Standard Disclaimer: All characters and situations related to Star Trek are wholly owned by Paramount Pictures. All the characters from the "Magnificent Seven" TV series are property of Trilogy Entertainment, The Mirisch Group, MGM Worldwide. All characters and situations related to the 'Alien/ Aliens and Alien 3' films are wholly owned by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. The story is mine as well.
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Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound of water impacting against the surface somewhere in the distant fog lulled Alexandra Styles back to consciousness. Her head began throbbing almost immediately after awareness filled her and she winced slightly at the dull ache that resonated inside her mind in steady pulses. For a few seconds, she had no idea where she was but the amnesia lasted briefly. The memories began to return quickly, when she raised her heavy head and realised that there was only darkness around her. Images of glistening teeth and not moving away quite fast enough slammed into her as her eyes widened and instinctively, she glanced at the leg that had flared in pain moments before she woke up from the sleep that found her here.
Oh God, I'm inside the hive.
The realization struck cold terror in her heart. Frantically, she let her gaze sweep across her present surroundings, searching for salvation and finding nothing but an addendum to the horror of her situation. She had not been in the hive that had seen Ensign Christie torn up apart but there was no doubt this was where she was. Alex could see the skeletons described so prolifically by Ensign Angel. The dank musty smell of decomposed bodies still clung stridently to the air. She tried not to think what she was inhaling as she began to tremble. Inside the darkened host chamber, the air was also hot and humid. Alex could feel beads of sweat forming under her uniform and breaking free of her hairline to run down her brow. The chamber was still and she heard no movement or saw any of the creatures that had brought her here.
She did however see the sealed egg in front of her.
Alex froze, wanting to scream but too terrified to bring attention to herself from the creature. They had not killed her, which meant she was meant to be this spore's host. It had been a long time she had been this afraid, not since she had been in the hands of the Cardassians. Back then, they had implanted their seed in her too but this was far different. This was obscene. She looked to her hands, trying to see how they had managed to pin her to this chamber of horrors and realised that she was being held in place by the resin produced by the creatures. It was strong enough to keep her off the floor and trapped to the wall with the rest of the pure creatures that had been forced to be hosts for the alien spores. Her gaze traveled along the wall, seeing the unsealed spores that had brought to so many their doom still littered the floor, their twisted progeny just as scattered.
The egg in front of her remained sealed but Alex knew that was only a temporary state of affairs. She wanted to scream her head off for help but the scientist in her vetoed that idea almost immediately. Besides, if the Captain were smart, he would take what's left of the Away Team and get the hell out not waste time trying to mount a rescue attempt which in all truth would end them up in exactly the position she found herself now. Thus, however, she extricated herself from this present situation, it would have to be on her own. If worse comes to worse, she'd find someway to kill herself before she became host to one of these monsters.
She was a scientist. She had to think that her mind could get her out of this or her life's work would mean nothing. Think, Alex. Work the problem as someone famous had once said. These things have no sensory organs of any kind and yet they detect their prey easily. Obviously they were not drawn to light for this place felt like a tomb. They had no eyes to see it anyway, no ears to hear it, telepathic perhaps? It was possible. They were a exceedingly organized hierarchy structure. Spores, drones, she wondered if there were warrior aliens as well. If there was a Queen there had to be a warrior caste too. Not important, Alex quickly disregarded that line of reasoning. Right now, she needed to know how the spores seemed to know when a host was near. It stood to reason that the eggs must hatch pretty quickly after coming into contact with a potential host because of the inconsistency of the supply. So they must hatch when they sense the host nearby but how? Scent? Not from an inside a sealed egg.
Sound? Could it be sound? Is that why it was so quiet in here? She did not see any auditory organs but that did not mean anything. Who knew ducks had ears? Alex tensed up and took a deep breath but made certain that it was a silent inhale. Sound was not just a thing that was heard, it could be felt. It moved through the air in invisible tremors. It was all a matter of frequency. White sound could shatter eardrums. Low frequency noise beyond human hearing could drive a canine insane. If the alien spore sensed her presence by sound then every breath, ever flex of muscle no matter how minute could be a beacon that woke it up.
So she had to be extremely quiet and pray that would be enough until she could figure out how to escape.
"Are we ready?" Chris asked his Away Team from inside the confines of the runner about.
"Let's get going." Vin said impatiently as he held the phaser rifle in his hand. The Vulcan was standing at the main hatch, waiting for Julia, who was still at the helm, to land the runabout.
Their rescue from the drop ship had been fraught with danger but Julia had created enough carnage thanks to the phasers that even if there were aliens left to make their rescue of Alex somewhat difficult, it would be nowhere in the numbers they had confronted earlier. When all this was said and done, Chris was going to have to sit down and ponder where the Prime Directive stood in all this. If the atmosphere had not been ionized, this entire mission would have gone a great deal smoother with a lot less loss of lives. Even though he had learnt the truth about Ripley and Hicks from Bishop, who at the moment was disconnected and lying in a compartment at the back of the runabout because Vin wouldn't leave it behind, Chris wasn't sure if he had gained as much as he thought.
Needless to say there would be a great deal he would hold himself accountable for later on but for right now, they had to get Alex before any one else paid for his mistakes. It was bad enough to see the look of sorrow on Ezra's face when Julia told him that Lieutenant Atwater had died, being host to one of those creatures and that she bore wounds herself from her encounter with his progeny. Chris was not about to loose his science officer to the same fate that had taken Ty Atwater. As it was, Vin was already foaming at the mouth and the Vulcan was riding a wave of savagery that would give some of those aliens down there a run for their money. He had noted the agression in Vin's behavior and wondered was it just Alex's situation that was the cause of it or was it something more?
"Have you got her Ezra?" Chris asked the security officer who was holding the tricorder in his hand while a phaser rifle was slung over his shoulder.
"Yes," the southerner nodded. "I detect her life signs clearly." He added for Vin's benefit. "She is alive but there is not way to tell if..." he trailed off not knowing how to finish that sentence.
