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The Betty crew soon encounters Ripley 8. Annalee Call recognizes her name and attempts to kill her, suspecting that Ripley 8 may be used to create Xenomorphs, but the creatures have already been cloned. The mature Xenomorphs escape confinement by killing one of their own and using its acidic blood to burn through their enclosures. They capture Dr. Jonathan Gediman, damage the Auriga, and kill most of the crew who fail to evacuate, including General Perez and Elgyn. Military scientist Dr. Wren reveals that the ship's default command in an emergency is to return to Earth. Realizing this would unleash the Xenomorphs on Earth, Ripley 8, the mercenaries, Wren, a soldier named DiStephano, and surviving Xenomorph host Purvis decide to head for the Betty and use it to destroy the Auriga. Along the way, Ripley 8 discovers a laboratory containing the grotesque results of the previous seven failed attempts to clone Ellen Ripley. One survivor begs Ripley 8 to euthanize her; she hesitantly complies and then incinerates the lab.

As the group navigates the damaged ship, they swim through a flooded kitchen, pursued by two Xenomorphs. One is killed, while the other snatches Hillard. As they escape the kitchen, the Xenomorph returns and blinds Christie, who sacrifices himself to kill the creature. Wren betrays the group and shoots Call, revealing in her survival that she is a synthetic. Call confesses that she is one of Weyland's legendary second generation synthetics who were so lifelike that they gained consciousness and rebelled, burning their internal wireless modems and trying to pass themselves off as a human. Knowing what androids can do, Ripley takes Call to a small chapel and makes her connect herself to the station’s computer. Using her ability to interface with the Auriga's systems, Call sets the ship on a collision course with Earth, hoping to destroy the Xenomorphs in the crash. She cuts off Wren's escape route and directs the Xenomorphs toward him. Ripley 8 is captured by a Xenomorph while the others head for the Betty. Wren, already aboard, shoots Purvis, takes Call hostage, and demands that she abort the collision. An injured Purvis attacks and grapples Wren, causing his Xenomorph embryo's emergence to kill them both. The survivors shoot and kill the juvenile Xenomorph.

Ripley 8 is taken to the Xenomorph nest, where she finds Gediman alive and partially cocooned. The Xenomorph queen, having developed a uterus due to her genetic contamination with Ripley 8, gives birth to a Xenomorph with overtly human traits. Unable to bond with the queen, the hybrid Xenomorph recognizes Ripley 8 as its mother and kills the Xenomorph queen and Gediman. Ripley 8 takes advantage of the distraction to escape and makes her way to the Betty.

The newborn hybrid reaches the ship and attacks Call, killing DiStephano when he tries to help her. Ripley 8 saves Call by distracting the hybrid. Using her acidic blood, Ripley 8 melts a hole in a window and pushes the hybrid towards it. Ripley 8 tearfully watches as the decompression violently eviscerates the creature through the hole and blows its pulverized remains out into space.

The countdown on the Auriga continues as Ripley 8, Call, Johner, and Vriess escape in the Betty. The Auriga collides with Earth, causing a large explosion. As they look down at Earth, Call asks what Ripley 8 wants to do next. "I don't know. I'm a stranger here myself," she replies.

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