Chapter 09
Teresagatan (Michael's residence) Zinkensdamm area

Mikael hands Krister a lemon muffin and it doesn't look like he wants to eat it, but he takes it and eats it in the end. Sven feels that there is a tension in the air and he wonders what Krister wants. Michael, on the other hand, does not seem to react to the mood. Krister scratches his hair and looks right into Michael's eyes.

- I want to know what you actually did when you were out between 08.30 and 12.45?

Michael shrugs nonchalantly.

- I was out cycling. I greeted Tommy and Stefan. I had intended to come home earlier but forgot the time.

Krister makes a humming sound and drinks some coffee. But he soon starts talking again.

- Was it at Tommy's that you played with the lubricant?

Michael can't help but laugh at the question. Sven gets confused. Why does Krister think they've been playing with lube? But then he remembers the smudge on Michael's pants and the Alien Queen's drool actually looks like lube and he realizes that Michael has lied to Krister and said they've been playing with lube.

- It was at Tommy's. We both thought it looked like movie slime and we played with it and smeared it on each other.
- Does Tommy live near Kvastvägen?
- Kvastvägen? No, he lives on Paddevägen. You remember that, right?
- I have no idea where your friends live. Does Stefan live near Kvastvägen?
- No, he lives on Hetgatan. What is so special about Kvastvägen?
- You were there today and I wonder what you did there. Especially since you broke into a villa.
- I certainly haven't been there and I haven't done any fucking burglary in any villa. Stop talking nonsense. Shouldn't the police have come if I broke in?
- A witness saw you and she called us and we decided to talk to you first and then possibly call the police. You had a large garbage bag with you on the luggage rack and you took the garbage bag into the villa with you. Whoever saw you called after you had left with Sven.
- The witness is lying because none of that is true.

Sven becomes very thoughtful when he hears what Krister says and he wonders what was in the garbage bag. Imagine if there was an Alien egg in the garbage bag. Sven doesn't want it to be that way, but since he knows that Michael has met the Alien queen, it's not completely impossible. Sven clears his throat to get Krister's attention.

- How big was the garbage bag?
- According to the witness, it was an ordinary large black garbage bag. They are usually 100 - 200 liters depending on the model.

Sven nods quietly. Then it is not impossible that there could have been an Alien egg in the garbage bag. Krister looks at Michael again, looking annoyed.

- Okay, we'll do it like this. I'm not calling the police but I want to know what you did there and what was in the trash bag. Did you pick up cans and bottles to deposit?
Michael gets annoyed with Krister.
- Stop it. I haven't been there. I don't know anyone on Kvastvägen. I may know someone on Seravägen. It is the road that is right next to Kvastvägen. But I don't like that person. He was one of the worst bullies in school.
- Seravägen?. Okay. Have you been there then?
- Why would I be there? The only one I know there bullied me at school so why would I want to meet him?

Krister sighs heavily. This hearing yields nothing.

- I don't know why you would be there. I only know what the witness has told. But I still think you're hiding something and I want to know what. You came home later than you said you would which you never do otherwise and you smelled very strange when you came home and I'm not sure if it was actually some cleaning product that smelled. Come to think of it, you couldn't have just used a can of lube to get you as wet as you were when you got home. Everything points to the fact that you have not told the truth about what you did while you were on your way, and that worries both me and the rest of the staff. I'm just trying to make sure you don't get into any trouble but you have to help yourself and tell the truth.

Michael looks pissed off.

- I have already told you where I was. That witness, was it near me or at a distance?
- Hmm. The witness saw you through a window pane and was not very close to you.
- Then I think that person should get glasses and look carefully before she opens her damn mouth and claims a bunch of untrue things.
- Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure you're lying about where you've been. The person may have seen it wrong or mixed you up with someone else, but the fact remains. I do not believe you. There are too many weird things. The big problem is that I can't prove it. Or wait, do you have Tommy and Stefan's phone numbers? Maybe I should call them and ask if you've been to them today.
- I have their phone number, but Tommy was going to the summer cottage and Stefan was also leaving in the afternoon, so it is not certain that you will be able to get hold of them.
- I'm so surprised, or rather not. That said, can you tell me what you did while you were on your way?
- I've already told you where I've been and it doesn't help that you keep asking.

