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Ripley listened carefully around her.
Her instincts told her he wasn't far away. A few meters at most.
It was now more than half an hour since she had begun this hunt through the Betty's cargo hold. She knew her enemy couldn't escape her, but she welcomed the activity as a distraction from her daily routine.
It had already been three weeks since the Betty's last stop. The crew had sold drilling equipment stolen from a smuggler a month earlier.
During this visit, Call had insisted on bringing back a souvenir to the ship, unpleasant at best or totally useless at worst, according to Ripley. Of course, Call's persuasive skills had worked their magic on Vriess and Johner, and neither had objected to the arrival of this new recruit.
At the time, Ripley had been indifferent to Call's request. After a few days, however, and seeing how Call's time was taken up by this new crew member, she realized that she should have firmly opposed his arrival.
Ripley saw a furtive movement to her left and slowly approached the back of the hold where several boxes were packed close together. She knew he was there. As she neared her goal, the hybrid felt the excitement of the hunt's end rising within her.
She smiled coolly “Show yourself, show yourself no matter where you are, you can't escape me”.
She finally saw the little creature huddled near a corner of the room, hidden behind a box.
“And here you are. I told you, you couldn't escape me,” she said, reaching out to grab the animal.
Before Ripley could grab it, her intercom went off:
“Ripley?…Ripley, can you hear me?” demanded Call's voice.
Sensing a moment's distraction on the part of his predator, the animal took advantage of it to slip between the clone's legs and make a quick exit.
Ripley swore mentally, of course Call had just ruined her only moment of fun, even if it wasn’t intentional.
“Yes, I hear you, Call” Ripley replied with a sigh.
“Can you come over, please, I've got something to show you” asked Call.
“Of course, I'm coming” announced the clone, before heading for the exit.
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Ripley returned to the quarters she now shared with Call. After several conservations with Johner and a few threats from Ripley, he had finally given in and left them Elgyn's old quarters.
The Captain's quarters were the Betty's most spacious. It wasn't luxurious, but the quarters were twice as spacious as the others, allowing Ripley and Call to live together without being glued to each other.
Ripley owned nothing and that suited her perfectly, whereas Call insisted on furnishing and decorating the quarters to their respective tastes. More than once, Call had asked Ripley to commit to decorating and furnishing items. And more than once, the clone had given the same nonchalant “Whatever pleases you, pleases me” response.
In other words, Call had completed the decoration herself, taking her own tastes into account. In the end, Ripley recognized that Call had done a great job of making the quarters welcoming.
Which brought her to Call's latest choice of acquisition, lying on their bed. Both paws folded in on himself and his head resting on them. He was staring at Ripley with his green eyes.
The little creature had light grey fur, an average build for its species and, according to Ripley, an awful temperament. Call had acquired it to chase away the mice that had invaded the Betty's cargo hold.
Ripley stopped in the middle of the room, crossed her arms and looked at the creature. If the latter wanted to have a staring contest, the clone would win out in the end.
Call emerged from the adjacent bathroom and smiled at the hybrid.
“Hey Hon” she said as she approached Ripley and put her hands around her neck. Automatically, the clone's arms came to rest on the young woman's hips and her gaze looked into Call's.
Immediately relaxed by Call's gestures of affection, Ripley forgot for a few moments the presence of the little animal in the room and kissed the young woman.
Call and Ripley were still in their honeymoon phase. Their relationship was new and their desires for each other still insatiable. After a few moments, however, Call stepped back from Ripley.
Seeing the confused clone, Call placed her hand on her cheek.
“We need to talk, Ripley,” announced Call, moving back from the hybrid.
Ripley pouted at Call's words. For a few moments, she'd hoped Call's request to bring her over was to share a few good moments. From the young woman's words, the conversation was about to take a much more serious turn than she would have liked.
Call sat down on the bed next to the cat and began to stroke it. The cat soon began to purr, pleased with the attention it was receiving.
Ripley, seeing the scene unfold before her, rolled her eyes and went to lean against the wall opposite the bed.
The clone cleared her throat to attract the young woman's attention.
“Call, why did you bring me here?” she asked.
“Ah yes!” exclaimed the android, raising her head towards the hybrid. “He's so cute and adorable, you'd forget why you got him in the first place. For his hunting skills and getting rid of the mice invading the ship's hold... The best of the best hunters, isn't he?” informed Call, turning her attention back to the cat and stroking its lower neck. The animal rolled over onto its back and redoubled its purring at Call's last words.
Ripley looked at them puzzled and couldn't help sharing her own opinion of the best hunter on the ship.
“The title of the ship's best hunter is a bit of an exaggeration, can't you think of someone more appropriate for the title?” asked Ripley, raising her left eyebrow.
“Nope,” replied Call, playing along. “He's been doing a great job since he arrived, the mice have dropped by half, so that's a good score.”
