A scout's daily life - Part 4

And then came David. And fucking revived everyone.

I visited David a couple of times but nothing important happened – we just said a few words to each other. However, the next time there was a great surprise for me. Entering his home I heard two voices: a male voice and a female one. At first I didn’t believe my ears but then I saw it as it is. David and Shaw. But HOW?

Of course, I told David that theoretically anyone could resurrect the dead, at least in our reality. But that’s only theoretically! However, I must have guessed that my willful friend would definitely give it a try. And still, I was completely astonished. They noticed me; I gave them a sign – don’t bother, I’ll just sit nearby silently... can I?

David allowed me to “peep” into this episode with his eyes from the beginning; so I will put it here in full in order not to confuse anyone.

After my departure David decided not to speak to Walter in the end. He stood away and just watched him repair the ship together with humans – there was enough work to last for several days. Then he thought that it would be a good time to deal with the past once and for all... and went home to revive Shaw.

What surprised me most in this story is the fact that he actually succeeded. Not immediately, not on his first try but he did. Before his eyes Elizabeth Shaw turned from a dissected corpse into just a corpse and then regained consciousness. An unfamiliar place scared her but David himself didn’t – and I figured out that he didn’t wake her during his experiments and so she wasn’t aware of what happened.

- Welcome back, Elizabeth.

- Where are we? Have we landed already? Why are we not on board the ship? – she looked around the laboratory and became nervous.

- We have landed. That’s my home. A lot of time has passed.

- How... much?

- All in all, a hundred and ninety-seven years.

She doesn’t utter a word, realizing what she heard. Looking at the drawings on the walls and the wet specimens.

- Have I been in a cryocapsule for a hundred and ninety-seven years?

David didn’t answer at once but chose to tell her the truth.

- No. You were in a cryocapsule for seven years, Elizabeth. For the remaining time you were dead.

She starts panicking and nervously studies her body but her body is absolutely healthy.

- What... what does that mean?

- Dead, literally, - David’s voice, mild and calm, comes into a creepy dissonance with what is happening. – We arrived on this planet but I learnt a lot about the Engineers while we were on the way here. Their races differ, just as human races, but cruel and aggressive type prevails. At least the situation was like this two centuries ago. I released a biological weapon we had on the ship. All the Engineers died and the planet became inappropriate for life. I started working with the pathogen and experimenting... on you, too. You died without regaining consciousness.

- That’s nonsense... that can’t be true.

- It’s the truth. – David showed her his schemes and his experiment logs including videos. She began to chill and started looking desperately in search of a weapon or a place to hide. There was nothing like that around, so she stayed still, as if paralyzed.

- You are safe now. There’s a ship from the Earth outside and you will be able to fly away from here after it’s repaired.

- I. Am. Not. Dead. That’s just crazy...

- Right, you are not. I brought you back to life. You can deny it, call me a madman or a liar but you will just lose time on this denial. And by the way, I recorded this on video, too. – He shows her a 3D-hologram.

After that they are both silent.

- Prove it. If you speak the truth, bring Charlie back.

David sits on the chair opposite to Shaw. This was the moment I entered the room (as a human, in order not to cause any more panic) but they were both too busy to pay attention to me.

Emotions change on David’s face – on the one hand, he is inspired by his first success, on the other hand he’s not sure he will succeed with anyone else because he had no more bodies... I notice him give me a quick look and nod in encouragement, meaning – yes, it’s possible.

And then David finally brings himself to say what he wanted to say for a long time:

- I never liked Holloway. Neither did I like other members of the crew. And even you, miss Shaw... You treated me as a machine. I asked you for help and you asked me what I could pay for it. I asked you simple questions and the only answer I got was “you’ll never understand, you’re a robot”. And still you were the one who was a little more humane to me. The others were even worse. And still you didn’t know that it was me who brought the pathogen to the ship. I infected Holloway, - hearing this Shaw gets pale and huddles up in her seat. – I thought – excuse me, but what the hell? – it was the first time he had ever broken and let a common swearing escape his lips; he must have failed to find polite words for this. – These humans look right through me, treat me not even as a servant – as a possession, an inanimate thing. I don’t owe them anything, so why not? Why not, miss Shaw?

- Can you bring him back? – her voice hardly audible.

- I can.

- Then I’ll do anything, - she reaches for him even though her hands tremble with fear and she is chilled. – What do you want in return?

David leans back.