Krister looks at his watch. He has to help some others in the residence.

- I understand. Michael, I have to help some others in the residence but I want to talk to you later tonight. Incidentally, I think you should stay indoors for the rest of the day. Sven, you can go ahead and ask and tell the person in the office so we don't have to worry.

Sven nods and Krister leaves the apartment. Michael looks apologetically at Sven.

- Krister is a good employee, but he can be very annoying if he thinks he is right about something.

Sven looks at Michsel with a serious expression.

- But he's right. You haven't told the truth. I don't think you've been to either Tommy or Stefan. I don't know them but you sure haven't been there. Are they even home now during the holidays?
- Are you also going to start suspecting a lot of things? As I just said to Krister, they were both at home earlier in the day but were on their way.
- I know you too well and know when you are lying and I am one hundred percent sure that you are lying about where you have been. But there is another thing that I want to ask.
- Just ask.
- I wonder how you know about the Alien monsters. You talked about them bleeding acid when we were on the ferry and also about how the eggs are made. You also mentioned the Alien queen and several other things. I know for a fact that neither the staff nor your parents have let you watch those movies and there may be a reason for that.
- Ah, that. I may have seen the movies at someone's house, but that doesn't matter, does it?
- Are you kidding me? Considering your special ability and what happened on the ferry, I think it plays a very big role. Who did you watch the movies with and which of the movies did you watch?
- Oh really. So you're saying that what happened to the fat woman was my fault? It's very rude of you to say that. Okay, I admit. I have bought the movies and have watched them here at home. I bought the movie Alien and Aliens. I didn't know there were more.
- I apologize. I didn't really mean that. But I'm sure you've been wishing for these monsters to exist in real life and now, unfortunately, they do. I'm guessing you've been wishing the Alien Queen existed in real life and that you met her earlier today.
- Would I have met the Alien Queen? It would have been very exciting but, well, not very likely. She has a lot of warriors who protect her.
- Michael, I know you so well that I know when you are not telling the truth. I know you have met the Alien Queen and must have been close to her. I know the stain on your pants in the bathroom is not lube, but drool from the Alien queen. So you must have been very close so that her drool could land on your pants. You said yourself that she is huge, especially when you are close to her. You can't deny this. Can't you tell me about the Alien queen.

There is silence for a little while and Michael sits and thinks. Should he tell Sven what he has done? Michael knows that Sven will be very angry when he finds out that he has placed an egg in Brunkebergstunneln as well as the other places and decides not to tell about it but reveals that he has met the Alien queen.

- Yes, I have met the Alien Queen very closely. Her drool landed on my pants and my shirt. The drool was really thick and not nearly as liquid as the Alien monster on the ferry. I smeared myself with some of the drool so that I would smell like her. She was so incredibly awesome. You had been blown away by her massive size and it was extremely hot in her hive but she was absolutely the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. The alien queen seemed to trust me and I trusted her. I patted her on the big crowned head. By the way, it's not just the Alien Queen herself who is huge. Her bulging Ovipositor is also huge.
- Huh, you smeared yourself with her drool? That sounds a little..disgusting but okay. You patted her head too? I don't know if I would have dared to do that. It is good of you to admit that you have visited the Alien Queen. I know where she lives too although I don't know exactly where. I'm guessing her hive is big. I guess her ovipositor is so big because she produces a lot of eggs.
- How can you know where she is? Her hive is big, yes. It has to be so that both she and the eggs can fit. I'm not entirely sure but I think new eggs are being produced constantly in her ovipositor.
- Speaking of her size. I understand exactly why you asked about how high the ceiling was in the underground tunnel. You wanted to know if the Alien Queen could fit in the tunnel. Given that Krister said you were on your way between 08.30 and 12.45, you have had plenty of time to cycle to the tunnel and greet the Alien queen.

