Dark Blood

Chapter 4

It had been at least two days since the Queen had been brought to the facility, but it seemed like an eternity for those who once worked there. Since the Weylanders had arrived, no one had been allowed to set foot outside the facility. The situation wouldn't have been so bad if the scientists, engineers, and other previous staff were actually able to do something. But instead, they were confined to the mess hall while the Weylanders scurried around the facility, doing who knows what with the Queen. They were basically in lockdown, and to say they were bored and annoyed would be an understatement. The lab where the Queen was kept had been completely transformed. Much more advanced equipment, technology, and tools were brought in and littered the tables, chairs, and floor. The Weylanders worked diligently and silently, only speaking in hushed voices when necessary, making the lab's atmosphere quite eerie. Nothing was heard save for the tapping of keyboards, the rustling of papers, and the heavy breathing of the Queen.

Overlooking the operation was Mr. Weyland, reclining comfortably in a cushioned chair on the balcony with a full view of the Queen. He drummed his fingers methodically on the arm of his chair, watching her every move with unabated interest and hungry curiosity. In the span of three days, Her Majesty had grown a large sac beneath her, on which she now perched like an emaciated raven. It pulsed and rippled grotesquely, looking like a monstrous pale maggot. Where its flesh pressed against the glass, the Weylanders set up an advanced ultrasound machine with a large screen display, giving them a grainy, shadowy view of the interior. There they were; eggs. At least twenty of them had formed by now, and it would not be long before she started laying them. Mr. Weyland was painstakingly waiting for that day as if it were Christmas. Luckily for him, he would not have to wait much longer.

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It was only two hours into the fourth day of lockdown, and the Queen had already laid around fifteen eggs. Glancing at the ultrasound, one could see that there were plenty more on the way. So much more. The Weylanders had cautiously ventured close to the glass chamber, watching as another egg emerged from the sack. Some imagined the wet, sticky, squelching sound it made as the Queen pushed it out, making them shiver with disgust. The egg gently fell to the floor of the container, joining the rest of the nightmarish clutch. Her Majesty released a small hiss, appearing exhausted.

"Sedate her." The Weylanders jumped as their boss' voice rang through the silent room.

One cautiously raised his hand. "Why, sir?"

Mr. Weyland stood from his chair and crossed his arms behind his back. "She is drained. Now would be the perfect time to remove the eggs from the chamber and place them in a separate unit. After all," he shrugged. "We must make room for more."

And so it was done. Using a small hatch on the container's roof, the scientists slowly lowered a long robotic arm wrapped in tubing into the Queen's chamber, and at its tip was an imposingly oversized needle. The hatch was at the back of the container, allowing the arm to enter the space without earning an undesirable reaction from the Queen. The scientists traversed the spines on her back with careful maneuvering and gently wedged the arm under her dome, pausing with the needle mere inches from her flesh. After a tense few seconds to make sure she wasn't moving, the scientists plunged the needle into her neck and injected her with a tranquilizing solution. The Queen screeched and flinched, throwing her dome backward and knocking the arm away. The force crushed the robotic arm but did not severe it; instead, it crumpled limply, sparking and whirring in protest as it swung. The scientists quickly pulled the broken arm out of the container as the Queen snapped her teeth and scratched at the injection spot. However, she did nothing else in the form of retaliation, for she did not want to risk the loss of her offspring. After a few minutes, the Queen's head began to droop, and her arms relaxed and dangled in front of her, fingertips barely grazing the floor. When her chin hit her chest, the Weylanders waited a bit longer to monitor her state before opening the containment unit. An extraction team then entered in specialized suits and began to carefully take the eggs. They were transported to a small, climate-controlled room not far down the hall where they were to be studied and examined. Maybe even a few would be dissected and preserved, but not much had been officially decided yet. Right now, their only objective was to collect as many of the eggs as possible.

When the Queen groggily awoke from her sedated slumber and saw that her brood had been taken from her, she unleashed a blood-curdling shriek that was heard throughout the facility. It ricocheted down the corridors, vibrating through the doors and seeping into the very bones of everyone in the building. Those in the room practically stuffing their hands in their ears, squeezing their eyes tightly shut and grinding their teeth in pain. Mr. Weyland was gripping the railing as if a monsoon was about to blow him backward; his arms were locked, his knuckles white, eyes wide, and lips pursed in terror and awe. The very Earth breathed a sigh of relief when the Queen's cries died down. She returned to a relatively passive state, whimpering quietly but overall appearing calm. If someone had been wearing headphones playing loud music, they probably wouldn't have noticed anything had happened.

People picked themselves off the ground slowly, glancing around at each other with looks of fear and concern. They pressed their hands to their ears and then brought them back down to look at, checking for blood. Mr. Weyland regained his composure and straightened his collar, clearing his throat and smoothing back his fading hair.

"Fix the injector, quickly," he said. "We will collect more eggs within the hour." Everyone stared up at the stoic man incredulously. After what had just happened, he wanted them to take more eggs?

Seeing no action from his staff, anger bristled and darkened his eyes. His mouth twisted into a displeased sneer. "Do I pay you to stand around gawking like a bunch of morons?" he growled, voice tense. "I said get moving."

Reluctantly, the scientists began repairing the machine while the Queen continued to lay her eggs. There was an air of apprehension in the room, many wondering if the next time they removed a clutch of eggs, the Queen would retaliate against them. It would not take much effort on her part to escape and destroy the place. And yet, each time she reawakened from sedation, she actually seemed more at ease. Obedient, even. They assumed she had been frightened the first time and had become accommodated to the process. However, this was far from the truth. If a Xenomorph was capable of having a smug look on their face, the Queen would be wearing a mighty one. If only those simple, stupid humans knew... every egg they took was another grain of sand in the hourglass. Their time was almost up.