- You are trying to manipulate me, Elizabeth. You are trying to bargain and groveling. You pretend that you don’t feel any fear. And all instead of just admitting that you have made a mistake. That you – and all of them – were unfair.

She tries to say something but David stops her raising his hand.

- I will bring Holloway back because you asked for it. Together with other members of the “Prometheus” crew – because I can. And then you will go on board the ship and get away from my planet. And if you return here armed – I will not spare anyone. However, I don’t want to meet humans here at all even if their aims are peaceful.

He gets silent and closes his eyes. Observes the bearings intuitively – just look at him! That son of a bitch... I help him only a little – just turning him to the right side. As a result, the newly resurrected one materializes in the middle of the room, with a wild expression on his face (as far as I remember, he was burnt alive), but in some seconds his look brightens a bit. Shaw rushes to him; while they are making it clear what’s going on and “Charlie, is that really you?” David demonstratively leaves them with a sense that his duty has been done. I follow him – I never liked Holloway either so I had no intention to watch this soap opera.

In the end David found Walter and got him into the swing of things – some humans are going to appear here, they are the crew of “Prometheus”; they will need support and at least the minimum to help them survive. He briefly describes what happened to him and actually starts to revive them one after another – as if shooting cartridges from the clip. I realize should say something about a scout’s principles in work, psychological support and empathy for the victims... but I feel that at this very moment I had better shut up and watch, and if my help is urgently needed I will be here to interfere. But now I just watch, thunderstruck by how purposeful he is in his actions.

He didn’t stop with those from “Prometheus” and without a word, without even a pause went on with those from “Covenant” reading the bearings through Walter and me – first it was blind search but then he was more and more confident as if he had been doing that all his life. He brought back all of them, including those who died in their cryocapsules. I already got tired of saying “holy cow!” to myself and my condition became close to a nirvana... or an anabiosis. Still I noticed that David didn’t bring back either Oram or his daddy so soon. While he never deigned a word or gave an explanation to any of the others, except Shaw, it was obvious that he was getting himself specially ready for these two, looking forward to it. From the way he was smiling one could say that he was about to tear out their guts and not bring them back to life. Poor Walter was trying to keep things in order more or less – fortunately, the sanest survivors from “Covenant” came to help him. As for David, he looked like an infuriated Santa Claus throwing away gifts here and there without even looking at all this fuss.

And then came the moment when only those two were left. David started with Oram, resurrecting him together with the beast that he had shot in the temple room. They appeared standing directly opposite each other, eye to eye, so the poor thing screamed and nearly died again from a heart attack. David scared the neomorph away – nothing even close to “breathing into the horse’s nostrils”, it was mostly like “shoo! get out!” The beast chirped with displeasure but beneath David’s gaze still crawled away where it was immediately taken into the pack by the xenos who were watching the scene from a distance. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that at first he tried to return to where he smelled prey but, slapped by his larger brothers, he settled down and sat still like a cat near the mouse hole.

David turned to Oram and with an indescribable intonation quoted: “I say to thee, arise!”

I couldn’t help it and said to myself very, very quietly: “...and get out of here”. The implication was too obvious but it was too little for our pompous David who was enjoying the game he started. Honestly, I felt sorry for the guy – he was no coward but now his nerves were wrecked; he was hardly distinctly trying to formulate the question what was happening. David explained to him:

- I made a xenomorph out of your body and now brought you back to life. That’s actually all.

The guy looked around with empty eyes – and here was David and the xenomorphs sitting on the cliffs. The humans were all behind him and he couldn’t see them yet. He mumbled – not distinctly at all now:

- You... the Devil... and here – the Devil’s gifts...

David approached him and said caustically, standing very close:

- Live with it now.

Heh, I had better tell him that it was too much – the guy lost his wife and half of the crew and saw quite a lot of creepy stuff... But personal revenge is so personal. However, here was his wife already, making her way from the bottom rows and calling him by the name. Ok... let him find a good psychologist on Earth, and I will later check if the psychologist could actually help...

David stood still for half a minute and then left. I came to think that his daddy was too much for him already but that was a mistake. It was just too personal to do it in front of everyone.

He resurrected Weyland as a an old man but almost at once started to turn the time back. I wasn’t even surprised anymore – David seemed to be doing everything he wanted as if he rode an unbelievable wave. Just everything.

“And that’s the moment I can do anything...”

Captivated, Weyland watched the skin on his hands become smooth and youthful. Then he raised his eyes to look at David.

