In Space, Everyone Can Hear You Scream, an aliens/predator fanfic

In Space, Everyone Can Hear You Scream

"Y'know," Nolan said, "I heard once that in space, no-one can hear you scream."

Renais looked up at him from her sudoku puzzle. "Pardon?"

"I said that in space, no-one can hear you scream."

"I heard what you said, I just don't get it."

"Well…" He leant back in his chair. "Like, space is a vacuum, right? And sound can't travel in vacuum."

"We're scavengers Nolan, I know how space works."

"So, think about it," he said. "If you screamed in space, no-one would hear you because there's no sound to carry it."

"Oh." Renais put a finger to her chin.

"Just a little joke."

"Wouldn't you have a radio though?" Renais asked.

"What?"

"Yeah. If you were in vacuum, presumably you're in a space suit, and that suit would presumably have a radio."

"I think you're overthinking-"

"Or you'd be in a spaceship. Presumably if you screamed there, people would hear you because it would be an oxygenated environment."

"I guess, but-"

"So in space, everyone can hear you scream," Renais said. She leant back in her chair and folded her arms, a smug look on her face. "And I guess if you were in a position where they couldn't hear you scream, it would be your own fault."

Nolan didn't say anything.

"What?" she asked.

"Go and ruin the joke why don't you?"

"Hey, your joke, not mine." She looked to the side, specifically at the door that led into the briefing room. "Where the heck are Dillon and Gia?"

"I dunno," Nolan said sullenly. Maybe they tried to scream, but ran out of air."

"Sheesh, you're in a mood."

Nolan didn't say anything.

Truth was, it was bothering him more than it should. He was the captain of the Magpie damn it. He'd kept his crew paid, kept them going from one successful salvage to the next, and he figured that if he wanted to make a joke about screaming in space, the least his first mate could do was humour him. Because of course he knew how radios worked, but damn it, did she really have to be so pedantic?

"Sorry we're late."

He grunted as the last two Magpies walked in.

"What kept you?" Renais asked. "Air leakage."

"Um, no," Dillon said. "Just an electrical fault on C deck. Why?"

Electrical fault my arse.

"Oh, nothing." Renais gave Nolan a playful shove. "We were just having an intellectual discussion about how sound travels through vacuum."

Shut up Renais.

"But sound doesn't travel through vacuum," Gia said. "We all know that."

Renais snorted, murmuring "think you know all about having things travel through other things."

Gia glared at her. "What the hell are you-"

"Okay, briefing time," Nolan said, getting to his feet. "We're all here now, so now I can get to explaining why we're here."

"Why we're here?" Dillon asked. "Like, why we're here here? Or why we're metaphorically here? Like, if we've got purpose to being here and-"

"Dillon?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Oh. Sure."

Nolan sighed. They all knew he was the captain. Sometimes he wondered what that position actually meant. He picked up a remote and pulled down a projector screen from the ceiling. It was old tech – old even before space colonization began – but the Magpie was run on a budget. It had worked in the 20th century, it could work in the 22nd. So activating the first slide, a picture of a starship appeared.

"Ooh, pretty," Renais said.

It didn't really, but he let it slide. "This is the Chimera," he said. He flipped the switch, and the image was replaced with a star chart. "This is the Epsilon Auriga system, and this…" He pressed the button again, zooming into said system, "is where we are in relation to it."

Thankfully, none of the Magpies stated the obvious – that they were close. That he'd brought the Magpie into the star system in question.

"Last week, I got in touch with a little birdy at Midain Inc.," Nolan said. "They want us to do a little salvage operation on the Chimera. We get on, we hack its logs, we get a down payment, plus salvage rights to any cargo we acquire."

Gia raised an eyebrow. "What kind of down-payment?"

"One-hundred thousand standard credits. One-fifty if they like what they see."

Dillon let out a whistle. Gia looked pleased. Renais looked concerned.

"What is it?" Nolan asked her.

"This ship," she said. "Who does it belong to?"

"The Company."

Gia let out a whistle this time. Renais's eyes narrowed.

"The Company," she murmured.

"That's what I said."

"You want to mess with the Company?"