"If they haven't got one of those things inside of her," Vin nodded in understanding. "Well if she's taken we can put her in stasis until the Maverick gets back right?" He looked at Chris.
"Absolutely." Chris nodded. If there was anyone who would be able to extract the parasite from inside Alex, Chris knew it was Nathan Jackson.
"We may even be able to beam it out of her." Julia added hopefully, able to see how fearful Vin was for Alex.
"Rest assured Vin," Ezra said firmly. "One way or another, she will not die on this god forsaken place."
"Alright," Chris let out a breath as he turned to Julia. "Julia, you know what to do."
"Yes Sir," the Chief Engineer nodded though she did not like the idea much. "Once you're on the ground, I am to circle the hive until I receive your signal to land."
"Right." He nodded. "Under no circumstances will you be on the ground before that Lieutenant. Are we clear?"
Julia swallowed, glancing instinctively at Ezra when Chris made that statement only to see him nod his agreement with his captain. "I do not want you in any more danger than you have already been Julia." He solidified his solidarity with the captain by that statement.
"Yes Sir." She whispered unhappily.
"Good," Chris turned towards the hatch. "Take us down."
It had started to rain again but this time is was a light teeming fall, which felt prickly against the skin. The run about soared into the air and Chris was consoled by the fact that it would not be far away when they needed it. They had sighted the same fissure on the surface of the large hive structure found by Ensign Angel in the last hour of her life. There was no light radiating from that jagged smear of black leading into hell. There were no aliens in sight now. Mostly likely they were scattered searching for the prey they know were here if not gone. Vin started walking first, his phaser rifle slung around his shoulder and held in a firm grip in readiness to fire. The expression on his face was something Chris had never seen. The captain had no doubt that any alien attempting to stop Vin from reaching Alex would have reason to regret it.
"Vin, wait up." Chris ordered the Vulcan who immediately came to a stop and glanced impatiently over his shoulder for his captain and the security chief to catch up.
"Captain," Ezra spoke up as he studied his tricorder, a slight frown appearing on his face. "I cannot get an accurate fix on the aliens. I think there may be some interference coming from the structure. I can pin point their general location but nothing exact."
"What about Alex?" Vin turned around and faced Ezra with that alarming news.
"Her life signs are easy to pinpoint Mr Tanner." Ezra responded automatically. "Fortunately, one carbon based life form amongst a complement of silicon types makes for a standout."
"That's something at least." Chris muttered under his breath before speaking in a clearer voice. "Are we clear to go?" The captain looked at Ezra, as they were about to penetrate the interior of the hive.
"As we will ever be." Ezra retorted with a shrug. "There does not appear to be aliens in the immediate vicinity."
"You don't sound very sure." Chris noted.
"I am not." He returned the stare Chris was giving him with just as much intensity.
Predictably, Vin entered without waiting for them while they were still talking. The phaser rifles came equipped with a torch perched on the barrel and the moment they entered the darkness, the small bulb illuminated inside its glass casing and lit the way for them. Chris and Ezra followed right behind him and immediately they were faced with the bizarre construction of the alien hive. Gigantic veins ran across the high ceilings and the interior of the hive seemed to be a collection of dark chambers, shadowy and indistinct. It was the perfect environment for the aliens to lie and wait in the Chris wondered if the creatures' home world resembled this and then felt glad that he had never had the misfortune to land in such a stygian place.
There were tiny wisps of rain drifting past the light beams and the humid temperature soon attacked them mercilessly. Vin would not stand for it and immediately divested himself of his Starfleet issue blazer and turtleneck.
"Ezra, how far away is she?" Chris asked as they moved through the black chambers.
"About a hundred feet." Ezra responded his voice soft and hushed.
"Almost at the centre." Vin remarked.
"Makes sense," Chris replied. "She would be placed very close the egg chamber, which is where the queen would. If the entomology principles of a hive society were in force here at least in the conventional sense, the queen would be isolated. She would be protected by the others but at a safe distance."
"So we will have to pass their defensive perimeter to reach her." Ezra nodded in understanding.
"I think so."
"Everybody quiet!" Ezra suddenly hissed loudly. "I'm getting alien signals approaching."
"How far?" Chris demanded.
"I cannot determine that accurately." The security chief replied "But I think we ought to proceed with extreme caution."
There was no need to seek out the approaching aliens for they emerged soon enough. Chris saw the black shape spring out of nowhere, the angle of its trajectory heading straight for Ezra. As it leapt over himself and Vin, Chris aimed his phaser to fire while Ezra staggered out of the way when suddenly Vin shot out his arm and wrapped a fist around what appeared to be the creature's leg. The Vulcan pulled back with so much force that the alien swung back the way it came, slamming onto the hard ground while screeching its outrage. Giving it little time to recover from its abrupt grounding, Vin brought the butt of his rifle down on the banana shaped head and fairly shattered the mouthful of sharp teeth that made up the alien's fangs. The creature hissed again and Vin let go of his rifle, allowing it to swing under his arm as both hands grabbed the elongated head and twisted hard. The following snap was loud enough for even Chris and Ezra to wince as the Vulcan twisted the head all the way around. The alien felt down limp without offering further protest.
Vin stood up and looked over his shoulder before stating icily. "Let's go."
But they were not going anywhere yet. Probably because they were just as astonished by the brutal demise of their own, two more aliens made their appearance and Chris ducked as one lunged and rolled across the grimy floor as he fired. The only thing he heard was a screech of pain and the brief illumination of the phaser as the creature was blown apart, spraying acid in all directions. A bit of landed on his shoulder and Chris uttered a small gasp of pain as he felt the noxious substance eating through his skin. Without wasting any time, Chris ripped the entire sleeve away, cutting abrupt the flow of acid making its way through the flesh. He had still had some burns though but not enough to slow him down, just enough to give him something to think about.
Ezra in the meantime had just completed vaporizing the second creature when he noted that Vin had gone ahead.
