The Covenant ship, January 2105

WHAT WAS THAT?!? Hayes can’t believe what she has just seen. A monster on Covenant? Really? How could even such a thing get to the ship?

Hayes jumps to one of the available rooms in the corridor.

“Mother! Lock the door behind me!” Hayes shouts her order. She wants to make sure the unwelcome guest can’t get to her.

“Sure. The door is now locked from your side,” Mother’s voice responds calmly after locking the door quietly.

Leaning on the wall, Hayes gasps for breath. Her frantic effort to get some air to her lungs cuts through the eerie calmness of the room. It’s tough for her. Long years in a frozen state have taken a terrible toll on her body. A few moments ago, Hayes felt she could try walking. She wanted to leave the infirmary for a moment. Other people's constant bickering was grating on her; she needed a few moments alone. But her muscles aren't quite ready for such an adventure yet.

Even leaning on the wall took too much energy. Hayes, therefore, slides down the wall to sit on the floor. Beads of sweat roll down her face. She feels like vomiting. But at least she can breathe normally again. The short walk and the jump took too much energy. Hayes closes her eyes, remembering the long-gone days when her body worked normally.

Feeling her inner calm again, Hayes starts thinking. Was it really a monster she saw? The lights in the corridor provided little illumination. Is it possible that the beast is only a product of her mind? Mother warned the crew about possible confusion and temporary hallucinations. Their brains and eyes need to re-adapt to reality after the long hiatus. This must be an imagination of her disoriented brain, she calms herself.

Hayes cannot sit on the floor for too long. She needs to be back in the infirmary to take the medication. Mother promised that the colonists' unfrozen bodies would be okay shortly, thanks to a "cocktail" of medicaments and vitamins tailored to each of them. However, people must take it regularly and often to speed up recovery. Atrophied muscles are the number one problem. Hayes licks her dry, chapped lips and takes a breath.

“Mother, is it still there in the corridor?” Hayes addresses the main computer.

“What do you mean?”

“That….” Hayes pauses for a while, looking for the right word. She’s not sure how to describe what she probably saw. “…thing”, she resolves her hesitation with the most generic word possible.

“My sensors do not indicate any activity in this sector,” Mother replies indifferently.

Good, Hayes thinks and stands up. There is no monster on the ship. How could it get there anyway?

"Mother, unlock the door," Hayes instructs the computer. A silent unlock ensues.

“The door is unlocked,” Mother informs Hayes. “You need to take your medication now. Please return to the infirmary.”

"Sure, Mother," Hayes replies and slaps the button, which opens the door to her temporary refuge. It opens with a silent hiss. Hayes looks shortly on both sides of the corridor. The dimmed lights don't reveal much. The ship hums silently as it cuts its way through space. Hayes hesitates for a moment. Right or left? She cannot remember how she got here. She's on the C level, under the infirmary, so she must get to the ladder near the C46 gate. Left is probably the right choice.

Hayes embarks on her way. Her wobbly walk reveals how terrible she feels. A few steps are enough for her to breathe heavily. She feels dizzy, and the overall weakness of her body forces her to stop again to rest. Hayes declines her body and leans her palms on her knees like a runner who just finished a marathon. She watches the puddle of sweat emerging on the floor, panting. It won’t be easy; she needs more rest. Hayes plunks herself on the floor, leaning back on the corridor's wall, gathering her strength.

After a few moments, Hayes realizes a strange substance on her fingers. She looks at her right hand to study it. Is it resin? Hayes nears the hand to her nose and smells it. But the substance doesn't offer any more clues. She tries wiping it from her hands by rubbing it on her clothes. The resin makes dark spots. With difficulties, she stands up and continues with her journey.

+++

Damn it, where did she go? David was sure he could localize Hayes on the C deck via the remaining cameras. But at one point, she simply disappeared. He keeps opening and closing various doors on the C deck to flush out either Hayes or the xenomorph with no success. He switches nervously among functioning cameras to find her. It would be sad to lose Hayes like this because David has other plans for her. His forehead wrinkles as he tries to find Hayes’s location.

“Mother, do you have any information on Hayes's whereabouts?" David asks the main computer.

“My sensors indicate that she’s moving on the C deck, near the ladder’.”

Okay, not helpful, David thinks. He wishes there were more functioning cameras on Covenant. There she is! Staggering like a drunken sailor, Hayes makes her way to the ladder. She mustn't disappear again. Now, where is the creature?

