"Hey," Hicks murmured, loudly enough for Ripley to hear but measured so as not to exacerbate the already heightened sense of dread that shrouded them both.

The flesh beneath her skin slackened in response, affording her a reprieve from the constant fear taking up residence in her exhausted mind. She turned toward the familiar voice, one she had grown quite fond of in the short time since she first heard its gruff yet gentle timbre. She had noticed, during the rare moments of calm, that his eyes held the same qualities.

"Hey," she replied as he approached, grateful for the company.

"How you holding up?" he asked, sincere in his concern.

"I'm ok," she offered, knowing full well he could tell she was lying.

The young corporal nodded, having expected her generic answer. Even if she were overwhelmed with panic, he had a hunch that Ripley wasn't the type to advertise it. Still, he'd been through enough shit to know when someone was scared, and he could sense the burgeoning fear in her voice. He hated to add to it, but knew that unwarranted optimism wouldn't do her any favors.

"Well," he rasped, edging his way closer to her. "Once we get everything barricaded, we've still got to assume they're gonna find their way in. You ready for that?"

"I'll have to be, won't I?", she answered, fully aware of their situation; one that could only be described as a clusterfuck of epic proportions.

Impressed by her composure, he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we'll all have to be."

"So what's the latest?" she queried, her face conveying her anxiety over the enormous task at hand.

"Sentries are almost in place and we're sealing the tunnels," he stated, confident in his team's capabilities. "What's the progress here?"

"Burke's gathering supplies and I was about to cover up this air duct next," she informed him, pointing at the metal plate in the pile of scraps raided from non-essential equipment.

With his hands on his hips, Hicks nodded in approval, picturing her back in that yellow power loader, reminded of one of the first times he had witnessed her assured competency.

"Here," he said, grabbing the welder from his utility belt, "let me help."

"Thanks," Ripley replied, lifting up the metal sheet and centering it for maximum effect and protection. Hicks double checked both its position and Ripley's, ensuring her safety from the sparks that would soon shower down.

They made quick but steady progress of the task, focusing on securing it as completely as possible. As they worked on the last section, Ripley shifted her body, leaning her shoulder slightly against his for more leverage. While the circumstances were far from ideal, given the gravity of their situation, Hicks certainly didn't mind the proximity. After they finished, he extinguished the torch and scanned their handy work.

"For what it's worth," he declared, lightly pounding the wall with his fist for effect. For only a moment, their eyes met each other's in mutual appreciation before he lowered his gaze, remembering why he had sought her out in the first place. He pulled out what appeared to be a watch from his belt, and held it out in front of Ripley.

"Here, I want you to put this on," he offered, sighing as his eyes shifted awkwardly between hers and the device in his hand.

"What's it for?", she asked, genuinely having no idea.

"It's a locater," he explained as he pulled out a small cylinder that matched the band. "Then I can find you anywhere in the complex on this."

Ripley briefly examined it before glancing up at him, amused by his apparent reluctance to look back. She found it endearing.

"It's just a precaution," he added, trying to pass it off as no big deal.

She couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks," she murmured, touched, but not surprised, by his thoughtful gesture.

He stole a sideways glimpse of her softened expression and quipped, "Doesn't mean we're engaged or anything."

She chuckled, appreciative of his sense of humor. Laughter wasn't exactly part of her daily routine, so this brief exchange with him felt practically indulgent.

Despite not making direct eye contact, he noticed her smile, and decided that it was something he could definitely get used to if they ever got out of this mess. Determined to do just that, he redirected the conversation back to logistics.

"Ok, what's next?"

"We've got two more to seal in here," she stated, nodding in the general direction of more vents. She took a deep breath before adding, "And someone should check on Gorman."

"I'm gonna assume you're not volunteering for that job," he smirked.

She countered with a sly grin of her own. "Maybe we should get Vasquez to do it."

Hicks laughed, shaking his head, likewise enjoying the brief respite this relatively playful conversation afforded them. "I'd have no problem with it, but Gorman might. Speaking of," he mumbled before adjusting his mic. "Vasquez, what's your status? You up and running?"

As they awaited word on the sentries, Ripley nervously fiddled with her new tracking band, trying to decide if it brought her a sense of comfort or doom. Sensing the corporal's eyes on her once again, she decided to fight the urge to succumb to the latter. For reasons she couldn't quite pinpoint, she trusted him, more so than she had anyone in a long time. He not only seemed to give a shit about the survival of everyone remaining, but he exuded a quiet, almost infectious confidence that bordered on hope. If nothing else, even if it was a facade, at least she had that. For now, that was enough.

Hicks nodded, mumbling what Ripley assumed were more orders for his team - their team. Whatever delineation between the military and civilian halves there had been had blurred considerably in the aftermath of their doomed rescue attempt of the colonists.

"Meet me back in operations," he told Hudson and Vasquez. Then he turned back to Ripley. "Now we wait."

"You think they'll work?" she asked, banking on his optimism for good measure.

"Hopefully they won't have to," he assured her. "But unless they jam up or shoot off prematurely, they should do the trick."

"Is that usually a problem, Corporal?" she teased, grateful for his unwitting invitation to carry on with their flirting just a little while longer. He was game.

"No, ma'am."