Zero

Chapter 3
"Somethings moving." Hudson speaks up.

"Where?"

"Under us." Hudson replies and looks down.

Hicks watches Newt tug on Zero's shirt. "I didn't tell them about Danny."

"Danny?"

"There's another like you?" Hudson says sounding a little disturbed and disgusted by it.

"In a sense. He's my son."

"What?"

"Artifical insemenation since I woudn't breed. I got put under, they did their procedure and nine months later I had Danyl." She looks down, "Stop hiding and come up. They're not gonna hurt you." 

"That's what they all say."

"That's what I say." She tells him speaking to him through the gated floor. "Now." And they can hear movement, and he appears coming up through a vent.

A boy about Newt's age and bears signifigant resemblance to her. The same hair, the same eyes, the same athletic build due to their alien DNA, but he does not have a tail. He has the claws, the acid blood, but he looks more human than his mother. A good lookin' kid too. The soldiers watch her act with him, hugs, and he looks past her at Newt and curls his fingers in a wave.

Hudson giggles. "Looks like someone thinks youre cute kid." 

"Naturally." The boy says, "Unlike you, she didn't fall out of the ugly tree." 

"Danyl."

"What?"

"Be thankful you look more like me instead of your doner father. He looked like he was whipped with the ugly stick." She says making the boy smile, there are the pearly whites perfecly alligned like hers in everyway but one; no silver tint. "I wouldn't be surprised if the old fart dropped dead after giving a sample." More giggles.

"So when are we goin'?"

"You were listening to that?" 

"Danyl's always around, even if you can't see him." Newt tells him.

"You had seconds before I strangled someone." Danyl looks up at his mother, "No cages, right mum?"

"No cages." A light smile.

~_~

Evac time. The group of them moving out. Zero & Danyl in the front, followed by Hicks, then Rippley with Newt & the others following in the back. Burke, still alive, with a patch over his eye from being introduced to acid, hasn't said a word or so much as given a dirty look to either of them, Zero or her son, but the two mutants are watching him keenly as if they know he's up to something. Hicks & Rippley ofcourse don't blaime them since Hicks knows all three of them, the two women and the boy child know Burke is up to something.

"How can you trust them?" Burke whispers to Hicks, "They'll kill us all once we're off this planet, and take the ship for themselves." 

"No they won't." Newt says, "Maybe you, but not us."

"You're a rotton child you know that?" Burke growls at her.

"Shut your face. I can hear you." Zero says from the front and the two of them easily hop up on a large bolder. "I'd behave youself or I'll break your leg and let them come get you." 

"Only you Z, only you." Vasquez says. "See anything?"

"More rocks." Danyl replies, "They mostly come out at night."

"Mostly, but that dosn't mean they won't."

Danyl grins, "I'd like to see them try it again. You'd think they'd learn now you're not to be fucked with." 

"Language." Zero tells him idly, and it wasn't even a scornful tone as if she didn't really care but should tell him to mind it anyway.

"Up." Newt holds her hand up, and Zero takes it easily lifting the chlid up onto the rock as if she was nothing.

Then Newt jumps and slides down the rocks followed by Danyl. While he catches himself on his feet, she dosn't and nearly hits another rock but he grabs her shirt stopping her. The girl standing on her toes and leaning foreward suspended in the air, and she smiles as Danyl pulls her back.

"Just how strong are you?" Hicks asks looking up at her.

"I can lift twice my weight, fall and jump three times my height."

"We can walk on walls too." Danyl says, "But I wish I had a tail."

"No you don't." 

"Yes I do. I'm missing out on the kangaroo kick."

Zero smiles and hops down from the rock, "Maybe, but atleast you can blend."

"Are you missing the eyes?"

"I'm missing half your face with this mop no your head you call hair." Zero teases and pushes his hair back, Danyl shakes his head.

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"I'm not a pet." Shaking his head when she brushes his hair back.

Zero smiles again, "I never said you were. It's an affectionate gesture. Would you rather I smack you with my tail?"

"Yes!"

Another smile, "You're hopeless."

"No I'm not. You always said I would've been their golden boy if we has stayed back at the facility."

"Yes well, knockin' me up is one thing, then taking my child away is another."

"Don't mess with mama." 

"Damn right don't mess with mama." Zero gets her arm around his neck standing behind him.

"What about the one laying eggs? You ever mess with her?" Hudson asks.

"Are you kidding? She's got drones watching her like a hawk. I wouldn't even let close enough to poke her with my tail."

"But you know where she's being kept?"

"Yeah. The coring room, some several hundred meters from the hive. I got close enough once and was nearly speared for it, so I'll pass on trying again. If you don't do it right once, then they'll be onto your tricks."

"They can't talk, and have a serious drool problem, but they're smart." Danyl tells them. "She made me stay in the facility. I wasn't allowed to leave and if I did, she said she'd lock me out."

Zero smiles, "You know I wouldn't." Another smile, "Well, maybe, as long as there wasn't anything waiting to pick you off."

Danyl gives his mothers back a smack and they can hear a small thud from the blow. "Ow. Break my spine why don't ya?"

"Never." Danyl replies, "Well, only on accident."

"Accidentally on purpose."

"There is is. I see it!" Newt announces, and they all look at the aircraft coming towards them.

All of them having the feeling of releif they were going to get off the planet, and then they notice it tipping. Leaning foreward and it's back end coming up, and then it hits a giant rock scraping the side and underside of the right side. Tipping foreward even more and Rippley yells for them to run as the aircraft comes closer, glides right over their heads and then lands smashing into the ground and slides.

"We're not going to be leaving now are we?"