"VIN!" Ezra shouted as he hurried to the captain and helped him up. "Wait for us Lieutenant!" Vin did not respond and Ezra shook his head in annoyance as he turned to Chris. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Chris nodded wincing. "Its hurts but I'll live." Chris raised himself to his feet and examined the burnt flesh on his shoulder. It did hurt but adrenaline was dousing the pain for now. His attention was mostly focussed on Vin who had disappeared. "Vin, hold your horses! NOW!" He roared in a voice that immediately garnered a response.
"Well hurry up!" Vin snapped back from the next chamber.
Chris shook his head in disbelief at the helmsman's impeccable timing to suddenly become temperamental. "Is it me or is he behaving just a little bit...."
"Deranged?" Ezra completed, thinking the same thing himself. "What he did to that alien made me feel pity for the creature. It is not just worry for Alex either. He has been this way for quite some time now."
"I know." Chris nodded remembering how he had torn them both apart during their spat. A little more strength and they could be in the same condition as that alien lying on the floor with its head 180ƒ degrees form where it ought to be. "We'll deal with this later," Chris sighed knowing that at this moment, they had not the time for such debate. "If there is a later."
They encountered more aliens the further into the hive they pushed. Ezra's tricorder readings indicated that there were a large number of them in the hive and at this moment they were converging upon the rescue team. Fortunately, they were almost twenty feet away from Alex's coordinates and her life signs were still strong. Vin was pushing forward with the same savage pace and the more Chris saw him react to the aliens, the more the captain became nervous. The latest kill, again with his bare hand had Vin shoving one of those elongated heads into a protrusion jagged metal, the remains of a steel chair leg that the aliens had used to construct their hive. Vin had impaled the creature through the base of its skull, forcing steel to exit through the top of its head, just beyond the jaw. According to Vin, that was where its central cortex was located. Chris did not argue with the results, the alien did not survive the procedure.
They entered the large chamber with the skeletons and saw the remains of humans and domestic animals the company had used in its breeding program. It was a macabre picture of death and Chris could not imagine what kind of evil that allowed one human being to do this to another. Sometimes he didn't know which species was worse. You didn't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage.
"These poor souls." Ezra whispered as he saw the terror they must have endured in those skeletal faces in his imagination.
Chris was passing by a corpse clinging to the wall when suddenly; a hand reached out and grabbed him. Chris almost turned around and fired but when he looked, all he saw was a human face. A live human face.
"Angel." He gasped and felt a little of himself die then and there when he saw her eyes fix on him.
"Captain." She whispered. Her face was covered in moisture and held in place with ooze. She was pinned to the wall with the resin the creatures had used to construct their hive and keep their prey immobilized for implantation.
"Oh sweet Jesus." Ezra muttered somewhere in the dark and Chris knew it was not because she was alive but because he had seen the unsealed egg and the dead spore at her feet. With an alien inside of her, the tricorder was unable to pick her life sign as human.
"Captain, I can't feel it moving." She blinked and hot tears ran down her cheeks. "It's scratching against my insides. I think its going to come soon."
"We'll get you out of here Ensign," Chris said quickly examining her trappings to do just that.
"Captain," she met his gaze with a great deal more realism than he himself, possessed. "You can't get this out of me in time." She said softly, trying not to cry. "I don't want to die like this. Please don't let me see it coming. I couldn't stand it. Give me some honor in my death."
Chris understood and she was right. If she could feel the infant alien starting to claw its way out of her sternum then they were out of time. Even if he pulled her free, they had to make it out of here again and it would be too late. With anguish, he realised that his ensign was far braver and smarter than he was.
"Angel do not talk that way," Ezra replied, refusing to let things end like this. "We will extricate you from this..."
"Ezra," Chris spoke with a voice not quite his own. "You and Vin continue on to get Alex."
"What?" Ezra gasped. "Why?"
"DO AS I SAY!" Chris roared with a vehemence that would have sent the aliens running for cover if they understood the words.
Vin met Chris' gaze and a wave of sympathy filled his eyes for not only the young ensign but his captain. "Come on Ezra," Vin tugged at the security officer's arm. "We have to go."
"No." Ezra shook his head. "Not like this."
"Please Chief," Angel made her final plea. "I don't want to see it come out of me." She was begging and Ezra felt his heart breaking into a thousand pieces and never hated a species more than this miserable race they happened upon on Fury 361.
Ezra couldn't say anymore because Vin was pulling him away. Chris did not watch as his security chief and helmsman faded into the darkness. All he could do was stare into the face of this innocent child whose life was turned in an obscenity because of his obsession. He had never felt so ashamed in his life and he took a step to the young woman and placed his hand on her warm cheek, wet with tears. She had started to cry and each sob tore at his soul like knives.
"I'm scared Captain," she wept. "I'm so scared."
"Its okay Ensign, I'm going to be right here." Chris leaned forward, raising her chin in his hand and lowering his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. It was the most lingering kiss he had given any woman, not at all passionate but filled with tender gentle affection. He closed his eyes and felt her tears against his skin, even as the barrel of the phaser rifle was moving stealthily through the darkness towards her brow. She did not notice it, lost in the kiss. Lost in the one beautiful moment she would have before she died. Chris felt her respond felt her lips take his hungrily and felt his own tears comes just as he pulled the trigger.
She went limp in his arms with the discharge of the weapon and her head slumped against his as the life drained out of it. When Chris stepped back, there were more tears running down his face and of all the things he had done to bring them to this place, until this moment he never realised how wrong he was until he stared at this child who had begged him to take her life.
"I'm so sorry Ensign," he said softly. "God help me, I am so sorry."
Alex heard a sharp voice and knew that through some miracle, they were actually coming for her. She had heard gunfire and voices in the distance, all the while praying they would reach her before the noise they had caused gave the alien spore before her reason to awake. However, through all the shooting and voices, the spore remained sealed which gave further evidence that there spore's sensory perception had limits. However, now it was time to make a decision. Her friends were close and they had to know where she was. They had to know even if she had to help them. Even if she had to risk giving the spore stimulus to awake.
"VIN!" Alex screamed on top of her lungs and hoped that it was enough.
"Alex!" The voice returned almost immediately. "Alex, we're coming!" Vin Tanner shouted back.
