Sergeant Apone

Sergeant Apone's History

Master Sergeant Alexander "Al" Apone was a member of the United States Colonial Marine Corps, part of 2nd Battalion Bravo Team. He was the senior non-commissioned officer with the combat unit deployed to LV-426 aboard the USS Sulaco in 2179, to investigate the sudden loss of contact with the colony of Hadley's Hope. He subsequently perished as a result of the Xenomorph infestation at the colony.

Al Apone was born in Detroit, Michigan in 2137. Little is known about his early life or how, why and when he joined the USCM. He later achieved the rank of Master Sergeant. He was selected for the mission to Hadley's Hope due to his expertise in on-the-ground logistics and exemplary leadership abilities. He was second in command of the detachment, under Lieutenant Gorman.

During the initial stages of the operation to LV-426, Apone assumed nominal command of First Squad, superseding Private Hudson. Apone was one of the few Marines that Ellen Ripley became sociable with prior to the mission, joking with him over the relocation of cargo on board the USS Sulaco; Apone, in turn, appreciated her efforts to help despite not being a Marine.

When the Sulaco reached LV-426, Apone readied his men for the drop in typically boisterous fashion before taking his place on board the unit's APC for the drop to the planet's surface. After breaking up Hudson's attempts to embarrass Ripley, Apone led his men into the colony complex. Despite finding evidence of a firefight, the colony was deserted save for Newt, and Apone insisted they had missed the fight.

The Marines quickly discovered the colonists were apparently gathered inside the Atmosphere Processing Plant, and the squad set off to investigate. After entering the Processor, Apone and his men found themselves within the Hive.

As they progressed further into the structure, Apone received orders from Gorman that he should confiscate ammunition from everyone and deactivate the squad's Smartguns to prevent gunfire damaging the Processor's reactor. Apone began to protest, but was quickly overruled; despite being at odds with the order, he respected the chain of command and passed it on to his men, collecting their ammunition and giving Private Frost the duty of carrying it. Soon afterwards, Apone and the Marines, now armed only with sidearms and a handful of Incinerators, discovered the colonists cocooned in the Hive, including one woman, Mary, who was still alive. Almost immediately, a Chestburster erupted from her body; Apone requisitioned Frost's flamethrower, and he and Dietrich quickly torched the Chestburster.

The Chestburster's dying screeches woke the Hive, and soon Apone and his men found themselves surrounded by advancing Drones. In the ensuing chaos, Gorman tried to command Apone to lay down suppression fire with the incinerators and fall back by squad to the APC. Distracted trying to comprehend what Gorman was saying over the commotion, Apone failed to notice a Xenomorph above him ready to attack. Despite firing his flamethrower in self-defense, he was quickly attacked and hauled away by the creature. The survivors who escaped the ambush later discovered that Apone had not been killed in the attack, but was presumably being used as a host for a Chestburster inside the Hive. It remains unclear whether he died from the Chestburster, or whether he was killed by the detonation of the Atmosphere Processing plant's reactor.