"We're not messing with anyone." Nolan pressed the button again and it was replaced with a series of numbers – dates, coordinates, specs. "The Chimera launched from a moon in the system and never entered FTL travel. Instead, it sent out a distress signal and has been drifting silently since then." Renais opened her mouth but he kept talking. "No, I don't know what it is. My client didn't ask. But he did assure me that all the Company mooks on the Chimera are dead, or would be by the time we arrived in the system."

"You'll forgive me if I'm a bit wary of taking a Midain mook at his word."

"You're forgiven," Nolan said. "But this is the Company. You think they're going to care about one itty bitty ship in the middle of nowhere?"

"Nup," said Dillon.

"Nup," said Gia.

Renais said nothing.

"Well?" He sighed. "Come on Renais, spit it out."

"It's just…" She began tapping her fingers on the table. "Midain wants the ship, right? So presumably there's something worth taking on it."

"Presumably?"

"Then presumably the Company knows as well?"

"Presumably it does. But we're here now. Far as I can tell, we're alone in the system. We'll be in and out before the Company gets here."

Dillon and Gia looked ready to go. Renais still looked like she needed to be convinced.

"Come on," Dillon said. "We get this, we'll be set up for a year. Plus it's the Company. Those bastards have been squeezing everyone out of pocket from Earth to Arcturus to beyond. We get a payday, plus we stab them in the paw. What's the problem with that?"

Renais didn't say anything, even if the look in her eyes told him that there was plenty that she wanted to.

"How long till we arrive at the ship?" Dillon asked.

"Five hours." He shut down the projector. "Any other questions?"

No-one said anything.

"Good. Now let's get to work."

As the Magpies filed out, the look from Renais aside, he smiled.

It was good to feel in charge again.

Five hours later, the Magpies were in SSP – standard salvage procedure.

Nolan sat on the bridge, looking at the Chimera through the Magpie's external cameras. In the airlock, Dillon, Gia, and Renais were suiting up. Tools, rebreather packs, magnetic boots, the works. Every one of them had a shoulder camera that was sending a live-feed to the bridge. It was a primitive setup, but Nolan found that it had paid off in the years they'd operated in the Frontier. Watching the feeds, he'd often spot something that they'd miss. If they were his birds, he was the avians' eyes.

"Nolan? How we doing?" Dillon asked.

"Coming up on the ship," he said. "Here, I'll patch you a feed."

Nolan knew that in the airlock, a screen would be lighting up, showing the salvagers what he was seeing. The Chimera. Just hanging there in space. Gia let out a whistle.

"Not bad," she said.

"Yeah, not bad," Renais murmured.

Nolan decided to get the shit out of the way. "What is it Renais?"

"Nolan, do we know what caused this?"

"No. Does it matter?"

"Does it matter?!"

He sighed. "Renais, I've scanned the ship. There's no sign of a radiation leak, and the ship's still got life support and a-grav."

"And that doesn't strike you as strange? That the ship would just stop and lose all its crew without any apparent damage?"

"Renais, do you want your one-hundred thousand or not?"

"Twenty-five thousand."

"Twenty. Remember how this works?"

"Ah yes, you of course get the largest share, captain."

"Okay, okay," Dillon said. "Say, captain – we know the ship's intact. What about crew?"

"Way ahead of you." He pressed some buttons and the Chimera was super-imposed with a shade of red and black. "I've already done an infra-red scan. There's nothing breathing."

"And we still don't know why," Renais murmured.

"Look, if there's rats, or cats, or I dunno, dogs, your motion trackers will pick it up. Plus, you've each got a pistol – if there's any sad sack that's still alive, you can just put him out of his misery."

"Or her," Gia said.

"Or her," Nolan said, smirking at Gia's propensity for murder. "Now all of you stand tight – I'm extending the airlock."

No-one said anything after that. No matter how they might feel, they knew that Nolan needed to concentrate for this part. To an outside observer, the Magpie and Chimera might have appeared still, but in reality, both of them were moving through space at speeds than what most people could comprehend. So to extend the airlock from the Magpie to the derelict ship…that took time, plus concentration. A full minute of both before a "clunk" echoed throughout the salvage ship.

"Connection made," Nolan said.

"Thank you, we could tell," Dillon said. Through Gia's camera, Nolan saw him smirk. "Shall we?"