Ripley looked at the young woman and already knew where she wanted to take her. Call was angry with Ripley because of her behavior towards the cat. It wasn't the first time the android had asked Ripley to leave the cat alone and stop chasing it around the ship. Since that last conversation, the clone had managed to be more discreet about her little hunting game, but clearly Call had finally discovered the truth. Ripley decided to continue the conversation as if nothing had happened.
“Have I been dethroned by Julio the cat?” questioned Ripley.
“We never said it was a competition, Ripley,” replied Call, rising from the bed and taking a few steps towards the clone. She was careful, however, to stop before she reached Ripley.
“If it were, I'd win,” said the hybrid confidently, crossing her arms.
Sensing that the conversation was going in circles, Call turned to the interface on the desk. After a few seconds, a digital screen appeared. The image, probably taken from one of the surveillance cameras, showed Ripley chasing the little animal.
“Oops, busted!” said Ripley with detachment.
That's all it took for Call to lose her temper.
“Ripley, I told you to leave him alone! He's not a toy you can play with. He's a living creature endowed with sensitivity, and by stalking him you'll generate anxiety and he won't be able to hunt anymore!” she finished, resting her hands on her hips, clearly annoyed by the clone's casual attitude.
“Real hunters don't develop anxiety, Call. He's just lazy, you should thank me for training him to stay alert and efficient....and anyway, you cuddle him too much. He's not a stuffed toy to cuddle,” the hybrid pointed out.
“I'm warning you, Ripley, if he stops hunting because of you, you'll take care of the mouse problem yourself.”
“I already told you no!” objected the clone. “I'm the very essence of evolution, the ultimate predator created to dominate all forms of life...I don't hunt mice!!! It's not worthy of me!”
“Very well, then find yourself another hobby and leave the cat alone!” snapped Call. “Come on, Julio, let's go.”
At the sound of his name and the sight of his mistress leaving the room, the cat leapt from the bed and followed her, not without throwing Ripley a look of disdain in the process.
“And shit,” Ripley huffed, running her hands over her face. “Another missed opportunity to shut up.”
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The days that followed were a little difficult for Ripley. Call had not only decided to avoid her, but had also exiled her from their shared quarters. In the end, Ripley ended up spending her nights in the cockpit, sleeping in the command post. Her back didn't appreciate her new nocturnal arrangements.
Beyond the physical pain, Ripley was more upset by Call's attitude. The two women had their differences, and their personalities could sometimes clash, but their arguments were rare and quickly resolved. Suffice it to say that this time, the argument was a little more substantial and perhaps required the advice of a third party.
Ripley heard Johner and Vriess enter the mess hall.
The two men helped themselves to food and took their places at Ripley's table.
Johner began to eat and stared at Ripley, while Vriess took a seat next to him.
After a few moments and not having much patience left, Ripley asked Johner: “Anything to share, Johner?”
“What did you do?” asked the man, spitting into his plate.
“You're going to have to be more specific, because I do a lot of things,” said Ripley, raising her glass to her mouth.
“Call...she's been in a bad mood for a while now” he swore. “And my little finger tells me you're no stranger to the situation” he finished, pointing at her.
Vriess sensed the tension rising between the two and decided to intervene by calling out to Johner.
“What's going on between Ripley and Call is none of your business, Johner, so leave them alone...Ripley can surely apologize to Call and everything will be back to normal, right Ripley?” he said, turning to the clone.
“And who says it's my fault?” asked Ripley, raising one of her eyebrows.
“Well...” began Vriess. “Statistically, it's more likely that you're the source of the problem than Call,” he conceded with a shrug.
Ripley considered the two men and wondered if seeking relationship advice from them was wise.
One had the emotional sensitivity of a bull in rut and the other might still have feelings for her girlfriend. Still, Vriess was less of a lost cause than Johner.
With only a limited choice of people to talk to, Ripley finally made up her mind and told the two men about her argument with Call.
After a few moments, Johner spoke up, addressing Vriess:
“You owe me 50, buddy! I told you there was trouble in paradise and Ripley was the cause!” he laughed.
“We'll discuss it later, Johner,” Vriess replied. “Ripley, if you want to get back into Call's good graces, you need to apologize.”
Ripley conceded a look of displeasure at the mechanic. Apologizing was not one of her strengths, nor was it in her habits.
Feeling her reticence at his proposal, Vriess tried again to convince her.
“You have no other choice, Ripley. You apologize, again and again if necessary, until Call takes you back. You can even try an apology gift.”
“Ah yes, like what for example, a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates,” ironized the hybrid. “Choice is limited when you're sailing through space, Vriess.”
“Be creative, I'm sure you'll manage... otherwise you're not likely to get your girlfriend back,” he said before leaving the room.
