Specimen 6

Specimen 6 was a former Xenomorph Warrior and Praetorian and currently Queen and the main protagonist of the Alien campaign of the 2010 video game Aliens vs. Predator and one of the three protagonists in the overall game. A Xenomorph with more intelligence than her brethren, Specimen 6 was subjected to tests by Weyland Yutani to learn more about the Xenomorph society, intending to break Six and turn her into a tool to serve their purposes. Six would later break the Xenomorphs out of Weyland Yutani's imprisonment and would become a major figure in the ensuing war on BG-386. Six was recaptured following the death of her mother, the Matriarch, only to escape again and become a new Queen following her removal off world.
==History==
===Birth and Testing===
Specimen Six's beginning was in a Xenomorph egg laid by the Matriarch that had been removed from the Predator pyramid by Weyland Yutani under the supervision of Doctor Groves on the orders of Karl Bishop Weyland. Weyland frequently sent Groves either complaining colonists from Freya's Prospect or unwitting staff members sent to the facehuggers to create specimens that they could study. One day, two of the specimens were born from two staff members, Specimen Five and Specimen Six. However, shortly after birth, the scientists noticed that Specimen Six was missing from her container. Unknown to them, Six had managed to escape the trap by reentering her host's chest, and suddenly emerged from her host's mouth. Doctor Groves, stunned to see such an intelligent act from a chestburster, froze the lab, killing the two scientists and preventing Specimen Six from fleeing. Groves intended to kill the infant Xenomorph, but was stopped by the intervention of Karl Bishop Weyland, who was genuinely impressed with the chestburster's cunning, and decided to put Six into a special program. Six was placed into a metal harness by Weyland's illegal combat androids and had the number 6 branded into her forehead.
As she grew up, Weyland began to learn more about the Xenomorph society from her, and he and Groves began to show an immense amount of fascination and awe for the intelligent Xenomorph, as despite the frequent torture, they inflicted on her, Six still made multiple attempts to escape. Groves later shared this fascination with Six, with Groves making it his personal mission to break Six and use her and her kin to turn humanity into the dominant species in the universe, with both Weyland and Groves recording several audio diaries about Six in the research labs. Weyland secretly began to scheme for the Xenomorphs to escape the labs and set up a hive, but took precautions, especially around Six to ensure it did not occur before he desired it. Weyland decided to have Groves put Six through a series of tests to see if Six really was more intelligent than her siblings. Six killed multiple test subjects sent in by Groves including an armed guard where Six showed caution when dealing with an armed adversary and also showed her knowledge that the darkness concealed her. An astonished Groves realized that Weyland was right and that Six really was more intelligent than the other Xenomorphs.
===Escape and Liberation===
During one of the tests, the Matriarch called out to Six and urged her to escape and Six complied, jumping into the vents, however Groves instantly saw the attempt, and promptly shut the vents to prevent Six from escaping. He mocked Six for her attempt to answer the Matriarch, before having her gassed into unconsciousness. Six woke up later back in restraints. Groves commended the Xenomorph, but told her that escape was not an option, and told her not to try it again. At this point, Weyland opened the Predator pyramid beneath the labs, and the ensuing EMP knocked out all the power, and allowing Six to escape again. Groves immediately fled the room, while Six used the vents to flee her cell and made her way to where her brethren were held. Six released them, before attacking the security guards and initiating a full breakout. Six made her way to the Matriarch chamber and a panicked Groves immediately sent security to stop her. Six promptly killed the guards and then destroyed the controls allowing the Matriarch to break free of her restraints. Six then entered the monorail control room and after destroying the androids guarding them, opened the monorail doors, allowing the Xenomorphs to escape. Six fled into the darkness with the rest of her kin, and Weyland Yutani did not bother to pursue.
===War on BG 386===
The Xenomorphs promptly set up a Hive in the refinery of the Freya's Prospect colony, with most of the Xenomorphs finding and cocooning the colonists to create more Xenomorphs with the end result an army of at least a few thousand large, though Six's role is unknown in this. The Colonial Marines arrived on the planet not long after to shut down the infestation, while the Predators made a similar arrival to prevent Weyland Yutani from getting their technology. Very shortly, a three way world war erupted on the planet.