"Bloody hell."

Nolan wasn't sure who uttered the words, and it didn't matter anyway. Because "bloody hell" were the words on the tip of his tongue as well.

"Nolan, you seeing this?" Renais asked.

"Yeah," he murmured, staring at her camera feed. "I'm seeing it."

"It," as it was, was a human male. He was wearing a WY jumpsuit. The jumpsuit, like most of his body, had been torn up. Blood coated the floor and walls around him.

"It was like a…wild animal got him," Gia said.

"Please, there's no animals in space," Dillon said.

"We're animals," said Renais.

"Thank you Renais, that's very helpful."

"Shut up Gia."

Nolan sighed. "Focus, guys."

"Focus?' Gia asked. "We've got a guy who's been torn apart, and you want us to focus?"

"Yes, I want you to focus," Nolan said. He looked at a data pad on the desk next to him in CIC. "Hold still."

"Hold still?" He wants us to hold still with…with this?!"

"Six," Nolan said.

"What?"

"The Chimera had a crew of six onboard," Nolan said.

"And how's that relevant?" Renais asked.

"It might be, considering we know how at least one of them died."

"How?" Gia asked. "How did he die?"

"You're on the ship, you tell me."

"Telling you man, it's like a wild animal-"

"Stop," Nolan said. "There's no wild animals in space. Either someone's beaten us to it, or another crew member killed the poor sod."

"Killed him with what?" Dillon whispered.

Nolan had to admit that he wasn't sure. Looking at the camera feeds…well, he'd seen bodies before. He'd made bodies before. But he'd never seen the job be done as messy as this.

"Nolan, are you holding out on us?" Dillon asked.

"No. My contact said nothing about this."

"Bullshit."

"You want to tell Midain that? Be my guess. In the meantime, turn right at the next junction and keep walking. That'll take you to the bridge."

"Like hell I-"

"Come on," Renais said. "Let's go."

"But-"

"Dillon, motion tracker. Gia…"

Nolan watched the feed as Gia and Renais took their pistols out.

"Come on guys," Nolan said. "We just need the data. Anything apart from that is a bonus."

No-one said anything. Not at first anyway. But when Renais whispered "Nolan," he knew she was trying to keep the conversation private.

"Yeah?"

"This strike you as odd?" she whispered.

"What? Dead bodies?"

"I'm fine with dead bodies Nolan. But why do it like that? There's no reason for it. You want someone dead, you shoot them. You don't tear into them with…with machetes, or whatever the hell did that."

"Hey, the Frontier's violent."

"I know the Frontier's violent dumbass. I-"

She screamed.

"Renais?"

Gia and Dillon ran up. And through their feeds, he saw what Renais was seeing.

Bodies. Three of them. All of them torn apart. All of them in pools of blood, with the splatter staining the walls.

"Nolan?" Dillon asked.

"Hold position."

"You fucking insane?" Gia whispered.

"Dillon, motion tracker," Nolan said. "Rest of you, hold your damn position."

"Like hell we-"

Nolan muted Dillon's audio feed while he ran another infra-red scan.

"…and if you think-"

"There's only you," Nolan said.

"What?"

"There's only you," he repeated. "I just ran another scan. You're the only living people on this ship."

"Yeah, but like…space zombies," Gia said.

"Space zombies," murmured Dillon.

Nolan sighed. "Dillon, is there anything on the motion tracker?"

"Hold on…no."

"Then that's double the proof we need that whoever did this is gone or dead." Nolan sighed. "Guys, just get to the bridge. I know this is unnerving-"

"Unnerving? You're a fucking desk jockey who-"

"…but there's a big fat paycheck for all of us when we're done," he said. "Now move it."

The Magpies began moving. Well, Dillon and Gia did at least. Renais was remaining in place however.

"Renais?" Nolan whispered.

She didn't say anything.

"Renais, you have to move."

She remained silent.

"Renais, I…" He sighed. "Hey, I guess when they screamed, everyone heard them right? Like, in space, everyone can hear you-"

"Nolan?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," she whispered.

"Sure, okay."