The egg needed no more incentive than that. It started to unseal with a loud hiss of warm gases escaping the mouth, like a obscene parody of a flower bud opening.
"Come faster!" She shouted unashamed of the pure unadulterated terror in her voice when she saw one spindly digit make an exploratory examination of the outside world through the noisome fluid of its receptacle.
She watched as another digit peered out, dragging clear, sticky fluid in thick suspending rivulets. Soon the entire creature was pushing towards the edge of the egg. Alex had not actually seen the spore before but it reminded her of a hand with way too many fingers. She did recognise the tail however, the long coiling tail whose only purpose was to send it propelling through the air towards some helpless victims. She saw its muscles flex and knew it was preparing to jump.
Alex screamed just as Vin fired and killed the thing before it had a chance to reach her.
As he did so, an alien leapt into view and Ezra dispatched it with as much impunity. Another emerged and Vin displayed the skill that made him the best shot on the Maverick when he swung around and killed it before it could even reach them.
"Alex!" Vin hurried to her, letting go of his rifle as he reached her. A surge of happiness at seeing her well made him push his lips against hers in a kiss of passion before he had chance to know what he was doing. Alex did not know if her sudden deliverance was more surprising or the fact that Vin had actually kissed her.
"Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes full of concern.
"One second more and I wouldn't have been." She laughed with relief even though they were nowhere out of trouble.
"I do not wish to interrupt your reunion Mr Tanner but do you think you could possibly remove our lovely science officer from her present incarceration so that we can get the FUCK out of here?"
"What he said." Alex replied. "But without the swearing and a hell of a lot more gratitude." She looked around and saw the captain was not with them. "Where's the captain?" She asked almost fearful of the answer.
"Right here." Chris responded emerging from out of the darkness. "You okay Alex?"
"Yes Sir." Alex replied and noted something in his eyes that made her decide to keep her answer short. There was also something about the way Vin and Ezra were looking at the Captain that made her wonder what had happened. However for the moment, she was just grateful at being freed.
Vin ripped the resinous material than kept her bound and Alex dropped into his arms from her suspended position against the wall. She took a moment to embrace him, never being so happy to be alive. However, she soon noted that Ezra was keeping watch on the tricorder reading. The frown on his face did not bode well.
"Captain," Ezra said softly. "They're coming."
"How many." Chris returned tautly as they started to back track.
There was a pause before the security officer answered. "All of them."
Chris thought quickly.
There was only one way for them to get out of here. It was time for a royal meeting.
It was not hard to find the chamber where all the alien eggs had originated. As soon as they approached it, the advance stopped in its tracks. The aliens were hovering at a perimeter, uncertain of what to do, Chris wagered. He had been correct in assuming that the drones would not risk attacking while the mother of their entire society was endangered. Knowing she existed was nothing like laying eyes upon her in reality. In her report, Angel had spoken of the queen being larger and far more formidable than the drones they had so far encountered but seeing her for themselves made that description pale in comparison. The room they entered was full of eggs, produced by a biological conveyor belt that ran the length of the room.
As Chris, Vin, Alex and Ezra entered the maw of hell, no one dared to speak. The horror of their situation had robbed everyone of speech. The eggs sack ran like a giant conduit around them, beginning at an egg and ending at the queen alien that was perched on top of it. She was aware she had visitors and raised her massive head, flared with black frills that looked very much like a crown, her outer lips, it was the closest definition he could come up with, pulled back and revealed an enormous mouth full of teeth the size of his forearms. Clear ooze dribbled off those massive uneven teeth as fangs were bared in their direction.
"Oh shit." Alex whispered. "Captain, tell me again how this is a good idea?"
Chris did not know what he was doing for an instant as he stepped forward and stared at the thing, ahead of those with him. He was just beyond her reach but close enough for the alien queen to know that she was being observed by the leader of this small band of humans or in her reckoning, host creatures.
"So you're the big bad huh?" He asked, his voice devoid of humor.
She hissed, a loud stomach turning sound.
They regarded each other for a long moment, bringing puzzlement to those who observed the silent exchange.
"I'm going to kill you." Chris said simply but the menace in his voice made those who heard shudder at the sound of it. "I'm going to wipe you and your whole fucking nest out of existence. If I have to turn this planet into radioactive mush, I will do that because you're going to pay for Ripley, for Hicks," his voice wavered a little. "And for Angel. You're gonna pay a thousand times for Angel."
An egg unsealed next to him and Chris stared at the queen, aware that she had just thrown down the gauntlet. Fine, he had come in here with a plan.
"Now Julia." He ordered.
No sooner than the words had left his mouth and explosion rocked the structure. The alien screeched loudly her arms flaying as the high ceiling above them suddenly shattered, torn apart by a phaser blast. Chris chose that moment to withdraw, ordering his people to the far corner of the room as the runabout slammed through the top of egg chamber, raining debris down over the queen's precious eggs, following the signal of their com badges. She roared once again with fury, struggling to break free and Chris had no intention of sticking around for that. The runabout once inside the narrow space began to lower onto the ground. Julia picked her landing spot carefully as the Away Team watched in anticipation, as she set down the runabout on a pile of debris, safe from squashing the acid filled eggs. The landing was unstable but Chris knew as well as Julia that the runabout would be capable of blasting off any surface.
"Get to the ship!" Chris shouted though it was a redundant gesture. Everyone was already clambering through the hatchery towards the runabout, which was as close to heaven as any vehicle could be. Alex was the first to reach the hatch, which Julia had opened for them. The destruction of the hive had overridden the aliens' fear for their queen and they were closing in. As Alex clambered through the open door, Julia fired at an approaching alien in the shadows. Following close behind was Ezra and Vin. Chris was the last.
Chris had one more thing to do before he vacated the area. He set his hand phaser for overload and dropped it in front of the queen's perch than he ran like hell for the runabout as his crew valiantly kept attacking aliens from reaching him. Chris had to practically jumped into the open mouth of the runabout's open hatch.
"Get us out of here!" He shouted at Vin who had taken the helm.
