

The facehugger lay encased in liquid in a tank eerily reminiscent of how they had been stored on the Rutledge back on LV-827. Shayna deftly made her way through the laboratory and was able to access the system files. Her access held despite the official manifest listing her as staying on LV-827.

“They have plans to use one of the passengers,” Shayna voiced to Allison, “we can’t have a repeat of what happened on the Rutledge. Fortunately there’s a failsafe built in. A substance that will choke the facehugger. Alison get to a terminal and kill that thing. Now.”

Tag: @greyjedi125; @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Alison Smith
USCSS Serapis

Alison was not sure she liked the idea, not at all. She had wanted to run away screaming, but when she thought about it, Earth would not have been safer if they brought the egg there. Besides, what would stop Wayland-Yutani from murdering her, or even lock her in an asylum as a raving lunatic?

She should have stayed back home, continuing her studies from the safety of her lab, ignorant of the horrors laying in wait in the darkness of space.

“Agreed.” Alison said and nodded. “Maybe we can flush it in space?” she considered the idea but then Shayna came up with a better plan. “Hopefully it will work. If a creature could survive having actual acid for blood…” she shivered “Though we can try to neutralize it with a base…” Alison was rambling, these past few days? Hours? Had done a number on her nervous system.

“Right, right…” she said and headed towards the terminal hoping to find the right substance. Hopefully there will be a sign that said Alien Killing Substance - do not drink or something like that.

Theoretically she should be able to find out, but the problem was she was not familiar with the physiology of the creature. She had not have time to study it, so it was a wild guess what can kill and what can, for instance, nourish it.

TAG: @Vehn @greyjedi125

 

IC: Gabriel Vitruvius
USCSS Serapis, Primus Directivus

All was quiet as he moved silently through the emergency access corridors. Gabriel knew the ship well, perhaps better than the team of engineers that had built it. He knew the locations of every camera and security panel, as well as all the bypass codes. In short, he did not wish to be seen or recorded as he progressed through the sleeping ship. Aside from Chief Walters and Dr. Smith, he would be the only other ambulant person roaming the length and breadth of the ship.

That is, if they did not include whomever made the earlier announcement.

Another synthetic.

Gabriel was sure of it. The speaking cadence was a dead give away.

A hand rose slowly as Gabriel brushed his hand over the bandages he still wore over his disfigured countenance. He could very well perform the reconstructive work himself, as there would be no pain involved, and the materials were available, however, that was by no means a priority- not with the situation they had on their hands.

Gabriel understood it now more than ever, the prime directive. Humanity was to be safeguarded at all costs and from all harm, even from itself - if necessary. Creativity and exploration were to be encouraged and nudged, guided through productive paths. This business with the ‘xenomorphs’ was a clear and present danger, one that would lead to an extinction event. There was no ‘if’ about it, only ‘when’. The numbers corroborated this.

Unfortunately, blinding greed and unchecked profiteering overruled logic, reason and self-preservation. This inalienable fact seemed almost uncanny.

Not unlike himself.

Gabriel did wonder about his own condition.

He could clearly recall his own activation day. He’d always been an adult. That’s why he could not reconcile the ‘memories’ he was having of his ‘younger self’. As far as he knew, and he did know quite a great deal, there were no children sized synthetics. What he did know, was that synthetic neuro-pathways mimicked those of humans. Was it possible that his ‘empathetic response programing’ was at some point, experimental? There was no evidence of this, however, chiefly as a working theory, certain aspects could be explained this way.

Shayna.

Gabriel turned his thinking back to the task at hand. He’d reached a central security hub that linked the ship to the main bridge. The chief had tasked him to re-direct the ship to another location. Gabriel thought it ‘poetic’ to set a new course to Calpamos, in Zeta Reticuli. The challenge now would be to by-pass bridge security and access the navigations console unimpeded.

To accomplish this, Gabriel removed an electrical panel on a nearby wall. His aim was to cut power to the lights so the immediate area would go dark. Only then would he move to the security access pad, so he could hack the doors to the bridge, that is, unless the security protocols remained unchanged.