"I mean it. I…I can't…"

"Renais, cool it," he said. "Just get to the bridge. Then you guys can come on back, we can crack a cold one, and we won't have to see this ship ever again."

"Nolan…I've seen men and women torn apart…I…I'm not just going to unsee that."

"I know," he whispered. "And unless you want to see them anymore, you're going to have to keep moving."

"I…okay. Sure."

"Good girl. Now keep moving."

The bridge had the bodies of the last two crew members. Like the others, they'd been slaughtered. But that wasn't the most disturbing aspect. What was disturbing was that the hatch leading to the bridge had been broken down.

"Jesus Christ," Dillon whispered. "What the hell did this?"

Nolan didn't know. None of them did. He watched as Gia knelt down, inspecting the frame.

"Weird," she said. "There's no sign of explosive residue, or, hell, anything. It's like it was physically broken down."

"Physically broken…" Dillon took a breath. "Okay, first of all, how. Second of all, why."

"Dunno. And we won't be around long enough to have to worry about it," Nolan said. "Gia, start downloading the logs. Dillon, keep an eye on the motion tracker. Renais, eyes out, pistol ready."

There was a sullen chorus of affirmations. Nolan kept his eyes focused on Gia's camera, watching as she plugged a data thief into the console.

"And we're in," she said.

"That was quick."

"I'm always quick."

"Really? That's not what your boyfriend says."

"Screw you Nolan."

"Hey, just trying to lighten the mood."

"Yeah, well, you're failing," Dillon said. "And what goes on in the bunk is none of your business."

"I'm the captain, everything's my business."

"Yeah, whatever," Gia murmured.

Nolan frowned – in part because he knew his efforts to keep the team in line were failing. He couldn't blame them for their unease, but they had to realize that the sooner they got this done, the sooner they got off the boat, right? But the other reason he frowned because from Gia's shoulder camera, he saw lines of text that he recognised as the logs.

"Gia, shift to the left a bit," he said.

She did so, allowing him to glance at the logs.

"I'm not slowing down y'know."

"I know, just want to see."

What he could see wasn't much. References to the Company's Bio-Weapons Division. Something about a specimen and the Chimera transporting it to Site Foxtrot-13.

"Um, Nolan?" Gia whispered. "Do you think the specimen did this?"

"Can't have."

"Why?"

"Think about it," he whispered. "If the specimen killed everyone onboard, where's the specimen now? You people are the only living creatures on the ship."

"And if this specimen didn't kill everyone?"

"I dunno. Maybe it was killed when the ship was boarded. Maybe it starved to death. But trust me, you people are the only four on the ship. Only way you aren't is if we're dealing with a ghost or something."

"There's a broken door here captain."

"Then maybe it killed everyone, but died of its own wounds afterwards."

"Right…" Gia got up. "Hack's done."

"Good. Then let's get the hell out of here," said Renais.

"Fine with me," said Dillon. He began to walk, but stopped.

"Dillon?" Nolan asked.

There was no answer.

"Dillon, report."

"Captain, I've got movement."

Shit. "Where?"

"Twenty metres and closing."

"Which deck?"

"Fuck I know man, this thing is in 2D."

"We should go," Gia said.

"Fifteen metres."

"Guys?"

"Ten metres."

"Fuck it, that's inside the room," Renais whispered.

"Everyone hold," Nolan said.

"Hold?! The fuck you mean hold?"

"I'm going to run another scan." He typed some buttons.

"Nine metres."

"Captain, we should go," Gia whispered.

"Eight metres."

"Hold on, just a sec."

"Damn it Nolan," Renais hissed.

"Seven metres."

"And…there," Nolan said.

"Six metres."

"Guys, that's nearly on top of us."

"Or below us."

"Five metres."

"Guys, there's nothing there," Nolan said. "There's four warm bodies on the bridge, and nothing else."

"Then why the fuck am I getting four metres?!"

"Guys, it's probably a rat or something, okay?" Nolan said. "The motion tracker's probably just picking it up. It's sensitive enough."

"Then why aren't your sensors picking it up?" Renais hissed.

"Look, it's small. Doesn't have enough body heat," Nolan said. "Dillon, what's the reading?"

"Still five metres."

"See, you scared it off?"

"Scared?" Gia whispered. "You think it's scared?"