Six was asleep near the sewers when a beeping noise woke her up. Upon being awakened, the Matriarch ordered Six to get out of the sewers. Six had to destroy multiple power switches in order to remove the obstacles the collapsing sewers had, such as loose wires causing electrical sparks. Six also encountered multiple colonial marines, and had to get past them, either by killing them, or simply bypassing them. Six ultimately managed to escape the sewers and headed to the nearby garage, which was occupied by the Marines. Once Six managed to get into the garage, the Matriarch informed Six to kill or harvest everyone in the garage. After Six accomplished this, Six returned to the refinery, as the Marines were getting too close for comfort. Six traversed through the refinery, having to fight through a small company of Marines along the way, before being ordered to get into the mines. Six managed to get into the mines, and after a long fight through them, Six managed to escape the mines and rejoined the battle in the colony.
Six next headed out to the jungle, which the Marines had set up as their headquarters thanks to the colony being overrun. Six first entered the forward outpost and proceeded to enter the swamp. Six promptly cut the Marines communications, before the Matriarch ordered the Marines who responded to be wiped out. After their deaths, Six managed to enter the compound. During her time in the jungle, Six repeatedly encountered Predator mines on the cliffs which badly injured her and disoriented her, but she recovered from the explosions and managed to continue her mission. The Marines attempted to trap her twice, the first time failing after the civilian lost his nerve, while the second time succeeded. Six promptly smashed the lights, then ran out before the Marines realized what was happening. After Six managed to kill her entrappers, she entered the main building, and after killing the remaining Marines, went upstairs to open the gates. The civilian who was repairing the room saw Six and blew himself up with a grenade. Six proceeded to destroy the controls and opened the gates, before returning to the Hive.
===Battle in the Ruins and making the Abomination===
Six was then ordered to the Predator ruins, which was fiercely guarded by the combat androids. Six made her way through the ruins, doing battle with the androids as she tried to find a way into the building at the far side of the ruins. Ultimately, Six discovered that there were multiple pressure plates that Six would have to push down on in order for the puzzle to be complete. Once Six managed to push all the plates down, a vent that led into the locked building revealed itself. Six took the vent into the building and proceeded to destroy the human power source. Six joined up with some of her brethren and entered the next area.
The area was a combat arena and the Xenomorphs noticed a tall humanoid creature with glowing eyes. Then they noticed a ship that dropped off an identical creature. The Matriarch ordered the Xenomorphs to attack them and revealed that the creatures were their old enemies, the Predators. Six entered into the arena, dodging the Predators's plasma caster shots and attacking the creatures one by one. After a grueling fight employing her cunning and intellect, she managed to kill one of the Predators, before attacking the other one. Six ultimately managed to kill the second Predator, and then, an Elite Predator showed up.
Her brethren fled, but Six decided to stand and fight the much stronger Elite in a one on one battle to the death. However, the Matriarch informed Six to simply weaken the Elite Predator and then harvest him, as it would prove a valuable asset against the humans and any other Predators. As a result, Six began a brutal battle with the Elite, with Six relying on all of her cunning and intelligence in order to defeat her adversary. Ultimately, Six grabbed the Elite in order to perform a head bite, but was subdued by a strong punch from the Elite. However, the Elite failed to finish off Six, and Six proceeded to impale the Elite with her tail, wounding the creature and preventing him from fleeing. With her foe now subdued, Six proceeded to pin him, and then removed his bio mask, allowing the facehugger to impregnate the Elite. Six proceeded to give a triumphant screech of victory, as it would not take long for the Predalien to emerge.
===Recapture by Weyland Yutani and Ascension to the Throne===
As Six made her way back to the Hive, she was hit by a crippling neural pain that brought the Xenomorph to a halt. Screaming in pain, Six looked to see the refinery, and then it hit her. The Matriarch was dying, being burned to death by the humans. Six was unable to move as she mourned the loss of her mother. Combat androids approached the incapacitated Six, but Weyland recognized her and ordered that Six be taken off world.
