Zero

Chapter 1

There was someone else in the hive. Back there in the alien nest helping them. He saw her. She was human just as they are, but there was something about the way she moved. He couldn’t watch her, or even keep track of her since he was busy leading his team out since Alpone was dead, and he is, technically, in chain of command. Rippley had come in and got them.

Really saved their asses, driving right up into the nest and taking them out; hitting the xenos’ as she goes, and keeps going untill Hicks gets her to stop. The wheels were grinding, and the axl is broken creating a loud clinking noise. Finally, they stop, a few several meters away from the facility they had been ‘housed’ in while they were there on the planet. Once inside, they continue going over what they should do, and then Vasquez speaks up.

“You saw it too didn’t you?”

“It?” Hudson says. “What it?”

“It looked pretty human to me.” Hicks sighs, “Just too bad they got left behind.”

Newt’s attention perks, and they all notice.

“What are you not telling us?”

Newt shakes her head.

“You can tell us Newt. If it’ll help us, we need to know.”

Newt swallows, “She keeps the monsters away.” 

Their brows bend. “You’ve met her?”

Newt shakes her head no. “She comes and goes.We’ve never talked. She would’t stay with me.” 

“No?”

Newt shakes her head. “She’s like them.” 

Their brows bend. “How do you mean?” 

Newt shakes her head again and goes back to her corner. “Newt? Newt, does she have black eyes?” Burke questions, and Newt ignores him so he gets closer. “I need to know! What does she look like?” Raising his voice at her.

“Back off her Burke.” Rippley orders standing. “Back off, now.” 

“Why does Weyland want one of these things anyways? Bio-weaponry? Or breeding freaks in a lab?” Vasquez says. “You know something, now spit it out or I’ll beat it out of you.”

“I know nothing! I know nothing.” Burke says, “There were roumers, that’s all.” And disappears heading for the med lab.

“He knows something.” Hicks says. “Whatever it was, human, whatever, I’m sure we’ll be seeing it again.”

~_~

They were right. Each of them hiding out, and use Newt as bait. They barely heard her in the silence as she came through the vents. One up top of the ceiling swings open, and hangs there and they can see her feet come down, a tail, and then she drops down pulling something with her. She looks completely human, save the eyes. The whites have turned black, and the iris is a dark shade of red, and then her pupil. The tail is fairly long, maybe as long as she is tall (she is but only 5ft tall), and has the same razor sharp points around the end, and the spear.

Dressed in old, raddy black pants that are loosely fitted to her slim athletic fraim. A hole in the back allowing her tail to go through the pants, and comfortably out the back. A black long sleeve shirt that holds slices here and there, but nothing serious enough to be considered a ‘hole’. Dispite the tail and her eyes, she is actually very good looking; this dosn’t go unnoticed by both Hicks & Hudson, even Burke. Looking at the mousy girl that seems to be ‘sleeping’ on the bed, curled up in the Med Lab. Silently she looks around, and silently sets the bookbag on a chair, and was about to touch her and make sure she was okay when she feels the prick in her skin.

The dart shooting from the gun in Bishops hand. Newt slips off the bed and scurries over to Rippley, and they watch how she moves dodging any other shots made by them. Gives Vasquez a hard bunt and knocks her out of the way as she goes back to the vent, and easily jumps up inside of it.

“What the fuck was that!” Hudson exclaims, “It’s got a tail! It’s got-aaaahhh!” He says waving his hands. “It leveled Vasquez like she was a light weight.”

The military woman moans getting up, “It’s like getting hit by a quarter back.” Holding her chest.

Hudson pulls out his motion tracker, and looks up moving across the room and into the hallway and into another room. “She’s stopped moving. It must’ve took a minute for that tranquilizer to work.”

“So, pull her out.”

“Me?”

“Yeah you, did I studder?” The hispanic woman says with an attitude.

“Christ, I’ll do it.” Hicks says and pushes the crate up, and carefully pokes his head up and can see her laying in the vent.

Standing on his tip toes, reaching in, he grabs her hand. Soft, smooth skin it was almost unnatural. Pulling her closer, and eases her down through the vent. For a small girl, she certainly was heavy, but that was because of her muscle mass. No body fat, just muscle. He plucks the dart from her shoulder and Bishop helps him bring her down.

“What is it?” Hudson says, his face holding disgust.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it can talk. We should put her in the lab, and lock her in. The glass is shatterproof, and we’ll be able to ask questions.” Burke says, hiding his smile well.

“Sounds like a good idea.” Rippley says, “Don’t feel bad Newt. We just want to make sure she’s not trying to kill us.” 

“She wouldn’t or she would’ve killed me.” Newt says and goes off to her corner to pout & sulk.

“I got her.” Hicks tells the android and picks her up; her tail drags on the floor.

Her head lolling over his arm, her black hair back and feels like silk against his skin. Gently Hicks sets her down on the bed, and sees Burke come up with a needle and some viles.

“What’s that for?”

“DNA analysis. They’ll want to hear about this.” Burke says and keeps the rest of his comment to himself, thinking how they’d just love to get their hands on her if they couldn’t get ahole of a xenomorph themselves.

Waiting for him to finish Hicks looks her over. The long tail that is smooth untill a few inches before the speared tip, and then has a few jagged prongs. It was also more slender than the Xenomorphs tails. They have thick tails, her’s looks about as wide as his hand. Looking at her nails that have a black look to them like worn off nail polish, and are about an inch and a half long and obviously sharp.

Other than a few things, she looks like an ordinary human woman. Rounded face, button nose, full lips, and tanned skin. She even has freckles! Two eyes, two ears, one mouth. The only thing extra is the tail. She walks on two legs, has two arms, and the physique of a woman; breasts included and she is not flat chested at all having reached a full C cup.

“Alright, I’m done.” Burke says; they leave and secure the doors. “How long will she be under?” 

“Depending on her metabolism, and judging by the minute it took to work, I’ll guess about 30 minutes, 40 maybe.” Bishop replies.

Burke nods, “Let me know when she’s up. I’m gonna go to the lab and look at this myself.” 

Hicks looks at Burke’s back as he leaves. “He knows something. He’s been pirky since we talked about her.” He looks to Bishop. “I know you noticed the tattoo on her arm. Do you know what it means?”

Bishop shakes his head side to side. “No, I don’t know what it means, but I did noticed it like you said. Numbers are given to everything and everyone in the miltiary. Perhaps she was in the military once.”

Hudson makes a noise sounding like ‘ppfft’. “Yeah, right. Genetically engineered test tube maybe, but military? Ha!”

“Have you ever seen anything like her?” Hicks asks Rippley.

The dark haired woman shakes her head ‘no’. “Maybe it’s a mutation. They use human hosts, so maybe something just went wrong. I don’t know.” Rippley sighs. “I’m gonna go talk with Newt.”

“I’ll watch her and let you know when she wakes.” Vasquez tells them. “If it attacks me, I can kill it right?”

“If, but don’t provoke her.” Hicks tells her, “Hear me Vasquez?”

“Yes, I hear you.” She sits in a chair, her gun resting between her legs.
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