The runabout was already lifting off the ground as Julia closed the hatch and as the craft rose into the air, Chris could see the aliens crowding in on the ship. No doubt some would try to reach it. He didn't care. They could hang on for all they were worth if they did but they were not going to survive the trip out of the atmosphere because he'd burn the bastards off first.
The runabout exploded off the ground as Vin took off at maximum speed, sending hot waves of plasma from the engines as it shot through the air like a comet. The fallout incinerated the eggs and aliens beneath it, ending their threat in a screech of all consuming heat. Vin directed the runabout through the fissure that Julia had created to reach them, having widened as the structural integrity of the hive began to collapse. The small Starfleet craft had escaped the hive when another explosion was heard; this time a little more localized in its concentration and had all the earmarks of a detonating phaser set on overload.
Inwardly, Chris whispered to himself. Die bitch, die.
"Vin," Chris struggled to his feet after they were free of the hive and went to his pilot. "Circle around."
"Circle around?" Vin stared at him in surprise.
"Circle around." Chris repeated. "Ezra how many torpedoes have we got on this thing?"
"Five." Ezra responded.
"Vin, I want you to take a pass at that hive." Chris said with a tone that would not tolerate any argument, even from his best friend. "And I want you to fire all torpedoes at that damn thing."
"All?" Ezra exclaimed. "One would be sufficient."
"ALL." Chris glared at him. "I want the entire site leveled."
Strangely enough, that was a comforting thought for everybody and Chris received no further comment.
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The Maverick was no more than two days away from the Sulaco when the distress signal that Julia Pemberton had sent prior to leaving the ship to retrieve the Away Team on Fiorina reached them. Buck Wilmington had sent his apologies to Admiral Donaldson, citing an emergency and that they would be a little late in reaching their destination at the Vorlis system. Fortunately, the USS Saratoga was in the vicinity and was able to assume the duties that Maverick was forced to abandon in order to carry out their rescue mission. Buck immediately reversed course, proceeding to the prison facilities at Warp 9, cutting short a trip that would have taken days into a matter of hours. The distress signal did not explain much in the way of the emergency but considering what they knew about the life forms encountered by Ellen Ripley, Buck wasted no time in returning to the lady's last known location.
The runabout had already returned to the Sulaco when the Maverick arrived and Chris wasted no time having his crew beamed off the ancient ship and back to more familiar surroundings. After what they had been through, he would not force them to remain on the Sulaco for longer than necessary. This entire situation was his fault and he knew it. It would be a long time before he would ever forget what the price of forgetting he was captain had cost him. All he would have to do was to remember that girl who had asked to be killed and suddenly, the obsession that had driven him these past few weeks did not seem as important as his crew or his duty to them.
Utilising the Maverick's sensors, they were able to make another sweep of the Sulaco, calibrating them to detect any further evidence of non-carbon based life forms in order to ensure that there were no more of the aliens that had almost been the death of them all on Fury 361. The sensors gave the Sulaco a clean bill of health and the Maverick signaled Deep Space Five to dispatch a tug to tow the vessel back to Earth. Every member of the Away Team had seen just about as much of the Sulaco as they wanted to for a long time. To ensure that no one else stumbled inadvertently into the alien nest, if there were any had survived the torpedo barrage that Chris had ordered Vin to deliver upon it, Chris ordered the deployment of a cautionary beacon, warning any ships who happened by to avoid landing on the surface.
Chris remained on the Maverick long enough after its arrival to gather the belongings of Corporal Hicks for himself. He was after all; family and Chris did not feel right about leaving the man's last possessions on the ship that had brought him to his death. He did the same for Ripley, mostly because he could not bear to forget her. Ripley and Ensign Angel had both taught him valuable lessons. Ripley had taught him to value the friends in his life for she had lost everyone she had through no fault of her own and he who was a great deal luckier, should not take them for granted as he had been doing since learning about Q's gift to him. What Angel taught him was an even more painful lesson and one he would carry for a long time. She and all the others, Lieutenant Ty Atwater, Lieutenant Susan Collins and Ensign John Christie were dead because he had forgotten that a Captain had responsibility to his crew first, everything else was second best.
After what finally seemed an eternity Chris and the Away Team were transported back to the Maverick. All of them were a mess of injuries that needed tending. Julia and Vin had severe lacerations that simple field dressing were not adequate to treat and they were immediately ordered to Sick Bay by Nathan Jackson before they even stepped of the transporter pad. Alex and Ezra were unscathed but both were exhausted and immediately retired to their quarters for some rest. Although he was suffering third degree burns to the shoulder, he resisted Nathan's demand to get medical help for the time being. In truth, Chris had no patience with doctor's poking and prodding at him when there was one thing he had to do that he had put off too long.
When he knocked on her door, he did not know what to say to her.
His behaviour the past few weeks had been next to offensive and he knew that she was completely justified in wishing to leave the Maverick permanently. Before this had all happened, he had been more than happy to let her go, ignorantly believing that she was less important that the quest he had to complete. Now as he waited for her to open the door, Chris knew that if Sarah had been standing here, she would have been utterly furious at he had been to Mary. He did not know what he had to say to her but the pain inside of him was so intense, he knew that only her forgiveness would make some of it go away.
The doors slid open and Mary's shock at his appearance showed. He was still covered in grime, soot left over from smoke, gooey alien. His Starfleet uniform had been discarded after he had been forced to tear the sleeves off both garments when he had been sprayed with acid, not to mention the plethora of bruises and acid burns across his skin and most predominantly on his wounded shoulder. However, none of this mattered to him because seeing her before him, smelling the faint smell of her perfume and the worry in her dove like eyes was enough to make him feel terribly grateful to be alive.
"Oh my God, Chris!" Mary exclaimed. "What happened to you?"
"Can I come in Mary?" He asked meekly.
Mary nodded and stepped aside. She had been on her way to the bridge herself to find out what had happened that required the Maverick straying off mission to come rescue them for Fury 361. She had expected that whatever the emergency was, she would most likely find Chris at SickBay. Looking at him now, she wondered why he was not there already.