"Yes," Nolan said. "And that's why I think you should head back. We've got the data. Midain can get what they want, we'll get what we want."

"Right," Dillon said. Through his camera, Nolan could see him heading for the exit. "Well, soon as I get what's coming to me, I'm-"

It happened quickly.

Through the camera, Nolan could see Dillon's body be yanked up. He could hear Gia and Renais screaming. More than that, he could hear Dillon screaming. Through the feed, he saw Dillon be taken up into a vent, at which point there was a wet sound. There were screams. Gunshots. A hiss and a wail. Dillon's camera must have been detached from his shoulder, because in the vent, he could see Dillon's body be dragged along through it, leaving a trail of blood behind it.

"Dillon," Nolan whispered. "Dillon, come in."

Gia was screaming. Renais was shouting.

"Dillon, come in!"

There was no answer. The camera just lay there in the dark.

"Dillon, do you read?!"

"Nolan…you killed him…" Gia whispered.

"Dillon, answer me!"

"God damn it you killed him!"

"Gia, be quiet!"

"You said there was nothing here! You said…" Nolan watched her camera shake – she was taking it off so she could look right into it. "The infra-red Nolan. What happened?!"

"Gia, I…maybe it doesn't turn up on-"

"Maybe? Dillon's dead, and you give me maybe?!"

"Gia?" Renais asked.

Nolan looked at Renais's feed. She was bending down to pick something up.

"God…" Gia whispered. She dropped the camera on the ground, and Nolan could see her pacing around. "This…this isn't happening…this can't be happening…"

"Gia, we've got movement," Renais said.

"Guys, get out of there," Nolan whispered.

"Fuck you Nolan! Fuck you!"

"Ten metres."

"Guys go."

"Swear to God I'm gonna-"

"Seven metres."

"Guys, run!"

"I'm going to kill you Nolan! I-"

Again, it happened quickly. He heard Renais scream – through her feed, he could see her running out of the room. He heard Gia scream as well, but it was a different type. It was a scream of rage. Of defiance. It was a scream followed by a volley of gunshots.

"Gia, report!"

She was still screaming. Out of the corner of the camera he could see her legs and shell casings hit the ground.

"Gia, what the fuck is going on?!"

She kept shouting. Kept screaming. She shifted her legs – whatever was in the room with her, it was fast.

"Gia, report!"

She let out a shout. And then she fell. And Nolan recoiled in his chair.

He couldn't see what was going on. He could see Gia's legs spasming. She was still screaming. Still shooting. Something was on top of her, letting out cries, and hisses. In less than two seconds, the shooting stopped. The screaming stopped. Something stood up on its hind legs. Gia's legs, her body, lay motionless. Around it, blood began to spread out over the floor.

"Oh my God," Nolan whispered.

The thing with black legs sprinted off.

The camera kept playing.

"Renais?"

He could see her camera feed. She was leaning against a wall in the ship.

"Renais?"

There was no answer.

"Renais, come in."

"Nolan…" she whispered.

"Renais, you…you need to get out of there."

"Dillon…Gia…"

"They're dead."

"I'm gonna die. God I'm gonna die."

"You're not going to…" He took a breath. "Listen to me. You need to get back to the airlock. I can guide you, but I've got no way of tracking that…that thing."

"I could hear her Nolan. God I could hear her."

He sighed. "I know."

"What is it Nolan?"

"I don't know."

"You lying fucker, I know you-"

"Renais, shut up and let me guide you, okay?"

There was no answer.

"Okay?"

"I…okay."

"Okay," he said. He took another breath, took a sip of water, and gave Mister Nutty a glance. "Right, listen. You're close. But I need you to turn around, and after twenty-five metres, take a right."

"That thing-"

"Could be anywhere Renais. But the longer you stay here, the more likely it is that it'll find you."

"All right."

Through the camera, he watched her begin to move at a brisk pace. The Chimera had wider corridors than the Magpie. It might have made things easier for that monster, but it was making things easier for Renais as well.

"I'm here," she said.

"Alright, take a right," he said. "That'll take you back to the junction where you reached the bridge."

"Okay," she whispered.

Through the camera, he saw a flash of a pistol.