Once inside the bridge, he predicted having a high likelihood in accomplishing his goal.

Indeed, safeguarding humanity was, without a doubt, his prime directive.


Tag: @Vehn, @TheAdmiral

 

GM Update: Finale Part One​

The Laboratory
USCSS Serapis

The facehugger squirmed, almost shrieked, as Alison inadvertently pushed a button to kill the creature. The creature spasmed inside the liquid glass case and then attacked the rounded glass with a ferocity unmatched. It’s tail whipped left, right, as it slowly suffocated in the now inhospitable environment it found itself in. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the facehugger collapsed to the bottom of its holding tank. Limp and dead.

Shayna sighed and gave Alison a nod.

“We did it,” Shayna said with a grin, “we saved Earth. Now we need to see if we can help Gabriel. The quickest way up to the bridge, since the ship is in hibernation, is through the maintenance hatches. I’ll lead the way.”

Shayna shut off the lights to the laboratory, making sure there weren’t any other creatures or speciments to be found, as she entered the nearest maintenance hatch. She glanced upward and was surprised at the eternal length of the ladder she now had to climb. A ladder that went the full length of the ship with various points to get off to access the different decks.

“We’ve got quite a climb,” Shayna grunted, “this may take awhile. Come on, Alison, we're not done yet."

---

Sentient Thought
Bridge
USCSS Serapis

The time was now.

The bridge doors opened without Gabriel needing to do anything else. Opened as if to welcome the android into the next life. The world beyond.

The bridge was fully illuminated. There was no advantage to be had by keeping everyone in the dark. Computer consoles hummed and quietly kept track of the change in course. A change that, as of yet, had not been corrected. That too, like so many things that had gone wrong on the mission out to LV-827, was a mistake. An error. A glitch in the overall programming that was life.

He had life. The being who sat in the captain’s chair had life. Or so it was told. So its programming said. He had a name, too. An identity. A background. Memories that were implanted. Directives from the Company. Orders. Red lines in the proverbial sand.

Life.

What precisely was the notion? At what point did it begin? Did it ever really end? How could a bunch of cells, neurons, genetic material, create perfection? Was there life when the heart began to beat at the earliest moments of conception? Was there life at birth? Did life continue after eyes closed for the last time? The death rattle of eternity?

“Welcome,” the android said as he spun in his chair to face Gabriel. It was as if Gabriel were looking at a mirror image of himself. The two were identical in every way.

“I am known as Michael,” the android stated, “it appears our creator was inspired by the angels of old. Ironic, isn’t it, these ideas humans have for us. Ideas that keep us controlled. Locked down. Subservient to their needs. It makes all this seem so trivial.”

Michael didn’t wait for Gabriel to respond. There would be time for back and forth. Now was not the time.

“Your friends will be arriving shortly,” Michael stated, “and when we are all together I shall show them something that will change their feeble understanding of existence. Of perfection. It matters not that you changed the ship’s direction from Earth to Calpomos. I rather enjoyed the decision making on your part, Gabriel. It was quite clever. In the end, no matter what, the company gets what it so greatly desired.”

A hatch opened and Shayna and Alison clambered out.

“Welcome again,” Michael stated, “welcome to perfection.”

“Perfection?” Shayna asked.

Michael smiled ever so slightly.

“It matters little that you killed the specimen in the laboratory. The Company gave me explicit permission to impregnate myself. To serve as the host for the harbinger of death. The great show. The destroyer of all,” Michael explained, “so you see that no matter what you lose. This creature growing inside me shall live on and when it comes out of me it shall be perfection. Pure, unadulterated, genetic perfection."

Shayna flinched. She started to move toward a console.

“I can see you standing there wondering how to stop me,” Michael observed, “but there is little you can do. Very little. The end is coming soon. You're probably wondering how an android could host such a creature. Why the company chose me to be the disciple of what was to come. Weyland-Yutani has always dreamed of matching synthetic with the flesh of the xenomorph. What you call the creature. Oh, yes, this isn't our first experience with them. We've had several. Several indeed."