Johner saw the mechanic leave and stood up in turn.
“Good luck with your problem, Ripley!” he said, before addressing Vriess, ”Hey, wait for me, cripple, you owe me 50!”
Johner in turn left the room and Ripley found herself alone again. This discussion hadn't given her any more answers than that, but the two men had at least given her an idea of how to work things out with Call.
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Ripley had been standing in the hallway outside the front door to her quarters for at least a few minutes. She felt stupid not to go in and talk to Call. She hesitated to enter, even though she knew the young woman was there. She knew this because it was well into the evening and the Betty members were all in their quarters while the ship was on autopilot.
As if by magic, the front door opened and Ripley saw Call standing just a few feet away. For a few seconds, Ripley's heart raced. It had been a few days since she'd really seen her partner. She'd caught glimpses of her here and there, but hadn't really had time to look at her. And just like every time Call looked into Ripley's eyes, Ripley remained captivated by the beauty of her girlfriend.
“Hello” began Ripley lamely.
Call seemed neither angry nor impatient. Her gaze was simply on Ripley. “Hey...you've been outside the door for several minutes now, Ripley, are you planning to come in?”
Call's words snapped Ripley out of her torpor and she moved slowly into the room, keeping a respectful distance from Call. “How did you know I was outside the door?”
Call smiled... “I'm connected to the Betty, Ripley. I know at all times where you, Johner and Vriess are…what you're doing.”
“Ah yes that's right, sometimes I forget,” the clone indicated, cocking her head to the side as she raised one of her eyebrows. “I hope you don't take the opportunity to look at the boys in the shower?”
Call was gently indignant at Ripley's remark, “Gross! How horrible!” she said with a shrug.
For a few seconds, Ripley enjoyed her few carefree moments and almost forgot the reason for her visit. Collecting herself, the hybrid informed the young woman “We need to talk Call”.
“I know...” the android indicated uncomfortably.
Not knowing where to begin, the clone decided that an apology was in order... “I'm sorry Call...for my attitude over the last few days and for everything else too...”
The young woman looked thoughtfully at Ripley. She sensed that her apology was sincere, but that didn't stop her from wondering about Ripley's attitude. Before Call could ask this question, Ripley handed her a small package wrapped in gray paper.
“It's for you...it's a sort of apology gift” informed the embarrassed clone.
Surprised, Call took the package from the hybrid. Turning it over several times, Call walked away from Ripley to sit on the bed and placed the package on it.
“Don't you want to open it?” asked a surprised Ripley.
“Not just yet...I think we need to finish our conversation first, but thank you for the thought. It's very kind of you” said Call, smiling at the clone.
Ripley was a little taken aback by Call's attitude, but the young woman's behavior showed no sign of hostility or annoyance towards her, which greatly reassured the hybrid.
After a few moments, and with no response from Ripley, Call decided to speak again, getting to the heart of the matter. “I wanted to apologize for not telling you about the cat before…I brought him aboard, and I can understand that it takes a period of adjustment to this change. It's not really anecdotal, he demands attention and he's often with me...with us here”.
Ripley was surprised to hear Call apologize. Ripley had been the more shifty of the two on the subject of the cat. Hearing Call express sincere remorse helped the clone to speak up herself and express her feelings.
“You don't really owe me an apology, Call,” sighed the hybrid. “Sure, bringing the cat back without asking my opinion was a bit of a dick move...I felt like I had no say and that your decision was already made. I thought we were a team, making decisions together, and suddenly that wasn't the case anymore. It was just you at the head of the boat and me following”.
Realizing Ripley's feelings, Call felt incredibly bad. Her only explanation for Ripley's attitude towards the cat was jealousy, as the hybrid is possessive by nature. It hadn't occurred to her that any other explanation could be the cause. She now felt guilty for not having looked further. Ashamed of her own choices, Call brought her knees towards her and wrapped her arms around them. She laid her head on them.
It was a habit of the young woman's that Ripley had quickly identified since they'd been together. Call was one of those who feel their emotions fully. The android's feelings of guilt and shame were expressed physically.
The hybrid moved towards the young woman and placed her hands on both of hers. “Call” Ripley called softly. With no response, the clone insisted... “Call, look at me”.
Shyly, the young woman raised her head and Ripley saw the tears in her eyes.
“Please don't cry,” Ripley demanded, placing her hands on Call's cheeks.
Gently, the hybrid began to wipe away the tears rolling down the young woman's cheeks. It's not really your fault,” she said, ”I could have expressed my feelings differently too…chasing the cat all over the ship wasn't the best way to express myself... this whole situation shows us that we need to work on the way we communicate.”
Call nodded at Ripley's last words and asked softly. “Would you like to cuddle up to me?”