"Nolan, tell me honestly," she whispered. "If I see this thing…will a nine millimetre do anything?"

He didn't answer.

"Nolan, just tell me. I heard gunshots. Was Gia…"

"Gia…" He rubbed his eyes. "She was firing, but I couldn't tell if she was hitting it."

"Right. Okay."

"But it's fast Renais."

"What about something heavier?"

"What?"

"We have an armoury. You could get-"

"No Renais."

"Why?"

"Because I need to guide you."

"But if I could get the data thief-"

"No Renais. You're getting off this boat. You can hate me, you can curse me, but…" He sighed. "In space, everyone can hear you scream."

"What?"

"You hard Dillon. You heard Gia. You really think if either of us go up against that…that thing…it's going to end any differently?"

Renais didn't say anything.

"Renais?"

"I'm here," she whispered.

"Alright," Nolan said. "Now, you've got to go left, and keep going. That'll take you to the airlock, which'll take you to the Magpie, which will…"

He trailed off. He was seeing what Renais was.

In the shadows up ahead. Something moving through the gloom. Something walking on two feet like a human, but definitely not human itself. Something out of the depths of nightmare. Something…something alien.

"Renais, go," Nolan whispered.

He saw her aim a pistol at it.

"Don't," he whispered.

"Nolan…"

"It hasn't seen you, so move."

"God Nolan, it's coming-"

"Renais, move!"

For a moment, she hesitated. Then she began to run.

Come on, he begged. Come on.

He could hear her breathing. He could hear her cursing. He heard a screech.

Come on, come on.

Through Renais's camera, he could see her approaching the Chimera's airlock. It was closed.

"On it," he said. He began typing on the console. "I'm going to get it open remotely."

"For God's sake, hurry up!"

"Come on, come on…got it!"

Through Renais's camera, he could see the hatch open. Beyond it was a septic white corridor that connected the Chimera to the Magpie. He typed more on his keypad.

"Renais, I've opened the Magpie's airlock. Just get over to it!"

"Okay!"

Through her camera, he saw her run. Getting closer. Closer. Closer.

Come on, come on…

Closer. Closer. Close…

She stopped.

"Renais?"

She wasn't moving. She was just standing there.

"Renais, come in!"

She made a sound, like she was trying to talk, but was unable to speak.

"Renais, what the hell's happening?!"

Through the camera, he saw her look down. At the black, spiked tail. The thing that was sticking through her stomach.

"No. God…please…"

The tail was yanked out. Her body toppled to the ground face first.

"Jesus Christ!"

He grabbed his hair and yelled. Dillon was dead. Gia was dead. Renais was dead. They-

The airlock.

The airlock was still opening.

It's there.

The creature had free access to the Magpie.

"Shit!" He began typing, trying to override the sequence.

MANUAL OVERRIDE REQUIRED

"Fuck fuck fuck!" He kept typing – the airlock cycle wasn't meant to be interrupted this way, but this was an emergency and-

MANUAL OVERRIDE REQUIRED

"Shit!"

He lingered there for a second. Just a second.

Then he ran.

CIC was on A deck. The airlock was on B deck. It took him about seven seconds to get out of the room, climb down the ladder, get to the airlock, and-

"Oh my God."

He could see the interior of the tube that connected the two ships. In it, he could see Renais's body, and the blood spilling out around it. More importantly, he could see the thing walking towards him. A big, black, tailed thing. Saliva dripped from its mouth. It had no eyes, but Nolan had no doubt it could see him.

Move.

After all, it was walking towards him.

Move!

Instinct bid that he run. Intellect got him to slam the manual override – one that would sever the Magpie from the Chimera. The tube disconnected.

The thing screamed and sprinted towards the door.

"Shit!"

The hatch slammed shut. Well, nearly. The thing got its head through. Its hands kept the door at bay. The tube disconnected, and the sound and sights of decompression began – a whirling wind. Everything being sucked out into the opening the creature had made.

What the hell are you?

The creature hissed and spat at him as if to answer. What it also did was to continue to press against the door, trying to pry it open. To enter the ship, and find the prey inside.

The air whirling all around him, Nolan ran to the ladder that would take him to C deck. Specifically, to the armoury.