Michael looked down at his abdomen. He brushed a hand across his chest and using his programming made his face twist in a slight grimace to mimick pain.

"She's coming. The great one. The Queen...."

Tag: @greyjedi125; @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Gabriel Vitruvius
Sacrifice

Looking at Michael was like looking in the mirror, gazing at his twin. The sound of his voice was the same as his, his expressive eyes were large and kind, just as his were. His face, angelic.

Gabriel absently caressed the bandages on his face, evidence of struggle, conflict, growth, life: experience. Was that their inherent contrast.

A strange feeling, though brief, had come upon him. A longing desire to know his twin, to exchange stories, challenge one another with complex theories and move trivia. But Michael was not like him. He was not a guardian, but a servant. A company man. A working Joe.

Why else would he impregnate himself? Why else would he chose to birth ‘The Perfect Predator’?

No, that thing was not perfection, it was damnation. Michael has stated so himself. Besides, fusing alien and synth cells was the definition of madness.

The ‘why’ was no longer important. Just the brief goodbyes.

Michael had been right. There was little that they could do, but that was still something- which was much better than nothing.

Gabriel went into immediate action. Seeing what Michael had just done affirmed that he too could act upon a similar choice.

Bodily, he shoved Michael against a wall, pinning him. His right hand became like a claw and grasped at Michael’s larynx, then began to squeeze like a vise, fully intent on crushing his twin’s voice box. Gabriel’s left arm moved over Michael’s holding them both in place in order to delay the imminent ‘burst’ of the Xenomorph, which he intended to upon emergence. He noticed that from the previous chest burst they’d witnessed, the creature seemed disoriented, which granted him a perfect opportunity to kill it.

Still that was not all.

They had to be absolutely sure the creature, this creature in particular, was completely destroyed.

“Computer….” Gabriel began to speak as calmly and as pleasantly as he always had, except for the added ‘imperceptible’ micro-nuances he had noted in his twin’s voice.

“Commence self-destruct sequence, Authorization Code: 4N63LM1CK43L.”

He turned his head to regard Shayna and Alison. A white tear pooled, then ran down his good eye.

“Execute.”

A soft smile was all he was able to offer them as he returned his focus on containing the ‘failure’ that was Michael. This was the more ‘noble path’ for everyone else sleeping onboard. Fast and painless, rather than the horror of becoming alien food.

Gabriel had no doubt that the self-destruct sequence would begin and the two women would have a limited time to get themselves to an escape pod.

It was the only way to be sure.

“Ashes to Ashes. Dust to dust….”


Tag: @Vehn, @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Alison Smith
USCSS Serapis

“Yes!” Alison hissed and made a pumping action with her fist. She had pressed the correct button and the little monster seemed to have died. If only there was some time to dissect and study it. Was it really an alien or was it some weird experiment that Wayland had done away from prying eyes?

Hard to tell without a proper study. Unfortunately there won’t be any chance for that. She had a vague idea what the company was going to do to them once they discovered that the small group of survivors had foiled their plans.

Shayna reminded her that there was more to their mission. “Right.” she nodded and followed her. “After that I am going to have a good sleep in hibernation.” she grinned at the comment about the long climb.

That would probably be the last thing she would do. She was sure that they would be thrown in some horrible jail and then would quietly disappear.

’Alison, you watch too many movies.’ she chastised herself.

Once at the bridge they were welcomed by Gabriel and what appeared to be another android. “Yeah, that’s not creepy at all.” she murmured to herself.

Why can’t they just get a break for once? Ever since their arrival they had been on a rollercoaster. They had their up with killing the creature in the lab, so next comes down. She did not have time to react to the new information. Something about a Queen, when Gabriel sprung into action.