“Sure,” Ripley indicated as she went to lie down. “Come on,” she said, smiling and opening her arms to the android. Call let herself go towards Ripley and laid her head in the crook of her neck. She then put her arms around Ripley's waist, while the clone put one of her arms around the young woman's shoulder.
“Are you comfortable?” asked Ripley. Call nodded in the affirmative.
The two women settled into a comfortable silence lost in thought.
“Call, are you thinking about the future?” asked Ripley.
The young woman straightened up and put her head in her hand to look at the hybrid. “Do you mean our future together?”
“Yes,” replied Ripley, looking at the young woman. “I can't imagine my future without you... when I think of my future, it's you I see...”
“Do you think about our future often?” asked Call. The subject of their future had never come up between them. This was the first time such a conversation had taken place. The android was therefore curious to hear Ripley's opinion on the subject.
“ Occasionally...to tell the truth, more and more often lately. I've spent my whole life in space...even if my life is relatively short,” Ripley said. “And to be honest, I don't have any plans for a career in contraband...I like our life together, here on the Betty, but I'd like something else”.
Call listened attentively to Ripley. She wasn't surprised to hear the clone's words. The Betty and its activities had been a means for Call to reach the Auriga. As for what was to come, Call hadn't imagined a future for herself; her mission was a suicide mission, with no return. The irony was not lost on her that she had boarded the Auriga to kill Ripley and die a martyr's death. Today, that same Ripley was talking to her about the future. What a sweet irony.
“Do you know where you'd like to go, where you'd like to live?” asked Call.
“I don't have a destination in mind but I'd like to live on a planet, in the fresh air, in contact with nature...is that something you could like?”
“Yes...it would be a nice change of scene...I've been in space for so long...living on a planet would be nice...we'll just have to find the right one. There are so many mineral planets out there, but I'm sure if we look around a bit, we'll find a good one”.
Call's enthusiasm about her proposal to change their lives eased Ripley's doubts. Sensing that her partner was attentive, she decided to share the other reason for her need to change her life. “There's another reason for this need for change...for some time now, it's been difficult for me to live on the ship. I'm more irritable and impatient because I feel like I'm locked up on the ship...and I feel I need to hunt in order to let go of the pressure. This other part of me is wilder, more territorial, more possessive...but you've already noticed that...” she pointed out.
Call, sensing that Ripley still needed to talk, gave the clone time to continue, and encouraged her by gently caressing her hip.
“I spent so much time and energy denying this part of me that it eventually came out one way or another. Sometimes it scares me...having to learn to live with it. I think if we lived somewhere with wide open spaces, I could go hunting, let myself go. That might help me find a balance.”
“If that's something you need, we'll do it,” Call replied seriously. “Being out in the fresh air will do us good.”
The young woman rested her head on the clone's shoulder. There was one last subject to bring up in this conversation. A somewhat delicate subject.
“Ripley, what do we do with the cat?”
“What do you mean, what do we do with the cat?” the hybrid asked.
“I dumped it on you...I don't think it's necessarily a good idea to keep it.”
Ripley, surprised by Call's words, got up and went to pick up the gift that had been left on the edge of the bed. She sat down and handed the present to the young woman.
“Open it, Call,” asked the hybrid. “I think you'll like it.”
Call sat down opposite Ripley. She took the gift in her hands and opened it. Inside was a blue necklace with a small plate.
“Where did you get it?” asked a surprised Call.
“I made it myself,” said Ripley proudly.
“You made it yourself?...It's beautiful, thank you Ripley” said Call, touched by the attention. The young woman kissed the clone on the cheek and wrapped her arms around her neck. After a few moments, Call detached herself from Ripley.
“The cat's leaving with us, Call, in case that wasn't clear enough. I've come to love the little guy and I can see how happy you've been since he arrived.” Ripley indicated with a smile.
“Really?” replied the young woman surprised but pleased to hear her words.
“Yes... but we're going to look at his name again... Julio... it's not possible.”
“OK that's fair. We can probably come up with a name that we both like. Got any ideas?”
“Oh yes...Tigger, Bandit, Panther...” said Ripley with a cheeky grin.
Call remained impassive for a few seconds as she listened to Ripley's suggestions.
“We'll keep looking...” she declared.
“What's your idea?” asked the clone.
“Um...something softer like Pablo, Apollo or Joe.”
“Joe? Like Joe the cat?” replied Ripley doubtfully.
“I think it's going to take a long time to find a name for him...we don't have the same tastes at all” remarked Call with a smile. “But we'll find one.”
“Vega?...Tango?...” went on the hybrid.
Call placed the collar on the bed and walked over to Ripley. “Cat names later, Ripley.” the young woman indicated, wrapping her arms around the clone's neck and pushing her towards the bed. The hybrid put her arms around the android's waist and held her close. Call ran her fingers over the clone's cheek. “Later,” she said with a smile, before kissing her.