"Chris you're hurt." She ran her finger gently on the tender flesh that had been seared with acid.
"Its okay," Chris swallowed and met her eyes. "I'll see Nathan later. I've got a something to tell you. Something important."
She could see it in his eyes, something terrible had happened down there. Something so unspeakable he could barely keep it contained behind that icy coloured stare. Her heart pounded in fear as well as compassion. Everything that happened between them of late was brushed to the back of her mind because he needed her and he was not a man who would ask. Their relationship in tatters could be dealt with later, for now she wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her. There was a slight moment of hesitation before she felt his own arms around her waist and his head lowering into crook where her shoulder met her neck.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as the bottled up sorrow inside of him finally found release. The tears came freely as he wept softly in her embrace and felt her arms encircle him even tighter as she cooed in the background that things would be all right.
"I love you." He said suddenly. He had never said it before and Mary paused for a moment, reeling from the surprise and the elation at his finally admitting what had been unspoken for so long.
Chris did not fear telling her how he felt. He would say anything to keep her from going away because it was in his power to keep her in his life. Ellen Ripley never had the chance. The people in her life were stolen from through no fault of her own. Chris would not make the mistake of standing by and letting those in his life slip away because he was too thick headed or stubborn to say what was necessary for them to stay. He would not lose Mary for anything. Chris composed himself a short moment later and pulled away from her.
"I love you Mary. I've loved you from the minute I met you. I don't know what to say to you to explain how I've been these past few weeks but I want to make it right between us. I don't want you to leave the Maverick. You belong here, I need you."
"Oh Chris," Mary responded with tears in her eyes. She couldn't think of anything else to say for the moment was filled with too many emotions for her to articulate anything clearly.
Chris caught a wet drop in his fingertip and met her gaze. "I don't want you to leave Mary. You're the best thing that has happened to me since Sarah and Adam died, I don't want to lose you. I was a complete fool for acting the way I did, not knowing what it is I had that I was dumb enough to think I could do with it. I can't do without you or Billy. You're part of my life."
"I guess we are." She said with a little smile and studied him for a moment. She was elated by his admission but she was also aware that he had been through something deeply traumatic for him to finally speak so deeply from the heart. "Chris, what happened down there?"
Chris did not speak as he considered whether or not he should tell her what transpired between himself and Lieutenant Michelle Angel. When he finally decided what he would say, Chris looked up at Mary and took her hand in his. "I learnt that my choices can hurt people and that I have to starting thinking of them and letting go of my obsessions. I can't promise you that I won't always be a little irrational about finding the truth about Sarah and Adam but I do promise you that I won't shut you or any of my friends out."
"Chris," she gently carressed his face and smiled. "We'll be there for you and with you, no matter what happens."
"I know that," Chris answered and knowing that was of some comfort to him "I should have always known that."
"We all grow a little Chris," she offered him a bittersweet smile. "Even star ship captains."
"Especially star ship captains." He agreed but secretly wished this was one lesson he could have done without.
"You feeling alright Vin?" Nathan Jackson as he regarded the Vulcan sitting impatiently on the treatment while one of his nurses put the finishing touches on the wound that Nathan had just tended to. The doctor was staring at the readings on his medical scanner and had to confess that he did not need the sophisticated piece of diagnostic equipment to see for himself that there was something wrong with the helmsman.
Vin was fidgeting on table as if the inactivity was making him anxious. Although he showed no signs of illness, Nathan's scans indicating that his metabolic race was moving much more rapidly than was customary for a Vulcan. Not to mention the fact that the young man was paying particularly close attention to his nurse. Vin seemed to leaning in towards her, as if his senses were basking in the sensations. The Vulcan equivalent of endorphins was surging through Vin at this moment and Nathan wondered what on earth had happened down on Fury 361. His age had him placed too early for Vulcan maturity, that was almost two years down the track.
"Yeah," Vin tore his attention away from Lieutenant Saunders and her ministrations to his injuries. He could smell her in his nostrils, not just her scent but something beneath the skin that reached into him on a primal level. She smelt female. That was the closest definition he could come to what it was. "I'm okay, why?" He met Nathan's studious eyes.
"You seem a little out of sorts." Nathan pointed up. "Your metabolism is up. Anything else happened to you down there you want to talk about?"
Vin decided that perhaps he ought to tell Nathan that he was becoming very aware of sensations and the opposite sex but felt slightly embarrass about doing so in front of Lieutenant Saunders. Besides, the Maverick may have been a galaxy class starship but news traveled quickly, faster whenever the morsel was particularly salacious in its content. Vin had no intention of letting anyone know his private business. Unfortunately, Nathan was no fool and if he thought Vin was lying, he would keep the helmsman in SickBay until kingdom come to get an answer so Vin decided he had better come up with some conciliatory gesture.
"There is one thing," he said after a moment. "Its not much really but maybe it has some bearing." Vin volunteered. "When we down there, I got into a tangle with one of the aliens. We were in very close contact and I picked up things, telepathically."
"What sort of things?" Nathan said, his brow frowning into a knot and made Vin immediately regret telling him at all.
Too late now Tanner, he told himself. Might as well finish the story. Vin braced himself and continued speaking. "Emotions I guess. Instincts. I got pretty much into its head. They're not intelligent like we are. They live do one thing and one thing alone, breed. When they have to breed nothing else matters."
"How much inside did you get?" Nathan asked again, not showing Vin just how worried he was about the Vulcan. Nathan knew of no way to confirm his suspicions because Vulcans did not discuss a matter like this without extremely good reason and as a Vulcan put it, right now he did not have the appropriate facts to confirm his theory.
"Not much," Vin shrugged and Nathan knew instantly he was lying. "Just enough to know that we were in a lot of trouble."
Nathan did not answer but he was thinking the same thing. They were in a lot of trouble and though it had yet to make itself feel overt, Nathan knew that would not last for long. The problem was, he had no idea how to treat the problem if he was right about what he believed, which at the moment he was not entirely certain enough to vocalize it. However, Nathan was convinced that the melding with the alien had done more than simply given Vin insight into the alien's psyche. If he was right, then they had better batten down the hatches and wait for the storm to come.
