General FanFiction

Synthetics Dream of Android Sheep (Aliens)

It had been one hell of a trip getting out here. It wasn't the nice, groggy experience movies and mainstream media made it out to be. Ramirez had awoken feeling like he hadn't moved or had anything to drink for six months--which he hadn't. But god damn did he feel it.

The first thing he'd done, stupidly, was chug the months old bottle of water next to his bed. Bad idea. The second thing he did was vomit it all back up, plus some stomach acid. Then he'd stopped to feel how weak his muscles had gotten during stasis; he could barely stand, let alone pick himself back up from the floor where he'd half fallen into his own stomach contents.

"Having a good morning, Ramirez?" The gruff voice was too familiar and instantly grated as soon as it hit his over-sensitive ears.

"Fuck off Hansen," Ramirez barely managed to rasp out, turning with a sick-gristled smirk to face the old washed up has-been. Hansen clasped his hand in a tight grip, hauling him off his knees and onto his unsteady feet, ignoring the smell of bile.

"Good to see you woke up coherent," the ex-Army Lieutenant Colonel chuckled, thudding him on the back of the shoulder familiarly. "We've had a couple losses in transit; nothing we didn't expect, but still a damn tragedy."

The news was instantly sobering; Ramirez bowed his head respectfully, reciting some prayers in the back of his head that the lost souls would find their ways back home. He could only imagine how awful it would be for the family, waiting six and a half months only to receive news that their loved ones had died in their sleep.

"What's the mission update," he asked quietly after a few heartbeats, not wanting to disrespect the dead. 

"First things first is to get you into physical and get your muscles back up to speed. Shoudl take about three months for the entire crew to be tip top shape." Hansen started walking toward the shower bay doors, slowly supporting the other man's weight as he went along.

"Oh and Ramirez," he added in a casual, almost airy tone.

"Yeah?" He didn't feel like he was going to like this.

"Don't mind the Synthetics. They were sent from the Company to help us out. Don't get in their way and you shouldn't have to interact with them too much."

A pit balled tight in his stomach as he nodded weakly, swallowing past a similar tightness in his throat. "Yeah hey no problem man," he replied, grin in place. He didn't mention the reports he'd read about the Synthetics going rogue on the Derelict. After all, maybe it was just a one time thing.

He started silently praying again.