It gets quiet again and Michael feels that Sven knows a little too much about this and that worries him. Michael doesn't want Sven to tell anyone about the Alien Queen. There is a risk that the staff at the accommodation will find out about this and Michael absolutely does not want that to happen.

- Does this information stay between us or are you going to tell a lot of people about this?
- I should tell your staff the truth, but yes, this stays between us. You can tell me everything. Michael, did you ever think about what would happen? You saw the movie Aliens and saw how the monsters had exterminated the humans. Also, did you ever think about the people who give birth to the Chestbursters? Do you think they would have wanted to give birth to one? The human victims are ordinary people just like you and me. Imagine if your parents were attacked by facehuggers and each gave birth to a Chestburster. Did you want it to happen?
- My parents live quite far outside the city, so the risk of an Alien egg ending up there is very small. I thought there would be some Aliens running in the city and such but not much more. I don't think any victim would want to give birth to a chestburster but nobody lives forever and some die young.
- Do you know that several people have been killed at T-Centralen and in a restaurant? It is written about it in Aftonbladet.
- I didn't know about that. Hmm. Restaurant. It must have been one of the monsters we saw dancing and then mating.
- Yes, you're probably right about that. It said that the restaurant was near Slussen, and that's right.
- My guess is that some diner at the restaurant had been attacked by a facehugger and that a Chestburster was born from him or her while the person was eating.
- That sounds credible. By the way, I wonder another thing. Did you leave an Alien egg in the villa of the worst bully?
- Yes I did but don´t tell anyone about it. I have long fantasized about how the bully could be killed in a good way. A facehugger to his face was very fitting. I placed the egg in his hall thinking it would be a surprise for him when he opened the front door but he came back to the villa before I had cycled away.
- Did he see when you left the egg? What did he say then?
- I had already closed the front door when Henrik came back but I tricked him and said I had given him a present and he opened the door and saw the Alien egg. It was Henrik's birthday today.
- Henrik? I didn't know his name. Well, what happened then?
- Yes, that was his name. Henrik seemed to hesitate when he saw the egg so I pushed him so that he almost fell against it and the facehugger jumped up from the egg and landed on his face. The facehugger injected its eggs and then let go of Henrik's face and scittered away.
- But wait a little now. So you pushed Henrik against the egg? Did you see when the facehugger injected the eggs?
- Since I saw that Henrik hesitated, I pushed him against the egg. I saw when the facehugger inserted its long proboscis into his mouth and that the proboscis swelled and moved as the eggs squirted into Henrik's throat, but I did not see the eggs themselves.
- Didn't you think it was nasty to see that happen?
- I still dislike Henrik so much that I didn't feel sorry for him.
- But what happened then? Did you stay to watch as the Chestburst exploded from his stomach?
- I caught the Facehugger and put it back in the egg and put them in the garbage bag. I didn't stay to see when the Chestburster was born. It would have been too dangerous.
- How were you able to catch the facehugger without being attacked?
- It had already injected the eggs into Henrik's neck and was dying so it was easy to catch and hold on to. I hope that Henrik had really bad chest pains before the Chestburster was born. I don't care that I killed him by pushing him against the egg. He made my school life hell so it was only fair that his life became hell.
- Didn't the Alien Queen get angry when you took one of her eggs?
- Absolutely not. She probably just thought it was good that I spread her species further. She lays many eggs in an hour so there is an easy abundance of them.
- Are the egg and the facehugger still in the villa?
- No, I took them with me from there when I left the villa. They are dumped in a small lake nearby. No one swims in that lake.
- But what did you do after throwing the egg and the facehugger into the lake?
- I actually visited the Alien queen again before I cycled home. I wanted to say goodbye to her.
- Just one more question. How did you get into Henrik's villa?
- Henrik always had a spare key under a rock so I unlocked the front door with it.
- Okay, I understand.

There is silence for several seconds.

Sven gets very angry when he hears what Michael says, but on the other hand, he is not too surprised. He knows how hard Michael's school life was but that doesn't excuse him knowingly murdering a human being. If the police found out about this, Michael would have been charged with murder and possibly jailed.