Either way it was going to be a bumpy ride.
The android Bishop materialized on the floor of Holo-deck 2 some days later and was rather to surprised to find himself in the middle of what appeared to be a Scottish glen. In the distance, he could see the splendor of the highland mountains and his mind registered the beauty of the landscape in rolling glades of lustrous green grass. He did not know what surprised him more, the fact that he had awakened from another bout of darkened sleep to find that he was somehow transported to Earth and as he looked down at himself, discovered that he was very much intact. He appeared exactly as he had when he had come off the production line some four hundred years ago. There was no sign of the massive damage perpetrated on his body by the alien queen so laboriously ejected from the air lock of the Sulaco by Ellen Ripley.
Bishop marveled at the beauty around him and took a deep breath when suddenly, he saw a familiar face standing in front of him with a not so familiar face but an equally lovely one as well.
"Alex." He replied with a faint smile. "Where am I?"
Alexandra Styles grinned, genuinely pleased to see Bishop was rather taken by his restored form and the surroundings she had produced for him. Ever since she had recovered from the ordeal at Fiorina, Julia and Alex had been working hard to give Bishop some form of mobility. The two woman were realistic that they would be unable to restore Bishop's body to what it was in a space of a few days. That kind of construction would take months and a lot of the information would come from Bishop himself. However, Alex hated the idea of leaving Bishop in limbo for that amount of time and thus she and Julia devised an alternative method of downloading his core memory into the holographic projection system and in essence give him back his body in this environment of light and magnetic containment.
"You are on board the Maverick." Alex answered quickly.
"This is a starship?" Bishop looked at her incredulously. His gaze swept around the idyllic scene before he remarked again. "It doesn't look it."
"Oh I like him." Julia chuckled.
"Hello." Bishop greeted her politely.
"Bishop," Alex spoke up. "This is Chief Engineer Julia Pemberton. She's the one who helped me configure your core memory into a holographic matrix."
"This is a hologram?" The android exclaimed with surprise though one would hard pressed to know for certain with Bishop's understated voice.
"Yes but not unlike anything that you might understand of the concept." Julia explained. "You're at the moment a hard light hologram. In this place, you are essentially a whole person. We're going to need your help to construct your original body so we can download your matrix and I have contacted the Daystrom Institute. There are robotic experts who are very eager to meet you."
"I see." Bishop nodded absorbing everything with usual quiet. "How long do I remain on line?" He asked, hating the fact that he might be turned on and off at will.
"You can remain online as you put it for as long as you like," Alex answered. "We've given you autonomous control of your program, not to mention access to the ship's computer. You will be able to interface with the main computer and update your data banks."
"I like this place," Bishop looked up at the picturesque world around him.
"You can program as many scenery or places as you like. If it's on the main computer, you can go there. I know it can't compare to seeing the real thing but it will keep you busy while we figure out how to get that body of yours restored to what it was." Julia added. She could see why Alex had grown so fond of the android..
"I don't know what to say," Bishop replied, genuinely touched by the effort these humans had gone to make
"Don't say anything," Alex answered. "Just enjoy it. This is your new home Bishop."
Bishop looked around the glen and lowered himself onto the lush grass. He slipped his fingers through the artificially generated blades and caressed the pile gently. He was pleasantly surprised at how real the cool texture of leaves felt under his palm. He had never been to Earth. He had been activated when he was first shipped out on the Sulaco and had never seen the world where he had been designed and created. For the first time, he understood why humans were always drawn to home even out in the middle of deep space.
"Not bad," he whispered to himself as the artificial sun peeked past the thick clouds and shone on his face. "Not bad for an android"
Chris stared out the window of his Ready Room at the jeweled orb that was the Vorlis home world. Although a day later than expected, the Maverick had made good time once it had picked up its wayward captain and resumed the journey to complete its mission. Chris had spent much of the time making himself accessible to his crew once again. For the first time in weeks, he walked the length of his ship, dropped in for inspections and generally let those who had noted his absence know that he was back from the dark corner he had been hiding himself of late. He had forgotten how good it felt to acquaint himself with the Maverick. He communed with the vessel the way he had not done since he had first come on board and assumed command.
He also had a number of apologies to make, other than just making amends to Mary for his behavior the past weeks. He had neglected Billy as well and delighted the boy when Chris took him fishing, just the two of them for half the day. It was the most time that Chris had been able to allot to the boy alone and Billy was thrilled by the attention and reinforced Chris' realization that though he had lost Sarah and Adam, his new family were just as important and needed him as well. Chris had also called into see Josiah who was more than happy to share a bottle of Saurian brandy to make Chris' apologizing pass a little smoother, proving once and for all, the man was one hell of psychiatrist.
Buck as always was easy to please and seeing his captain and oldest friend back on track was all the thanks he needed even though Chris felt compelled to make the gesture nonetheless. During his obsession, it was Buck who held the Maverick and the senior staff together. It was not an easy thing to do while having to wrestle with knocking some sense into his obtuse captain as well. Buck took the effort as he always did, with a shrug and smile. Sometimes, Chris wondered how he would have ever managed anything if Buck had not been there to pick him up or tell him what he needed to hear, even though he did not wish it.
He turned away from the window after a moment and returned to his desk, paying attention to the data pads of backed up work he had either ignored or left to Casey to deal with during the last month. Chris picked up his cup of brisk hot coffee and took a deep sip, determined to get on top of this daunting heap of paperwork by the end of the day. He had neglected his duties as Captain for far too long. It was time for him to show why he deserved to be master of this vessel, Lord knew he had not done that much lately to warrant his deserving this command.
The other pile of data pads, the one that sat on the far end of the desk, tried desperately to catch his attention but Chris ignored them. His obsession with finding out the truth about his family's murder to the point of ignoring everything else, was over. He would pursue it when he was done with the day's work. Justice had waited so many years for him to realise the truth, he did not think a few more hours would matter. However, just because he had put his quest into perspective did not mean that if he were to find out who was responsible for their deaths, there would be no stone in any corner of the galaxy under which they could hide from him. He would hunt them down and kill them, that much he remained adamant about.