David watches the Alien's movements on a camera with a smile. The beast moves on the C deck directly to the unknowing Hayes. She won't escape again. Even David has no idea about how the monster will react when encountering a human. Given its bestiality, a short fight is a probable answer. Pity the Alien broke down another camera on the corridor's intersection. David will probably miss the creature in action. But it's worth the experiment.

+++

Did the doors in the corridor open? Hayes was unsure what exactly she heard. She turns back to check them out. She squints her eyes to see through the darkness. The doors there are open indeed. It’s strange, Hayes thinks and grabs the ladder’s rung with her hands. The most challenging part of her journey awaits her – a climb to the B deck.

Wait! There are some strange noises. Hayes looks through the corridor again. Is someone nearing her? The movements sound strange and get louder. It looks like something has difficulty with moving through the corridor. It moves quickly, but not like a human, more like an animal.

Hayes’s heart pounds. What if she was right originally? What if there is some monster on the ship? She gathers all her energy and starts climbing to escape the potential threat. "Move faster!" she thinks. Hayes panics, her heart beats so fast like she will have a heart attack soon. The noise gets louder. Something is going after her, for sure.

Hayes emerges partially on the B level. "Help! Help me!" she screams fearfully. Suddenly, she feels something grabbing her ankle and dragging her down. The external force overwhelms her enfeebled body. Hayes can't shout anymore, her face is distorted in desperation, and she fights for her life furiously. She wants to offset the monster’s pull, sinking her nails into the B deck’s floor. It doesn’t help at all; the ends of her fingers change to a mush of broken nails and blood quickly. Hayes screams in pain.

The fight doesn’t take long. The attacker’s brute power prevails, and Hayes falls back on the C-level floor. Unprepared for the fall, Hayes’s head hits the floor and blacks out.

+++

Terrific. Wonderful. Amazing…

David can’t find the right word for what he has just seen. Hayes’s futile attempt to escape played out on a functioning camera, so David didn’t miss “the show” after all. His third Alien displayed the same predatory instincts as the previous ones. The uneven fight between hapless Hayes and the monster makes him proud. Undoubtedly, he created a perfect weapon, a beast that doesn't hesitate to hunt with no remorse.

He’s determined to protect this one no matter what. David needed to sacrifice the first two to outwit Daniels and get to Covenant. But this third incarnation will be his pet, protected against suspecting humans. But wait, what is happening? The Alien doesn’t intend to kill Hayes, who now lies unconscious on the C deck’s floor. The monster seems to be inspecting her. Why hasn’t it killed the defenseless Hayes yet?

+++

Insensitive touches on Hayes's body wake her up. An unpleasant whistle in her ears makes her disoriented. Her vision is a bit blurry. After a few moments, Hayes can see her attacker better. She can’t believe her eyes. Hayes lies partially under a giant dark monster with an elongated eyeless head and a long tail, sniffing at her body. An overwhelming dread prevents her from screaming in fear. She just lies on the floor, unable to move, shivering. The beast opens its mouth, ejecting its inner jaws with thick saliva dripping on her clothes. Its hissing echoes in Hayes’s ears ominously.

Hayes can’t move now, even if she wanted to. The Alien’s legs lie on the bottom part of her body, increasing her pain. The painful pressure drives tears into her eyes. The monster's head bends over her. Hayes can’t stand it anymore; she closes her eyes to escape this terrible vision. A river of tears spring from her eyes.

“Please…” Hayes sighs tearfully.

Suddenly, a terrible pain flashes through her. It’s like someone thrusting a long and thick needle into her stomach. The sharp pain makes her open her eyes again. The beast pierces her belly with a giant sting, making her gasp for air.

After a few excruciating moments, the object in Hayes’s body pulls back, and heat spreads through her. At least she can catch some air in her lungs again. But stupor prevails, Hayes feels she’s overtaken and moved away before she blacks out.

+++

David can’t believe what he has just seen. His newly found pet can do more than just kill. It looked like the Alien used an organ under its tail to inject something into Hayes. This is amazing, the Alien’s newly discovered ability makes David happy.

The event piqued David’s interest. What exactly is the monster’s intention? Where did it move Hayes? David switches between various cameras again to figure out the Alien's direction. The beast takes her to the rear part of the ship with the engines. David’s curiosity doesn’t allow him to stay idle. He must follow the beast to see what happens next.