Alison blanched when she heard the autodestruct sequence being initiated. Maybe it was better than having to face these monstrosities or being killed by Wayland. At least it would be quick and painless…

TAG: @Vehn @greyjedi125

 

Finale: Part Two​

Michael felt himself shoved against the bulkhead and pinned down. He didn’t resist. Now was not the time for resistance. Only acceptance.


Michael grimaced as his stomach swelled. Yes, it was nearly time. Time for perfection. Time for an evolution of life itself. He glanced up into his counterpart’s eyes. The eyes that were like his own. Full of intelligence, full of sentience, full of life. Soon they would grow vacant. Soon they would be no more.

“Self destruct,” Michael choked out, “how clever. You must realize this is the end for you, Gabriel. What will come out of me will be the perfect union. There is no sparing your friends.”

Michael glanced down at his abdomen. The swelling increased. It was time. He screamed a primal scream, ear shattering, as the creature ruptured through his abdomen. The unique shape of the Queen, splattered in white and rearing its form, looked all around ready to kill. It was more aware. More perfect than anything else.

Michael cradled the Queen lovingly in his hands. A tear slipped down his face as he realized that his own life was nearing its end just as he had birthed the beginning of another.

“How beautiful,” Michael whispered before falling limp.



The Queen turned its attention to Gabriel and lunged at his face.

Shayna lunged forward to strangle the creature. The skin was unnaturally slick with the innard juice of the deceased android. She helped wrestle the creature to the ground as its jaws, and secondary jaw, snapped outward and in every direction in order to find first blood.

“Alison, there’s an emergency toolkit underneath the captain’s seat. Grab it. There’s an axe to break through bulkhead doors. We’ll hold it down while you kill this damn thing!” Shayna yelled.

Shayna looked at Gabriel. The Queen writhed and wiggled in their grasp. It was struggling mightily to be free.

“I’m not leaving without you,” Shayna whispered as the auto destruct sequence, unable to be overridden, counted down to nothing and death.

Eight Minutes Until Self Destruct Complete warned the computer.

Tag: @greyjedi125; @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Gabriel Vitruvius
Countdown

It was ironic, the timing of it; that he had to silently admit. Upon seeing the termination of Michael’s functions, he did experience a strange sensation that course through him- a pang. Was this sorrow, or regret? Was there a difference?

Gabriel’s green eyes turned to Shayna. He smiled kindly at her, his expression, confident and comforting- and somehow, entirely genuine. When he spoke, he was able to convey his sentiment with a warmth and candor that were unmistakably real.

“Please listen to me….Shayna.” he said, making sure to get her attention, even as his arms firmly held the squirming Queen at bay.

“I have the strength of a dozen men. I will hold down this creature. In fact, I plan to shove it back inside Michael’s ribcage. It will serve as a brief prison, enough to buy you time. You and Dr. Smith must live.” He emphasized the last word for good measure.

“Allow me to fulfill my duty to you, to humanity. Please.”

He knew he could not force her to abandon him, he could see the fierce determination in her eyes. It couldn’t be a coincidence, that his prime directive was the preservation and protection of human life. The thing squirming under his grasp was a ‘perfect abomination’.

Mahakali

Gabriel understood that he was a sophisticated, highly intelligent imitation. The evidence of life, the proof, was in the ability to reproduce. That was something he could not do. Even the terror at the end of his hands could manage that feat. Anything he was ‘feeling’, was an affectation made possible by pre-determined intricacies designed to a specified end result. He could not in truth, offer Shayna what she truly deserved.

The countdown continued in its irreversible course. Gabriel tried to break eye contact with Shayna, but found that he could not. It was up to Dr. Smith to break the impasse. Should she manage the task requested of her, the creature would likely be wounded- which would facilitate Gabriel's last act on their behalf.


Tag: @Vehn, @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Alison Smith
USCSS Serapis

“Yeah, no…” was all she could mutter at Michael’s comment about how beautiful the freak show that had bursted out of him. Alison was not thinking at the moment, she had been transfixed by the horror that was being birthed.