Sven hopes that Michael is aware that he has murdered another person and that it is really not okay. Sven thought it looked as if Michael was smiling when he told about how he had pushed Henrik against the egg and that the facehugger had injected the eggs into him. Sven would never wish such a fate on anyone, not even his greatest enemies. It's such a horrible way to die.

Sven thinks that the best thing would be for the military or some knowledgeable person to go to the Alien Queen's hive and kill her and destroy all the eggs, but in that case they have to find out exactly where she has her hive. It is also a big advantage if they know what the hive looks like and where the Alien queen is. She may be deep in her hive and may be warned by her warriors if an intruder comes.

Michael knows where the Alien Queen lives and Sven tries to figure out a way to find out where she lives without arousing any suspicion from Michael. Sven feels that it is difficult to find out Michael's secrets about the Alien queen, but then he remembers that Michael asked if Sven wanted to investigate the tunnel now that it is open and he gets a brilliant idea. They can investigate the tunnel and Michael can hopefully show Sven where the Alien Queen lives.

- Michael, you asked me if I wanted to explore the tunnels with you and I would very much like to. But I would also like to meet the Alien queen. I don't want to be so close that her drool lands on me, but I still want to come along and see where she lives and see all the eggs she lays. We don't have to do it today but maybe some other day. Since we didn't go to Gröna lund, I think that maybe we can meet on Saturday. Is that okay with you?

Michael is very surprised when Sven says he wants to meet the Alien queen but he sees absolutely no problem with that. Michael feels so proud that he might wish the Alien Queen existed in reality.