Once on board the space station, Six was reunited with Doctor Groves, but Six managed to escape again, as she molted into a Praetorian. Six proceeded to slaughter her captors, before personally cocooning Doctor Groves. As her new home was made, Six began to molt, and before long, Six was now a new Queen herself. Six proceeded to give a roar of triumph, as her journey for freedom was over.
==Personality==
Specimen Six, being a Xenomorph is a determined individual. Six shows this determination from her birth when she managed to escape as a Chestburster. This determination was also shown in her multiple attempts to escape from Weyland Yutani during her testing, despite said testing being heavily implied to be torture. The biggest indication of her determination is the powerful will that she possessed as both Doctor Groves, and Karl Bishop Weyland noted that Six was incredibly resistant to their testing subjects despite the amount of torture they put her through. Specimen Six's high intelligence also made her an incredibly crafty planner, as shown when she shattered sources of light to keep herself hidden from potential enemies and again when she chose to cut vital power systems and leaving entire rooms covered in darkness. Six also shows a large amount of caution towards armed opponents, rarely if ever attacking them head on and preferring to use psychological warfare by hissing to lure them away into isolation so she could kill them at her choice.
Six's determination also came with a fierce loyalty to her brethren, especially her mother, the Matriarch. Despite knowing that Groves was watching her, the second the Matriarch called for her help, she immediately obeyed the plea and raced into the vents. She also showed this loyalty to her siblings when she broke them out of their imprisonment. Her loyalty was proven when she chose to fight the much stronger Elite Predator to prevent him from attacking her siblings who had fled. Six was also capable of showing sadness and grieving, as evidenced by the fact that when she realized that her mother was dying, Six proceeded to collapse and weep out of grief for several hours while still paralyzed by neural pain.
Six can hold a considerable grudge, as shown when she chose to spare Doctor Groves for him torturing her and her species for profit when they met again off world, only to personally cocoon him so she could do with him as she saw fit. However, Six could also show mercy, in that she spared multiple civilians from being facehugged and could try to find a way around Marines unless she had no other choice, but to fight.
==Skills==
 
Six showed a number of remarkable skills that she used throughout the war on BG 386.
*Advanced Intelligence: Specimen Six has a far higher intelligence than the average Xenomorph warrior, and was thus much more capable of improvising in how to deal with certain situations.
*Superhuman Strength: Six is much more stronger than the average Xenomorph, able to hold Marines with ease and was capable of ripping doors open. Six is strong enough to pin down an Elite Predator just by standing on him and was able to use her strength to prevent her from being sucked into the fans in Freya's Prospect.
*Superhuman Speed: Specimen Six is incredibly fast, using her speed to disorient her opponents and to catch her enemies off guard.
*Superhuman Durability: Specimen Six was highly durable as she was able to survive a point blank explosion from Predator mines during her time fighting the Marines in the jungle, while most other Xenomorphs who were at a point blank explosion from Predator mines during the war were blown to pieces. 
*Inner Jaw: Like all Xenomorphs, Specimen Six possessed an inner jaw that was extremely powerful. Six used this inner jaw as a killing method, using to bite into the heads of attackers, along with using to instantly heal herself by headbiting a corpse, in addition to using to sabotage certain power sources used by the humans.
*Strategist: Six is also strategic, due to her advanced intelligence. When she liberated her siblings, she silently had them act as though they were still in their restraints. Once the guards opened the door, Six had the Xenomorphs mob them.
*Stealth: Specimen Six is a master of stealth, capable of losing pursuers incredibly quickly, along with using ventilation shafts as speedy conduits to bypass Marine blocks.
*Tactical Knowledge: Specimen Six is quite efficient at tactics, waiting for her adversaries to separate themselves, and destroying power sources to force the Marines to rely on their weak flashlights. She also displayed this during her battle with the Elite Predator, feigning defeat to lure the Predator in, before impaling him suddenly with her tail.
*Psychological Warfare: Six is skilled in psychological warfare. She frequently hissed to unnerve her adversaries into a panic, while using it as a distraction.