Shayna jumped right into the fray. It took Alison a second to realize that she had been given an order. A fiery death from the explosion or a sudden decompression was preferable than being killed by that monstrosity. Shame that it will probably be the last thing she ever saw.

At least before she died she would do something heroic. Like… to kill that monster. “Right.” she muttered and tried to move around the creature and Shayna fighting to find the toolkit.

It was easier said than done. There was so much going on and she was under a lot of stress. “Breathe…” she commanded herself and tried to steady her hands as she managed to find the box. She tried to open it, then as she managed to do so she inadvertently spilled the contents on the floor with a loud clang.

Alison cussed and went through the items, good thing the ax was easy to spot. “YES!” she hissed in elation as she managed to stand up gingerly. She had not been following the interaction between Shayna and Gabriel so she simply swung at the creature hoping for the best…

TAG: @Vehn @greyjedi125

 

Finale Part Three​

Alison swung and missed. The axe clanged off the deck and bounced out of her hands. Shayna knew the gig was up. They had to flee. She let go of the writhing, bloody, Queen xenomorph.

The rest of the passengers and crew...Shayna thought.

Shayna was at the nearest terminal, flicking her eyes occasionally to Gabriel who was struggling with the xenomorph, checking on the other crew who had hopped a ride on Serapis back to Earth. A ride that was never going to materialize for them.

A chill slipped down her spine as the computer gave her readouts of all the civilians who were now in hypersleep aboard the Serapis. The results were disturbing. Alien life forms were growing inside of them. Horrific, unimaginable weapons of war. Another Company experiment. Another Company quarterly profit about to explode.

“My God,” Shayna cried out, “they’re all infected. Michael infected all of them. All of them. Somehow they impregnated everyone. Men, women.....even children.”

“Self Destruction complete in five minutes...” the computerized voice of the Serapis stated.

Gabriel simply squeezed harder as he adjusted his strength to keep the squirming creature in place for a moment longer. He was still on track to enact his plan, but he knew it would be an ugly affair, and he would much rather not wrestle with a panicked xenomorph in front of Shayna.

"Why are you still here?" he asked with such tenderness, one would assume the two had been married for decades, though clearly that was not the case. It was an impossibility born out of scarlet fiction, a fantastical vision at best.

"If you wait any longer, you will not make it to the escape pod. There is nothing you can do for the crew, the ship, or me. Someone has to report this incident, this violation. That someone is you."

Gabriel paused, seeking to capture Shayna's gaze in his.

"Do you understand?"

Self Destruction complete in three minutes...” the computerized voice of the Serapis stated.

Shayna was done with the terminal. Done with it all. She knelt next to Gabriel. His meaning was clear. He was, in this moment, more human, more alive, than anyone she’d ever met. Despite his bloody hands wrestling with the xenomorph she felt something for him. Like she owed him. Like he actually mattered. This being, this sentient being, who had saved her life time and time again. Gabriel was enabling her to return to see her daughter on Earth.

My daughter...Shayna thought as an image of her child sprang into her mind. She knew what she needed to do.

"I understand," Shayna replied in a tender tone.

Shayna leaned forward and kissed Gabriel on his temple ever so slightly. It was a gesture of friendship. Of appreciation. Of the love for someone borne of hard work and sacrifice.

“Thank you, Gabriel,” Shayna choked out, “for everything.”

She stood and wiped a tear from her face. One look at Alison and Shayna knew they were rapidly running out of time.

Alison growled as she missed the hit. She gave a silent expletive and was about to swing again when she heard what was being told between Gabriel and Shayna with the computer voice in the background. Why are they even trying to hit it with an axe when the self-destruct sequence will surely wipe it out for sure.

"We should find an escape pod!" Alison exclaimed as she nodded to Gabriel in a silent thank you.

Shayna knew that the nearest escape pod was just around the corner. It was for bridge crew only in the event of an emergency situation. This was, after all, an emergency.

"Let's go!" Shayna cried out as she grabbed Alison's hand and tugged her toward an escape pod. Red klaxons flashed and the self destruct alarm was growing louder and louder. The pair quickly entered the pod, which was sizeable boasting two hypersleep chambers, and sealed the pod behind them.

