?This is the choice,?the big man was telling them. ?You die sitting here on your ass, or maybe you die out there. But at least we take a shot at killing it. We owe it one. It’s fucked us over. Maybe we get even for the others. Now, how do you want it??

Morse eyed him in disbelief. ?What the fuck are you talkin’ about??

?Killin’ that big motherfucker.?

Aaron took a step forward, suddenly uneasy. ?Hold it. There’s a rescue team on the way. Why don’t we just sit it out??

Ripley eyed him narrowly. ?Rescue team for who??

?For us.?

?Bullshit,?she snapped. ?All they want’s the beast. You know that.?

?I don’t give a damn what they want. They aren’t gonna kill us.?

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195

?I’m not so sure. You don’t know the Company the way I do.?

?Come on. They’re gonna get us out of here, take us home.?

?They ain’t gonna take us home,?Dillon observed.

?That still doesn’t mean we should go out and fight it,?Morse whined. ?Jesus Christ, give me a break.?

Aaron shook his head slowly. ?You guys got to be fucking nuts. I got a wife. I got a kid. I’m going home.?

Dillon’s expression was hard, unyielding, and his tone smacked of unpleasant reality. ?Get real. Nobody gives a shit about you, Eight-five. You are not one of us. You are not a believer. You are just a Company man.?

?That’s right,?Aaron told him. ?I’m a Company man and not some fucking criminal. You keep telling me how dumb I am, but I’m smart enough not to have a life sentence on this rock, and I’m smart enough to wait for some firepower to show up before we get out and fight this thing.?

?Right. Okay. You just sit here on your ass. It’s fine.?

Morse’s head jerked. ?How about if I sit here on my ass??

?No problem,?Dillon assured him. ?I forgot. You’re the guy that’s got a deal with God to live forever. And the rest of you pussies can sit out too. Me and her?-he indicated Ripley-?we’ll do all the fighting.?

Morse hesitated, found some of the others gazing at him. He licked his lower lip. ?Okay. I’m with you. I want it to die. I hate the fucker. It killed my friends, too. But why can’t we wait a few hours and have the fuckin’ company techs with guns on our side? Why the shit do we have to make some fucking suicide run??

?Because they won’t kill it,?Ripley informed him. 196

Alan Dean Foster

?They may kill you just for having seen it, but they won’t kill it.?

?That’s crazy.?Aaron was shaking his head again. ?Just horseshit. They won’t kill us.?