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breeze that marks the passing of a recent storm.
157 XI -
The survivors gathered in the assembly hall, reduced in number but
expanded in spirit. Dillon stood before them, waiting to make sure all
were present. Only then did he begin.
?Rejoice, brothers! Even for those who have fallen this is a time of
rejoicing. Even as we mourn their passing we salute their courage.
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Because of their sacrifice, we live, and who is to say which of us, the
living or the dead, has the better deal?
?Of one thing we are certain: they have their reward. They are in a far
better place because there can be no worse one. They will live forever.
Rejoice. Those who are dead but go on, freed of their restraints, free
from the excoriations of a thoughtless society. It abandoned them, and
now they have abandoned it. They have moved up. They have moved higher.
Rejoice and give thanks!?
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The men bowed their heads and began to murmur softly to themselves.
Ripley and Aaron watched from the gallery above. Eventually the
assistant superintendent glanced over at his companion. Both had spent
time in the showers. They were far from refreshed, but at least they
were clean. Ripley had delighted in the hot, pounding spray, knowing
that this time she could enjoy it without having to keep a wary eye on
the sealtight or the vents.
?What do you think of this??He indicated the ragged, makeshift
assemblage below.
She'd been listening with only half a mind, the rest of her thoughts
elsewhere. ?Not much. I guess if they take pleasure in it...?
?You got it right there. Fuckers are crazy. But it keeps 'em quiet. The
super and I were in agreement on that. Andrews always said it was a good
thing Dillon and his meatballs were hung up on this holy roller crap.
Makes 'em more docile.?
She glanced back at him. ?You're not the religious type.?
?Me? Shit, no. I got a job.?He looked thoughtful. ?I figure rescue team
gets here in four, five days. Six, tops. They open the door, go in there
with smart guns, and kill the bastard. Right??
?Have you heard anything from them??Her tone was noncommittal.
?Naw.?He was feeling pretty good about the situation. And about himself.
Out of this mess there was sure to come some good things.
?We only got a 'message received.' No details. Later we got something
that said you were top priority. Again, no 159
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explanation. They don't cut us in on much. We're the ass-end of the
totem pole out here.?
?Look,?she began guardedly, ?if the Company wants to take the thing back-?
?Take it back? Are you kiddin'? They aren't lunatics, you know. They'll
kill it right away.?He frowned at her, then shrugged mentally. Sometimes
he thought he understood this unusual woman perfectly, and then she'd
throw him a complete curve.
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Well, it wasn't his business to understand her; only to keep her alive.
That was what Weyland-Yutani wanted. With Andrews gone and the alien
safely contained, he was beginning to see some possibilities in the
situation. Not only was he now the one in charge, it would be up to him
to greet and explain things to the Company representative. He could
render himself, as well as recent events, memorable in the eyes of his
superiors. There might be a bonus in it for him or, even better, early
retirement from Fiorina. It was not too much to hope for.
Besides, after years of toadying to Andrews and after what he'd been
through the past couple of days, he'd earned whatever came his way.
?Hey, you're really concerned about this, aren't you? Why? What's there
to be worried about? The damn thing's locked up where it can't get at us.?
?It's not the alien. It's the Company. I've gone around with them on
this twice before.?She turned to him. ?They've coveted one of these
things ever since my original crewmates discovered them. For bioweapons
research. They don't understand what they're dealing with, and I don't
care how much data they've accumulated on it. I'm concerned that they
might want to try and take this one back.?
He gaped at her, and she found his honest disbelief
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Alan Dean Foster
reassuring. For the moment, at least, she was not without allies.
?Take it back? You mean alive? To Earth??
She nodded.
?You've got to be kidding.?
?Look into my eyes, Aaron. This isn't a real humorous subject with me.?
?Shit, you mean it. That's insane. They gotta kill it.?
Ripley smiled tightly. ?Right. So I take it that we're agreed on this
point??
?You're damn right,?he said fervently.
He was with her, then, she mused. For now. The Company had a way of
swaying people, inducing them to reassess their positions. Not to
mention their values.
The infirmary was quiet. Peace had returned to the installation, if not
to some of its inhabitants. Concerned that in Clemens's absence certain
of the prisoners whose presence on Fiorina stemmed at least in part from
their personal misapplication of certain proscribed Pharmaceuticals
might attempt to liberate them or their chemical cousins from their
designated repository, Aaron sent Morse to keep an eye on them, as well
as on the infirmary's sole occupant.
Morse sat on one of the cots, perusing a viewer. He was not one of those
despondent over the dearth of entertainment material available on
Fiorina, since he'd never been much of one for casual diversions. He was
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