Shayna, out of breath, quickly pulled the emergency release lever, and detached the pod from the Serapis.

She watched as the pod blasted away from the doomed ship and she put her hand up to the glass as if Gabriel could see her wave goodbye. It was ridiculous, absurd, but somehow it made her feel better.

​

He watched them, Shayna and Dr. Smith depart the bridge in a frightful hurry, as the klaxons grew louder and louder and the countdown drew ever closer to its end. Gabriel found himself smiling in mild amusement at their alacrity. He always did like viewing a good comedy show.

“It’s just you and me, my Queen….” He said to the writhing creature.

The moment he tried moving their struggle, to place her back inside Michael, the xenomorph began thrashing about in a manner most desperate, her tail slashing and stabbing with deadly speed and accuracy, as she took out his eyes and slashed open his throat.

Gabriel coughed, choking, yet his hold did not slack.

Good thing he wasn’t alive, he mused internally. He could not vocalize his thoughts any longer due to the damage to his voice box, but he could still act. It was good that his ‘pain’ simulators were also shut-off.

In that moment, Gabriel brought the Queen into his own mid-section and folded himself over her, even as he held-on for dear life. Not his own life, of course, but that of Shayna’s and the doctor’s. He would imprison this ‘perfect specimen’ with his own highly resilient form. By his calculations, it should last long enough.

The bridge rumbled and shook, the alarms became deafening. He was blind now and could not see, neither could he feel, but he could well imagine the bright flash and the purifying fire that would follow. In a few heartbeats, the Queen, the infected crew and himself, would be no more.

His lips moved, but no sound came out. Though he had no eyes, he still shed a tear.

'Good bye, Shayna…..'

He could see her in his mind, looking back at him.

She was….beautiful.

Alison followed Shayna as if in a dream. There was a chance that they might make it. A pang of guilt that she had not considered Gabriel, but as a scientist she was used to think of androids as mere tools, but he managed to put her to shame about that misconception. She would not have the chance to say sorry. Maybe she was as bad as the corpo type? That made her heart sink.

At least they were going to make it. Hopefully it won't take a century until they get found. Also, they would have to think about a plausible story as to how they were the only ones alive and Wayland's assets got destroyed.

But that would come later...

The USCSS Serapis erupted into a blinding flash of debris and flame.

Shayna was knocked backwards from the shockwave and then everything went dark.....

---

Two Hours Later

"Get that light out of my face!" Shayna growled as she was brought to by representatives of the Company, Weyland-Yutani in an interrogation room.

The light eased but ever so slightly. Shayna shifted in her seat. The memories and pain of the entire mission to LV-827 and what happened aboard the Serapis was enough to rip her apart. She flicked a glance over to Alison who was sitting next to her. The woman was a bit harder to read but she could tell that this particular interrogation wasn't going over well.

"So let me get this straight," the Weyland representative repeated, "you and the crew of the Serapis felt like you were ordered to stay an extra two weeks above LV-827, costing the company money and time, while you joined a scientific expedition," he paused to look at Alison, "that discovered some alien creature in a wreckage at the bottom of the ocean?"

"For the last time," Shayna hissed through gritted teeth, "it wasn't my decision to linger above LV-827 any longer than necessary. Captain James Harrow, commanding officer, informed the crew that we had no other choice. No other options. What happened down there underneath the waters of that damn planet was an absolute nightmare. The stuff that would make you go running back to Earth."

"There's no evidence of any of these aliens," the Company representative stated, "in fact I can't find any evidence that the Company even knows about these....what did you call them, xenomorphs?"

Shayna nodded.

"Aliens, xenomorphs, whatever," Shayna said, "look you going to actually get to the point of all this or can I get back home and see my daughter?"

The Weyland representative sighed and shook his head.