Suddenly, the soft chime of someone at his door sounded its tune in the air. Chris looked up from the staff evaluations Buck had prepared for him and sang out in a firm voice. "Come in."
The doors slide open noiselessly and Ezra Standish stepped into the room. The Captain had not seen much of the Chief Security officer since their arrival at Vorlis. Ezra had been busy with Vorlis delegates who had been touring the Maverick in order to make a thorough assessment of the defensive as well as social impact of obtaining Federation membership. As always, the commander dealt with the politicians himself, claiming that a special knack was needed to tend to the security arrangements of such a breed, speaking as if the occupation was almost a genetic traits as defining as race.
"Ezra," Chris leaned back into his chair and set his cup down on this desk. "What can I do for you? The Vorli delegation not giving us any trouble."
"Well," Ezra remarked pausing in front of the captain's desk. "At the moment, they are more fascinated with our holographic android than they are of anything else."
"Really?" Chris asked with surprised, aware that Julia and Alex had made the restoration of Bishop their pet project. "How so?"
"Well Mr Bishop has been studying the hologram database quite extensively and has introduced our visitors to Scotland, New Zealand and Alaska in one afternoon. At the moment, I have a dozen officials who want to know if a Kodiak bear really exists or it is some holographic fantasy." Ezra remarked with clear amusement in his voice. "Our android is quite the representative of Earth."
"I like that," Chris smiled despite himself. "The Daystrom people want his entire matrix sent to Earth."
"Julia and Alex will not be happy." Ezra pointed out and Chris tended to agree.
"I told the Daystrom Institute that they can see him when we put into Earth or come here themselves but Bishop is accustomed to Julia and Alex, he might find it difficult to adjust to new faces."
"How did they take that?" The security chief asked, certain that the engineers at the prestigious Daystrom Institute for Robotics would be scoffing at the idea of giving thought to an android's mental health, despite their experiences with Commander Data of the Enterprise.
"Surprisingly well actually," Chris responded. "The guy I talk to, Commander Maddox conceded that there was no reason Bishop can't remain with us for a while."
Ezra knew that he was delaying the real reason for his arrival here and after a moment of silent, he noted that the Captain had made the same observation himself. Ezra cleared his throat and glanced at the pile of data disks being intentionally ignored at the corner of the captain's desk and hoped he did not get sentence to the brig indefinitely for what he was about to ask. However, he had gained a great deal of leverage over Chris regarding the Captain's judgement in Fiorina and felt that he might not be met as indifferently as he feared.
"You're not working on finding your answer?" Ezra gestured to the data pads with a slight glimpse. Chris did not need him to elaborate to know what he was talking about.
"I have duties to this ship first," Chris said firmly, his voice tensing despite himself. "I'll deal with that later."
Ezra nodded. "Would you mind if I peruse your data?"
Chris stared at Ezra.
"Why?" The captain asked with a hint of suspicion.
"Forgive me captain," Ezra began the speech he had carefully rehearsed only to realise that it was best that he made this entreaty from the heart. "Chris," he said with a loud exhale. "Of the two of us, I am more qualified than you are to discover if there is a conspiracy regarding your family's demise. I deal with deception every day in security. You selected me to be your Chief Security officer because you knew I could detect trouble better than anyone in the fleet could. While I do not choose to overstate my capabilities, I know that if there is something to find in those data pads regarding the unfortunate situation with your wife and child, I will locate it. Also, I think you are too close to the issue. I have by experience learnt that when you are too close to a thing, you may not see the whole picture as it were."
Chris felt his anger bubbled up, feeling as if he had intruded upon something that was his private domain but then he remembered Ellen Ripley and how she was forced to do everything alone, probably even die alone and that gave him pause to consider Ezra's words. There had been no way for her to gain help but there was for him and Ezra was that good. If there was something in those data pad that might lead him to the truth, Chris knew that Ezra would find it. The security chief was absolutely relentless in that aspect. Understanding that he was at a threshold, he took a deep breath and decided to fight his instincts and accept the help that Ripley never had.
"Alright." Chris found himself saying. "Take your best shot." He glanced at the data pads and gestured at Ezra to take them from his sight before he changed his mind.
"Thank you Chris," Ezra replied, gathering the small collection. "I know how hard that decision is and I will not stop until I have an answer for you."
"Thank you Ezra," Chris answered, genuinely touched by the offer and wondered if Ezra was so smart, had he also guessed what Chris had on Fiorina? The realization that had made him order Vin to torpedo the hive with not one but five photon torpedoes? He doubted it.
"You know something Ezra," Chris sighed turning away from the security chief as he stared at the window again. "When I was standing face to face with that alien queen, she looked at me like she had already won. Like she and her kind always would. It was like it didn't matter that I was going to kill her, because death doesn't have the same kind of meaning for them that it does for us. No matter how many times I killed her, it wouldn't matter because we are children. That in the end, we will die so that they can live."
"I shudder at the prospect, I can only reiterate my gratitude that the lady and her deadly progeny are no more." Ezra responded, despising the entire race for what it had done to his crewmen.
"No she isn't." Chris shook his head and averted his gaze enough to look Ezra straight in the eye. "She isn't gone and this is far from being over. The aliens down there on Fiorina are gone, that's all that is certain."
"I do not see how there could be any more." Ezra remarked wondering where Chris was going with this. "The nuclear explosion on LV427 would have destroyed the derelict as well."
"Ezra," Chris looked at him with almost pity in his eyes. Pity because he did not understand the full implications of what Chris was trying to tell him. "The derelict ship carrying the original alien eggs crashed on LV427. It didn't come from there. Somewhere out there," he gestured towards the window, revealing the stars, "somewhere out there is an entire planet of these things and someday, we're going to land on it and she'll find us all over again."
And the stars, which always looked so pure and beautiful to Commander Ezra Standish suddenly became as black as the alien's empty soul.
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