?I saw it, asshole.?Kevin was gazing intently at the place on the ceiling from which the alien had hung. ?I was there. Y’think I’m blind??

?Yeah, but I mean it was big.?So intent were they on the memory of what had just happened that they even forgot to stare at Ripley.

Prisoner William rose and surveyed his comrades. ?Okay, so what do we do now, mates??A couple of the men looked at one another but no one said anything. ?Well, who’s in charge? I mean, we need to get organized here, right??

Aaron swallowed, glanced around the room. ?I guess I’m next in line.?

Morse rolled his eyes ceilingward. ?Eighty-five’s gonna be in charge. Jesus, give me a break!?

?Don’t call me that!?Aaron glared at the prisoner who’d spoken. ?Not now, not ever!?Rising, he advanced to confront them.

?Look, no way I can replace Andrews. I’m not even 138

Alan Dean Foster

gonna pretend that I can. You guys didn’t appreciate him. I know he was a hardass sometimes, but he was the best man I ever worked with.?

Dillon was less than impressed. ?I don’t want to hear that shit.?His gaze shifted from the assistant to the lanky figure seated on the far side of the hall. ?What about you? You’re an officer. How about showing us a little leadership??

Ripley glanced briefly in his direction, took a puff on her narcostick, and looked away.

Williams broke the ensuing silence, gesturing at Dillon. ?You take over. You run things here anyway.?

The bigger man shook his head quickly. ?No fuckin’ way. I ain’t the command type. I just take care of my own.?

?Well, what’s the fuckin’ beast want??The discouraged Williams inquired aloud. ?Is the fucker gonna try and get us all??

The narcostick eased from Ripley’s lips. ?Yeah.?

?Well, isn’t that sweet??Morse growled sarcastically. ?How do we stop it??

Disgusted, Ripley tossed the remains of her narcostick aside and rose to confront the group.

?We don’t have any weapons, right? No smart guns, no pulse rifles, nothing??

Aaron nodded reluctantly. ?Right.?

She looked thoughtful. ?I haven’t seen one exactly like this before. It’s bigger, its legs are different. The other ones were afraid of fire, or at least respectful of it. Not much else.?

She let her gaze roam the hall. ?Can we seal off this area??

?No chance,?Aaron told her. ?The developed mine 139

139

complex is ten miles square. There’s six hundred air ducts that access the surface. This goddamn place is big.?

?What about video? We could try to locate it that way. I see monitors everywhere.?