THE THING- Aftermath

The Thing and related characters are property of Universal Pictures.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This is not to be taken seriously. It's just a non-canon fic I wrote because I was bored and had the idea of doing something that was Aliens, but with the Thing. Yes, I have seen the 1982 movie.

Chapter 1: Trial

APRIL 12, 1982

USS MERRIWETHER LEWIS:

"Richard James MacReady." a sailor announced.

The bearded survivor of Outpost 31 stood up.

"How many times do I have to repeat it? Do you want me to try it in German? Because I did that when the Germans picked us up out there in the snow."

"MacReady, by your own admission, you have declared responsibility for destroying government property and multiple counts of murder in the second degree. And yet you continue to blame some creature for driving you to such actions-" another sailor announced.

MacReady leaned in.

"It's not a creature. It's an alien abomination. You read my report- complete with the tapes from the Norwegian outpost."

"Mr. MacReady, there was no evidence of any alien creature or remains thereof found in the ruins of Outpost 31-"

"That's because I blew the place sky high! Listen to me, Petty Officer. That…thing killed most of my associates over a handful of days, and that's not even considering the Norwegians who found it first! If it gets out of the Antarctic, we've got three months before everything from bacteria upwards gets assimilated! You can sit here all you want, but don't go anywhere near those outposts again unless you're going to blow what's left of them to Hell! Preferably with neutron bombs!"

"That'll be all, Mr. MacReady-"

"If there's anything left of that monster, and it manages to get out of the Antarctic, then you can just kiss your ass goodbye! Because that will be all!"

MacReady sighed and walked out of the room while the various military personnel made their final decision.

"Cigarette, Mac?"

MacReady looked up at Childs.

"Pass. Can't believe they're just putting their heads in the sand."

"I'll be frank, Mac. If I hadn't seen it myself, I'd have called bull on it too."

"Oh, up yours!"

"Due to corroborating stories between the survivors of Outpost 31, it has been decided that Richard James MacReady is acquitted of all charges. However, due to his mental health, it is this tribunal's decision to assign MacReady to a minimum of six months of psychological therapy, in addition to suspending his pilot's license until he has been deemed sound of mind by the proper authorities." the petty officer announced.

As the members of the tribunal began to leave, MacReady approached the petty officer.

"Is there anyone else out there near Outpost 31?" he asked.

"There is, actually. Anglo-Japanese outpost called Falcon Base, about 160 klicks away from there. Why?"

MacReady's face went white as a sheet.

"When did it get set up?"

"Last year."