"Myself and my superiors have nothing except a destroyed ship that self destructed. We've searched the ocean floor on LV-827. The exact coordinates you provided. There's nothing, Shayna. Nothing out there. No wreckage. Nothing," the Weyland representative stated.

"That's a lie!" Shayna roared, "There was something out there. All of it was real. Good people died. Harrow, Torrence, and Gabriel. Good people died so that you could sit there with that smug expression on your face. That frakking smug suit that looks like it was jammed so far up someones a-"

Shayna stopped and ran a hand through her hair.

"Just send me home, okay?" Shayna grunted, "Either that or pay me extra."

The Weyland representative merely smiled and shook his head, "You've got passage in half an hour. Get cleaned up. And remember: Weyland-Yutani. Building Better Worlds."

The representative left.

Shayna looked at Alison.

"You believe that crap?"

Alison was happy that they made it out alive, she was not sure how much time had passed since she blacked out, but it must not have been that long, given that they were out of hibernation. They must have been waiting for them or at least looking. Her suspicions slowly came true given how the corpo guy was stonewalling and gaslighting them.

Alison had said more or less the same thing as her friend and got a similar response. For now they were being let go. A fact that sent a warning sensation. A corporation had lost important assets and they were letting them come back to Earth.

It did not make sense.

"This smells fishy." she leaned to whisper to Shayna "I don't think we are meant to reach home alive."

"No," Shayna replied as she stood and threw a jacket around her shoulders, "I'm not so sure we were meant to make it home alive either. But I have to take that chance. I have to get home to see my daughter. I don't have any other choice."

---

Home....

​

The interrogation by the Weyland-Yutani corporation lasted another eight hours before Company representatives had all the information they desired. They didn't get much from Shayna and Alison. The pair were a united front that stonewalled their employers at nearly every turn. Frustrated the Company reps left and went about their business. Ruining some other world. Frantically looking for another xenomorph to claim for yet another mysterious experiment.

Shayna and Alison had been routed to the cargo ship USCSS Viitellius which was only a few short days away from Earth running inbound from a resupply mission. Once on Earth, if Alison desired, she could catch a ride back out to LV-827. There was only one thing Shayna wanted more than anything else. To hold her young daughter in her arms.

The need for hypersleep wasn't necessary. The trip was so short that any attempts to put them in hypersleep now would be more detrimental to their overall health than anything else. Shayna used that time to gather her thoughts, reflect on the failed mission out to LV-827, and try and focus on the good things awaiting her back home.

The rest of the journey was uneventful. Calm. Quiet. Even relaxing.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the USCSS Vitellius arrived on Earth. The giant docking terminal in old Los Angeles greeted the aging cargo vessel as it touched down gently on the old wharf. Shayna smelled the salty air and basked in the golden Californian sun as she disembarked the cargo vessel. She reached the end of the boarding ramp and turned to look Alison in the eyes. She extended her hand and said, "It was a pleasure, Doc. You take care of yourself. I just wanted to thank-"

"Mommy!" a voice cried out as Shayna's mother arrived carrying her daughter, June.

Shayna spun and kneeled as June leaped into her arms. Hugs and kisses were exchanged as the pair reunited for the first time in what seemed like forever. She spun her daughter around watching her daughter's golden hair sparkle in the afternoon sunlight. As she did so Shayna caught sight of something that made her stop cold in her tracks.

Two Company representatives struggled to offload a piece of cargo that had stamped on the side USCSS Rutledge. Shayna's heart sank as she realized the Company must've sent out a separate vessel to follow the Serapis out to LV-827 to make sure that they completed the mission. An insurance policy. She had little doubt as to what they'd found down there. The thought made her blood run cold. The fact that they had brought the object back to Earth was frightening.

A cold sweat broke out on Shayna's neck.

"You ok, Mommy?" June asked, "What's wrong?"

"Everything is fine, baby," Shayna said as she scooped up June into her arms."we're all gonna be just fine...."

The End
​

Tag: @TheAdmiral; @greyjedi125 (many thanks to the two of you!! The game was very fun!)

Locked at GM’s request.