- You can absolutely come along into the Alien queen's hive. I can introduce you to her. You have to be prepared that she is huge. I mean, so you don't have an accident in your pants.
- Huh. It's not very easy to scare me. As long as the Alien Queen is calm, I'm calm. Has she introduced you to her warriors?
- No, she hisses at them so they leave me alone.
- How many warriors does she have in her hive?
- I think there are 4 or 5 warriors there but there may be one more that I haven't seen yet.
- Do you know if they move her eggs when they become many?
- I think so, but I don't know for sure.
- Have you seen them take any eggs from the hive then? As you said earlier, someone must have placed the egg in Brunkebergstunneln and it is not impossible that one of them has been placed in the T-Centralen as well.
- I didn't see when they took any eggs. That may have happened before or after I left the Alien Queen. Maybe I gave her an idea when I took one of the eggs.
- Unfortunately, you are probably right. It was not so good that you took the egg. For several reasons. For one thing, what you did to Henrik counts as murder, but a first spread of her species also happened when the first chestburster was born, and that's not good either. An adult Alien is guaranteed to be hard to kill. The neighbors in the villas next door might be dead and eaten now because of what you did. Did you never think it could happen?
- I never thought that far. I just wanted to kill Henrik.
- But why now? It's been so long since you went to school. He might be completely different now.
- I guess it was mostly because I got a good opportunity to do this. I don't think he's changed much since school.
- So you never reflected on what you did and what consequences it could have?
- No.
- I think you should have discussed this with someone before you did it. Imagine if this has unforeseen consequences that affect you negatively.
- Every person would have said no if I had discussed this. What do you think the consequences would be?
- Well, both you and I could have been killed by the Chestburster that was born from the fat woman but luckily you knew what was going to happen. Next time you might not be so lucky. If it starts to run around attacking Alien monsters in the city, maybe the politicians and the prime minister decide that a state of emergency should be triggered. Then you might not be able to go out and eat cinnamon buns at Lars Café with me. It won't be much fun, will it?
- Serious things must definitely happen before they trigger a state of emergency. People must be able to shop and move as they wish.
- Several Alien monsters that kill people in the city are guaranteed to be serious. Fortunately, that doesn't seem to have happened yet. How many eggs were in the hive the last time you were there?
- It is hard to say. Between 50 to 100 maybe..
- Think about what happens if, let's say, 100 eggs are placed in different places in Stockholm and 100 people are attacked by each Facehugger and give birth to 100 Chestbursters. That's more than enough to trigger a state of emergency, but let's hope it doesn't go that far.
- 100 Chestbursters. No, it's probably not enough to trigger a state of emergency. But if 500 are born, it might happen.
- You are wrong. It is such a serious event that they will trigger a state of emergency if 100 Chestbursters are born. Think about what that means and you'll probably understand why.
- It is not certain that all 100 Chestbursters grow into an adult Alien immediately.
- It does not matter. There are still so many of them that there is complete panic when the people around the victims see and understand what is happening. The state of emergenzy is to make sure that the people are safe if there is a disaster or other major event that affects the people negatively and 100 Chestbursters being born can absolutely be counted as a disaster or a major event that affects many people. Just think of all the people who were killed on the ferry. Only one Chestburster did that. I'm aware that it grew into an adult Alien very quickly but it doesn't matter. Imagine what would happen if 100 Chestbursters roamed the city in search of food.
- Okay, Yes, it wouldn't have been so good. They are fast as hell and hard to escape from. It was so crowded on the ferry that chestburster couldn't move as fast as they usually do. But I saw what a huge jump it made when it had just been born. It must have jumped out several meters from the fat woman's belly. The facehuggers can also jump very high and far.
- Yes, I also saw when it jumped out of her stomach. It looked grotesque when it was born.
- Speaking of this with the ferry. We never told the staff why we went back home. Do you think I or you should tell them what happened on the ferry?
- You're right about that. I never thought about it when Krister was in here. We should have told him about what happened on the ferry and that the monster ran into Gröna Lund. I hope the police patrol has arrived by now and kills the monster. Who knows how many people it has killed at Gröna lund.
- I just came to think of something. Another Chestburster must have been born at the quay on Skeppsholmen as well. The person who gave birth to the Chestburster must have sat on the same bench we did before we took the ferry. One of the Alien monsters at the restaurant may be the one born at Skeppsholmen.
- I also saw the blood by the bench and thought the same thing. The restaurant was so close to Skeppsholmen that one monster may have been born at Skeppsholmen and then met the other.
- Maybe they called each other. They seemed very much in love with each other if you say so.
- Maybe so. I don't know if they only communicate through sound. It is entirely possible that they communicate through scents as well. It smelled quite strong in the car when they started mating. I had the fresh smell outlet fully open so their scent spread in the car.
- Yes, I felt it. It didn't smell bad but strong as you just said. Hah, we smelled alien monsters willing to mate. It's a bit special anyway.
- Maybe it is. The adult Alien monster on the ferry also smelled strong but it smelled more like hot iron.
- I felt it too. And as it drooled. Drool almost gushed from its jaws. Did you see the huge puddles of drool when we got back downstairs? The alien queen is also drooling. You saw that on my pants. But she doesn't drool as much as the Alien monster on the ferry. There was an extreme amount of drool flowing from its mouth.
- I also noticed a lot of drooling and was close to stepping in two of the large puddles but managed to avoid it.
- The two Alien monsters at the restaurant had slightly different heads than the one on the ferry. Did you notice that too? The heads of the two monsters were sort of ridged and barely slimy while the head of the monster on the ferry was completely smooth and covered with tons of slime.
- I also noticed but have no valid explanation as to why.
- The two we saw at the restaurant might later become warriors and go to the Alien queen. Who knows, maybe it will be decided on a chemical level who will become ordinary Alien monsters and who will become warriors. You know, for the species to be evenly distributed.
- It actually sounds very likely that it could be so. I never thought about that. The two Alien monsters at the restaurant may already be with the Alien queen, helping and protecting her. I really hope they don't place more eggs in the city.
- I wonder how many places you can get to through the tunnel. It is not certain that there are ramps and the like to all the places, but you mentioned that there was one at the T-Centralen and one at Brunkebergstunneln. Do you think there is an upturn at Kungsträdgården, for example?
- There must be, but I don't know where. There should also be an entrance from the tunnel to the culvert at Karolinska hospital, but it may be walled off.
- Karolinska Hospital?. Let's hope they don't get there and dump a lot of eggs considering the hospital contains so many people. Then, in the worst case, more than 100 Chestbursters can be born in a short time.
- Please don't say that. I don't even want to think about what might happen then.
- I'm just pointing out that it could happen.
- I understand that. But I don't even want to think about such a thing.

