Xenomorph

The Reconnaissance Model

This is another work that was inspired by JCK22's art. The cover is also by JCK22.

The original concept of the Xenomorph came from an AU art by @CreatureXIII for their RK800 Connor Xenomorph. JCK22 has since made their own interpretation of an RK900 version.

This all came from a joke I make about 'What if there was a tiny scout version?' So, here it is.

I hope you all enjoy reading!

Gavin sighed as he shut the heavy door, relief flooding his chest as he cooled off. His brother always kept the AC running in his mansion. It was one of the best things about visiting. That, and he always had new projects on the go. His favourite so far had been the prototype for android cats. He'd been used as the very first test subject. The poor thing hadn't even had fur. Gavin didn't usually like androids in any form, but that little cat had just about melted his heart with its twitching tail and big, blinking eyes. He'd been heartbroken when it had shut down. It had been an early prototype, with very simple programming and no safety awareness. A fall from the banister on the second floor walkway was all it had taken to break it. Elijah had eventually made more, but none had come close to that first twitchy little machine that had rubbed against his shins, pawed his jeans, and followed him just about everywhere.

"Eli?" Gavin called as he stepped away from the door, wiping the sweat from his brow. He was a little hot after walking up the mountain in the summer heat. It was his day off, so he'd figured, why not? It wasn't like he had anything better to do, and hiking helped keep him in shape. He'd worn a simple tank top with his usual jeans. It was too hot for his leather jacket in the sunny weather, so he'd left it at home. "Chloe? Anyone home?" Someone was usually there to greet him, even if it was just one of Chloe's doppelgangers, which she left running on autopilot. The car was out front...Are they in the garden out back?

His brow furrowed as he crossed the tiled floor, passing the laughably obnoxious portrait of Elijah that hung in the entryway. He still couldn't believe he kept that thing. Elijah always insisted it was only there because it had been painted by some artist friend of his. Cracking the door to the pool, he didn't find any people, but there was something. He frowned as he stepped inside and closed the door as quietly as he could. What the phck? He didn't even know what it was supposed to be. It was about the size of a cat, but it was definitely no fucking cat. It was leaning down to lap at the chlorinated water, drawing back with a small grunting noise. Cute...

"What the phck are you?" Gavin murmured as he walked closer, trying to be quiet so as not to startle the...whatever it is. The creature was black with a matte casing that looked sort of like an exoskeleton. The solid plates were in delicate segments that glowed a soft blue at the seams. It was clearly mechanical, with clawed hands and feet similar to a human. Its fingers were clawed, as were the toes, and there was a spike on the heels of each foot. The feet sort of reminded him of that old Gargoyles cartoon he used to watch as a kid. It walked like a cross between a cat and a monkey. The arms could definitely work like a human, but the legs were back jointed like a cat, which likely gave it quite a high running speed. It had a long tail, more like a lizard than a cat or dog, with ridges running all the way down from its spine to the sharpened tip. It was almost scorpion-like at the end. The most eerie thing about it was the human head. It wasn't human sized, of course, it was in proportion with the sleek body, but still human. It looks...familiar...

The little creature turned to look at him, clicks and grunts fleeing its lips as it hunkered back. The pale blue glow shifted to a cautious yellow that sometimes blinked red. It raised its tail cautiously, an obvious show of aggression. It sort of sounded like a velociraptor. Gavin paused. The small creature was nervous. Its face was pale, with black, almost tear-like lines running down from its dark black eyes. The irises were a startling blue, almost ethereal, like a wolf. Gavin held up his hand in a stop gesture as he lowered himself to one knee. The little creature hunched further, the clicks quickening as it assessed Gavin as a possible threat. It looked ready to pounce. Gavin made small hushing sounds, settling down to make himself seem smaller.