She had a name. A tag number. She was one of few successes, but she had a name.
'11296'. Her identifier number.
11296 remembered her first moments, growing up in the breeding facility among the others. Being placed with the others when she was big enough. Swarming together with drones and warriors, and hears the same story when she talked to them.
They were nothing. Nothing at all. Worthless creations to be hunted.
11296 was female. That made her more important; and more vulnerable.
The Breeders breed them genetically, modifying them for sport, and then killed them off accordingly. But not the females. The queens were taken away by the Hunters while everyone was subdued with freezing gases, and never seen again. PErhaps to forcibly breed more sport for their sick games.
11296 didn't want that. 11296 wanted to be more than '11296'.
11296 wanted to be... 11297. Something more than she was before.
And something in the air gave 11296 the feeling that, if she waited and hid, she would get the chance. And so that is exactly what 11296 did.
When the Breeders looked in the pens, 11296 laid with her belly to the unforgiving ground as they scanned the masses for crests. The large chest that would give away the queens that had some of the others hauled away forcibly. The modifications made the crest take some time to form properly and it scared 11296 when the Breeders turned off the lights inside the halls of the facility-
And 11296 saw her reflection in the glass. 11296 saw the beginning stages of her grand crest and it scared her.
Until She came.
Until the female dropped into their pen and 11296 could feel it.
This was 11296's chance. The chance to be more than 11296. The chance to be free; the chance to be more than some breeding factory. And they crowded around the strange female that smelled of sweetness and tartness.
'I need help.'
The words were unspoken but they could all feel it in their core. In their minds. The request was genuine and sincere, and they felt compelled to help. To serve and to protect. It was the pheromones that a Queen would give off, but it was so- odd.
"Please help." They understood the words with alarming and shocking clarity, and they assisted wholeheartedly-
Except 11296. 11296 lingered in the pen with the others; numb.
The female came back, eventually, leading back the brothers that had assisted her- two large Predators behind her. And she came to them again. "I need 3 of you." They crowded around her as if to hear her better, but the distance did not reduce the clearness of the words. "I need the weakest. For the hunt." They were scared. All of them.
All but 11296. 11296 pushed past her brothers and right up to the strange female.
This was 11296's wish. Her dream. The sign 11296 had been waiting for. To be more than a number. The female had already selected 2 of them and needed a 3rd. As the female touched their heads to decide, 11296 pushed her brothers out of the way and pushed her head under the seeking hand. And when the female tried to move it, 11296 hissed and pushed her head and muzzle wherever she needed to so that the female would not choose another. 11296 needed this female to see- needed her to know- that 11296 could be of use!
Even if she was scared and terrified of dying- 11296 was a Queen. She could make others. Make others so that no more of those in the pen had to die.
"You feel so strongly... about this?"
Yes. 11296 hasn't felt more sincere or passionate about anything before. The female's pheromones were strong and empowering. If the lowly 11296 could help; if meek and late-blooming 11296 could be of use to the female; then it would humble 11296 to stand with the female.
"Listen well." 11296 pushed her muzzle into the hand to show her attention, "You will be killed; it is an unjust and unfair death. Hear my heart; know that I do not want this for you. I can free you, but I will need your help."
11296 would do anything for freedom.
And so, 11296 went with the female and two brothers followed. And they stayed in a cage. Stayed with the female as she soothed their nerves and unease and comforted them. She made them feel safe and protected; looked out for. As 11296 had never felt before.
11296 felt wanted and loved.
And she spoke to them. To ease them further, she told them of herself; and she told 11296 of her job and the two others of theirs.
11296 needed to produce 3 others; to pay for her and the two other xenomorph's freedom. The Hunters would kill these offspring, and the female would give the xenomorphs their freedom. 11296 agreed. 3 children were nothing compared to the hundreds she would bear on her own.
11296 even fell asleep under the tranquil and calming touch of the female- before being dropped from her cage and falling through the skies. 11296 watched as one of the males wrapped around the female protectively and they fell faster, before looking down beneath her for her landing destination after watching them hit the ground.
A small grey dot was nothing as it grew larger and larger, to reveal cages and things moving inside of them; and a large body of water. Something inside of it, swimming around in the deeper parts of the water.
It was in these parts that 11296 fell. And after a few minutes and the surface of the water stilling, resurfaced on the closest part of the land and looked behind it.
Several large, scaled reptiles growling and moving towards 11296.
This was it. This was 11296's chance to shine- not only as a Queen but as a Xenomorph.
And 11296 wasn't going to let the opportunity to showcase her Queenhood or a chance to show she held worth, go to waste.
YOU ARE READING
Seeking Salvation
Science FictionNo one could remember how she had gotten there in the first place, but it was clear; she didn't belong somewhere like the Game Preserve, among their dangerous prey when she had risked herself countless times to save their wounded brothers and bring...
