Alien - Pandemonium

Chapter Twenty

Charlie cautiously pushed open the door to the bridge, her heart pounding in her chest. Judy followed closely, her flamethrower raised and ready. The room was silent except for the hum of machinery, casting an eerie glow across the array of controls and monitors. As they scanned the area and found it clear, Charlie's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She quickly crossed to the main control console, her fingers flying over the keys as she accessed the ship's systems.

Activating the emergency quarantine procedure, she locked down potential entry points, sealing off sections of the Grafton one by one. The screen flickered a confirmation that the ship was now segmented into secure zones, hopefully isolating the creature—if it was still aboard.

"Okay, that should buy us some time," Charlie said, turning to Judy with a determined look. "Let's keep moving and set up more defences. We can't let this thing get the jump on us."

Charlie leaned over the console, her eyes darting across the screens that displayed the layout of the Grafton and the locations of its crew members. She navigated through the interface, her breath hitching as she pinpointed the location of the Xenomorph. With a few more keystrokes, she activated the monitor that showed the creature in real-time.

Her eyes widened in horror as she recognised the distinct, menacing features. "Oh my god," she whispered.

"What?" Judy asked, hurrying over to see.

"It's the Raven," Charlie replied, her voice trembling. "How did that fucking thing get onboard? I blasted that fucker into space."

Judy's eyes widened as she stared at the screen. The Raven's scarred, monstrous form filled the monitor, its jagged teeth bared in a snarl as it prowled through the dark corridors of the ship. The creature moved with terrifying grace, its every step exuding lethal intent.

"We need to figure out a way to trap it," Judy said, her voice tinged with fear. "We can't let it get to us."

Charlie nodded, her mind racing. "First, we need to lure it somewhere we can control. We have to use the ship's layout to our advantage. Let's see if we can corral it into a section we can seal off completely."

She tapped furiously on the console, bringing up a schematic of the Grafton. "If we can guide it to the cargo hold, we can lock it in there. It's the most secure area on the ship."

Judy nodded, gripping her flamethrower tightly. "Let's do it. We have to end this, once and for all."

Charlie took a deep breath, steeling herself for the task ahead. "Okay, let's move. We need to act fast before it realises we're onto it." She grabbed her weapon and led the way, ready to face the Raven head-on.

Charlie halted in her tracks and swiftly turned to the monitors, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she entered a series of commands. With a determined click, she activated the tracker, a vital tool that would allow her to navigate the ship's corridors while ensuring the doors sealed securely behind her.

The screen displayed a grid-like map of the Grafton, with blinking dots indicating the locations of both crew members and the Xenomorph. Charlie's eyes narrowed as she focused on the Raven's icon, tracking its movements with precision.

"Okay," she muttered to herself, her voice tinged with urgency. "We need to lure it to the cargo hold, but we have to be strategic about it."

Judy watched over her shoulder, her grip tightening on the flamethrower. "How do we do that?"

"We use the tracker to guide us," Charlie explained, her gaze never leaving the screen. "I'll lead the way, and the doors will lock behind us, trapping it in each section we pass through."