In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream

"I can't lie to you about your chances, but...you have my sympathies."

-Alien, 1979, Ash

Sometime in the future, in space, everything was silent and endless. The stars shone against the dark black of the night, and they shimmered like the love of God...cold and remote. Against them, drifted a tiny chip of technology. It was the Narcissus, the lifeboat of the ill-fated star freighter Nostromo. Without any interior or running lights, it seemed to be completely devoid of life. The ships computer came to life, as it reflected off of two hypersleep capsules. The screen flashed PROXIMITY ALERT and the coordinates of the intruder. The ping of a ranging radar grew louder, as it came closer, before a shadow engulfed the Narcissus. The tiny ship was put into perspective, as a massive dark hull descended towards it.

Inside the Narcissus, it was as dark and dormant as a crypt. Outside, massive metal forms could be seen as they descended around the shuttle. Like the tolling of a bell, a basso profundo clang reverberated through the hull. Just then, light glared as a cutting torch burst through the metal door, as it moved with machine precision, as it cut a hectagon path. When it finished, the torch cut off, and the door fell inward, as it revealed a bizzare multi-armed figure. It was just a robot welder, and it backed away, as it left the door clear.

Momentarily afterwards, a scanner entered the shuttle, supported by a metal arm. The large machine floated inside, and it began to scan the room. Its blue laser played over all the equipment, and as it passed over the 2 hypersleep capsules, it stopped and slowly scanned it once more. The laser's blue line contoured on the two sleeping figures. An older woman, and a younger one as well, both of them in peaceful slumber. The scanner turned off its laser and backed out of the room via the airlock door. 3 figures entered, back-lit and ominous.

They were three men, in bio-isolation suits, and they carried lights and equipment. They approached the 2 sarcophagus-like hypersleep capsules, and two of the men moved to the capsules, and in almost perfect synchronization, their gloved hands wiped at an opaque layer of stardust on the canopy. Their lights stabbed in where the dust had been wiped away, and each of their lights illuminated a woman, their faces in peaceful reposes. The leader had found Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, whose curly dark brown hair, puffed out underneath her head, and the second man had found 2nd Warrant Officer Kendall-Rae Ripley, whose ombre hair, was billowed out, like a pillow for her head, and her pale complexion stood out against her mess of hair, like a drop of black ink, on a clean piece of white paper. Nestled in, next to Ripley was Jones, their cat.

"Lights are green. They're both alive."

The one who had found Kendall-Rae said.

The leader sighed, as they all pulled off their masks.

"Well, there goes our salvage, guys."

The leader complained, clearly disappointed, that they were alive.