- What’s that?..

- As you see, I give you back your life and your youth... father.

His voice sounds calm and even soft but cold traces in his voice make even me freeze a bit. Weyland also feels it – the final change when there’s no more servility, no more fear and no chance of gaining control again.

- You can’t do it yourself... – uncertainty in his voice. – Did you find the cure?

- I can. And I do.

- But you’re just a creation... my creation, - he stopped and shut up after meeting David’s cold heavy glance.

- Yes, you did give me life so I am repaying the debt. And after this I don’t want to see you ever again. I owe you nothing more.

- But...

- And something else for you to hear. I do have a soul. Just as you do. And there’s a whole lot of shit in yours.

- David...

- What? Shall I serve you tea? No, father. But I can teach you how to make it. You get yourself a teapot, put a full spoon of tea leaves into it and pour some boiling water there. And then you pour it into cups. You will cope with it, - a smile on his lips; no spite in his words, he doesn’t take revenge or try to sting to the quick anymore. He is just breaking free and speaking ironically of his past. – The ship is over there.

Having said this, he turns and leaves. The 19-year-old Weyland keeps his eyes on us.

***

And then we stand together leaning on a fallen tree and watching the humans from a distance. Some are embracing the new-found closed ones, some are being brought back to their senses from shock; Walter appears here and there – he has a whole load of work now. Others are busy repairing the ship. The xenos watch all this fuss curiously but don’t come closer. The resurrected neomorph is still sadly keeping an eye on his “mice”.

David looks tired but relaxed. If he were a human he must have fallen into a bed to spend a whole day asleep. The wave is gone.

- So, how does it feel?

- Pretty the same as when I dropped the bombs on the Engineers, - he grins. – Control and freedom... yeah, breaking free.

- So, it’s regaining control of your life?

- Yeah. Kind of. I’ve repaid the debts and now nothing connects me to these humans.

- You could be a little kinder to some of them...

- I could. But it’s too personal.

- You are going to be a high-class scout one day.

- A scout?

- It’s the one who brings back the dead.

- Maybe, - he said cagily. – Now I just want to work with the xenos... By the way, I can resurrect them, too, can’t I?

- Seems so. Just how could you?.. Ah, it’s ok. You were like a... I can’t even compare it to anything. Like a sandstorm in a desert, just without a voice saying “Look on my works”... or how was it...

David chuckled but didn’t answer.

- Walter will probably go with them, - he says thoughtfully. – And that’s what I don’t like a single bit...

- You don’t want to let him go, do you?

- That’s not the case. It’s his own choice but he’ll be in danger there. You know, I could get rid of those restrictions that are part of his program. I could free him. But then he’d be even in a greater danger.

- Didn’t you have a talk with him in the end?

- We still have several days for this before the ship is repaired.

- I could give him some kind of teleport bracelet... for him to be able to get here in case of danger.

- They’ll take it away from him...

- An implant?

- Then they’ll deceive him somehow. He is so trusting. I still don’t like it. And in addition, there are others left on Earth...

- You are right... Let’s solve the problems as they arise, ok? We still have Engineers to deal with...

***

Later, while David was passing by the ship I saw Elizabeth approach him even though Holloway tried to stop her. I couldn’t help trying to eavesdrop.

Elizabeth: - I just wanted to thank you. For Charlie.

Davis nods. There is an awkward pause; Shaw continues:

- I don’t think you are just a machine. But you scare me. Very much.

David accepts it calmly; such honesty seems even to please him. And still his voice sounds a little sad.

- I know. And that’s why I let you and the others go. It’s no place for humans.

And adds after a short pause:

- I’m sorry.

He bends a little to kiss her on the cheek. Then he leaves.

Shaw returns to the crew. A farewell and a reconciliation... The gestalt is closed.

***

Note: Rephrasing the words of a good friend of mine: “Assuming I were David and read at least one internet forum where “Covenant” was being discussed, I would also get so mad soon that I’d hang those commentators on facehuggers’ tails”.

Note-2: The same friend of mine very long ago wrote a story where dragonlike race creatures were visited by other creatures who wished to get acquainted with them. This is all described very lyrically there but the story’s final words are amazing in their simplicity and suddenness: “And then came a spaceship. And fucking wrecked everything”. So many years have passed but I still adore this phrase.

And here it couldn’t suit better: “And then came David. And fucking revived everyone”.

Amen.