*Technological Understanding: Specimen Six seems to have a rudimentary understanding of technology, as shown in her knowledge that destroying the lights would conceal her in darkness. She showed this when she used her tail to destroy fuse boxes to remove obstacles such as electricity wires. She also knew how to destroy vital systems by using her inner mouth to destroy power nodes and certain control sets.
*Telepathy: Like her brethren, Specimen Six shared a telepathic link to her mother, the Matriarch, which allowed Six to receive orders from the Matriarch.
*Healing Factor: Specimen Six had a very strong healing factor, which allowed her to heal from injuries that would be fatal to either humans or Predators. This factor was strong enough that she could recover literally from death's door all the way to full strength with just a minute or two of healing.
*Headbite Regeneration: Specimen Six could headbite a corpse and immediately heal from any injuries as a result of her inner mouth puncturing the brain and bringing up vital nutrients that fully healed her.
*Hissing: Like other Xenomorphs, Specimen Six had the ability to hiss, using it as a warning to intruders or as a signal to other Xenomorphs to rally them. Six also used her hiss as a lure, deceiving the Marines into investigating the source of the hiss and allowing her to attack the Marines one by one and without getting spotted.
*Parthenogenesis reproduction system: Due to her race being similar to many ants and bees in real life, Specimen 6 would be capable of producing large amount of eggs in her newfound hive following her ascension to the caste of Queen.
==Gallery==
Specimen Six defying the humans while restrained.png|A restrained Specimen Six defying her tormentors.
Specimen Six as a Queen and the Matriarch's rightful successor .png|Specimen Six as the rightful Queen of the Xenomorphs
Specimen Six standing over the defeated Wolf.png|Specimen Six standing over the defeated Elite Predator, having chosen to engage it alone to prevent it from attacking her brethren.
Specimen Six gives a screech of victory over her triumph against the Elite Predator as the light shines on her.png|Specimen Six's triumph over the Elite Predator as the light shines over her.
Specimen Six.png
File:Specimen 6 as a chestburster.webp|Specimen Six as a chestburster escaping from her host's mouth, showing her increased intelligence compared to other Xenomorphs
File:Specimen-6 yawning.jpg
==Trivia==
*In a somewhat macabre manner, Specimen Six bears strong similarities to Moses, in that much like Moses, Six is born more intelligent than her brethren, is spared death as an infant of an enslaved people because of a high ranking member of the oppressors, and after being ordered to kill several humans, she receives orders from the Matriarch to liberate her people, while unleashing a plague on the oppressors. When Six is held in restraints, it resembles Jesus being crucified, and several of the shots of her in the cutscenes have her bathed in light. And in the ending of the campaign, Six is recaptured, but escapes again and becomes the new Queen, referring to Jesus dying, but resurrecting and becoming evermore stronger, indicating that Six is creating a new era.
**Six also has biblical relevance in the number branded on her forehead. The Name of the Beast is 666 and the third angel declares that anyone who worships the beast and its number shall suffer the wrath of God. Weyland and Groves have an awe of Six bordering on worship, and Weyland Yutani suffers a brutal price when Six breaks the Xenomorphs out.
*Six's number is also very meaningful. The number 6 usually symbolizes someone who is loving and caring and protects and keeps a people together. Specimen Six clearly loves her siblings and her mother, and liberates them from Weyland Yutani's experiments, while similarly protecting them from the human and Predator threats. After Six is taken off BG 386, the Xenomorphs are annihilated, further showing the symbolism.
*Six is one of the few Xenomorphs who has shown the ability to engage in battles with multiple Predators and survive.
*Six is the only Xenomorph who is seen to turn into a Queen.
*Many gamers were disappointed that Six did not have a final battle with Groves, believing that her hatred of him would have made for a deeply powerful final battle.
**Regardless, she did punish him in the end. When she reunites with Groves in the ending on the ship, she captures and cocoons him out of rightful vengeance, as consequences for enslaving and abusing her race as well as torturing her.
*Six has some similarity to Simba from The Lion King, in that both are the heirs of their respective thrones, both look up to their parents, they both have a vision of their parents (though in Six's case, it is through hive mind telepathy) telling them that they must liberate their kin, and at the end of their respective journeys, they take their parents' place as the new ruler.
**The difference here is while its clear that Simba's hierarchy is based on the lion's hierarchy system. Specimen 6's hierarchy was based on ants, bees, and clownfish hierarchy systems in real life.
*In cutscenes, Six's outer body is shown to be black, but during the game, her hands and tail are green.
*Six appears in the Prodos Aliens vs Predator board game, making her the only character from the game to appear in the board game.
*There are a number of hints throughout the game that for at least part of the Alien campaign, Six was supposed to be a Praetorian Royal Guard.
**Given that Praetorians are stated to have a higher intelligence than Xenomorph Warriors, Six's high intelligence made it likely she would evolve into a Praetorian.
**It is heavily implied that smashing all the Royal Jelly canisters (the collectible item for the Alien campaign), caused Six to molt so rapidly from a Warrior to a Praetorian, and later on to a Queen, as Royal Jelly has caused similar effects on other Xenomorphs in similar Alien materials.
**If you look carefully at Six's shadow during the Jungle level, Six is shown both taller and with a head crest than she really is, indicating that she was supposed to be a Praetorian during this level, but it was likely scrapped, or a developer oversight. Although in the end, Six does turn into a Praetorian, but only briefly as her intermediate stage before she eventually molted into a Queen.
**Finally, when the Marines have trapped her in the building, one of them says "Look at the size of this bitch!" despite the fact that Six is only a Warrior, indicating that this was a point in the level where Six was a Praetorian but wasn't. 
**This is also foreshadowed by the marine commander's dialogue in the level, where he refers to Six by singular pronouns, indicating he is aware that she is the only Xenomorph present. Furthermore, the fact that he allowed her into the Gateway compound and refers to her as a target indicates that Six was specifically targeted at this point, which would be hard to do to an individual Warrior, but much easier to do to a Praetorian which stands out due to its height and different coloration, along with them being commanders for the Xenomorphs, making them both legitimate and specific targets.
***Amusingly, if Six was indeed meant to be a Praetorian when she was trapped, she would not have fit in the building, as Praetorians are around ten feet tall.
*Specimen Six's theme in the soundtrack throughout the game is almost always used in the game's story mode, being used most often in the game's cutscenes or in scenes important to the story across all three campaigns rarely being used for actual gameplay. This makes her theme the closest to an actual main theme for the game.
*Six's story is also considerably shorter than the other protagonists, with it ending well before the other two campaigns end at the pyramid. That said, Six also has the longest time on the planet, as while Rookie and Dark spend most of the day there on the planet, Six spent a few days at least on BG 386 given that she broke the Xenomorphs out and the audio logs indicate that it took a while before the Marines and Predators arrived on the planet.
*Six is the youngest of the protagonists in the game, being only a few weeks old by the time the main story ends, as implied by the audio diaries in the Marine campaign, since it took a while for the Marines and Predators to arrive to BG 386.
*Six is also the only character whose campaign has a time skip, as the level at the research labs is missed by a couple of weeks before to the colony level, while the Marine and Predator campaigns move seamlessly. 
*Six also gets the most characterization, as she starts off with a tragic backstory, and she is shown showing deep anger over her treatment by Weyland Yutani. However, she does care for her people, and she explicitly liberates both the Matriarch and the other Xenomorphs, and later stays behind to fight Wolf to prevent him from attacking the other Xenomorphs, and later grieves over the Matriarchs death as she senses her burning to death in the refinery.
*She shares some similarities with the xenomorph Grid from the Alien vs Predator movie:
**Their mother is an elderly Queen who have survived for about hundred years/or more and been captured by the Predators.
**They are born from eggs that are explicitly intended to be used for another species' purpose.
**They both were alpha Xenomorphs who possessed unusual intelligence, leadership, and even emotion and caring for their people.
**They both killed Predators in their confrontation with them respectively. Grid killed 2 Yautja Young Bloods, while Specimen 6 also killed 2 Young Bloods as well as harvesting the Elite Predator with a facehugger to create a predalien.
*So far, she is the only Xenomorph in the entire franchise to have been depicted as a hero.
*Six is also the only Xenomorph so far to also be given consistent characterization and personality.
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