Sven's cell phone starts ringing and he takes it out of his pants pocket and sees a number he doesn't recognize but answers anyway. A female voice is heard on the mobile phone.

- Excuse me, but are you Edith's next of kin?
- Yes that´s true. What has happened?
- Edith has fallen from an apple tree in her home and has injured her leg very seriously and she is currently in the emergency room at Karolinska hospital awaiting surgery. She has asked for you.
- Okay, I understand. I will be there as fast as I can. What department is she in?
- For now, she is in the emergency room, but they are going to do another examination of her legs, so we'll see what the doctor says. She is currently in room 39.
- Room 39. Okay. I will be there as fast as I can.

Sven ends the call and starts walking towards Michael's front door. Michael wants to know why Sven is in such a hurry.

- What has happened, Sven?
- My grandmother Edith has apparently fallen from an apple tree at home and has injured herself badly, so she is now in the emergency room at Karolinska hospital and she needs me there. She has apparently injured her leg in a serious way.
- That was unfortunate. Hope she makes it.
- I hope so too. They'll probably have to operate on her leg. Michael, I'm sorry I have to leave you but I promise you we can meet on Saturday if nothing else happens.
- It's perfectly fine. The closest people are important.

Sven nods and looks at Michael with a serious expression.

- Michael. Promise me you won't do anything stupid. Collect no more eggs from the Alien queen. I unfortunately don't have time to explain to your staff what happened on the ferry but you can tell them if you want.
- I promise. You go. It is okay.

Sven leaves Michael's apartment and rushes to his car and drives as fast as he can to the Karolinska hospital and looks for Edith. She is about to go up for a final X-ray and Sven accompanies her and holds her hand the whole time on the way up to the X-ray.

Michael stands for a moment in his kitchen, thinking about what has been said and what he should do now. Michael would like to cycle to the Alien queen and place even more eggs in different places. The problem is that Krister doesn't seem to trust him and that it might be difficult for MIchael to leave the accommodation without telling him exactly where he's going. Michael knows he can use the fire door closest to his apartment and sneak out there, and the more he thinks about it, the better that idea sounds.

Michael takes off his clothes and puts on the ones he had on when he met the Alien Queen. The alien queen's drool has dried on the shirt and only the bottom part of the pants is still a little wet. Michael puts on the same shoes he had when he met the Alien Queen. The shoes are also still a little wet from the drool but the socks don't get wet.

Michael thinks about where to put the eggs and roughly how many to take with him and he decides not to cycle as far this time but leave the eggs nearby. Michael decides to check if it is open at the Zinkensdamm sports ground. If it is, he might leave some eggs there. Michael hates two of the guards at the Zinkensdamm sports ground because they have forbidden Michael to look for cans and bottles that he can pawn. Michael would like to have extra money and pledging cans and bottles is a good way to bring in more money,

Michael opens his backpack and there are exactly five garbage bags left so he can only collect five eggs. Michael closes his backpack and hangs it on his back and walks out of the apartment. There is no one in the corridor outside the apartment and Michael sneaks towards the fire door and unlocks the lock as quietly as he can. Michael opens the fire door and locks it and goes down the stairs. Michael feels smart when he tricks the staff.

Michael goes to the bike room and unlocks the bike and starts cycling towards Mariatorget and the underground tunnel. Even though it is late afternoon, the sun is almost as hot as it is at lunchtime and Michael is enjoying the warm and sunny weather while riding his bike. Michael passes the villa area where Henrik lived but he doesn't see anyone outside. There is no blood on the ground either in the street or in any gardens. Yet it seems that everyone living in the area has disappeared. Michael wonders where the Alien monster that was born from Henrik is. He can see no traces of it anywhere.

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Disclaimer: Facehugger, Chestburster, Alien, Alien Warriors, Alien Queen Belongs to Disney/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation