First Squad AvP: Der Fuehrer's Fury

by Japan Boy

The Axis Powers! The Allied Forces! Nadya & First Squad! Aliens! Predators! Surprise appearances! All this, & World War II! What more could you ask for? In high honor of everybody who fought & died to preserve our freedom during this most terrible time in human history. Kindly review if read.

To the loving memory of creature-maker Stan Winston, who had created two of the most memorable movie monsters of

the 1980s – the Alien Queen & the Predator (Stan Winston died on June 15, 2008 from multiple myeloma at age 62).

To the loving memory of H.R. Giger, who had created the original Alien creatures (the egg, facehugger, chestburster, &

warrior alien) in 1979, & have become iconic beasts in cinema history (H.R. Giger died on May 12, 2014 at age 70).

To the loving memory of screenwriter Dan O'Bannon, who wrote the story of the first 'Alien' movie with Ronald

Shusett (Dan O'Bannon passed away on December 17, 2009 from Crohn's Disease. He was 63 years of age).

To the loving memory of actors Paul Maxwell (1921-1991), Timothy Tipping (1958-1993), Brian Glover (1934-1997),

Morton Downey, Jr. (1932-2001), Lilyan Chauvin (1925-2008), Steven Gilborn (1936-2009), Pete Postlethwaite (1946-

2011), Johnny Lewis (1983-2012), R.G. Armstrong (1917-2012) & J.E. Freeman (1946-2014), all of whom have given

their contribution to being part of the 'Alien', 'Predator' & 'Alien vs. Predator' film franchises through the years.

To the loving memory of the twelve individuals killed in Paris on January 7th, 2015, from a cowardly terrorist attack.

May those responsible be found, captured & tried, while our hearts go out to all the dozen victim's families & friends.

To the loving memory of the Germanwings Flight 4U9525 victims that crashed in the Alps of France on March 24th,

2015, killing all 150 people aboard. Our hearts & deepest sympathies go out to their families & loved ones.

To the loving memory of Mary Doyle Keefe, the model for Norman Rockwell's iconic Rosie the Riveter painting that

symbolized the American working women during WWII (Mary Doyle Keefe died on April 21st, 2015 at age 92).

August 6th & 9th, 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the atomic bomb droppings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, the act

which helped to bring World War II to a rapid & decisive end, bringing rise to the modern world of today from out of

the ashes of history's most brutal & destructive conflict, resulting in over 60 million deaths. To everyone reading this

story who had family/relatives that served in the Second (or even the first) World War, this story is for you and them.

Reader's note:

(Stay tuned after the memorials following this story for extra treats involving the Second World War).

FIRST SQUAD / AvP:

DER FUEHRER'S FURY

2015 by Anthony Ogozalek

'We shall not fail or falter, we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle, nor the long drawn trials of vigilance or exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools, & we will finish the job.'

- British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, February 9, 1941

PROLOGUE #1

December 24th, 1916, Northern France:

Since the assassination of Franz Ferdinand & his wife on June 28, 1914 during a visit to the Bosnian Capital of Sarajevo, the Austrian-Hungarian people used this as a perfect excuse to invade its weaker southern neighbor of Serbia, with tensions which were already heated even before the heinous act of violence was committed. In exactly one month later, war broke out between the two nations, with Germany, the Ottoman Empire & Bulgaria as part of the Central Powers fighting against Serbia's alliances of the British, French, Russian & others as the Allied Powers.

It was to become known as 'The Great War', or even 'The War To End All Wars'.

Casualties on both sides would be appalling beyond belief.

The Battle of the Somme, which lasted from July 1st to November 18th of 1916 would be testimony of that fact, as over a million people were killed or wounded in bloody combat. In the Battle of the Ancre, which took place in the last six days of this historically ravenous Somme conflict, several areas like the Regina Trench were captured, & a lull was in effect as both sides concentrated on dealing with the harsh winter that followed until January 1917.

A caravan of 24 allied British & French soldiers lost their way in the merciless power of Mother Nature's fury, & hurried quickly with their armament & rations in tow. Along the way, they encountered a full dozen German soldiers, all of whom were in the same dire predicament & somewhat worse off. Several Allied soldiers thought it best to shoot each German in the chest & be done with it. But the leader of their band – a top-ranking Major – thought otherwise. He saw that their enemies were just as helpless, & unless they worked together, they would all perish in the horrendous cold of the winter. The Major did offer the Germans an alliance on strict conditions: they would do exactly what was told of them, & when to do it. Plus, any attempt to strike at or stab them in the back would result in their immediate deaths, either by bullet, knife, or the severe cold of winter after being shot in the leg & left for dead.

Knowing the ultimatum wasn't a bluff, the Germans agreed. They weren't exactly allies to the British & French soldiers, but they also weren't exactly full-fledged prisoners either.

It was an uneasy truce, but an effective one: in a day-&-a-half, one of the German soldiers found what appeared to be the entrance of a cave. Hoping for shelter from the harsh elements, the caravan approach with caution, their guns drawn at the mouth & ready to fire just in case any wildlife should rush out to meet them with violent intent.

Seeing nothing threatening, they went inside & inspected their surroundings: it was a cavernous place, with high ceilings as stalactites of rock & ice hung like large teeth. The cavern had many tunnels in every direction, & each of the soldiers were tempted to see where they lead. Staying with the conditions given to them, the Germans picked one & the caravan took off. The tunnel they entered lead downward into the earth, & while ice & snow still covered everywhere, it wasn't as bad within as it was outside. Once they found a secure place with no danger, they started a fire & rested as they all had a fulfilling meal with each man sharing his rations.

Like the Christmas Truce that occurred in 1914, no one saw each other as foes but brothers as they ate hearty & fell asleep afterwards as guards took turns keeping watch in intervals of two-three hours.

While not perfect & still cold within, the cavern was a safe haven from the elements.

The peace lasted for twelve hours. Then they were fighting again.

But the foes they were now battling weren't each other: in less than an hour, thirteen of their party fell victim to something – two somethings – that were more horrifying than any of them or their weapons are. While they were two opposing forces in appearance & in nature, they share one concrete attribute.

These things – these monsters – were fast. Very fast.

In over a month's time after their escape had been cut off from the two savage beasts, the remaining soldiers took off deeper into the caverns & ran for better cover, shooting at whatever came their way. One by one, they were picked off & killed by the two species of creatures that dwelled in the confining spaces. One of the creatures had blood with acidic properties that dissolved whatever it touched, from metal to human flesh & bone. They stood about or over two meters tall, their hides a nightmarish black that was nearly as hard as the metal of their guns. A long segmented tail was adorned from behind, ending in a razor-sharp point that can kill a man with one thrust or swipe. A twin pair of tubular dorsal spines rested on their backs, with a fifth that was tongue-shaped & placed behind their banana-shaped heads. Each of these nightmares had four toes & six fingers, all ending in sharp claws. Their mouths held needle-like teeth, & within was a second set of jaws that sprang forth like a striking cobra. A combo of reptile & insect, these horrors let out a hideous screech that chilled the men's blood even more than the frigid weather. The other breed of horrors measured at around the same height as the acid-blooded nightmares, but were more humanoid in appearance & became invisible as blurs most of the time. When they did make themselves known, the men can see reptilian flesh with armament & gear on their legs, arms & chests. A most unusual metal mask covered their faces with rectangular eyes that blinked & shined occasionally, & their hair – if it was hair – were long, thick snakelike braids with gold beads embedded in them. The sounds they made were that of a soft cackling to the roar of an enraged beast that echoed off the cavern walls.

Their armaments include wristblades, Y-shaped darts capable of piercing solid rock, discs with razor-sharp edges & six curved blades that return to their throwers, nets that embed themselves in the walls & trap prey, double-bladed glaives & spears that extend & contract at the push of a button, & mini shoulder cannons that fire blasts of blue-white plasma energy with deadly accuracy. Many of the black nightmares & Somme soldiers fell victim to these humanoid creatures, dwindling their numbers in vast quantities.

Now, on Christmas Eve of 1916, their flock was down to an even half-dozen men, two of each nationality.

And they were running scared, their rations nearly gone & ammunition close to being exhausted.

Breathing hard as they ran, the six men have entered another large cavern with a high ceiling & low light, most of which is a simple faint glow of the snow & ice itself. Their three lanterns didn't help much to illuminate the area, as the fuel needed to keep them lit was almost used up & threatens to fade out entirely. Forming a tight circle of defense, the men kept their guns pointed out & were to shoot anything that didn't resemble human, be it a nightmare in black and/or a rapid blur of motion.

Hearts palpitating madly & their breaths coming out in cold vapors, they listen in silence & await the first sign of horror that comes their way.

Eight minutes pass before the first arrives: from above the men, one of the black creatures silently climbs upon the ceiling of the cavern & drops down on one of the two French soldiers like a giant bat. The man's only warning of its stealthily approach was a drop of an epoxy-like clear substance that dripped from the thing's toothy mouth. When the French soldier looked up, he was completely overwhelmed by the beast as he was knocked flat on his back, his rifle knocked from his hands upon impact & out of reach. He & his allies can only watch as the man screamed in terror as he stared at the hideous eyeless face of the creature, which opens its jaws to reveal the inner mouth before it shot them forth with blinding speed & puncturing the man in the forehead, spraying blood, flesh & pieces of bone matter.

The French man's cries were abruptly cut off as events happened in a matter of seconds, the soldier never getting even one shot off, either from his rifle or the sidearm he was carrying. Immediately, the other men backed away & shot at the monster with their rifles once their comrade was killed, their rounds tearing into the hard exo-skeleton of the thing as yellow acidic blood ate through the dead man's skull & places on his body where the deadly fluid touched. A screech was the beast's expiration as it fell dead to the floor on one side, its hide smoking where acid bled.

No one had time to relax: a second creature like the first came charging out of a tunnel & rushed towards the men like a prized athlete with inhuman speed. One of the British soldiers aimed his rifle at the thing & fired it, hitting the monster square in the chest & blowing a gaping hole in it. The thing screeched its death throes & was blown backwards by the force of the blast, but in doing so, its acidic properties splashed all across the British man's own chest, arms, legs & face. Instantly the acid burned his clothing & flesh, the areas smoking as the stench of burning meat filled the area & stung the nostrils of the four survivors. The man's cries of anguish stung their ears just as bad.

One of the German soldiers stepped away backwards towards a tunnel entrance when he stopped just three steps out. He felt something like a little prick in his back & gave out a slight grunt that caught the attention of his comrades. When they turned to him, a large black point thrust its way through the German's chest as blood sprayed from the fatal wound. He tried to scream in pain but was muffled due to the blood spewing from his mouth in a geyser before being lifted off his feet by some unseen force & thrown like he was nothing more than a child's doll. The body hit the wall at the far end of the cavern, & the last three men could now hear some kind of breathing as if doing so between clenched teeth. What made the noise slowly but surely emerged from its hiding place, & the men stood in stunned horror.

The thing was like the other black horrors the men witnessed & fought, only this nightmare was two-three times in size. It strode out of the entrance like a wingless queen ant on two massive legs. From the center of its abdomen, a pair of smaller arms with three-fingered hands jutted out. Even in the low light from their lanterns, the men can see a trio of dorsal spines stick out in the back, & its cranium seemed to measure the length of its entire body, ending in three points at the rear. The huge creature approached the men as they backed away slowly, their eyes all fixated upon the enormous 15-foot monstrosity before them, unable to turn away at the sight.

Busting through from their shocked stupor, the soldiers aimed their rifles.

Not one shot was fired: the monster swiped its massive tail like a living whip & sliced through their guns in half like they were made of butter, rendering them useless. Panicked, the trio turned tail & ran off but didn't get far at all: a second swipe of the creature's pointed tail slashed their tendons at the rear of their legs, causing them to cry out & stumble forward onto the icy cold ground. Fighting the raging pain as best they could, the men crawled away from the huge beast now looming over them before coming to a stop after a few steps. The soldiers kept crawling on their hands & knees, the pain making it tougher to accomplish or even concentrate on. They get to about a few feet when they hear a cackling sound only eighteen inches in front of them. Looking up, they see a pair of blurry distorted images that look down upon them & briefly flash their eyes a yellow hue. The hiss of the huge monstrosity divert their gazes up, & the men hear the sound of twin blades unsheathing from each blurry distortion before it emits an ear-piercing screech that shook the walls of the cavern.

The twin blurs let out guttural roars themselves before leaping at the enormous creature.

The walls of the cavern shook again as inhuman bodies clashed.

PROLOGUE #2

Germany, between the Moselle River & Rhineland-Palatinate, February 14, 1933:

A lone Mercedes-Benz 770 Pullman-Limousine pulled up along the snowy dirt road that leads to a path in which goes down in a slope from a mouth in the hillside. Its black hue was glistening in the sunlight on a crisp, clear, yet cold February day as it comes to a stop. The driver & two others step out from the two front seats, with a third emerging from the left rear door. All salute with a straight arm & raised hand as the third man opens the right rear door to allow a lone figure to step out as if he was royalty.

In that manner, he was: the man stood five feet & eight-&-a-half inches tall, dressed in a full fur coat with a hat, gloves & boots to protect him from the elements. He had a neatly trimmed moustache upon his upper lip, & wrapped around his left sleeve was a red band with white circle in the middle, accompanied by a black equilateral cross with its ends bent at a 90-degree angle to the right. Although it is used as a religious symbol in Hinduism & Buddhism, here in Germany, it is the symbol of Nazism.

And this man is the newly-elected chancellor of Nazi Germany, as well as its leader – Adolf Hitler.

Watching him emerge from his personal automobile, a single man – a German scientist – rushes up to greet the Fuehrer, stopping only three feet away before saluting in the Nazi way. Hitler returns the salute.

"Mein Fuehrer! I'm so glad you could make it!", the man with round bifocals said, lowering his arm.

"Herr Doctor Heinrich…you'd better have a good explanation for dragging me all the way out here into this vast snowy wasteland!", Hitler said as he walked the path without eyeing the doctor, his three guards accompanying him. "I do not care much for or appreciate being sent on any wild goose chases – especially in inclement weather!"

"I assure you, Mein Fuehrer, this is no goose chase!", Heinrich explains as he kept pace with Hitler. "It happened only the other day while we were digging for fossils when we came across a most…unusual find."

This time Hitler did look at the man, getting in front of & stopping him. He stared him down like a snake would its prey before consumption.

"You mean to say that you dragged me all the way out here to have me look at some new fossils, Herr Doctor?!", he snapped. "While I do appreciate your hard work for our country, I do not tolerate any kid's games one plays with me! If this is some childish prank you are pulling on me, Herr Heinrich, I swear to the Gods of Valhalla that I shall…"

"Mein Fuehrer", Heinrich said, swallowing in fear before resuming his posture. "Believe me, I would never be so foolish as to test your patience. But I would also never ask you down here if what we found wasn't so…intriguing."

Hitler stared hard at the man. He can see in his eyes that he would not waste his precious time or try his patience. He has served Hitler long before he became the new chancellor of Germany, his relationship status going back to right after the Great War had ended. As far as he can remember, Heinrich was always truthful to the man – a trait he has not abandoned even now. Adolf knows that Heinrich's loyalty was strong, even if the doctor wasn't afraid of him.

"My sincerest apologies, Herr Doctor", Hitler says, his tone greatly softened as he patted his companion on the shoulder with a smile. "You have always done right by me for many years with whatever I ask of you. It's nice to see that hasn't changed, now that I am our beloved land's chancellor who has sworn to return it to vast greatness. Please, Herr Doctor…kindly show to me what it is you have discovered that warrants my visit way out here."

"This way, Mein Fuehrer!", Heinrich said, his enthusiasm returning in a heartbeat as he leads his newly arrived guests to the mouth of the cavern & take them down just over 100 feet deep into the complex. The path down was evenly & carefully constructed, with steps carved to make descending & ascending easier. The floor at the very bottom was a mix of snow & crushed ice that made standing simple, yet the men working in the area still practiced caution so as not to slip. Its temperature was that of the outside, & Heinrich's fellow scientists wore fur coats to stay warm as they labored in the frigid climate within. Equipment attached to long cables were set up to allow both readings & lights.

When Hitler reached the wide space in the tunnel, the other scientists turned to & saluted in the Nazi manner.

This time, Hitler did not return the salute, for his gaze & thoughts were focused on what was directly ahead of him just 60 feet from where he stood. Breaking off into a run, Hitler moved past Heinrich & nearly knocked him over as his curiosity was grabbed by some invisible hand & pulled him towards a huge block of ice that held solidly a pair of humanoid figures with the most unusual body armor, & that of an enormous creature that towered over them both, its hue nearly as black as the nighttime sky. It stood on two massive legs, had a huge crested head, two pairs of arms – a regular pair with six-fingered hands & a smaller pair on its abdomen with three-fingered hands – and a long segmented tail that ended in a sharp point which looked capable of slicing through a man with one swipe.

Hitler's eyes were wide with amazement, & his jaw was hanging loose from its hinges upon seeing what it is that Heinrich & his staff have discovered. Even his three bodyguards stood agape at the monstrosities encased in ice.

"What is that huge animal, Herr Doctor…a new breed of dinosaur?!", Hitler's driver asked, turning to him.

"We have no idea", Heinrich answered. "We've studied its flesh after exposing some of it from its long tail, but unlike those two trapped with it, its skin is more akin to that of a hard exo-skeleton that we've never seen before on any known animal. Whatever this 'animal' is, it's anything but a dinosaur! I've never seen the likes of this in all my years as a scientist! I may even go as far as dare saying that this thing, and the two poor souls encased, is of…alien origin!"

This revelation stunned Hitler and his bodyguard trio.

"'Alien origin', Herr Doctor?", Hitler asks, facing the ice. "You mean to say that we're talking about actual…"

"Actual life from beyond the stars", Heinrich said with a toothy grin. "Jawohl, Mein Fuehrer. Try to think of it in a similar vein as the story of the War of the Worlds, as written by English author H.G. Wells, if you will. Only now, we could all be looking at the real thing right before our very eyes, & I have no doubts that we are!"

Hitler kept staring at the frozen creatures. Even he has never bore witness to an animal such as what he's seeing now, & can concede Heinrich's fact that he is looking at real alien life forms. The scientist was right: this was no goose chase he had been asked to go on, & what he was staring at is quite intriguing.

Adolf's trip out in the cold wilderness was well worth it, & he grinned with great anticipation.

"I must deeply congratulate you & your people for uncovering this most magnificent of finds & reporting it to me at once, Herr Doctor Heinrich!", Hitler said, facing him. "With what you've discovered, you have given me a brand new arsenal in my quest of restoring the power our country once proudly possessed – power which our defeat in the Great War & that verflucht Treaty of Versailles have unjustly denied us! Herr Doctor, I want 24-hour labor from your people to remove these creatures from the ice! You will be given an address on where to send them, have them thawed, & do a thorough study of them! I want to know everything – and I do mean everything – there is to know about these things! And I want it all done with the utmost of care! Verstehen?"

"Understood, Mein Fuehrer! We shall begin immediately!", Heinrich said, giving orders to his group.

Adolf Hitler returned his gaze upon the frozen monsters before him. Even though he already has very big plans in rejuvenating his beloved Germany back to greatness, Doctor Heinrich has handed him another means in his quest to achieve what Kaiser Wilhelm II failed to do during the Great War of 1914 to 1918.

Germany's new chancellor vowed not to repeat his failure.

With both creatures from space & a second secret weapon soon to be in hand, Hitler's dream of world conquest & declare Germany & his Nazis the indisputable rulers of the world will soon bear fruit & become reality.

He grinned widely. He could hardly wait.

CHAPTER I

The Russian Western Front, Early January, 1942:

Operation: Barbarossa – the Nazi invasion of Russia which commenced on June 22, 1941 & ended on the fifth of December – has been an utter failure.

Breaking the non-aggression pact with & attacking their Soviet allies, the Nazis stormed the land of the Russians & hitting areas like Pruzhany, Minsk, Leningrad, Smolensk, & others. The casualties on both sides were staggering, as neither side was willing to give in, nor surrender to their opponents. German Panzer tanks, Luftwaffe aircraft, & battle-hardened Nazis stormed the land of the Russian homeland as the Red Army used everything at their disposal, from their Heavy KV-2 tanks to their LaGG-3 series 7-11 & PE-2 Bomber aircraft to repel their one-time allies. For a time, it had looked grim for the Red Army, with the battles becoming more fierce with each advancement the Nazis made towards their ultimate goal: the country's capital of Moscow.

As fate would have it, the Russians get help from a most unusual but welcome ally – Mother Nature.

Russian winters tend to get below -40 degrees Celcius/Fahrenheit. Unlike the Russians, the Nazis are untrained & unprepared for combat in such harsh temperatures: many Nazi forces had been brought down by the environment alone, enabling the Red Armies to halt their advance & cause either one of three fates to the invaders.

Retreat, be captured as a POW, or be killed all the same.

Now, in January's beginning, the last remnants of the Nazi soldiers lay in wait within deep trenches like they did in the First World War almost 30 years previous, with Russian forces doing the same. If the Nazis had been caught off-guard due to the winter weather, then the Russians were also caught in the same manner. Unlike World War I, this one consisted of fighting on two different fronts – the conventional means (i.e., tanks, planes, soldiers, etc.), & the means of the supernatural: a Nazi occult group called the Ahnenerbe have made a pact with the spirit of one Baron Von Wolff, a knight & sorcerer who was excommunicated for his involvement in the Dark Arts. He soon went on a bloody killing spree with his legion of soldiers, raining death & destruction in Russia. He was eventually defeated in what is known as the 'Battle on the Ice' in 1242, being slaughtered in combat & sinking beneath the ice of a frozen lake with his legion, hence the battle's name. In late December 1941-early January 1942, Obergruppenfuhrer – the leader of this Nazi band of occultists – obtained Von Wolff's sword & offered an alliance, to which the long-deceased knight accepted. Armed with the knowledge that regular troops cannot stand up to, let alone see the dead soldiers, they can strike & take down the Russians in mere moments, if not seconds.

After all, how can one kill something that's already dead?

Crafty & clever as the plan was, there was still one flaw.

A flaw that went by the name of a fourteen-year-old girl with psychic abilities named Nadya Ruslanova – the last surviving member of Russia's Sixth Division, or 'First Squad'.

She made it to the Western Front as Captain Alexander Nemov readies to lead the charge, his gun raised.

"This is it, then. It's starting", Nadya said, fearing the worst. Attired in her pink dress, brown boots, red scarf & wearing a thick brown winter coat with her samurai sword in hand, all she could do now was to wait for Baron Von Wolff's inevitable emergence.

Her wait was not a long one.

Time seemed to literally stand still as Baron Von Wolff broke through spiritual ice on his horse, his sword in one hand & his army of undead rising up behind him. A second chill went up Nadya's spine as she witnessed the horror of the past come to life after 7 centuries when Von Wolff was struck down, & now he yearns for some serious payback.

Even with her skills as a psychic and a combat veteran, Nadya couldn't hope to defeat such an undead army on her own of that magnitude.

From above, a pair of burning objects – carnival cars – come crashing down onto the snow-covered ground, & was followed by machine gunfire by a young man with a red bandana wrapped around his head. He wasn't alone: with him was another male smaller & possibly younger, wearing a pair of pilot's goggles above his eyes. Once he hits ground, he began blazing away with his own weapon. A female with pink hair in a unique fashion arrives with a high-powered flamethrower & started frying undead creatures.

It was the spirits of Nadya's First Squad team – Marat, Valya, & Zina.

"Hey, how about a fire to keep you warm?", Zina joked as she roasted her enemies to cinders.

"And not a moment too soon!", Nadya said to herself as she raised her sword to battle Von Wolff himself, her confidence restored.

Valya, Zina & Marat fight valiantly to repel the undead soldiers, with a few getting struck by a sniper whose aim was dead-on accurate. He had short silver hair that was combed to one side & wore a brown trench coat just like Marat & Valya. This was the leader of First Squad, & the first boy who ever kissed Nadya before he died by the hands of the Nazis.

"Leo", Nadya said above a whisper.

Baron Von Wolff was almost on top of Captain Alexander Nemov from behind him, raising his sword with his right hand as he charges on his horse, ready to take off the captain's head with one swipe. It was the dream Nadya had for many nights, unable to do anything to prevent the outcome.

Until now.

As Von Wolff struck with his blade, Nadya uses her own to deflect his weapon & save the captain's life. A swift & savage sword battle between undead knight & living psychic girl ensued. Steel clashed & sparked as one tries to kill the man which sparks 'The Moment of Truth' as the monk Nadya met once prophesied after rescuing her from a Nazi air raid & meeting her again at the Kremlin in Moscow with her commanding officer, General Belov.

Nadya's task is to make sure that Alexander lives to carry out the Moment of Truth, & swing the war back in the direction of the Russians' favor.

Von Wolff's attacks became more fierce as he swung his weapon with deadlier accuracy & determination. Nadya was doing all she could to drive the leader of the undead army back & away from Nemov, but a fierce upper swing had caused Nadya to lose her sword as it goes flying from her hands & lands in the ground beyond her reach. Leo calls her name as Nadya fell into a ditch, with Von Wolff raising his sword above his head, ready to deliver the killing blow to First Squad's last living survivor before continuing his original task.

"Nadya!", Leo shouted, diving towards her & Von Wolff, getting between both combatants. His pistol in hand, he fires several rounds into the undead knight, the bullets passing through his body like it was made of cheese. Baron Von Wolff's blade digs into the dirt above Nadya & stops less than an inch from her head.

The knight's body fell backwards, & Von Wolff's army cease fighting before retreating into the netherworld, all of which disappear in several portals to said place.

"They're running away", said Zina, watching undead soldiers after soldier vanish from sight.

"Look at that! Hey guys! I think Nadya kicked Von Wolff's butt!", Valya said excitedly as he & Zina rush to rejoin their comrade.

"Well, that was fun! For a minute, anyway! Have a nice trip home, weirdos!", Marat said, throwing his hatchet axe at a soldier who catches it effortlessly before re-joining his group.

"Attack!", Captain Alexander Nemov cried out as his Russian army emerge from the trenches & charge the Nazi invaders. The German soldiers opened fire at the advancing swarm & cut down a good number of Red Army troops, but they still face defeat in the end as squadron after squadron of Nazis were captured, their arms raised in surrender.

Operation: Barbarossa was officially at an end, & the Russian soldiers cheer & wave their flag in victory.

Nadya & her friends stood over the body of Baron Von Wolff as she pulls off the knight's helmet. What she & her group sees made her gasp: it was a decayed soldier with his skeletal face staring skywards, having an eye patch over its left eye.

"It's not Von Wolff! He's…gone", Nadya said, seeing no sign of her friends anywhere. Little did she or any of them know is that Baron Von Wolff pulled a trick on the team & escaped incarceration a second time, leaving one of his men as a decoy. The real Von Wolff snatched Marat's axe as he threw it towards him before heading back to the realm of the dead. The remainder of the knight's army all dissolve into thin air, leaving Nadya by herself in the snow-covered lands of Russia, her friends also returning back to the same realm Baron Von Wolff is condemned to stay.

She would stay there until General Belov's plane came to take her back to Moscow hours later.

Three days later:

An unnamed facility stood proud in a well-secluded spot, its location stated as being strictly confidential & known to only a handful of people, all of whom have sworn to its secrecy lest they suffer the dire consequences should they ever reveal its existence to friend & foe alike under any circumstances unless specifically ordered to. This facility is currently occupied by its morning crew, all of which are attending to & giving their daily chores a 100% level of concentration as instructed by their superiors. One such superior is a man with silver, well-trimmed hair & a face that looked like it was carved from stone. Although a senior, he walks with the vitality of one half his age, & his authority is well-known, feared & respected by many – almost as much as the Fuehrer himself.

He is Obergruppenfuhrer, the leader of the Nazi Occult group the Ahnenerbe.

Accompanying him on his walk down a long corridor are two young females in Nazi outfits that are as identical as the girls themselves are. Both have shortly-cut blonde hair, red lips, & eyes that can first hypnotize, then kill without a second thought. While their true names are unknown even to allies, they are simply referred to as the Nazi Twins.

These are the same twins that were tasked to find & kill the last survivor of the Sixth Division's First Squad, Nadya Ruslanova – a task they failed in accomplishing twice, once at the wilderness home of the monk that saved her from a German air raid, & secondly in Moscow itself when Nadya eluded her deadly twin pursuers aboard a pair of trains going in opposite directions.

Both girls follow Obergruppenfuhrer in silence before he breaks it.

"I am not in a happy mood, frauleins", he says as he kept his gaze forward. "The invasion of Russia was meant to be such an occasion once we harnessed the power of Baron Von Wolff & his undead legion in order for us to conquer the homeland of our hated enemies, hereby expanding our territory just like we've done with France, Norway, Poland, Czechoslovakia, & most of the other surrounding countries in Europe. In fact, with the conquest of the Russians & their resources, we would've all but won this war once we make our move upon the United Kingdom, Canada, Africa, & up to and including the United States of America! Instead, our endeavors have been shattered like cheap glasses as Baron Von Wolff's forces were beaten into submission & retreated back to the Land of the Dead – by mere teenagers, & deceased ones at that!"

The German Cult leader spun on his heels in a swift motion & faced the twins, a move which startled the girls & made them stop. His stony features remained on his face.

"You two were assigned to execute this young girl codenamed 'Agent N' before she could summon her friends from the dead & thwart our plans on using Baron Von Wolff & his soldiers against our enemies!", he snapped. "Twice you frauleins have encountered her, & twice you have failed to carry out your mission!"

The Nazi Twins' facial expressions were that of fear & shame plastered all over.

"It was not our fault, Obergruppenfuhrer", the first twin said. The cult leader's facial features turned harder.

"It's the truth", the second twin said quickly. "We…underestimated our target's abilities & resourcefulness. Her commanding officer, General Belov, trained her better than either of us had anticipated previously. It was because of this that she was able to give us the slip & call upon the spirits of her dead friends to defeat Baron Von Wolff…"

"I am not interested in hearing any of your excuses, frauleins!", the man said, waving an arm & cutting her off. "Our Fuehrer expected positive results in our summoning of the Dark Arts to help us defeat the Russians in a giant step to winning this war! But now, his beloved regime & Third Reich could be in dire jeopardy due to your failure!"

"But we did do our best!", said the first twin. "We had no idea that her skills were exceptional & beyond…"

"Then maybe perhaps you girls can explain to the Fuehrer yourselves about how you two failed to accomplish your mission!"

The Nazi Twins briefly looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The Fuehrer is…", the first twin began.

"Coming here? Today?", the second twin finished.

Obergruppenfuhrer nodded.

"That is correct, frauleins!", he said. "And I can tell the both of you right now that he is very displeased with your apparent lack of success! The Fuehrer is most adamant about those who are given a task to complete, & has very little tolerance – if any – about those who fail them! I sometimes wonder if you ladies have that clearly in mind!"

The twins look at each other in despair. Both of them do have it clearly that their Fuehrer, Adolf Hitler, expects results rather than excuses in whoever is assigned to what. If he orders someone to transport materials from one place to another, it is done. If he wishes to visit another country for whatever reason, it is done. If he wants someone or even a number of people executed, one can bet it shall be done. The fact that they didn't accomplish their task in murdering First Squad's Nadya Ruslanova is definitely going to put them in really hot water, & Hitler will be less happy about this failure than Obergruppenfuhrer is, as it could upset the Fuehrer's New World Order he's worked many years for.

The Nazi Twins regain their composure as best they could.

"We shall do everything in our power to remedy our mistake, we assure you! We won't fail a third time!", they say in unison with a Nazi salute.

The leader of the Ahnenerbe stare his hardest at the twins for several moments before returning the gesture.

He then leans in closer towards them.

"I sincerely hope so, frauleins – for both your sakes!", he stated coldly. "The Fuehrer is not as lenient, let alone forgiving, as I am!"

A sudden cold washes over the twins from head to toe, but they did their best to shake it off.

"This way, if you please", the cult leader says, gesturing towards a pair of large wooden doors only ten feet away from their current position.

Without a word, the twins follow him through.

Mid-afternoon, 3:00 p.m.:

Hitler's vehicle drives up to the front entrance of the facility, followed by two others right behind him. Each car has its miniature version of their homeland flag placed upon the hood, waving in the breeze while the vehicles are in motion. These include the black swastika on the white & red Nazi Germany flag, the blue flag with golden-yellow band around the fasces in the center, & the white Japanese flag with red circle in the middle. All three cars come to a halt in perfect unison as drivers & bodyguards step out to open the rear doors, allowing their trio of superiors to climb out. The first was Adolf Hitler, followed by an Italian at 5 feet, 7 inches tall dressed up in a thick fur coat & hat that covers his shaven head. From out of the vehicle with the Japanese flag emerged a man 6 feet in height – unusual for Japanese – and attired in a coat that doubles as a military uniform, complete with hat. He sprouted a trimmed walrus moustache on his lip, & a pair of round specs covered his eyes.

Like Hitler's position as chancellor of Germany, these men are the Prime Ministers of their own homelands.

They are Benito Mussolini & Hideki Tojo.

As one, these three men make up the base of the Second World War's Axis Powers – a Tripartite Pact made on September 27, 1940 in Berlin.

Each of their parties saluted their superiors as they exited their rides, with Hitler & his associates returning them before proceeding inside.

The guards within also saluted the three Axis Leaders once they entered.

"All right, Hitler-san", said Tojo as they walked down the corridor. "Now that my people have finished building a facility in similar contrast to this one, and I've come all this way from my home in Japan, I believe I'm entitled to ask for an explanation as to why I've come across enemy territory to see what you've been hiding all this time – especially out in this forsaken land."

"All explanations will be revealed to you as we progress further into the complex, Herr Tojo", Hitler replied. "In simplest terms, we are breeding the ultimate weapons here – ones that will assure us victory in this war."

"Like your fooling around with supernatural forces when you summoned the spirits of Baron Von Wolff & his undead legion to unleash upon the Russians? That didn't work out too well for you, did it, Hitler-san? It was thwarted by a band of kids – dead teenagers, at that. A rather humiliating defeat, I would think."

"A minor setback I assure you, Herr Tojo. While it was something of a surprise, I must admit, I've already had a contingency plan in the works – one that dates back only nine years ago when I was first proclaimed as the brand new chancellor of my beloved Germany. My top scientists have worked on it day & night since then."

"And you didn't bother to tell me about this? It doesn't exactly go well to keep your Axis partners in the dark about certain details, Hitler-san, as it is a violation of the Tripartite Pact we signed over a year ago."

"Please forgive the secrecy of this particular operation, Signore Tojo", Mussolini says. "But Hitler felt that full confidentiality was essential until the time was right. The fewer to know of it, the better chance for success it's bound to become even among most of our own people. And with your countries' successful attack upon the United States Navy at Pearl Harbor & Hitler & myself declaring war on America ourselves, we both felt that now was all but perfect to fill you & your country in on what this new plan of attack is about."

"And you shall see this new plan just around the corner ahead, Herr Tojo", Hitler said, gesturing with his hand.

Turning said corner, a pair of large wooden doors block the entranceway into the room behind it. German Occult Leader Obergruppenfuhrer stood at one end. Upon seeing Hitler & his Axis allies, he saluted them, & they him.

"Welcome back, Mein Fuehrer!", the man said with a smile.

"Danke Schoen, Obergruppenfuhrer. Is everything ready for presentation for our new guest?", Hitler asked with a glance at Hideki.

"Jawohl. If you & your Axis partners would kindly follow me inside…"

Without acknowledgement from his superior, Obergruppnfuhrer opened the doors to the next room & they all stepped forward. They were immediately greeted by bright lights overhead in a room with electronic equipment & snakes of cables laid out on the floor, followed by a pair of what seemed like holding pens protected by a sheet of thick glass – the one on the right being three times the size of that on the left. It had to be, for within this pen held a horror which caused Hideki Tojo's mouth to hang open in shock & astonishment. Removing his glasses & rubbing his eyes, the Japanese Prime Minister shot past his Axis Allies & ran toward the glass for a better view. The thing inside was so beastial & huge, it seemed like a dragon out of Japanese mythology, sans the wings. Only this particular dragon was an opaque black on color which glistened in the lights overhead, reaching a height of 4.5 meters (15 feet) tall when it was standing, & a length of about 30-40 feet, including its long segmented tail with sharp tip at its end. Its head was a large crest, with a mouth full of needle-like teeth at the front. Two pairs of arms were attached to its abdomen, with a count of six-fingered hands on its larger pair, & three-fingered ones on its smaller that jutted out in the middle. Between its rear legs & tail was a large thick yellow sac that, like the creature itself, was suspended on thick strands of a clear, epoxy-like substance which produced oval-shaped objects out the hole at the end.

This beast paid no mind to Tojo, his Axis partners or the other few men gathered near the glass, but rather on those – Jewish men – who were embedded to the walls on either side of the room by the same clear substance that held them fast at the body & limbs. Several of the oval objects were placed near & in front of them by a quartet of creatures that were not as large, but still an impressive two meters tall with banana-shaped heads & sporting similar sets of teeth. These monsters were more humanoid in shape, with two pairs of tubular dorsal spines on the back, followed by a fifth pointier one near the neck. Their tails were also pointed, & when one opened its mouth, a smaller set of jaws extended & snapped a few times before retracting back within.

Some of these oval objects were opened like flowers at the top by four pedals. Several corpses of yellow spider-like creatures lay upside-down, their innards exposed & their legs & whip-like tails motionless.

Two of those trapped to the walls opened their eyes to find themselves stuck & unable to get free. The enormous monster turned to them & gave out a low but menacing hiss, while the men cried in horror upon the sight of the living nightmare. Their attention was turned to two of the oval-shaped objects placed before them, opening like some hideous flower. Within each one, a multitude of thin spindly legs can be seen making their way to the edge like a pair of large hairless spiders. This only made the captive men scream louder before both creatures spring forth from their pods like frogs & latch themselves onto the faces of the screaming men, cutting off both their cries of terror & breathing, their legs & tails wrapped firmly around their heads & necks, falling silent.

Three more captive men on the other wall became rudely awakened from slumber as their chests began bulging out from within as if something was trying to push its way out. Boisterous cries of anguish echo throughout the pen as each man's chest started bleeding heavily & spread seconds before they exploded in the size of a man's fist as geysers of blood, bone & flesh. The cries were silenced & replaced by screeching from snake-like creatures that emerge from each exit wound, taking off like serpents & disappearing in the horrid background of death.

Tojo continued to stare in stunned fascination, unable to speak.

"So…this is what you meant before when you said you were 'breeding' new weapons, Hitler-san!", the Japanese Prime Minister said once he found his vocal chords.

"Indeed, Herr Tojo", the Nazi Leader said proudly. "Herr Doctor Heinrich here had first discovered this monster close to the Moselle River nine years ago, along with two other creatures of a completely different nature during a dig in the aforementioned area."

"Two other creatures? What kind?"

"One of them hangs in the far background just behind the monster laying its eggs, Herr Tojo", Heinrich said, pointing in the general direction for the Japanese man. Hideki peered into the glass where Heinrich guided him with his finger. Straining, Tojo could see another large humanoid figure embedded to the wall, its flesh decayed from being dead for many years. The Japanese man can make out the thing's crab-like face & black strands of braided 'hair' along the sides of its head. It was naked except for a lion cloth over its pelvic area, & a hole in its chest was easily visible, consisting of burst rib cage & outward skin.

Hitler was true to his word. It was of a totally different nature, & Tojo suspects that it was in more than just mere appearance alone.

They're almost like two rival forces, Hideki thought.

"Where is the other one you have in captivity?", Tojo wondered. "You said you had two."

"We have a little more to show you before getting to it, Signore Tojo", said Mussolini. "If you'll just direct your attention over to the next chamber, we have something that will really grab your interest."

Walking over to the second chamber, Tojo views inside the glass to see multiple Jewish women suspended in the same manner as the men, all but two having their stomachs exposed. The room was less than half the size of the other & in an identical organic décor. On the left & far wall was a metal door as the former one slides open to reveal a Nazi soldier violently throwing in a woman, who rises up & tries to get out, screaming in Polish. The Nazi simply shouts at her to shut up before buffeting her hard in the face with the butt end of his rifle, knocking her down & closing the door.

Moments later, the door at the far end of the room slides open.

What comes out of it was another nightmare: a creature similar yet different in appearance emerged out of its hiding place, standing on two powerful legs. The similarities were that in shape of the black creatures, but differences were in skin tone & structure: it was more organic in spots, with a lighter hue in a dark beige color. Its feet had only two clawed toes, & the hands only sprouted four fingers instead of the regular six. The real difference of it was with the head: partly crested in the back, the beast had two pairs of mandibles alongside its mouth as an extension of it, very much like the crab-faced humanoid that hung dead in the other chamber. Also like it, strands of black locks hung from each side of its head but had no gold braids. The tail was thicker & still sported a sharp point which can kill with one swipe or thrust.

Upon entering the room, the creature let out a low but menacing growl that woke the two women who were still bound to the wall. The three females tried to scream but found their vocal chords paralyzed with fear as the thing came closer to the room's new arrival, who rose with difficulty to her feet. Only when she was literally face-to-face with this monstrosity was the woman able to scream.

Her frantic cry lasted only a second or two before the beast shoved its inner jaws into her mouth, using the outer mandibles to hold her firmly like the spider-creatures would. The two women upon the wall screamed themselves at the horrid display now before them, with this new monster injecting what seems like grape-sized eggs – or embryos – down the woman's throat, the bulging clearly visible as they get injected into her like a living conveyor belt. Over six of them get placed inside the woman before withdrawing its head & letting its fresh prey fall to the floor.

The creature & Hideki Tojo stare at each other for a few seconds, the Japanese man unable to avert his gaze from it until the thing turns towards the other women, whose stomachs now bulge & begin to swell. From beneath the flesh, multiple bumps try forcing their way out as the women cry out as if in regular labor, only this kind was extremely more painful than normal childbirth, & soon their stomachs burst open like balloons popping from over-inflation, spraying a gout of flesh, blood & a few inner organs. A chorus of infant screeches filled the room as over a dozen newborn things open their toothed mouths & slither out of their now-deceased hosts as the adult growls in congratulatory of its new arrivals, ignoring the humans watching from outside.

"Astonishing!", Tojo said. "This creature – it's like a hybrid of some kind! Unlike the other huge beast, this one doesn't have to lay any eggs in order to incubate its prey! Why not have it do so with all of your victims?"

"Because it will only do so with the female sex, Herr Tojo", Hitler said. "With the men, it simply kills them. That is why we have them incubated by the eggs in which that other creature lays from its sac. Herr Doctor Heinrich has put together its life cycle by thorough study over the years. Herr Doctor?"

All eyes turn to Heinrich as he explains.

"In the course of our studies, we've learned that these creatures live mainly to reproduce, kill & conquer. You can say they're like ants, going from place to place & making new nests in order to repeat the process. That huge beast you saw in the other chamber is undoubtedly some kind of queen, hence the egg sac. When a living organism comes in close proximity to one of the eggs, the spider-creatures emerge & latch onto the victim long enough for it to implant – or impregnate, if you prefer – an embryo inside the chest cavity. Having done its primary function, the spider-thing drops off & dies, as it is no longer needed. After the embryos inside the victim's chest develop enough & burst forth, they emerge into full-grown creatures like those you saw with the queen."

"How soon do they grow from infancy to adulthood, Heinrich-san?", asked Tojo.

"In about between a half-hour to a full one's time, give or take."

Hideki rubs his chin, clearly impressed.

"That soon? Amazing. If only I could witness them in action to see for myself just how vicious they really are", the Prime Minister of Japan says.

That's when Obergruppenfuhrer stepped in.

"Funny you should mention that, Herr Tojo", he says. "We happen to have another room in which you can see the results of their viciousness in battle. I think you'll find them to be just what you're looking for. Shall we?"

Hideki nodded, & the German Cult Leader led them into an adjoining hallway.

The next room in the facility was like the preceding one, only this one had a holding pen that held a formidable jungle in it, soil & all. It was slightly larger than the queen's, & several armed men were trotting around looking every way like the very devil was after them. German scientists were monitoring the situation & taking notes as they happen.

One thing disturbed Tojo, & he voices his concern.

"What is this, Hitler-san? Those men inside are from the French, Polish, British & Russian armed forces – with the emphasis on the 'armed' part!"

"Yes, I know", Hitler said without worry. "I have allowed those men to keep their guns & other armament with them – not that they'll be of any help."

Hideki looked at him like he was an alien from another planet.

"Are you baka, Hitler-san?! They're liable to shoot through the glass & escape, bringing in reinforcements once they get themselves out into the clear! I'm surprised they haven't already! What were you thinking?!"

"At ease, Herr Tojo. That glass is one-way – those men can neither hear nor see us, & it's all but bulletproof. We captured these men when we invaded their countries, for we needed live subjects to test on just as we do for incubation. And you did say you wished to see them in action, remember? This is your chance. If you would observe..."

Hideki did as Hitler suggested, & they all watched as the men inside the pen swing their weapons this way & that, sweat brewing from their foreheads as their breaths come in pants. For thirty seconds, there was nothing.

The calmness changed in a heartbeat: from a thick bush, one of the monsters leaped out & grabbed a Polish man, bringing him to the ground before he can aim his gun at its chest. He only had time to aim it at its face, thus he pulls the trigger & blows it off. In doing so, the yellow fluid in its body splashes onto his own & melts off flesh & bone. The Polish man screamed a few seconds before being silenced for good.

None of the men had any time to relax or gather their wits: a long tail silently swooped down from a nearby tree & impaled itself into & through the back of a Russian soldier, his finger pressing the trigger of his weapon as he fires in empty air while being lifted off the ground, the tail bursting forth from his chest & spewing blood. He tried to scream, but his mouth also filled with blood so that only gurgles could be heard. The rest of the monster appeared from the brush & thrust its inner jaws at the Russian's head, ceasing his agony & life before tossing him aside. Both British & French man fire their guns at the creature once the dead Russian is out of the way, turning it into Swiss cheese as the beast lets out a death screech before falling to the ground with a thump, acid hissing where it touched.

A rustling in the bushes made the two survivors turn, guns pointed & firing instantaneously. A pair of inhuman screeching fills the pen as two more monsters get brought down like mad dogs. Then, as if from nowhere, another pair of creatures using bushes for cover swing their tails like whips & slice off the heads in one fluid motion. Blood spurts from the necks as headless bodies sink to the ground, their heads looking briefly like bleeding comets until they struck a tree & come to a stop.

"What viciousness & cunning they possess!", Tojo said, hugely pleased with what he'd witnessed.

"Indeed, Signore Tojo", said Mussolini with a proud smirk, turning to him. "These creatures are single-minded in nature. They strike & are equipped without hesitation, compassion, pity, remorse, fear or mercy – morals in which any human soldier might possess, thus getting himself and/or his troops killed on the battlefront. But these things? They are devoid of such putrid obstacles! And that is why they make such perfect soldiers: just turn them in the right direction & set them free! They shall do the rest!"

"And have them mow down anything unfortunate enough to be in their way", Tojo said mostly to himself.

"Precisely", Obergruppenfuhrer said, grinning. "I won't even try to disguise my disappointment about the failure of our using Baron Von Wolff against our enemies, but if we're to have a well-organized backup plan to take its place, this would be it. Perhaps where the supernatural has failed, the raw savageness & relentlessness of creatures from space will succeed. How fortunate for us that we were the ones to make this discovery first before anyone else – including the Allied Forces!"

"They will know of this fantastic discovery soon enough – once we unleash their fury upon them!", Hitler said, a grin on his own face. Tojo, Mussolini, & the rest follow suit.

Two minutes later:

Doctor Heinrich ordered his staff back to work while he accompanied the Axis Leaders & Obergruppenfuhrer to a hallway which leads to a dining room at the end, splitting off in opposite directions. When they get ten feet from the door of the dining room, Hitler turns & faces his caravan, causing them to halt.

"Before we get to the remainder of our tour for Herr Tojo, would you gentlemen be so kind as to excuse me for a few moments?", he asks. "I'm afraid I have a little bit of…personal business to attend."

"Of course, Mein Fuehrer", Heinrich & Obergruppenfuhrer say in unison, saluting.

"Most certainly, Signore", replied Mussolini, raising his right fist in the Fascist Italy salute.

"Hai, Hitler-san", Tojo said, bowing to the man.

Nodding with a smile, Hitler made his way inside.

The dining room inside was averagely sized, being large enough to house a vast number of people without too much difficulty. A table was set up with chairs all around & vast foods already placed on top: cheeses, wines & meats from the conquered countries of Poland, France, & Czechoslovakia. Even though Operation: Barbarossa on Russia was a failure, the Nazis still gathered a rare delicacy of caviar – raw fish eggs. Several small jars of it were placed within a cluster close to covered entrees of mashed potatoes & lobster tails.

At the end of the table near the door sat the Nazi Twins in silence.

When Adolf Hitler entered the room, the twins rose like their seat was too hot & saluted.

"Mein Fuehrer!", they say simultaneously. Hitler returned the gesture once he closed the door.

"At ease, frauleins", he said & the twins lowered their arms, standing at attention. One of the girls was about to say something but got silenced immediately when Hitler glanced in her direction, albeit briefly.

It was a sign saying he simply didn't want to hear it, & neither twin pushed her luck.

"Frauleins, you no doubt know about my past like most of Germany does, but permit me to give you both a fresh recourse", Hitler says, picking up one of the jars of caviar in his hand & studying it. "Like my Axis partner Mussolini, I was but a mere soldier when I fought in the First World War more than 25 years ago. I got injured first in my left thigh when I fought in the Battle of the Somme in October 1916, returning to battle in March the following year. I sustained injuries yet again on October 15, 1918 in a mustard gas attack which had temporarily blinded me. When the war ended under a month later while recuperating in a Pasewalk hospital, I learned of Germany's unfortunate defeat. Do you know what I did upon hearing that news, frauleins?"

"Nein, Mein Fuehrer", the twins replied as one, shaking their heads briefly.

"I wept, ladies. I cried – like a little baby. Our country's defeat left us humbled & broken – a condition made even worse by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Our people needed a Messiah to free them from the harsh conditions that god-awful treaty had given us. Therefore, over the course of the next twenty years, I have labored, rallied, plotted & planned to return Germany as the superior power of the world – to promise our people that Germany would regain what rightfully belongs to us & never endure such a humiliating state of affair like that again."

He studied the jar of caviar for a few seconds more before throwing it at the twins in a fit of rage, nearly hitting one in the head. The twins yelped in surprise & dived out of the way as the jar shattered against the wall behind them, smearing Russia's delicacy in a black blot.

"And you two came awfully close to having it happen all over again!", Hitler barked ferociously at the twins, who hold each other in fear. "With the power of Baron Von Wolff in our possession, we could've crushed our enemies into utter submission with no opposition, as regular forces are no match for that of the undead! All you had to do was take out a mere child to prevent her from summoning help from beyond the grave & ensure our success! Twice you had the chance to kill her, & in both opportunities presented you have failed – terribly! You two are supposed to be master assassins – and yet neither of you could kill a young, inexperienced fourteen-year-old girl?!"

The Nazi Twins shook like leaves. Obergruppenfuhrer may make them feel queasy at times, but no one frightens them to the core like Adolf Hitler does – especially since the cause of this war was hugely in his part.

The girls fought to keep from wetting themselves & barely prevent it from occurring.

Once their composure was restored, they close their eyes & bowed their heads in shame.

"We have greatly offended you with our failure & endangered your New World Order, Mein Fuehrer", said the first twin, her voice shaking slightly.

"If you wish to execute us on account of our crimes, then we shall accept our fates, Mein Fuehrer", replied the second in the same manner.

Adolf Hitler stared hard at the twins for several moments before walking up to them. Neither twin dared move, let alone spoke, as Germany's chancellor placed his hands on their shoulders.

"For anyone in my New World Order who failed to carry out his or her orders to the letter, they ordinarily would be punished & executed", he says in a firm but much softer voice. "Please look at me when I speak to you, frauleins."

Scared as they were, the twins did as they were told.

"Do you know why you girls failed in killing young Nadya, my dears? It is because you did not respect her or her abilities. That's what I have done with Russia's Premier Josef Stalin. He is very much like me: he would not allow any of his men to give up or surrender, no matter how difficult the battle was, or how harsh the environment became. The lesson here, frauleins, is that by respecting one's enemy, one can learn on how to eventually bring him down. That was why you two failed in your mission, & should be put to death for it. However…before your failure in eliminating this Agent N, you two have always succeeded in all of your other past endeavors. Therefore, you shall both be spared. But don't you breathe easily just yet. There is no room in either my Third Reich or New World Order for those who fail in carrying out their orders on a constant basis. Keep in mind that you both have two strikes against you. A third will definitely get you cut from my organization, & I do think you know exactly what I mean by that, yes?"

"We do, Mein Fuehrer", said the first twin as the second one nods before speaking.

"The next time we find Agent N, we shall not repeat our past two failures in eliminating her. We're ready to go at a moment's notice & accomplish that task if you wish, Mein Fuehrer. We stake our lives on it."

Hitler took a moment before answering.

"I know you will, frauleins. But forget about her…for now", he said. "When the time comes, you will be given a chance to kill Miss Nadya Ruslanova & atone for your mistake. In the meantime, I need you both here to ensure this project's safety. It is far too important to lose due to incompetence. Can I count on you to do that?"

"Jawohl!", the twins say immediately, standing firmer.

Adolf Hitler nodded & headed for the door, pausing at it & turned back to the girls.

"Frauleins…you should have some nourishment while you're here", he tells them. "When soldiers are at war, one can never know or tell that the meal he enjoys could very well be his last at a moment's notice. So please…help yourselves."

Hitler gestured to the table with his hand & a little smile from his mouth before exiting the room, closing the door behind it. Taking his advice, the twins rushed to the table & grabbed a plate & utensils, fixing themselves to what was laid out before feasting.

They ate as if they knew they had no tomorrow.

CHAPTER II

Friday, July 10, 1942:

Some people believe that the Second World War began in 1937, when Imperial Japan invaded China. But it had its gradual start on September 1st, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland & conquering it, followed by France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium & other territories. The British Empire would've fallen alongside with them, but the aerial Battle of Britain resulted in a victory for the British, giving Germany its first true defeat. Part of it had been due to the iron & stubborn will of England's new Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who took Neville Chamberlain's place after the latter's failed negotiations to endure 'Peace in our time' with Adolf Hitler beginning in 1938.

Churchill told Hitler & his Nazis to 'Do your worst' while he & the people of Britain would 'Do their best'.

The Battle of Britain was solid testimony of it. It proved that the British people can take punishment as well as dish it out – a fact proven further when the Germans made constant bombings upon London & other cities, trying but failing to shake their spirits & beat them into submission. The Nazi's humiliation from Britain was made more so when the German Battleship Bismarck was sunk on May 27th, 1941.

Sick of their stubbornness, the Nazis invaded Russia in June, which also ended disastrously.

The Second World War stayed a foreign one until the date of Sunday, December 7th, 1941 when the Japanese had invaded the area of Pearl Harbor, an attack which neutralized America's Navy fleet. It also brought the full might of the country into the war it had hoped to remain out of. With that no longer an option, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had declared war against Japan the following day, making the Second global conflict official.

News of the war became grim as the weeks & months went by: Japanese forces invaded islands in the Pacific, from Burma all the way to the Philippines. In April, American forces started turning the tide against Japan, beginning with the 'Doolittle Raid' on the 18th, hitting Tokyo & other Japanese cities to demonstrate that the Land of the Rising Sun was just as vulnerable to attack as anyone else, & gave America the huge moral boost it desperately needed after Pearl Harbor. Japan was further weakened in both the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 4-8) & Midway (June 4-7), the latter having Japanese plans discovered by expert code breakers & giving advanced warning to the American Navy.

It was a staggering blow to the Japanese, one they may not fully recover from.

Russia was currently in the midst of a second assault by the Nazis which began on May-June, this time taking the fight away from Moscow & heading towards Stalingrad & the oilfields of Baku, an area rich with black gold. Hordes of military tanks, planes & troops were set out to repel the Nazis, with casualties once again mounting into 6-digit figures.

Since her victory against Baron Von Wolff & his legion, Nadya returned to Moscow & resumed her schooling in both academics & Sixth Division combat training, heightening her skills as a spy & warrior as commanded by General Belov. She worked & trained harder than ever before, now that Russia was knee-deep in the Second World War as it fought against its one-time Nazi allies before they stabbed them in the back only a year ago. At the end of June, Nadya performed in circuses & carnivals to entertain the Russian populace as escapes from the war that currently devastated their homeland, attempting to boost their spirits & keep them strong just as America & England were doing.

In all that time, Nadya had not one dream/vision of Baron Von Wolff or any other supernatural forces.

She deduced that the Nazis have ceased using the occult to help their insane cause, but no way was she letting her guard down. If a resurgence of spiritual forces should resurface, she'll know.

As would Russia's central intelligence at the Sixth Division.

So far…nothing.

2:00 p.m., inside a prison cell:

Captain Stephens & fifteen of his men lay in silence within thick metal prison cells, each featuring air vents, no windows & a single door that was the only way in or out of the rooms. All had a slide which could only be operated from the outside, so none of the men can use it in an attempt to escape. Stephens & his Sergeant rested on a double-bunk bed with a sink, mirror & toilet in one corner. Stephens & his crew of fifteen have been prisoners of the Japanese since January, having been captured during the Battle at Burma & being blindfolded with each transport from one place to another. For six months, they endured the harsh, unrelenting conditions & treatment by their Japanese captors, with multiple cuts & bruises as evidence. A single light bulb from the ceiling was their only source of illumination.

At times they were beaten for being disobedient & defiant.

Other times they received punishment simply for their personal amusement.

Now they lay in wait as the distant humming fills the area, indicating they were held captive inside a Japanese vessel.

What Captain Stephens & his men cannot indicate is where they're being taken to.

Tokyo? Osaka? Or maybe one of their Axis partners, perhaps?

No one knew for sure, & the tension of it was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

The Captain & Sergeant were both young men, aged 25, & very physically fit – one of a handful of soldiers that didn't smoke. The former had dark brown eyes & hair that was a frazzled mess, with a small beard that decorated his face. The latter was in the same state, but with jet black hair & blue eyes. Each man still wore his uniform, albeit torn & soiled in spots. One Japanese soldier ordered Stephens & the Sergeant to remove their uniforms, but both have refused & received a beating until the commander – a cold-hearted man by the name of Susumu Kobayashi – told them otherwise, & that each American prisoner was to keep their attire, for they had big plans for them.

When one American soldier demanded what those 'big plans' were, he was rewarded with a hard punch to his face & knocked unconscious. Any further questions were kept to themselves, & the men have been guessing their fates ever since.

Both sat up on their bunks as the sound of doors opening, Japanese men speaking in English before closing them again brought the Captain & Sergeant back to the present, & they sat up in their bunks when their door opened to reveal a trio of Japanese soldiers: two with rifles & one holding in each hand a metal tray with food & a spoon to eat it with.

"Time to eat, little dogs", said the Jap holding the food with a taunt.

Stephens & the Sergeant just stared daggers at him. The Jap sighed in mock pity.

"Captain, you & your men have been our captives for six months now", the Jap went on. "Do you really intend on showing this kind of defiance when there's absolutely no hope for any of you? We are getting tired of having to go through this every single time! Now eat – before we force this shit down your throats!"

A nod from his head gave the other Japs the sign to aim their rifles at Stephens & his Sergeant. No other kind of persuasion was needed: the men rose from their bunks & walked over to obtain their meals. The Japs with rifles kept a finger on the triggers & were ready to pull them if either showed any signs of refusal or physical defiance. Neither the Captain nor the Sergeant were foolish enough to try: they'd be shot dead within a second, & they knew it.

Both men take a spoonful of food, & their facial expressions left little doubt on how awful it was to their taste buds. The three Japs smiled & chuckled in amusements.

"You see? That's what we get on our ration cards!", the first Jap said, with all three guffawing as they close & lock the door to their cell & walk off, their laughter dying out as they leave.

Utterly disgusted more by the Jap's behavior than by the food they were being served, the sergeant threw his hand with his plate back & prepared to throw it, but Stephens stopped him doing so.

"No, Sergeant!", he said. "Granted, it may not taste very good, but it does fill our stomachs. We should eat up."

After a moment or two of hesitation, both men chow down & eat every bite before tossing their plates away in the corner.

"I don't know how much more I can take of this, Captain!", said the Sergeant. "Those filthy Japs feed us to keep us alive, but barely! They feed us only once or twice a day, & give us only one day a month to shower & shave – under close armed watch! And whatever plans they have for us, you know they're going to execute us once we've outlived our usefulness! Damn it, Captain, we've got to do something – before they do!"

"You really think I don't know that, Sergeant?", Stephens says. "Believe me, I'm just as fed up with the hostile treatment these Japanese are inflicting upon us & our men, & you can bet they are too. But as long as they have us kept in these cells aboard their ship, there's really nothing we can do at the moment. It's their game, so for now, it's their rules. All we can do for right now is stay strong & not cave in like they want us to, or else they'll win. We just have to wait for that perfect window of opportunity to open before we can make any counterstrikes against them."

Captain Stephens stared at the metal door.

"Right now…it's closed & locked tight", he finished.

With nothing else that can be said or discussed, both men returned to their bunks & slept.

The deep region of space, in between Neptune & Pluto:

A singular Yautja ship sped its way through the vacuum, its outer lights shining in the vast blackness.

The spacecraft measured 60 yards long from pointed bow to pontoon-ended stern, the latter of which were high-powered engines which propelled the ship across the emptiness of outer space at a great velocity. Inside was filled with humanoid creatures mostly two meters in height, with some being half-a-foot taller or shorter. Their flesh resembled that of a reptile's, with five toes & fingers on each foot & hand ending in black claws. Many wear necklaces of small bones & skulls, most of which were prizes on various hunts. Body armor was adorned on their legs, forearms, chests, pelvic areas & shoulders. Their faces were crab-like in appearance, with mandibles that opened & closed just like their crustacean resemblance. A single sharp tooth was at the end of each separate mandible, & they made a cackling sound like some large insect would. On the side & back of their elongated heads were strands of black dreadlocks with gold braids embedded in them.

These creatures are the Yautja, or Predators, & they live for only one purpose – the thrill of the hunt.

One of their most favorable prey is the Xenomorph (alien) creature, a species they have vastly & proudly hunted & collected trophies of for many life cycles.

Another favorable prey for the creatures are human beings – a prey they have hunted & killed for almost as long as they have the aliens themselves.

According to their ship's computers, they will find an abundance of both species on the third planet from the sun in a well-known solar system.

The planet called Earth.

Checking over the ship's readouts himself, the Predator known as Twin-Tooth makes certain that Xenomorphs are located on their destination planet, & that what he was reading wasn't a glitch in the systems somewhere. He felt relieved when he discovered it wasn't the case: the Xenomorph creatures are present on Earth, & he sees that their other favorite prey are currently engaged in a series of conflicts with each other in various spots at their destination.

Twin-Tooth has always been intrigued by prey that battles its own kind, & humans were no different: he vividly remembers humans engaged in wars with each other during his other visits to Earth throughout his life. Cases such as in 1779 during what humans called the Revolutionary War, or numerous times in the country of Japan like in 1614 during the period known as the Tokugawa Shogunate, piqued Twin-Tooth's curiosity as to why humans would fight & kill their own kind. It was a fascination that hit other Yautja warriors as well.

He was a veteran of many hunts, with scars across his body & face to prove it. His flesh was a mix of light tan & a spot of brown in areas. His name was Twin-Tooth for a reason: at the end of each of his mandibles was a double-tooth that had seemingly developed together, which was quite rare for the Yautja race. His mandibles were thicker than most, & a singular tooth grew underneath each bottom mandible. In his many hunts, he has stalked, killed & collected prey that were larger & stronger than even he was, & still he emerged victorious. Many skulls of his numerous kills – up to & including human & alien – were all proudly displayed in rows along his wall back on their home planet.

Now he was on a new hunt to add in his collection – to a place he hasn't visited since the year of 1863.

Rising from his seat, he instructs the pilots on the bridge to continue on their present course as he heads to his chambers.

It will be about over a month-&-a-half before they reach Earth.

Plenty of time to prepare his troops for the hunt to come.

Moscow, Monday, August 31st, 1942, 8:00 p.m.:

At a theatre a few blocks away from the Kremlin, several people were enjoying a screening of Russian cartoons, including the famed anti-Nazi propaganda short 'The Vultures', in which Nazi vultures become bombers before being shot out of the sky by the Red Air Force, & the year's current 'Cinema Circus', where Hitler & his trained dogs which consist of parodying Mussolini, Horthy & Antonescu, along with his mentor Napoleon, attend a circus by Kanardash, a famous Soviet clown.

The people in the audience clapped & cheered at the cartoons for poking fun at the members of the Axis Powers, & it helped to relieve some of the tension from the real-life horrors now striking their country.

For an added bonus, some American cartoons were also showing similar-themed shorts. One such short was the newly-released Warner-Brothers animated short titled 'The Ducktators', in which Adolf Hitler & Hideki Tojo were portrayed as ducks, while Benito Mussolini was portrayed as a plump goose. They were currently up to the part where a dove of peace has tried to reason with the three Axis birds to change their ways, but to no avail. Having had enough, the dove then turns violent & fights the trio while chickens in the barnyard square off against the storm trooper ducks who have followed the trio, getting into a brawl as one proclaims 'Here's one for Pearl Harbor!' before punching one of the Axis ducks & sending him along with several others into a trash can, its lid being opened & closed by a rejoicing young chick, who had once been a helpless captive of the Mussolini goose.

Chuckles & laughs in the audience ensue further as a barrel with a lid goes around smacking duck troopers over the head with a mallet. When the Tojo duck opens the lid & says in Japanese-accented English 'Peek-a-boo, please', he too gets clonked over the head as a rabbit with a long curly moustache & large bulging eyes (impersonating American actor & comedian Jerry Colonna, & quite possibly Russian leader Josef Stalin) pops out the top & says 'Busy little bee…aren't I?' before hitting himself over the head with his own mallet & sinking back into his barrel.

This got louder guffaws from the audience, which also included Nadya herself, being taken by General Belov as something of a treat for the young Russian girl. Nadya giggled & laughed to her heart's content like she was five years old again, clearly enjoying the show.

Sitting in the seat next to her is Belov, & although he doesn't laugh or guffaw, he does have a grin on his face.

He enjoys seeing the Axis made fools of as much as the rest of them.

The Kremlin, one hour later:

Belov's driver took him & Nadya back to the Kremlin in his private car. Nadya was still in such good spirits as she & her commanding officer exited the vehicle & entered the building, the cartoons from both her home country and America she viewed at the theatre kept her feeling cheerful.

It was a much-needed release for both of them.

"I'll certainly say this for the United States: they sure know how to make the bad guys look stupid", General Belov says with a slight smile as he & Nadya walk down the hallway to his office.

Nadya barely stifles a chuckle as she spoke.

"I'm sure that's the whole point, General Belov", she says, smiling. "Parodying one's enemies on film is a great way to help boost the morale & confidence of the people & urge them for supporting their armed forces in times of crisis. And as with the cartoons, they've also done rather well in live-action, such as those two shorts from America's comedy trio, the Three Stooges: 'You Nazty Spy' & 'I'll Never Heil Again'. How fortunate we were to have had them playing tonight. I've never laughed so hard in all my life."

"Even I couldn't help but laugh at Moe Howard's spoofing of Adolf Hitler in those two comedy shorts", Belov admits with a smile. "Rumor has it that 'You Nazty Spy' is Moe's personal favorite short, on account of its historical significance. I can't help but to agree with that."

They reach Belov's office & enter. The General's plump gray cat jumps down from his chair as he gets picked up & caressed by his master before sitting behind his desk. Nadya closes the door & takes a seat opposite her commanding officer. Immediately General Belov takes on a serious tone, the evidence plain on his face. Nadya gets the message, & all traces of humor are gone from both individuals as they get down to business.

"But unfortunately, as promising & tempting as it may sound, wars can't be fought or even won by cinematic satire alone", Belov stated, petting his cat on its back as it purrs in delight. "It takes hard work, careful strategic planning, the right equipment, fierce determination & a helluva lot of good old-fashioned good luck to accomplish being on top of a war, or even in a single battle. And right now, we're right back in the thick of things with not one, but two new attacks by the Nazis: one heading in the direction of our precious oilfields in Baku, the other at Stalingrad. As before, the bodies on both sides are piling up like firewood as these attacks on our country seem even more vicious than their first attempt last year in June."

"I'm surprised they even dared to assault us again, General, what with me & my friends from First Squad halting Baron Von Wolff's attack & driving them back to the Land of the Dead", Nadya said, her tone just as humorless.

"No such luck there, Nadya. Whether they have conventional means or the supernatural at their fingertips, those Nazi bastards were bound to attack us again, just as I had suspected they would. But even with our forces on full alert & ready to strike at a moment's notice, they still hit us hard & on two fronts instead of one. The only upside in these new attacks are that none of our people in the Sixth Division have detected any signs of spiritual activity, be it before or in these current conflicts. But you've been seeing something in your dreams again, haven't you?"

Nadya nodded grimly.

"I started having them in very small intervals a few months ago, around my 15th birthday", she stated. "However, they've become more frequent in the weeks that passed."

"Can you describe what you've been seeing in them?", Belov asked.

"It's like mostly black, but with flashes of needles that flicker on & off like a dying bulb. As my dreams slowly became clearer, those needles look more to me like teeth, & they open up to reveal even more, as if these mouths have a second set inside of them. What's more, when I do see these hideous sights, I hear hissing like a horde of snakes all ready to strike in the blink of an eye. And that eerie hissing isn't the only thing I hear from them: these things let out an inhuman screech, sounding very much like nails on a chalkboard. The noise is hideous to & stings my eardrums."

Nadya took a pause to catch her breath & gather her wits. General Belov rises from his chair & pours her a glass of water which she takes, drinking the entire cup.

"Is there anything else in these dreams you've been having?", he pressed.

"Yes, as a matter of fact", she explains. "There are other visions in conjunction with them: amidst the hissing & screeching, I've also been viewing quick flashes of these eyes that briefly shine yellow, like something from straight out of a horror movie. With these sights, I can hear a kind of cackling noise like something an insect would make. But aside from which & those sudden flashes, I've never seen what made that sound."

"So you've no way of knowing what it is that's been haunting your dreams then?"

"Not a clue. But the strangest thing about them is…they seem to be more animalistic than spiritual in nature. Do you think it's possible that the Nazis could've conjured up some new forces that's undetectable by the Sixth Division or its equipment?"

General Belov shook his head.

"I wouldn't count on it, Nadya", he said. "Our gear is state-of-the-art & maintained daily. If there's any kind of spiritual activity brewing, we'd be able to pick it up almost immediately, regardless of what power level it is. Maybe it is something of an animalistic origin, like you believe it to be."

"Then why am I having these visions at all, if they're not of spiritual nature?", Nadya wondered when the door to Belov's office opened as a man in ceremonial robes & a white grizzle of a beard entered, closing the door behind him.

It was the old monk that rescued Nadya from an air raid when she was out performing her act, & helped her get away to Moscow when the Nazi Twins found her at the old monk's cabin in the woods & attacked. He was presumed dead when he was shot, but the bullet hit a piece of wood hidden in his robes, saving his life as they were reunited in Russia's capital before the Moment of Truth took place.

"You", was all Nadya could say.

"Hello again, my dear", said the monk, his stick in hand. "When General Belov contacted me days ago about your new visions, I knew I had to come down to see you. As I've told you last time, Nadya, you have a gift of extra sensory perception – or ESP, for short. Those visions you see in your dreams are of foreseen events, meaning that what you've been witnessing in them are that of what we can expect to occur."

"Even if they're not of the spiritual kind? Because that's what it's really beginning to feel like to me."

"It wouldn't matter if your visions were of spiritual or corporeal origin, Nadya. What does matter is that they're bound to take place soon, giving us all the more reason to prepare for what's undoubtedly sure to come our way. Can you give a more detailed description of what these visions you've been having to us? Anything at all?"

Nadya placed a hand to her forehead & began to concentrate, pushing her ESP abilities to the limit as best as she was capable of. Her thoughts were working overtime in order to clear her foggy visions & hopefully get a new glimpse of what has been ailing her in recent weeks & days. But the harder she tried, the more vague her head became as she's having no more success in determining the cause than she was at discovering who would trigger the Moment of Truth back at the beginning of the year to prevent Baron Von Wolff from crossing over to the corporeal world & wreaking unspeakable havoc.

It was only until nearly getting killed by the Nazi Twins did Nadya discover his identity of Captain Alexander Nemov, who would trigger it & got to the battlefront in time with her deceased friends in First Squad to push back the evil knight & his troops.

"It's no good", Nadya says, lowering her hand. "Like before, the visions are just too fuzzy to see at the moment. All I could see is what I've already been shown when I close my eyes at night. Goddamnit!"

As she spat her curse, Nadya got up abruptly & angrily threw her chair across the room as it hit the wall where the window was, landing on its side. General Belov & the monk both took a step back in surprise of the young agent's sudden outburst as the former's cat leapt out & hid itself underneath the desk, meowing softly.

"Nadya…?", said the monk.

Realizing what she'd done, the young agent quickly calmed herself down & went to fix her chair, sitting down by the window & placing a hand to her head in guilt & shame.

"Please forgive me, gentlemen", she says apologetically. "I didn't mean to snap like that. It's not either of you or even my 'gift' that I'm frustrated with – it's the war itself. I suppose it's gotten to me more than I first realized. Damn it all: if only former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had seen through Hitler's ruse & attacked Germany first four years ago, we probably wouldn't be knee-deep in a second global conflict right now!"

Tears started flowing from her eyes as both men walked to Nadya as the monk placed a hand on her shoulder, & she looked up. Neither had a look of irritation on his face to her, but of deep comfort.

"You're not alone in feeling that way about this Second World War, Nadya. We're all feeling the stress of it, so please don't ever think that you need to carry the burden of it all by yourself", said General Belov. "And as for Neville Chamberlain, the man only did what he thought was right at the time: a good President or even Prime Minister will try & talk problems over with another nation before having to resort to engaging in combat with them. Hitler was just a bit more clever than Chamberlain, unfortunately. And don't forget, Nadya – we were also deceived by Hitler ourselves when he broke the treaty with us & attacked our homeland last year. That makes it as much our fault as it was Neville's for buying into Hitler's deceit, & it almost cost us more than just our country."

Then the monk added in his two cents, wiping Nadya's eyes with a small cloth.

"At least his successor & good friend Winston Churchill didn't fall for any of his antics, & showed a strong sense of defiance towards Hitler during the Battle of Britain just two years ago."

That got a smile from Nadya, & almost a chuckle.

"True. He's the Prime Minister England was waiting for, & he sure didn't disappoint when the British did their best to Hitler's worst."

Unlike the young agent, both General Belov & the monk let out a chuckle they couldn't suppress.

"Well said, Nadya", the monk replied. "And we're going to be showing that same attitude to the Nazi forces that are currently clashing with ours over at Baku & Stalingrad, like the American forces are doing with those of Imperial Japan along the Pacific. Already they've scored big with their Doolittle Raid in April, & during the Battles at the Coral Sea & Midway this past May & June."

"Yes, I've been catching up on all those reports in the papers as well as on the radio", Nadya said, rising from her seat. "If it's all the same, General, I'd like to retire to my quarters now. It's been a long day."

"That it has. Permission granted, Agent N", Belov said. "A peaceful night's rest will do you a world of good."

"Indeed. And if you happen to have any more of those dreams, Nadya, simply relax & let your subconscious do most of the work for you", the monk advised. "Who knows? Perhaps you'll get a better view of what they entail."

Nadya nodded.

"I'll do that. See you two in the morning", she says, heading for the door. When she exits, the monk & General Belov stare briefly at each other, then back to where Nadya departed. Both men were worried about Nadya's new dreams, fearing that it could be of something other than a new spiritual force, or one that just might, albeit a very slim chance, that it is of the supernatural, & that it's somehow cleverly disguised itself from the Sixth Division's radar.

Should that be the case, then Russia – and perhaps the rest of the Allied Forces & the world itself – are in deeper trouble than they had first believed.

But General Belov was more concentrated on what Nadya said about the needles of teeth.

Needles of teeth…, he repeated to himself.

He would be musing over that though for the rest of the night.

9:15 p.m.:

Nadya didn't go to sleep right away when she went to her private room in the Kremlin, which was set up by her commanding officer to prevent another attack on her life like last time, when her driver was killed by the Nazi Twins as she ran off into the city to elude her duo assassins, if barely. She thought about Neville Chamberlain's utter failure to induce 'Peace in our time' with Adolf Hitler as he labored in 1938 to prevent a second world war from taking place.

She can still hear his voice & his words as Chamberlain spoke to England on September 3, 1939:

'I am speaking to you from the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street. This morning the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German Government a final note stating that unless we heard from them by 11:00, that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received, & that consequently, this country is at war with Germany. You can imagine what a bitter blow it is to me that all my long struggle to win peace has failed. Yet I cannot believe that there is anything more or anything different I could have done, & that would have been more successful. Up to the very last it would have been quite possible to have arranged a peaceful & honorable settlement between Germany & Poland, but Hitler would not have it.'

As Neville stated, Hitler made up his mind, & that the only way to win peace between the two nations was to go to war & stop Germany's chancellor & his troops by nothing short of force.Even though the late former British Prime Minister did fail in negotiating peace between nations, it was still a nice thought to envision even now.

But Garden of Eden visions are no more help to winning wars than cartoons & live-action comedy shorts that poke fun at aggressive nations are.

Kid gloves in wars like this second global conflict are a surefire way to meet one's demise on the battlefront.

Nadya came to terms of accepting that fact, especially since discovering she has a sixth sense than enables her to see into the future to a degree, among her other abilities.

At least you tried, Mr. Chamberlain, she thought to herself with a sigh.

Having exhausted her energy in both body & mind, she gets into her nightgown & under the covers of the bed in her private room, her sword placed on the side. Dangling from the handle is a small pink bear with red scarf & star over one eye – a prize her teammate Leo won for her during a summer carnival.

In no time, Nadya was fast asleep.

The depths of space:

The Predator's ship was all but less than a day away from reaching Earth, its course kept steady by the pilots.

In the armament chamber, Twin-Tooth & his Yautja warriors were gearing up for the hunt that was sure to be in wait at their destination. Body armor of different styles & color tones were adorned on each going to its surface, with armaments including shoulder cannons, singular or double wristblades, retractable spears that can double as clubs, two kinds of discs with razor-sharp edges or six curved blades that can be thrown like Frisbees & return like boomerangs, whips which are deadly barbed, & Y-shaped darts that were pointed on all ends.

For extra security, long jagged daggers were placed in sheaths on the sides of their shins, & a few even sheathed long machete-like swords that were strapped around their chests. A bandolier of three-pointed metal stars joined these on Twin-Tooth's chest & his second & third in command – two warriors named Cougar & Thresher. Cougar was almost as experienced as Twin-Tooth & younger, having earned nearly as many kills & trophies as the elder Yautja warrior. His flesh was yellow & brown in color, & his body armor/facemask was a dark crimson. Thresher was another young but capable leader, his flesh being peach in color with purple patches. His body armor was a deep blue, & his facemask had twin points on the sides that curved towards the front. His wrist gauntlets each held a single blade that were the length of his arms, & he uses them in a quick-striking threshing manner, hence his name.

He has killed many prey with his trademark method, up to & including countless Xenomorphs.

Twin-Tooth's body armor was silver, & his facemask sported twin spike formations that made a V-shape on the top. Over each eye was a triangular bump like the start of more horns.

After instructing the rest of his clan to put their own facemasks of various designs on, Twin-Tooth addressed the eager warriors of what to expect when they reach Earth in their language. He explains to them of the current conflicts the humans on the planet are engaged in, along with confirmation of their other favorite prey that reside with them.

Hearing the facts of having both game in the same place made the Yautja warriors cry out in joy, raising their fists to show it. Quieting the crowd, Twin-Tooth concludes that they will reach the Earth in a day or two, & urges each of his young hunters to get their rest before the big hunting party of both humans & aliens.

Eager as they were to begin the hunt, Twin-Tooth's soldiers remained patient.

They know their patience will be well worth it.

CHAPTER III

Nadya went about inside the Kremlin, sword & flashlight by her side.

But the famed Russian building had a décor unlike anything she'd ever seen: almost everywhere she looked, the place was covered in some unearthly material that seemed to be a sickly combination of machinery & organics that was aligned on the floor, ceiling & walls. Even the furniture didn't escape its wrath, & some were broken in pieces being weighed down, unable to support it. The lights from above – although dim – shined upon its slick wet surface, & areas glistened which were either wet or covered with a dried clear epoxy-like substance that's reminiscent of rubber cement, but in far greater quantity.

The smell of the substance & the surrounding air made Nadya nauseous.

What she discovered upon entering & shining her light in the next room made her want to gag & throw up.

Instead, she gasped at what was the ultimate horror show: embedded along the walls were several soldiers, kept in place by the epoxy gook which hardened like cement. Some bodies were hung like Jesus was on the cross when he died for humanity's sins. Others were twisted wrecks, their arms, legs & bodies bending in unnatural positions in which only a double-jointed circus performer could achieve without injury.

All had one thing in common – in each of their chests was an exposed hole with their rib cages bent outwards, as if something from inside pushed its way out.

Many of them were soldiers she'd worked with previously, but hardly remembered their names.

But to her dismay, a couple of them Nadya did remember: a man & woman dressed in circus outfits, & four teens – three guys & a girl – that struck her with clear & eerie definition.

The five corpses suspended on the wall of horror are her mother & father, & the four teens were Leo, Zina, Valya & Marat, from her First Squad group.

Nadya felt her gorge rising, & fought to keep it down.

Only when she finished did she hear soft moaning over to her right. Placing her light to the sound's origin, Nadya froze as if encased in ice: the monk that saved her from the air raid & her commanding officer General Belov were both among the grisly bodies, their faces seemingly drained of blood, making them look more zombie-like than normal.

Unlike the others, their chests were whole.

Both let out another moan as they try to speak, their voices just as drained & lifeless as they were.

"Nadya…", the monk got out in a croak of a voice, his face that in sheer horror. He called her name again, & the young agent trembled in the sweltering heat. Then it was General Belov's turn to call her name, his tone just as broken & decayed as the monk's.

"Kill…me…Nadya…", he managed to get out. "Please…kill me…before it's too…"

Nadya couldn't begin to fulfil her commanding officer's wish. All she could do was stare in stupefied horror at what was displayed before her.

Things took a turn for the worse when both the monk & Belov coughed up a glob of blood. Nadya barely said the General's name before he & the monk began crying out in pain. Before Nadya could ask either one of them what was wrong, their chests began to bulge from underneath their garments. The agony increased with each passing second, & a stain of blood was spreading where the bulge was occurring. Their cries became more frantic as the flesh of their chests stretched like they were made of rubber, their seams ready to split.

One moment they were in unspeakable agony.

In the next, they were gone: twin blasts of blue-white energy struck the monk & General Belov square in their chests where the bulge took place, the heat blasting a hole clean through them as the wound was neatly cauterized. The inside of their corpses started smoking as if acid was poured there. The sight of seeing two of the people she respected over most others being killed right before her caused Nadya to hyperventilate, & she fought to stay on her feet as her legs felt like they were made of rubber.

She was about to utter Belov's name when she heard a cackling sound behind her: it was the same one that she'd listened to on numerous occasions before, only now it was closer to her than ever. She turned around to shine her light & reveal what's been torturing her the last few weeks, but like a lightning bolt a small shiny object struck her flashlight & knocked it out of her hands, plunging the room in near-darkness.

The object flew by so fast that Nadya couldn't tell what it was, & the impact made her yelp in surprise.

Placing her hand on her sword, Nadya strained her eyes to see what was making the sound. She vowed to avenge all those dead by killing whatever she now faced, as she now prepares to make those responsible for their horrid demise pay with their own lives in a slow & torturous manner.

The only problem with that is, there wasn't anyone or anything there – at first.

When Nadya was finally able to make out the enemy, she sees only a pair of shimmers standing next to each other, measuring a height of about two meters tall. A pair of yellow lights briefly flashed where their eyes should be.

The enemies in my dreams…they're ghosts?, Nadya thought before two patterns of triangular red dots shone upon her forehead & chest, followed by several more on her person. It was like she was being targeted as a bulls-eye for whatever she now stood firmly with.

Nadya unsheathed her sword an inch with her thumb, ready to wield it & strike down what killed her friends & family. But the shimmers were even quicker: as one, they fired a single shot of blue-white energy at the young agent.

Nadya had no time to do anything but scream as they closed in on her in the blink of an eye.

The Kremlin, Tuesday, September 1st, 1942, 5:30 a.m.:

Nadya woke in bed with her forehead sweating, & she placed a hand to her chest in an attempt to control & slow down her frantic breathing. She was able to maintain her composure after several moments, focusing on one thing at a time & bring her heartbeat down to a normal level of function. When she looked out the window with its blinds up, she saw & felt the rays of the morning's sunshine upon her.

When she saw the time on the clock, she threw the covers off her & got out of bed. She was still a tad drowsy, but all thoughts of sleep were depraved as she got herself dressed & fixed up before grabbing her sword & exiting her room. As she got to the ground level of the Kremlin, she heard a multitude of activity before seeing it: men & women in hurried runs going to & from their stations, some carrying out orders from their communiques, some shuffling papers over to others in a rush.

It's been pandemonium before Nadya was even up & about from her troubled slumber. Even if she wanted to go back to sleep, the energy level was too high for her to do so.

Above all else, she had to see her commanding officer ASAP.

A female secretary whose name Nadya couldn't remember suddenly stops before her in her mad rush with a sheath of papers in her hands. She was a couple of years older than the young agent, with short brown hair & lips of red. Were the circumstances different, she'd flash a bright toothy smile – that is what Nadya remembered her for.

But today, her expression was as grim as everyone else within Russia's famed building.

"Oh, Nadya!", she said. "Sorry about surprising you like that, sweetie – I clearly didn't see you there!"

"What's going on here? Why is everyone dashing around crazily this early?", Nadya asked the girl.

"Haven't you heard? The fighting over at Stalingrad just got a whole lot heavier, & the forces on the defensive are in dire need of backup support! We've been this active since 4:30 a.m., with barely enough time to enjoy a speedy breakfast!"

"Do you know where General Belov is? I need to see him right away!"

"If the circumstances were different, I'd gladly take you to him myself! But the General's been giving the orders to deploy reinforcements to our troops, & he's been up even before us! Belov gave specific orders to not be disturbed by anyone, & I mean anyone!"

"Including me?"

"That's what 'to not be disturbed by anyone' means, Nadya. I'm sorry, sweetie." The girl looked at her watch. "I have to go now, hon! One more thing: the General also wants you to stay put here in the building today, so please don't go wandering off anywhere in the city!"

The girl does the opposite & takes off even before she finished speaking like she was running late to the office, leaving Nadya on her lonesome. The young agent watched her disappear from sight into the bustling crowd, her mind going into overdrive. Should she go & see General Belov anyway despite being swamped with barking orders at troops to gain support to the forces currently engaged with the Nazis at Stalingrad? Nadya has more vital information about what her dreams have shown her, & felt it was imperative to inform him of these new details – the sooner, the better.

But the last thing she wanted to do was deprive her commanding officer of being in charge of a situation that was vital to the cause of the war, even for the briefest of moments. His duties were just as important as hers.

There was, however, someone she can consult with about her visions, & she doubted he was preoccupied with an important a task as giving orders over the radio to fighting battalions at Stalingrad.

The monk! I'll go speak to him with the new information about my dreams!, Nadya thought as she took off down the hall to begin her search.

She only hoped the monk was still in the building & available.

Stalingrad, 8:45 a.m.:

The city lay in utter ruins as fighting from both land & air forces decimated much of the area, leaving thousands dead & dying under the rubble. German Messerschmitt Bf110 C-2s, Heinkel He 111 H-20s & Junkers Ju 88A-4 planes of the German Luftwaffe bombed the city mercilessly like they had done in London & other British cities after their failure at the Battle of Britain, while Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4s, Focke-Wulf Fw-190 A-3s & Junkers Ju 87D-3 Stuka planes strafed any ground troops & any Red Air Force aircraft. Russian Bell P-39Q Airacobras, LaGG-3 series 7-11s, Ilyushin IL-2M3 Sturmoviks & Petlyakov PE-2 dive bomber planes intercepted & counterattacked the invading Nazis, engaging in an aerial dogfight not seen since 1940's aforementioned battle in England.

Both sides inflicted heavy casualties as planes & pilots went down in fiery holocausts before exploding onto the ground like giant bombs.

Heavily armed Panzer tanks, personnel carriers & semi-track Sd Kfz 7 tractors with 88mm anti-aircraft guns in the rear thundered across the late summer soil. Though the Sd Kfz 7 tractors were primarily & currently in use with Erwin Rommel's reign in North Africa, Hitler felt that he could spare a significant few for their second siege in Russia, among elsewhere. These ground vehicles were confronted by the Red Army's KV-1A & KV-2 heavy tanks along with the BM-13 Katyusha, which can fire up to about eight high-powered rockets with devastating results. In the past couple hours, the BM-13s had wiped out a good number of advancing Nazis, but in turn met the same demise as bombers had destroyed all but two of these incredible Russian weapons, taking a number of soldiers with them when they exploded into useless scrap.

The KV-1A & 2 heavy tanks met similar fates from the barrels of the 88mm anti-aircraft guns, capable of hitting a target from 14, 815 meters away horizontally & 7,620 meters in a vertical position. Each tank that was to be on the receiving end of the 20-21 pound shell was blasted to bits, vehicle, operators & all. It was why the majority of these guns & their vehicles were now in use by Rommel, & why he enjoyed having them in his possession.

Commanding on the Russian line is Captain Alexander Nemov, the man who led his troops to victory in early January to dispel & capture the remaining German forces of Operation Barbarossa, little realizing he was being targeted by unseen forces from the netherworld & rescued by a 14-year-old girl & her deceased friends to complete his mission.

A pair of Messerschmitt BF109s came crashing down along with a badly beat up LaGG-3 & Bell P-39Q fighter, making their graves in an abandoned building as it caved in & collapsed around each craft. The explosions that came forth were nearby & deafening. Nemov didn't budge from his personal KV-2 tank, standing out of the top entrance.

"Dammit, Captain! We're being decimated out here!", cried a soldier. "What do we do?!"

"What we've been ordered to, soldier – defend Stalingrad at any & all costs!", Nemov said.

"How can we, sir?! Our forces have dropped to less than 50% in the last few hours, & we're still losing men & machines by the minute! If this keeps up, our unit will be nothing more than a memory! Captain, we need to make a fast retreat & reorganize!"

Alexander Nemov shook his head.

"That's not an option, soldier!", he firmly stated. "We hold the line & make a stand here, like we've been given strict orders to! We cave in now, we could very well lose Russia to the Nazis with no chance of regaining it!"

"And that's precisely why we need to retreat, sir! If we're going to draw them back and…"

"If we do that, we'll never draw them back & out of the country! Maybe then you'd like to explain that to the Premier – if we make it out alive!"

That last statement shut the arguing soldier up. During the previous Nazi invasion, Russia's Premier Josef Stalin would not allow anyone – absolutely anyone – in the Red Army to withdraw for any reason, & those that had suffered the consequences & the ultimate price. Some were beginning to wonder if their Soviet leader was exactly like Adolf Hitler himself, or even worse than Germany's chancellor.

For a lot of the men, that was saying something.

All the same, they daren't disobey Stalin's orders.

"No sir, I don't", the soldier said, defeated.

"Good to hear it", Nemov said. "Now, get on the radio & tell the troops to prepare a final push! When I give the word, everyone is to hit harder than they've ever done before! If we do go out, then make sure you do it fighting & take the enemy with you! Understand?"

"Yes sir!"

As he was getting on the radio to carry out his orders, another soldier called out & got Nemov's attention.

"Captain! Look up there, sir!", he said, pointing skywards. Alexander & his men looked up to see a strange sight: the German Luftwaffe in battle with the Red Air Force were veering off to one side & making a hasty retreat, refusing to fire another bullet or drop another bomb at advancing planes or ground troops/vehicles.

A cackle on the radio gave more news, odd as it may seem to the Red Army.

"Sir…the Nazi's ground troops are turning around & heading in the opposite direction, away from Stalingrad's outskirts! Shall we give chase?"

It was weird news to hear for everyone: Hitler's forces were more or less gaining the upper hand in the battle for Stalingrad, dropping more than half of the Red Army's troops, planes & vehicles in defenses, crippling the region & ruining a huge portion of the city when suddenly they were cutting out & running away from this grand attack where it looked as if they would emerge out on top?

Even those who wanted to withdraw were stupefied by this abrupt tactic by the Nazis, & even they didn't buy it.

Alexander got on the radio.

"No, tell everyone to hold your positions & keep a sharp lookout for anything, preferably a renewed assault!", he ordered. "If I know those Nazi bastards, they wouldn't just cut out & run like this! They're planning to do something, & I want our squadron to be at as full strength as it possibly can! Stay alert & be ready for anything!"

"Understood, sir!", the radio said before signing off.

Alexander Nemov & his men waited with baited breath.

What are you swastika shits up to?, he wondered with a scowl.

A mile from Stalingrad, fifteen minutes later:

The Nazi commander waited for the official word from his troops before beginning with the second stage of the Fuehrer's planned assault. His sergeant gets off the radio after listening to the full report from his Kubelwagen vehicle & relays the news to his superior.

"Commander!", he says. "The troops have all withdrawn & maintained a safe distance from Stalingrad! We can begin with phase two at your whim, sir!"

"Excellent, Sergeant! Order the men to get into position & begin the second phase at once!", the commander said as they salute one another. Getting back on his radio, the Sergeant gives the green light to commence. A minute later, over three dozen German trucks & tanks emerge in perfect parallel unison across the landscape behind the men at just 90 feet away. Attached to each tank/truck was a steel tractor bed that carried a large steel container that was the size of a truck's rear compartment. The convoy then turned to the left while keeping their rhythm & never going out of synch as they come to a stop just as abruptly as they'd appeared. With the convoy facing away from Stalingrad, the ends of each steel container with its singular opening faced directly at the city.

"They're all in place, Commander!", said the Sergeant.

"Good! Have the men set the timers on the containers, then retreat to a safe distance themselves! We don't want to be in the vicinity when we…let the jackals loose!"

He said the last statement with an evil malicious grin, which was shared by all.

At the Sergeant's word, the drivers of each vehicle carry out their orders & scramble away, wanting to get as far as possible when the timers expire. On the ends of the containers lay a small timer that counts down with a little vial of acid at the handle. When they reach zero, the vial releases its acidic content & eats through the handles, dissolving the mechanisms & allowing the doors to crack open with a slight creak.

At the lip of every container, a pair of six-fingered clawed hands emerge as hissing escapes the clenched mouth of what they were attached to.

Stalingrad:

Alexander Nemov's nerves were just as on edge as those of his men. For over an hour since the Nazis withdrew from the city, there's been no sight or sign of them anywhere, be it in or near the area. It was an unorthodox method the enemy was pulling on the Red Army, & it made Alexander's stomach more queasy the more he thought about it.

But he knows that the Nazis will return.

He only wished he knew when.

The radio sparked to life, & Alexander gave it his full attention.

"Captain Nemov, come in!", it said as Alexander grabbed the receiver & spoke into it.

"This is Nemov! Go ahead!"

"Captain, there's…something coming our way at a great speed, sir!"

"What kind of something, soldier? Give me a full description! Is it more Nazi troops, tanks, what?"

"Truth be told, Captain…I don't know what to call them! But whatever they are, they move like a living tidal wave or insect swarm, & they're not slowing down either!"

"If they're not going to slow down, then they're targets that need to be put down! Concentrate your fire on this swarm & drive them away! Copy?"

"Yes sir, we'll…what the hell…JESUS CHRIST, GOD!"

The sudden outburst made Captain Nemov jumpy as hell, especially when he & his men hear sounds of gunfire, men shouting orders, crying in terror & getting killed, mixed in by that of eerie screeching of some animal neither Alexander nor any of his men had ever heard before. The troops under his command listened in to the sounds of utter carnage, & many had chills run up their spines.

"Captain! These…things are heading right for Stalingrad! Be on the lookout for…no! AAAAHHHH!"

The sound of that horrid screeching in conjunction with the dying soldier's terrified cries froze the blood of Alexander's troops, & more than a few had their faces drained as sweat started to drench their foreheads. Even Nemov was beginning to get a chill in the summer heat, & he's starting to feel that maybe retreating could very well be a good thing to consider after all.

He would consider it, if only he didn't fear Premier Stalin more than the Nazis or whatever's killing his troops on the outskirts of Stalingrad.

"Captain? Your orders, sir?", asked one soldier.

"Same as before – we stand & fight this menace, whatever it is!", he said. "Everyone take your positions!"

The men were somewhat skeptical & afraid, but they followed their commands & made a barrier within the city, aiming armed men & machines in the direction the enemy was most likely to come at. Guns & tank barrels were placed in position, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

For twenty minutes that felt like forever, there was nothing – no sounds of men dying, gunfire, or screeching. Not even the men dared to breathe out loud or make the slightest cough.

It was quiet as a tomb in Stalingrad.

That changed when the first few intruders appeared from windows & leaped just as silently down onto the men, pouncing on them like black wraiths. With the sounds of these men & monsters battling it out, all pandemonium broke loose: almost instantly as the first couple of aliens came down on their first victims & slaughtered them, the rest of the horde made themselves known & came in like a living wave, just like the soldier from the outer perimeter described it as.

What Alexander Nemov was seeing can be described as nothing short of a slaughterhouse: men left & right were being stabbed in their bodies by tails that ended in points that were like razors; some were cleanly beheaded by these very appendages, leaving streams of blood as they flew through the air; some got their heads impaled by the creature's inner mouths, going through flesh & bone with ease & blowing a hole out the other end in a spray of ichor; those who were able to get their guns ready fired at the creatures, but they moved so fast that hardly any of their shots connected with their inhuman targets. When they did connect, the things splashed a yellow acid-like substance that ate through their flesh & bone, causing men to cry out in extreme agony before the monsters put them out of their misery.

Most, however, were eviscerated where they stood as human body parts flew every which way in mists of red & flying organs, littering the city streets with human remains.

So engulfed was he in watching this real-life horror show that Alexander almost didn't see one of the creatures heading straight for him, coming in from his right side.

Oh, shit!, he cursed to himself, sinking into his tank & closing the lid a split-second before the monster arrived.

Its fists pounded on the lid as Alexander closed it tight, the sound echoing through the armored vehicle like a pair of jackhammers before a gunshot caused the monster to cry out as the round went straight through its elongated skull & falling to the ground with a thump.

Alexander did not dare to open the tank's lid: just because the one that nearly got them is dead, there were many more to take its place, their numbers acting like the mythical Hydra.

"Captain…what are these things?!", one of the soldiers inside asked, clearly freaked by what he'd seen.

"Some brand new weapons of the Nazis, I'd say!", Nemov said. "I don't know where they got them, but it's up to us to make sure they don't advance any further than these city limits! God forbid if they should reach anywhere else like in Baku or even Moscow…"

On the Captain's last statement, the tank operator was listening to his headset & relays the news orally.

"Help is on the way, Captain! The Red Air Force heard the commotion on their radios, & they're already en route back to our position!"

"Good! In the meantime, let's see if we can give some assistance from within this tank!", Nemov ordered. "Get us rolling & start shooting at anything that's not human!"

"Yes sir!"

The KV-2 moved on its treads as the trio within manned the turret & guns, firing at whatever had a pointed tail, banana-shaped head & teeth like needles. The turret cannon blasted away several of the aliens into pieces, their acidic fluid eating whatever it touched. In the front & rear, the machine guns blazed away at the creatures from far off and up close. Five minutes pass before they hear a sound that's music to their ears.

That of the Red Air Force.

One of the lead planes – a Petlyakov Pe-2 – announced their arrival, & next was the happy sound of machine gun fire from oncoming aircraft. But the joy was short-lived as more arriving planes came & attacked their airborne cavalry as the German Luftwaffe reappeared & starting strafing Russian planes to prevent their cutting down the alien creatures the Nazis have turned loose upon the Red Army.

Because of the Luftwaffe's surprise attack, the Red Air Force lost many planes during the first swoop.

Having his forces crushed from the air above and on the ground, Alexander's heart sank like a stone.

The Western Front:

Once the swarm of aliens were gone, the vehicles departed the area to allow the second caravan to come in & unleash their deadly cargo upon their Russian foes. The Sergeant heard the news reports from one of their spies over at the area of battle, & he grinned big.

"Good news, Sergeant?", the commander asked.

"Most excellent news, Commander!", he said, removing his headset. "The creature army is in full swing, & have cut down nearly half their numbers in just minutes!"

"And the Russian Air Force? Are they being dealt with to prevent their interference?"

"Jawohl, Commander! Our spy has confirmed a loss of close to 45% in Russian planes! Our superior Luftwaffe has hit them hard & mostly unawares!"

"Wunderbar, Sergeant! With things progressing this good, we shall soon win this war! Herr Mussolini was right: these creatures are the perfect soldiers & killing machines, with none of the emotional human baggage to weigh them down! And once we've conquered Russia & its people, England, the United States & their allies shall soon tremble under our might! Herr Hitler & our Axis partners will be most pleased!"

The Commander & his Nazis cheer in triumph, each one envisioning his own version of post-war Earth in Hitler, Mussolini & Tojo's image. A soldier was in the midst of his own fantasy with a big grin on his face when it abruptly disappears from his face, & he stares at the Commander's chest.

Their leader takes notice, & becomes none too happy.

"What is it? Why have you stopped cheering? Speak up!", he demanded.

But the man could not: he kept staring at the unusual pattern placed on the Commander's chest, who looks down & sees a trio of red dots in a triangular formation. He was just as confused by this as the soldier had been.

What the hell…?, he thought, when he was suddenly struck in that very same spot the trio of crimson dots were placed. A blast of blue-white energy blasted a hole in his chest, spraying his insides out of his back as the momentum threw him backwards & onto the ground, his wound cauterized & smoking.

"Commander?!", the Sergeant started to say before he was hit himself in the head by a small Y-shaped object which literally came out of nowhere. The men unsheathed their guns & aimed at where they saw the blast of energy had originated from which killed their leader, & were faced with…

Nothing?

No, they were looking at something: an armada of distortions in the air stood twenty feet away, with some of them flashing a pair of yellow lights briefly before vanishing. A cackling sound emitted from these shimmers in the air, & the Nazis wondered if the Russian summer heat was starting to play cruel tricks on them.

Their commander & sergeant's corpses were no hallucinatory trick.

Whatever they were staring at, they were real.

"What the hell are those things?!", one Nazi asked.

"Who cares?! They killed our leaders, so let's return the favor!", shouted another, giving the others Nazis all the motivation they need as they squeezed triggers & let bullets fly in the direction of the semi-invisible assassins, all of which charged the Nazis & extended forearm-mounted wristblades.

No bullets found their marks, but the shimmers all hit theirs with their weapons as men screamed in terror for a few seconds before being silenced & Nazi blood spilled across the Russian landscape.

The onslaught lasted for less than a minute.

Stalingrad:

The Russian city streets were awash in bodies both human & alien, with wrecked planes from German Luftwaffe & Russian Red Air Force adding to the horrid mix. Most of the Red Army soldiers were killed by the alien horde, & the ones who were still alive after the slaughter took refuge inside ruined buildings, using the surrounding area for cover.

It was helpful for only a couple of minutes: in almost no time at all the aliens found & massacred the surviving Russian soldiers in the savage fashion the creatures were known for, & with the second wave of acid-blooded monsters now entering the city, their chances of seeing the next day were slim to nil.

Captain Alexander Nemov & his two soldiers in the KV-2 tank weren't faring any better: their treads were non-operational after having them break off from an acid bath running over one of the creatures, stranding them in one spot with nothing but a moving turret & two machine guns to keep them alive with.

Being stuck inside the now-immobile machine with no way out didn't help matters.

"What can we do, Captain?", the turret operator asked as he blasts away several more creatures. "We're trapped in this sardine can with no mobility, & these monsters have been coming at us for close to an hour now without any signs of letting up or retreating! On top of that, our rescue is preoccupied with those German bastards up in the air & can't lend us a hand down here!"

Even Nemov had to admit it looked very bad from his point of view: the black nightmares had all but wiped out a few of his squadron, who will undoubtedly be dead shortly due to their prowess & merciless nature, the Luftwaffe has their air rescue in another severe dogfight, & neither he nor his men can get out & make a run for it, knowing that the monsters outside will tear them apart with hardly any effort. And with the sun bearing down on their tank, it was making the inside feel like an oven.

If they don't get slashed to death, then they'll roast to death.

He holds on for all it's worth, aside from the horrid misfortunes they've been suffering.

"Keep it together, soldier!", he says. "It's bad, I know! But as long as that turret & those guns can still shoot, we're not going down easily! Just keep them in your sights & blast them to whatever hell they crawled out of!"

A mix of hissing & claw scratching brought their attention back to the situation, & the soldier manning the rear gun opened fire with a powerful blast that blew the attacking alien in half, its dying screech echoing the tank's inside. A roar of propellers combined with gunfire & more dying screeching became a hopeful sound to Alexander & his men; looking out from ports, they get a welcome sight of Bell P-39Q Airacobra & LaGG-3 Russian planes who have broken through the German Luftwaffe horde to lend their much-needed assistance & concentrate their fire at whatever aliens were on the ground & in plain sight, their guns mowing down creature after creature like they were plowing fields of corn. Each monster that was hit exploded in a shower of black steel-hard skin & yellow acidic fluid, dissolving what the latter landed at.

Any Luftwaffe planes that tried to intercept them were done so themselves by the hard-hitting Ilyushin IL-2 & Petlyakov Pe-2 planes, even offering themselves some occasional bombing assist when there was a cluster of the black nightmares.

In the crippled KV-2, Alexander & his two soldiers smiled with relief.

Just when we needed a miracle!, the Captain thought with glee.

"Perfect timing, sir! Those planes are giving us just the break we've been looking for!", said the turret operator.

"They certainly are, soldier!", Nemov said. "All right, listen up! When I give the word, we exit the tank & find us some better shelter elsewhere! If we're lucky, we'll find another tank with working treads & continue to blast away whatever of these monsters are left! We move fast, we move with the utmost stealth, & most importantly, we move as a group! Understand?"

The men nod at once.

But then, new kind of sounds hit their ears: one was that of several guns that's been fired one after the other, & was immediate followed up by multiple explosions that felt more in the air than on the ground. Alexander & his men looked through the ports to see several planes go down in fiery holocausts – some with the Russian Red Star, others with the Nazi Iron Cross on their wings/fuselage.

Whatever those guns were, they weren't ones the three Russians have ever heard of, let alone seen before.

What in the Kremlin's name was that?!, Alexander thought, wishing he could see more than just the aftermath.

He gets what he mentally asks for when he witnesses a small volley of blue-white energy that were all literally coming from out of thin air, it seemed. The Captain & his men watched as these blasts of unknown energy streaked skywards, blasting planes of both Russian Red Air Force and German Luftwaffe into oblivion: Airacobras, LaGG-3, Ilyushin, Petlyakov, Junkers, Stuka, Focke-Wulf & Messerschmitt aircraft became targets of some unseen enemies that appeared from out of the blue. Even tanks & Russian troops that were blasting away at the alien monstrosities fell victim to this new enemy, followed by the monsters themselves & any leftover German troops & ground vehicles.

From his vantage point, the spy that entered the city to report the area of battle saw the sudden turn of tide in the conflict, dumbfounded & disturbed by what he was seeing. Getting on his radio, he places his headset on & turns a few dials, reporting in to his superiors at the abrupt change of events.

"Commander! This is Agent #36 reporting in from Stalingrad!", he began. "The battle has taken a turn for the worse, sir! A multitude of unknown assailants have just entered the battlefield & started blazing away at both friend & foe alike, including at the creatures themselves! Already over 1/3 of our Luftwaffe forces have suffered at their hands, & now they're launching a barrage at…"

So hurriedly was the agent making his report that he failed to notice that his radio wasn't sending or receiving any transmissions on account of the static he was hearing.

"Hello? Commander? Sergeant? Anyone!", he called into his receiver as he turned knobs & flicked switches, the results still the same.

It wasn't the only thing he failed to take notice of: from behind the man, a pair of aliens stealthily snuck up on the unsuspecting agent until they were literally looming over him. Only when their shadows became seen did the agent turn & witness the horrors engulf his small frail form, a chill running through him like a steady stream. Wet epoxy droll had dripped from their mouths like leaky faucets.

Silently, the agent reached for his Luger pistol stashed on his belt in the front.

It was too little, too late: the man was only able to get it out & halfway before the aliens struck him in the head with their inner mouths, giving him a second or two to scream before he expired & never getting off even one shot. The aliens then lashed out at the dead man with their inner jaws, puncturing his skull with ease like it was made of soft flesh instead of hard bone. Blood & brain matter spluttered out of each new strike as the creatures feasted inside his head.

In an ironic twist of fate, the twin monsters failed to notice a presence behind them.

A pair of the Yautja suddenly dematerialized behind the alien's backs & struck both beasts on top their banana-shaped heads with their jagged daggers in a simultaneous manner. The aliens screeched briefly before falling silent & both alien hunters pulled their weapons out, their blades smoking but did not dissolve. Pushing the dead creatures to one side, the hunters turned 180 degrees to the sound of more hissing & found themselves face-to-face with a horde of about twelve to fourteen more aliens standing at the opposite side of the room the agent occupied in the building. One of the Predators takes out a club which extends to a double-pointed spear as the other extends his wristblades to their full length on his right forearm cuff, holding a razor-disc on his other. Their shoulder cannons were also set up at the press of a hidden button, & their targeting systems were up & about.

Unleashing boisterous growls, the Yautja hunters charged at the alien horde which was doing the same.

Slashes, stabs, & energy blasts ensued as alien bodies & blood flew everywhere.

The city streets & skies above:

Within the confines of his immobile tank, Alexander & his men did nothing except view the stunning spectacle which was unfolding in the ruined city of Stalingrad: planes from the German Luftwaffe & Russian Red Air Force were getting shot down over the skies like clay pigeons by beams of energy that were being fired from…shimmers in the air, of what Alexander can see. He'd been seeing this scenario for about ten to fifteen minutes now, & he couldn't tell if he was hallucinating from the heat that was becoming close to unbearable within his tank or if it was wartime propaganda like some soldiers experienced during the First World War a quarter of a century ago.

But deep down, he knew he couldn't be hallucinating: planes, vehicles & living things don't get shot at & killed by shimmers or ghosts that shoot beams of blue-white energy, & their death & destruction was all but too real for it to be propaganda of any kind.

Whatever those shimmers in the air are, they were wiping out friend, foe & monster alike with ease.

Unless he acts & does something soon, he & his men will be next.

"Is this radio still working, soldier?", Alexander asked, taking the headset.

"There's a bit of static, sir, but it's functional!", he answered. "You're not seriously calling in some more help, are you?! They'll only get wiped out!"

"What else is there to do?! Stay here & we end up like they are!"

Alexander Nemov got on the wire & called for some serious reinforcements as a trio of aliens prowl the tank's exterior – two on the side, & one in front. The one at the tank's front was rising to its full height before a pair of energy blasts blew it apart like a balloon full of acid. Unfortunately for Alexander & his troops, the blast also shot their vehicle off the ground about ten feet, doing a flip in midair before crashing down on its side, jarring its occupants & opening the lid from the impact. Alexander's two men were the most shaken up, & it was from more than just the blast.

Between the fighting from land & air & the shimmers killing everything in sight, they were both on the verge of hysteria. Finally, they could take no more, & they used their remaining strength to crawl out of the KV-2, get on their feet & run like the devil was on their tails.

Alexander had tried to stop them, but the blast & rough landing left him more jarred than his men, & he was only able to make it out halfway through the tank entrance before coming to a stop, his strength all but drained away. All he could do was watch as his men ran off, getting ten feet – and be killed.

Like lightning with two legs, arms, a head & tail, two of the aliens rushed at & snagged his men as they screamed in terror for two seconds until an inner set of fangs silenced them by smashing a hole in their foreheads.

Three seconds after that, they too met their makers as blue-white energy blasted them to bits, their acidic fluid melting what was left of Alexander's men, dissolving like butter on a hot plate.

In the day's sweltering heat, it wasn't that ironic.

A hissing noise to his right made Captain Nemov look straight up at another of the monsters that slaughtered his squadron, its mouth dripping with clear saliva as its hiss grew in volume. Nemov can only watch wide-eyed as the thing opened its inner mouth to do to him as its brethren did to his men.

The alien's hiss was replaced by a soft but audible whoosh of a sound & the creature froze in its tracks, its hiss all but ceased & desisted. The eerie silence lasted for close to ten seconds before the alien's irregular head fell off its neck & hit the ground with a thud, followed by the rest of it.

A sound of unnatural cackling & a sight of three shimmers replaced the dead alien, & the shimmer trio revealed themselves as humanoid figures, each in different shades of body armor, facemasks & skin tones: one had silver armor & light tan-brown flesh, the second in deep blue armor & peach-purple flesh, with the last in maroon armor & yellow-brown skin. Each had long thick strips of black braided hair like snakes, & something like a gun was mounted upon their shoulders, the entrances still smoking from recent fire.

Now he knows where the unseen shooting came from, with what little time he had left.

They all stared down at him while taking something from what passed for a pouch on their belts: a vial of some blue liquid Alexander couldn't identify.

It was the last thing he saw before losing consciousness, his vision going dark.

Twin-Tooth & his clan went to work.

CHAPTER IV

The Kremlin, 8:00 p.m.:

For the first time in the day, the place was mostly quiet as things settled down considerably, having a skeleton crew helming the stations. Nighttime was more or less the healing period of a war, so everyone took advantage of this & relaxed as best they could until the next serious crisis had arisen.

In a war like this, such occurrences were plentiful.

But even in this restful state & a crew of few, all hands were still on full alert for any other activity involving the Nazis conflicting with Russian forces, such as the Battle at Baku – one that was still going strong.

Nadya Ruslanova found no trace of the monk anywhere in the building, & never knew that he had headed over to a nearby church offering his assistance to those that needed guidance in getting their country through the Nazi attacks & the war in general until she was finally able to see General Belov a half-hour ago, being able to take a little breather himself.

She sat in the chair opposite her commanding officer, listening to every known detail about the brutal battle over at Stalingrad & of Alexander Nemov's injuries.

"How serious are his injuries? Will he live?", Nadya asked, clearly worried for the man as much as Belov was.

"It's hard to tell at this point, Nadya", Belov said, blowing smoke from his cigarette before putting the stub out. "During today's battle at Stalingrad, he was in the midst of sending a radio message when it got abruptly cut off. When we sent out more troops to the area, the man was found unconscious halfway out of his tank with several broken bones, cuts on his face & a severe concussion. With those kind of injuries he's sustained, he's lucky to be alive. Whatever it is that's happened over there, it's got us pretty baffled."

"Baffled, General? I don't understand."

"It goes like this: after they've put Captain Nemov in a plane to fly him back to a hospital here in Moscow, the men looked everywhere for any other survivors of the battle. All they had found were destroyed planes, tanks & other vehicles in pieces lying all over the place. But here's one for Sherlock Holmes: the men didn't find one body among all that wreckage of Nazi or Red Army machinery. It was like nobody's been on the battlefront to begin with. Were it not for the few traces of human blood that the men found at random places, it would've seemed that way."

"And the men searched the entire day to find survivors & found none except for Captain Nemov?"

General Belov nodded grimly.

"A whole squadron of troops disappearing out of the blue like that is hardly any kind of coincidence", he went on. "It may be somewhat tied in to what you were finally able to tell me about your most recent dream, Nadya – the one you had just the other night. I think you may have been right the other day, when you believed there are new spiritual forces at work which can & have slipped through our radar in the Sixth Division, undetected by us in nearly every fashion. If they can cause something like what happened to Captain Nemov's troops to disappear without a trace or us knowing about it until it's too late, then we could really be in it deep. Unless…"

The answer hit Nadya like an invisible beam to the head.

"You mean…?", she started to say as Belov nodded.

"I do. Aside from yourself, there's only a few others who might be able to help discover this new menace & steer it back our way. Nadya, I know it was a close call last time, & I'd hate to have to put you through that brand of torture again, so if you feel you're not up to going through with this a second time, then I won't hold it…"

"Let's take a walk. I'll lead the way this time", Nadya said plain & simple as she stood from her seat, her face as firm & determined as her pose.

General Belov simply smiled. Nadya did so a second later.

Five minutes later:

A quick phone call, & General Belov & Nadya were on their way.

The young agent knew exactly where to go, having recalled it from their previous visit when Belov needed her 'expertise' which no one else possessed. She could hardly believe that it was mere months ago when she went through such an experience in order to prevent global domination that first time, having to enter a realm she'd only hinted at, & becoming just as real as Moscow itself or even the world in general.

But it is, & now Nadya must make that trip again to deal with what's made an entire platoon of soldiers vanish & leave no physical trace aside from a few splotches of blood, & not too big of ones at that.

As big a risk as it was, it had to be taken.

"I want to apologize again for not allowing you to see me for the duration of the day, Nadya", Belov said as they walked down the hall. "But with the troops being in heavy combat with the Nazis at Stalingrad, the operation needed my full undivided attention. I couldn't make an exception for anyone – including you."

"No apologies necessary, General. I understand completely", Nadya replied kindly. "It'd be no different should our roles have been reversed."

General Belov smiled to himself. His best agent maintained her humanity along with her fierce fighting spirit like all the other Sixth Division recruits he personally trained, up to & including her deceased First Squad members Valya, Zina, Marat & Leo. Her innocent appearance notwithstanding, Nadya Ruslanova was just as battle-hardened as anyone fighting the Nazis & other members of the dreaded Axis Powers that were threatening the world's very existence with their twisted New World Order regime, be it with them or the supernatural.

As they made their way towards the elevator, a female secretary in military garb approached the duo.

Like the other girl she met this morning, Nadya couldn't remember her name.

"General Belov, sir", she said saluting as he returned it.

"Yes, what is it?", he asked.

"I have news concerning Major Sergei's operation."

"He's arrived safely at his designated rendezvous point?"

"Almost, sir. He wanted us to report to you that he & his squadron have para-trooped down behind enemy lines, & are now only 20 kilometers from their destination. They'll contact us again once they have a thorough report on their situation."

"Good work. Keep me posted on their activity & report to me with every detail, no matter how trivial."

They saluted each other again, & the girl headed back to her post as he & Nadya made it to the elevator.

"What kind of operation is Major Sergei on, if you don't mind my asking?", she pressed as they entered the car.

"British Intelligence has discovered some kind of heavy activity located at Linea Caesar in Italy, somewhere in between Rome & Anzio", Belov said as he closed the door & pressed the 'down' button, getting the car going. "They'd asked us if we wanted in on the operation & investigate, so I had Major Sergei & a small group of his best people head over there to do just that. I figured it's the least I could do for both of our countries, especially since Prime Minister Winston Churchill tried to warn us of the Nazi's approach last year when the majority of us didn't heed it…until it was already too late."

"A sort of returning the favor or atonement on our part?", Nadya wondered.

"If you want to call it that, I guess. Even if it has no significance whatsoever to our current case, I still figured it was worth checking out with our British allies regardless."

The car came to its final stop, & General Belov opened the door as he & Nadya stepped out & traveled down a hallway & through a door to a room that had unusual equipment set up, but it was the chair near one wall that was the most unusual of all: it was oversized even for the General to sit in, with a series of lights set up in circular patterns at various locations. Four large shackles with inflatable restraints rested at where the sitter would be, designed to firmly hold his/her arms & legs in place. A curved lid was placed at the headrest, shaped like half a deep-sea diver's.

It was the machine that had allowed Nadya to visit the Land of the Dead – and her deceased friends of her First Squad troops.

Sputnik-1.

When the General & Nadya entered the room, the staff stood at attention & saluted. Belov returned it.

"At ease, people", he said, & they resumed their work. "How goes it with the preparations? Are we ready yet?"

"Just about, General", said a female tech. "All the necessary tools are set up & ready. All we need to do now is to wait for the updates to set in, & she'll be good to go. We've started installing them only an hour ago before you called us to ready this device again, sir."

A ping at one device caught another tech's attention, & he goes over the readings carefully but quickly.

"Excellent. The updates have been completely set up indefinitely & we can now proceed", the tech mentions as he motions to the chair. "Nadya, if you would be so kind…"

Sword in hand, the young female agent nods with fierce determination & parks herself in the plush seat as techs close the shackles to her arms & legs, the inner restraints inflating to help her stay steady during the process. It was a bit of pressure on her limbs, but Nadya knew it was necessary: it was almost like getting one's blood pressure taken at the doctor's office. In her left hand was her sword which she holds just as tight.

Where she's going, she'll definitely be needing it.

"I've had the technicians install some cooling fans into the device to help with the overheating problem like we had when last we used this thing, but there's no telling just how long they'll keep the machine cool enough before its temperature becomes too much, so please don't stay there any longer than necessary, Nadya", Belov warns. "You know what you have to do in there?"

"Yes", Nadya began. "Get in, find my friends & discover what they know – if anything – about these 'ghosts' I've been seeing in my dreams that may have caused the mysterious disappearances of Captain Nemov's troops in Stalingrad, locate the red signal once you've deployed it & come right back with the intel I've gathered."

"Exactly. And remember: get back as soon as you can when we give you the signal! If it stops flashing before you find the doorway back, you'll be stuck there & lost to us for good! Are you ready, Nadya?"

A hard confident nod was all the answer General Belov needs.

"Then good luck in there, comrade! Stay safe!", he concluded as a tech closed the lid over Nadya's face, tightens the bolts & signals another tech to deliver a glass vial of blue liquid in an open port. Once inserted, the machine drains the vial dry & activates the chair. As soon as it comes to life, Nadya felt a flood of memories – past & present – enter her mind at a rapid pace like her life was flashing before her, the act in which is theorized to occur as one expires in the world before being sent to Heaven or Hell.

A moment later, Nadya feels as if she was torn from her own body & found herself in a state of freefall.

She screamed all the way down into the abyss below her.

Italy, between the Linea Caesar Line & Anzio, 9:00 p.m.:

Major Sergei & his troops made their way through enemy lines in as incognito as they could under such trying & strenuous conditions once they para-trooped out of their flight over in an LI-2 Soviet transport plane. Upon their arrival as they touched ground, the men had a run-in with several armed Nazis who witnessed their dropping in, ready to cut them down to size when they were in sight.

After a brief struggle, the Nazis were put down without too much trouble, & Sergei's men confiscated one of the German Opel Blitz trucks. They also took their Nazi swastika bands to make them blend in with the populace currently occupying Fascist Italy. With those bands in place, the Russian soldiers were mistaken for their ranks, & they passed by with ease.

They reached the rendezvous point an hour later & stepped out, stripping off & ditching their swastikas so as not to be confused by the enemy when they met up with them. Even so, they were held at gunpoint by a squadron of tough British soldiers, who were led by a man named Oxford Langley. He was a tall & muscular man that would make Bluto, Popeye's rival, very proud. Unlike the Sailor Man's nemesis, Oxford was without a beard & as soft as can be in docile moments.

But out in battle or even a bar fight, Oxford is just as mean as any soldier fighting for his freedom.

So tough was he that his comrades nicknamed him 'Ox' – because he was made similar to & fought like one.

When Sergei identified himself & told Oxford that he was sent by General Belov of Russia's Red Army, Oxford & his men lowered their guns & welcomed their new arrivals. Upon quick introductions, Sergei & company were met by Captain Jacques Armand of the French Resistance & Captain Bartosz Wieslaw of the Polish Resistance – refugees who have eluded capture when the Nazis invaded their native lands. There was a brief standoff between Sergei's men & Bartosz, as the man still harbored some leftover hate for the Russians since they did help the Nazis invade Poland only three years ago, but some quick persuasion from Oxford & Jacques, that died & got everyone on the same page.

Knowing that Russia fiercely fought back the Nazis when they first invaded them last year, their act did win the respect of the world.

Even the Polish could praise their one-time foes in that maneuver.

With that, Bartosz welcomed them as they would any soldiers in the British, French, or even the United States Armed Forces.

Traveling as a group, the caravan of armed soldiers carefully trotted through a forest & approached a facility just over seventy yards away. It was a rather large structure, measuring a length of a football field & about as wide. A steel chain-link fence with barbed wire on top surrounded the entire complex, & inside the fields numerous wooden crates were stacked like children's blocks. Nazi vehicles like Kubelwagens, personnel carriers, Opel Blitz trucks, & Sd Kfz 7 tractors with their 88mm guns were among the vehicles. Armed soldiers from each member of the Axis – Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany & Imperial Japan – stood guard ae every corner of the facility.

Each was armed to the teeth with a rifle/machine gun, pistol, knife & a bandolier of grenades & spare magazines.

Some even manned Italian Cannone-Mitragliera da 20/77 Scotti & 90/53 anti-aircraft guns placed at each four corners & one in between, totaling to eight. German Panzer & Japanese Chi Ha tanks patrolled right outside.

A single wide gate seemed to be the only way in or out of the complex, be it by vehicle or personnel.

Searchlights shined through the evening hours, checking the ground & skies overhead.

All of this was surveyed by binoculars from Sergei, Jacques, Bartosz & Ox.

"So this is what your aerial surveillance picked up?", Sergei asked, lowering his pair.

"You know it, mate", Ox said, doing the same. "During a little recon, our RAF did a careful aerial sweep here in enemy territory, wanting to see if there was anything that might pose more of a threat to us aside from the conflict over in North Africa against that Nazi bloke Erwin Rommel. This little deity you're looking at is what we uncovered."

"As you can see, it's heavily fortified on all sides by each member of the Axis", Jacques put in. "Seeing that much armament in one place means that something of great value is within those steel walls."

"I've had that very same thought myself, Jacques", said Sergei. "And we can also assume that air support is only a radio or phone call away if they need it. Now I see why you asked us over here, Oxford."

"Thought you'd want to know, mate", Ox said. "Now that the whole world is embroiled in war, I figured that if one nation in the Allied Forces gets threatened, then every nation within that branch would be too. What affects, say, us British, is bound to do the same with you Russkies."

"That definitely goes without saying, Oxford. Since we're all here, let's sit tight for a while to see if we can't go & get ourselves a closer look at what may be inside that facility. Truth be told, I'm quite anxious to find out myself."

"How long should we wait out here for before we try to go in?", asked Bartosz.

"I'd say give us a good 2-3 hours at most."

"And if there isn't any window open to us by then?"

"Then we head back, hightail it away from here so we can send in an appropriate attack force", said Jacques. "We already have the general location in order to make one. For now, let's just be patient. Agreed?"

The men agreed in low tones.

9:45 p.m.:

Every man was on full high alert, be it at the anti-aircraft guns, tanks, searchlight post, or on foot. Nothing was to escape their notice, from the largest enemy bomber to even the tiniest arthropod. Armaments of Japanese, German and Italian origin decorate the shoulders, belts & holsters of every man behind the barbed wire of the complex.

Overlooking the facility & its armed men are three commanders of their respected countries: Klaus Ulbrecht of Germany, Takumi Shinobu of Japan, & Italy's own Pietro Giomar. Each man is a tough-as-nails enforcer who follows their superior's orders to the fullest without question. It was because of their undying loyalty to Mussolini, Hitler & Tojo that this malicious trio with venom coursing through their veins have reached high on the war ladder of success, & are now overlooking this essential part of bearing fruit to the Axis Powers' New World Order.

Making their final rounds, the trio join up at the main entrance to the complex.

"Everything is going well & on schedule at your end, I take it?", asked Takumi.

"Like clockwork, I'm happy to say", said Pietro with a smile. "And I can see that your own people are attending to their endeavors of this operation in the same manner. Gentlemen, I suppose some thanks are in order: with your hard assistance & dedication in this project, we are all one step further to winning this war."

"You mean like Mussolini tried to prove in your country's other battles?", said Klaus with more than a little fire in his tone. Pietro stared hard at the German man.

"Is that supposed to mean something, Signore Klaus?", he scorned.

"Oh, come now, Herr Pietro!", Klaus scoffed. "Herr Mussolini tried to make a name for himself when he ordered his troops over in East Africa over at Keren! That battle one year ago had ended in a complete disaster, & let us not forget Italy's other two failures: Operation Compass in the Western Desert Campaign before that, & then there's the Battle of Gondar just last November! Why Mein Fuehrer allows such a loose cannon in this Tripartite Pact made a few years ago with his ego inflated as big as any barrage balloon is beyond me! Let's face it: your Prime Minister is nothing but Herr Hitler's jackal, throwing him a bone every now & then!"

"How dare you!", Pietro spat, attacking Klaus by his lapels & intending on throwing him to the ground.

"Enough!", Takumi shouted, getting in between & pushing both combatants apart, keeping them at arm's length. "What's past is past! Klaus-san, don't rub Mussolini's failures in the face of one of his commanders as a reminder of our pact! Pietro-san, this task we've been given by our superiors is too important to lose it over such childish antics! We have a job to do, & we'll accomplish it much faster without fighting one another! Save that for the Allies when we make our move on them! We're grown men here, so let's act like it! The Axis leaders would be furious if we attempt to destroy everything they'd labored for in this war!"

Takumi took his hands off the chests of Pietro & Klaus, ready to step in should they re-offend. Klaus fixed his uniform's lapels as Pietro did the same. Though they still stared fire at each other, neither man made no attempt at the other & renew their childish struggle.

"Signore Takumi!", Pietro says. "While I do appreciate your defusing the situation, I would advise you to never presume to give me orders, especially here: I am more than aware of the disappointing defeats my country had befallen in the good part of the past two years of this war, and that we've been handed a vital chore by our dear Axis leaders to keep its operation running smoothly without incompetence or interference from enemies, which I am capable of doing! And I think I need to remind you both that you are still in Italy, & are thus standing on Italian soil!"

"We've never been more aware of it!", Klaus snapped.

"We are not fools, Pietro-san!", Takumi snapped.

"Then do not force me to treat either of you as such!", Pietro counteracted. "As you've said, Signore Takumi, the Axis leaders would be very unforgiving should they discover us – any of us – in ruining the pact they'd made strongest when Signore Hitler mentioned it in his declaration of war upon the United States of America this past December! Are you willing to remove or weaken such a strength? I'm not, & I shudder to even think of what Signore Mussolini, Hitler, or Tojo would extract as punishment for those who did! Jackal or not, Signore Mussolini still has a rather nasty bite!"

This time, Takumi & Klaus knew Pietro was right: when Adolf Hitler declared war upon America in December, he mentioned that the pact/friendship between Italy, Germany & Japan was made stronger, especially when the latter country attacked the U.S. Navy fleet at Pearl Harbor over at the Hawaiian Islands only four days previous. And with Japan losing in both the Coral Sea & Midway battles, the pact needs to be stronger lest the Allies go & win this second global conflict like they had in late 1918.

Touche, Herr Pietro, Klaus thought, defeated with bitterness.

You're smarter than we give you credit for, Pietro-san, Takumi thought in the same manner.

"Now then…shall we proceed inside, gentlemen? We still have much to discuss as preparations are being made", Pietro said, gesturing at the entrance with a hand before heading for it.

With a slight nod of his head, Takumi persuades Klaus for them to join him.

10:00 p.m.:

A convoy of a dozen Opel Blitz trucks make their way towards the gate of the complex before stopping as one of the guards comes by the driver's side of the lead vehicle.

"Is this the last of the materials that we've been expecting this evening?", he asked, indicating the convoy with his hand.

"Jawohl, we're it", the driver replied. "Once we get this stuff inside, progression on these new weapons will be quicker, & we'll be ready to strike in only a few days instead of a few weeks."

The guard nodded, pleased by the news. He signals another to open the front gate to allow passage.

"Please proceed inside. Heil Hitler!", the guard said, saluting.

The driver returns the salute before stepping on the gas, with the rest to follow.

An Italian, German & Japanese soldier watch as the convoy makes their way past the fence before the guards who are stationed there close it up & chain it tight. Nodding to each other for approval, they turn to resume their sentry duties. An unseen wire as thin as a hair grabs the Italian soldier by the throat, cutting off his air & vocal chords as he gets hauled up by some equally unseen force in total silence, unable to make any sound at all.

He gets lifted up a good eighteen feet in the air, struggling all the way, before dropping his rifle which alerts the Nazi & Jap soldiers as they turn around to watch the weapon clash onto the ground. Running up to investigate in their comrade's sudden disappearance, they stare at the rifle a mere few seconds until a thin stream of blood drops onto it. As the Nazi & Jap turn their gaze slowly upwards, they see where the blood flow's origin as it continues to stream down from a disturbing sight: the body of their missing Italian comrade hung from his ankles by a wire from a pole, his head missing from his shoulders. Acting on natural instinct, the Nazi & Jap raise their weapons & survey the immediate area for any sign of the killer, believing him to be in close proximity still.

Both couldn't have been more right: the killer is close by, more so than they think.

Seeing a distortion in the air where the body hung, the soldiers aim their weapons to fire.

In one second before they got into position, the distortion jumped down & impaled both men with weapons of its own.

The men never had time to get one shot off.

They only had time to scream – once.

Their cry did not go unnoticed, not even by Pietro, Klaus or Takumi from inside the facility.

On the outside grounds, several soldiers arrive where the screams came from, their weapons drawn. When they look up from a pool of blood & blood-stained military fatigues, they see a trio of bodies hung from cables: one man got beheaded, while the other two were skinned like rabbits, their muscle tissue exposed. Almost immediately, some of the soldiers spot something of a shimmer in the summer heat – one that was moving.

As one, they aim their rifles/machine guns skywards & fire – after two of them are impaled by an unseen spear.

With the sound of gunfire, the whole station was being attacked by the weird & deadly shimmers as men began shouting orders to search for the unseen assailants & get the anti-aircraft guns in place. One soldier – an Italian – gets a Y-shaped dart rammed into his forehead & falls dead, while a Nazi & Jap each get caught up & trapped in a net which embeds itself into a wall, the steel cables digging in their flesh as they cry out in anguish.

Men stationed at the anti-aircraft guns & armored Panzers/Chi Ha tanks get in position to shoot at the first signs of the semi-invisible assailants & blow them to pieces. From inside one of the German Panzers, a grenade – unseen by anyone within – counted down in beeping intervals before detonating with a powerful blast, destroying the entire tank & killing all within, never giving anyone a second to scream. This incident happened to all the other anti-aircraft guns & armored vehicles in a simultaneous manner, as the shimmers attacking the Axis soldiers had stealthily placed one of their grenades in or next to all their big guns without them noticing. All over the complex, tanks & heavily armored guns were blown apart by alien tech as Axis men cried out in surprise, being taken unawares.

The scales of destruction were clearly visible by Sergei & his troops/allies, even from their faraway vantage point & without the need for binoculars.

"What in the bloody hell?", Ox wondered. "None of us set up grenades before we arrived! Who'd be daft enough to launch an attack on those blighters on a force that big, & without those Axis blokes knowing it?"

"I don't think it matters all that much, Ox!", Sergei said. "Whoever they are, they've given us the window we've been waiting for!"

"Wee, monsieur! If we're to sneak inside that complex & find out whatever it is they're up to, now's the time!", Jacques said.

"I concur! We'll probably never get a better chance than this!", Bartosz adds.

"Good point, mates!", said Oxford. "Alright then: let's get in, see what we can discover, then report it all back to our HQs! And let's try to save any heroics unless it's absolutely necessary! All right?"

"Copy that. Let's move!", Sergei said, speaking for all with them nodding.

A hand signal from Oxford, & the men were off, approaching the station with as much stealth as they can muster amongst the sounds of chaos.

A few minutes later:

Pandemonium erupted inside & outside of the Axis complex.

Men rushing out from within were only racing to their deaths like cattle being led to the slaughterhouse: all over, Axis soldiers of Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany & Imperial Japan got butchered left & right by killers who were unseen for the most part, sans a distortion or shimmer in the air; a pair of wildly shooting Italian & German soldiers were each impaled in twos by a force that sends them flying into a wall like fish skewered in a stream. The objects were revealed as a pair of spears that materialized out of thin air, extending from their midsections & becoming the last thing they see before expiring, slumping forwards with blood dripping from their mouths & wounds; two Japanese men become the victim of discs with razor-sharp edges. One was Frisbee-shaped, another with six curved blades. The former weapon slices the first Jap across his belly, spilling his insides as he tumbles in a bloody heap. The latter disc slams itself into the other Jap & carries him into a wall, the blades sticking into the metal with its Nippon prize.

A German & Italian soldier stood side-by-side, in hopes of catching sight of even one of the deadly shimmers & keeping a tight formation as they did so. A cackling of close proximity of their position gives away the latest intruder, & the Nazi turns to his right to find his target, only to be impaled straight through the chest by a long singular blade as it penetrates flesh & bone with ease before getting tossed like a bag of garbage. The Italian fared no better: he got his chest sliced in a diagonal pattern in the wink of an eye, & collapsed like a house of cards.

The trio of an Italian, Nazi & Jap close by saw the horrid spectacle from where they stood, gasping in shock. The shimmer turned its attention to the trio, who can see the long blade from one of its arms, its presence marked by blood from its latest victim. It barked & cackled in anticipation.

All three soldiers were the ones that acted first: as one, they aimed their weapons at the thing with their rifles & machine guns, spraying a volley of bullets at the creature while it made a hasty retreat behind several wooden crates as shielding from the hot rounds.

So fixated upon the retreating enemy that the trio never saw an attack from behind: the Nazi gets impaled right through his chest by a double-edged glaive & gets lifted up by another of the invading shimmers, his mouth crying out with blood spurting from both there & his wound. The Jap & Italian soldiers look up in stunned silence as they see a pair of yellow eyes flash briefly, its glow full of malevolence. Re-aiming their weapons, they point them to where the glow dissipated when they both get attacked from behind themselves by a single blade that beheads both men with one swipe, their headless bodies slumping to the ground with blood spurting from their cleanly sliced necks.

Two Japanese men caught sight of an enemy & fired their pistols, the bullets striking something that sounded like metal until a lucky bullet penetrated a device located on what looked like an arm, short-circuiting its cloak to reveal the identity of the invader. It stood about two meters tall, its limbs half encased in some kind of body armor & exposing its flesh everywhere else. A metal plate covered its face like a mask, which sported a pair of eye slits. Long, thick black snakelike 'hair' adorned the sides & rear, gold braids embedded within them. Its fingers & toes were sharp clawed, & wore metal sandals on its feet.

Oni…invisible oni!, one of the Nipponese men thought with fear, the word 'Oni' being Japanese for either 'spirit' or 'demon'.

The men's hesitation gave the bipedal creature time to unravel a barbed whip & lash out at one of the Japanese soldiers. Like a striking snake, the whip wrapped itself around the closer man, its barbed points digging into his flesh as he cries out from the pain, feeling like hundreds of needles stabbing him all at once. A stiff pull on the whip was all that was needed to tear the man apart like he were pieces to a jigsaw puzzle, his limbs flying every which way in a cloud of crimson, spattering his companion. The thing recoils its whip as a German & Italian soldier rush up to lend assistance, only to have their heads blown off by the beast's twin shoulder guns on each side, aiming & firing them with twin blue-white energy shots, their heads exploding in the same manner as the first Jap's fate by the whip.

His attention now on the second Jap, the creature approached the Nippon man & swung its left fist. The blow had missed him by a fraction of an inch, & he retaliates by placing a jujitsu chop to its left side & getting to a distance. The monster placed its whip on its belt & retracted its shoulder guns, itself getting into a warrior's stance.

The meaning was clear: it wants to engage in a little one-on-one, mano-a-mano combat.

Fine by me!, the Japanese man said, having no problem with it as he is a master of the martial arts.

Charging with a battle cry, the Jap charged the creature & lands a fast hard kick to its facemask, staggering it if just temporarily. Grunting, the monster faces his opponent as he places well-timed punches, chops & kicks all over the creature's alien person, each one feeling like it was getting hit by a piece of stone. Even with its own rigorous training & expert fighting prowess, the creature was having a hard time keeping up with the Nipponese man's actions.

It needs to slow its prey down.

Extending its wristblades, the creature swipes at the man with deadly accuracy, missing every time except its last swing. The blades nick the man's side an inch, but it was enough to get him to pause. Not giving its prey a chance to evade or fight back, the monster gave its opponent a hard right foot to his solar plexus & sent him flying on across to a destroyed Chi Ha tank & getting impaled through the heart from the rear by a piece of metal that stuck out like a knife or dagger.

Checking its cloak for any malfunctions, the device reactivates without a glitch & the Yautja creature rejoins its comrades.

The Land of the Dead:

Stepping out of the Ferris wheel, Nadya stood upon the land of her new, yet familiar surroundings. Everywhere she looked was an eerie lavender glow: the grass, the trees, & even the very sky up above. The color of her dress & everything else on her person were all tinted in a darker shade than usual, including her flesh. In her left hand was her sword, ready to be unsheathed at a moment's notice.

This place is even creepier than the last time I've been here!, she thought, getting a terrible sense of deja-vu.

Brushing her personal feelings about her surroundings aside, Nadya concentrated on the task at hand like she's been sent for. Her mind working overtime, she pushed herself as far as she could, walking the grounds while keeping her eyes & ears open for any sudden surprises with her first stop being in the forest like last time.

Just like then, she was greeted by an unholy presence: a group of decaying undead soldiers on horses raced after Nadya with weapons like axes & hatchets in hand, all razor-sharp & capable of taking a person's head off with one swing. When the first horse-riding zombie got close enough, Nadya swung her sword & sliced off the hand which held its weapon, sending it flying off as the creature cried in agony, its severed limb bleeding like a faucet. Two more took its place & swung their own hand-held weapons, but Nadya blocked each strike with her sword while avoiding getting trampled underfoot by the galloping horses. More undead soldiers came, their numbers growing faster than Nadya can take them down. Soon she'll be overrun & become a permanent residence in this place unless she thinks of something fast.

Her solution comes in the most bizarre way of reinforcements: from out of the bushes & overhead trees, a group of aliens emerge & began attacking the undead caravan, their sickle tails, razor-sharp claws & inner mouths made short work of the undead legion, even with their supernaturally heightened reflexes. Cries of horror & agony echoed across the spiritual horizon.

Nadya watched the creatures in action & got a good look at them for the first time: they reached a height of two meters or so when they stood, with black hides that looked a mix of gray & purple in the eerie light. Two pairs of tube-like dorsal spines adorned their backs as a fifth pointed one protruded behind the neck. A long segmented tail with a razor-sharp point at the end waved, pierced & sliced through undead decaying flesh like angry snakes. Ones who could fight back with their weapons & struck them home got a face full of yellow fluid that burned & sizzled at mere touch, the contents eating away wherever it landed. Some were taken down by sheer animal ferocity as the aliens used nothing short of their sharp claws, shredding the zombie warriors like tissue paper in crimson showers.

The sight of their teeth gave Nadya all the proof she needed.

Needle-teeth…just like I've been seeing in my dreams!, she thought, the realization hitting home. These must be the creatures that slaughtered Captain Nemov's battalion at Stalingrad!

It was one mystery that she solved on account of her arriving in this forsaken place.

But it also left another in its wake: these creatures leave a bloody mess as evident in the carnage they're causing with the land's undead, spattering blood everywhere. The report of what occurred in Stalingrad was that hardly a drop of blood was found at the battle area, sans a few small stains of it. Of what Nadya can tell, there was no way that these savage unrelenting monsters could be so tidy in an attack; they're more like rabid dogs that were turned loose simply to kill rather than soldiers of strategy, let alone stealth.

Could there be a second party to these creatures?, Nadya thought, figuring somebody was holding their leash.

As Nadya contemplated these facts/theories, the aliens paid her no mind – until after the last zombie soldier was killed.

Then they gave her their full attention.

Drawing her sword, Nadya readied herself to slice & dice the first one that tried attacking her, making sure she steered clear of their deadly acidic blood. Staring at the monsters, Nadya solved only part of the mystery that had been plaguing her dreams & the Russian Red Army.

Now she has to stay alive to solve the rest of it.

One of the aliens made a leap at her with incredible grace & speed.

At the next second, it got blown away by a beam of blue-white energy when it reached halfway.

Nadya & the aliens turn to the beam's origin & find a Soviet Studebaker US6 military truck do a swerve as it gets fourteen feet of her, doing a full 180 degree spin. In the back are four figures riding in its open military cab – three of which are familiar faces.

Her teammates Valya, Marat & Zina from First Squad, & Nadya suspects the one to be driving is Leo. The fourth figure in the rear is one of a two-meter-tall height with metal armor as black as its long thick strands of braided hair, with dark purplish flesh where it showed. On its shoulders were twin cannons, one of which was still smoking as it was this weapon that fired the killing shot for the alien making a leap towards her.

"Nadya! Get in, quick!", Valya shouts as he lays down cover fire from his PPD-40 machine gun while Nadya makes a run for it. Zina & Marat grab Nadya once she gets close enough, getting her in as they give Valya assistance: Zina with her flamethrower & Marat with his own weapon of choice – the DShK heavy machine gun.

"She's in! Floor it, Leo!", Marat shouted, unleashing a hail of bullets at the advancing aliens as Leo steps on the vehicle's gas pedal. The truck's rear tires spray up dirt as the Studebaker races in the opposite direction of its approach, putting some distance between them & their alien swarm which threatens to consume them. And consume them they very well might: for each one they bring down, about two or three more take their place.

The Yautja warrior accompanying First Squad sees the surrounding area & comes up with a solution that could help them stay ahead & escape the alien horde: removing one of its three-pointed devices from its bandolier, it throws it at a nearby tree as they race by it. The device instantly sinks its barbs into the tree bark, remaining in place. Even as it does this, the Predator types a few buttons on its left forearm cuff to activate the thing's barrier: a plethora of crimson energy lines that sever & cut anything that comes in contact with. The wall shreds the first many aliens that couldn't stop themselves in time, as even their own steel-like skins are no match for its power.

Close to a hundred aliens meet their demise by the energy wall before their forward momentum halts, forcing them to hang back & allow their intended victims to escape with their lives.

Zina, Valya & Marat cheer as they cease fire & stow their weapons.

"All right! Just like old times! First Squad gets itself into a sticky situation, but escapes with hardly a scratch on anyone! Yeah!", Valya said with a grin. He & Marat share a high-five with each other as Nadya giggled at the antics.

"And just like old times, Nadya's the one who gets us into these sticky situations & has to count on us to save her sorry behind!", Zina says with a smirk & a wink. "But…you did remember to keep your mental link up & running when you came back to this place so that we can easily find you! I guess you have been paying attention in class after all!"

Nadya's face turned a bit red, but remained in good spirits. She knew that Zina was one to poke fun at her junior member, but like Leo & the rest, she always looked out for her like the squadron's been taught.

She allowed herself a smile.

"Speaking of whom…why are you back here again, Nadya?", asked Marat, turning to her. "I can tell you miss your old teammates & all, don't get us wrong, but…"

"I'm fairly certain that Nadya has a very good reason for returning to this realm of the dead, other than the fact that she misses us terribly, Marat!", Leo said from the driver's seat. "We should hear her out!"

"I certainly do, Leo!", Nadya said, turning serious. "Get us to a safer location, & I'll tell you guys everything!"

"I know just the place!"

Putting his foot on the gas, Leo heads for said spot.

Seven minutes later:

Leo drove the Studebaker over to where First Squad had its last reunion in the Land of the Dead only months ago. It was on a high rock cliff with a huge valley that stretched wide & far, with a medieval castle perched on a rocky outcropping somewhere in the center. Craters decorated several spots, with some of them having wisps of smoke/steam rising from them. A mountain range past the valley was visible from their vantage point like most everything else.

Leo & his teammates called it the Valley of Darkness.

The Predator in black stood just nine feet away, looking over the ravine for any sign of trouble, be it more aliens or otherwise.

As she promised, Nadya told her teammates in capsule form the dreams she'd been having in recent weeks, with the hissing acid-blooded monsters to the cackling ghosts that can shoot beams of hot energy to the disappearances of Alexander Nemov's troops in Stalingrad that vanished almost without a trace. She was astonished to know that Leo & the others were aware of the existence of the Xenomorphs and Yautja for a few months now since Baron Von Wolff was defeated, but what really caught her off-guard was where their origin came from.

"You've got to be kidding me!", Nadya said. "Those acid-blooded monsters & that guy's people are…creatures from space?!", Nadya says, pointing to the Predator in black. "From actual outer space?!"

"From beyond the stars & known solar system", Leo said straightforward. "It's unbelievable, Nadya, I know. But it's true all the same. Those visions you've been having in your dreams were those things – things that are not of this Earth. That creature over there – whom we call Shadow – has explained to us in his own way that his kind have visited our planet for many years, possibly even centuries. They're a race of hunters – or even 'Predators', if you like – who roam the stars in search of prey worth hunting & killing. The acid-blooded monsters we fought back there are a big part of their hunting culture. Shadow explained to us that every couple years, they set loose those monsters to hunt & kill in that order as something of a Rite of Passage, if you know what that means."

"I do. It's sort of a contest for young warriors to test their mettle out into the wild to see who's the strongest."

"And whoever gains the most trophies", said Valya. "That's how they earn respect among their peers."

"Have they hunted people as well?"

"Unfortunately, they have", Zina said. "But they don't go around killing at random like serial killers would: they seek only anything that's the utmost challenging & worth their skills. Anything less than that, they ignore completely. While they're quite savage in battle, they're not without their ethics. Plus, they follow a strict code of honor that's as much in their culture as their hunting nature or those acid-blooded horrors. In that, there's something in which we can relate to with Shadow's kin."

"That part I get, Zina, but it still doesn't explain as to how they ended up here, in this place", Nadya wondered.

"Would you believe there's a satanic cult that actually worships those black terrors?", Marat said. "It was back in 1933, during the Great Depression that struck the United States: a bunch of weirdos in black robes actually bred a nest of those horrors to unleash upon the country. How they even knew about these space terrors in anyone's guess, but they felt that they were America's salvation from the economic collapse going on at the time. There was aflaw in their plan, though. We're sure a sharp cookie like you can pretty much guess what that is."

"Shadow & his clan discovered their nest & prevented their assault", Nadya said, not a question.

"Right on as usual, Nadya", Valya said. "But there was a flaw in that plan as well: in the assault on those robed freaks, their leader conjured a spell to send them all away to this place. It worked, but a little bit too good: he not only sent both Shadow & his clan along with those acid-blooded horrors here, but him & his own followers with them. Now they're all permanent residents here in the Land of the Dead, human and alien. You remember when I said that no one knows what inhabited over in the mountains? That's where Shadow & his people resided at this whole time, fighting to keep that alien horde from entering this area, the Valley of Darkness."

"But some of them broke through anyway", Nadya said. "How many of these 'aliens' have been whisked away to this place?"

"More than we care to count, Nadya", Leo said. "Shadow's clan fought tooth & nail to keep them all contained in those mountains until recently, shortly after we defeated Baron Von Wolff. We began working together with Shadow's clan to keep them from spreading, forming something of a mutual respect between our groups. They're aware that we want those horrors kept in a secluded spot & keep them herded like cattle, & we've been working alongside with them since their presence became known here. On the plus side, we've been quite successful for the most part, & Shadow's people are even keeping tabs on Von Wolff & his legion as a bonus, seeing them as viable targets just as they do their favorite ravenous prey."

"Ravenous indeed, Leo! With what information I've gathered back home and in this realm, I fear that the Nazis have somehow gained their hands on those acid-blooded aliens to set loose on Russia & its forces, with the rest of the planet soon to follow!"

"Considering their relentlessness & merciless behavior with a single-mindness to kill & conquer, that's about as scary a thought as those Nazi bastards using the supernatural in their sick goals of world domination. It's no wonder as to why they'd use them as weapons – even their very blood is deadly."

"And unless they get contained & destroyed like you guys have mostly done here, Russia & all the Allied Forces won't stand a chance against such viciousness! Is there a way you guys can help me do that?"

Leo, Zina, Valya & Marat all stare at Nadya silently with unreadable facial expressions, almost as if they were unsure.

"What is it? What's wrong? Why are you so silent all of a sudden? Won't you guys help me? Neither I, Russia, nor the Allies can do this solo!", Nadya said in a frantic & panicked rush. "Don't you see? I need you guys!"

"Whoa, Nadya, calm down for a second!", Zina pleaded, placing her hands on her shoulders. "You need to think about this for a sec: if it were a simple spiritual menace like with Baron Von Wolff that's set to attack Russia, then we wouldn't hesitate to lend you our assistance – you know that! But your new enemies are as much flesh & blood as you or General Belov are! Alien flesh & blood, yes, but still flesh & blood regardless! In that vein, we'd be all but useless to you and our home!"

Nadya felt like a balloon that's being deflated, her spirits sinking just as fast.

"So there's nothing that you guys can do?", she said, hanging her head & close to sobbing.

"We'd jump right in & back you up, Nadya – if there was a way to do that with these new enemies!", Valya said.

Nadya stayed silent for a few more seconds before she lifted her head with renewed confidence & stared at her teammates.

"Maybe there is a way, Valya!", she said, getting everyone's full attention. "Listen: I don't know how much time I have left exactly to remain in this place before I'm given the signal to go back, so I want you all to hear me out very carefully! Here's what I'm proposing…"

Nadya wasted no time in laying it out.

The Japanese Embassy, Berlin, Germany:

Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini & Hideki Tojo all stood at the round table with several other delegates from their respected countries, discussing further plans for their New World Order. Their meeting has been going on ever since the early morning hours, viewing every detail with careful consideration with strict orders not to be disturbed.

Unless an emergency comes up, of which an Italian soldier in the embassy knocks on the door as Benito offers permission to enter & relay the news.

"Signore Mussolini!", he says, his fist in salute. "You're wanted in the radio room – immediately!"

"Is there a problem?", Mussolini asks. "I do have rather important business to go over, as you can plainly see! Can't it wait until it is concluded?!"

"My apologies, signore, it cannot! Our radio operator says it's urgent – very urgent!"

Mussolini, Hitler, Tojo & the other delegates look at one another in wonder, mumbling under their breaths.

"Let us accompany you, Herr Mussolini. Who knows? It may turn out to be nothing at all", Hitler suggests as Tojo nodded.

"Grazie, comrades", the Italian dictator replied, & they exit the room as one with the soldier moving out of the way as they pass. They reach the radio room in a minute's time. As they enter the door, Mussolini openly expresses his displeasure to the man at the helm, the other operators ignoring their presence to concentrate on their own jobs.

"Alright, speak up! What's so important that I had to be dragged out of an essential meeting for?!", he demands.

"I-It's your facility over in Italy, signore!", the radio operator got out. "It is under attack, heavily!"

This took the Axis leaders by surprise, feeling like they'd been slapped by an invisible hand.

"Attacked?! By whom – the British, the Russians?!", Benito barked.

"The men sound rather hysterical, signore – they claim to be under assault by…invisible demons!", the man says.

Another jolt to their system shook the leaders.

"But…but how can this be?!", Mussolini stammered, his voice trembling slightly. "That complex is fortified with heavy defenses from our three countries! One would have to be invisible to successfully infiltrate it! Are they mad?!"

"Hardly, signore!", said the man. "They're reporting more than 50% of our defenses have been destroyed, with men falling in current engagement with the enemy! What's more, reports say they've breached the entrance & are now making their way inside, taking out even more of our men & equipment! If their assault keeps up like this, we could very well lose the entire complex, & I deeply fear that we are going to! What are your orders, signore?"

Mussolini could not answer right away: he was too deep in shock by the news to reply with an order. Hitler took him out of it when he asked him over with Tojo a few steps away to consult with his Axis partners in secret.

"Herr Mussolini", Hitler began in a sympathetic tone. "While it may deeply pain you & perhaps your pride, if what that man is saying turns out to be true – and I have no reason to doubt him on it – then we have no choice but to let the facility in your country go. It hurts, I know. But it's for the good of our New World Order if we want to keep it blossoming & bearing fruit."

Mussolini spared a look at Hideki Tojo, who nods as if to support Hitler & offer his confirmation.

With a heartfelt sigh, the Italian dictator nods in agreement.

"Very well, Signore Hitler. It shall be done", Benito says, turning to the radio operator & becoming stern. "You there! Send a message over to the nearby airfield! Tell them I want their planes to bomb the facility right down to its foundation & leave nothing that's salvageable! I also want nothing living to escape that area – and I do mean absolutely nothing – not even an insect! Got it?!"

"Yes, signore!", the man said, getting to work at once.

"Hitler-san", Tojo said, getting his attention. "We should take this time to strengthen our remaining two facilities in order to prevent this kind of catastrophe from occurring again. If we lose even one of them, it could spell disaster for everything we've labored for."

"I concur, Herr Tojo", Hitler said. "Let us go make the necessary arrangements."

With a nod, both leaders from Germany & Japan started without a second to spare.

Italy, 10:15 p.m.:

Bodies of Italian, German & Japanese soldiers litter the grounds of the facility, some of which were skinned & hung like slabs of beef in a butcher's shop from light poles by wiring. Debris lay scattered & smoking everywhere.

Within the complex was no different: upon first entering, Cougar & Thresher led the Yautja deep inside, making quick, short work of any soldiers who dared to get in their way and/or stay to fight. Spears, blades, discs, whips, darts, shoulder cannons & good old-fashioned brute strength cut the Axis soldiers down to size, spattering the walls/floors with their blood. One soldier – a scared Japanese man – tried walking, or crawling, away from their inhuman attackers, only to have his attempt made futile when Thresher stuck him in the back with his single blade on his right forearm cuff. The man squirmed like a fish snagged in a stream until he went limp & died. Another Yautja had an Italian soldier by the throat as the man wriggled to get free from its vice-like grip. With a quick twist of its hand, the soldier's neck snapped as the sound echoed down the hall, the body going limp as it falls to the floor with a thump.

Retracting his blade, Thresher & Cougar pressed on with the rest following.

Ignoring the sounds of carnage just down the hallway, Pietro had finished contacting the airfield to carry out the order given to him by Mussolini at the embassy. Takumi & Klaus stood by his side, with a hulking German soldier with neatly-kept hair keeping watch at the door's entrance, staring at the scene of violence taking place only meters away, his Luger in hand & MP40 machine gun slung over his shoulder.

"Well, Pietro-san?", Takumi said impatiently.

"Done!", the Italian commander said, placing the headset on the table. "The air strike will be here momentarily! I suggest we make haste & be away from the premises before the bombs fall! But first…"

Pietro looks at Klaus, who gets the message & nods.

"Of course! A little distraction to ensure our quick getaway!", the German man says, activating a switch from a hidden panel & pressing a red button. In another room several halls down, multiple cages of thick metal unlock by their small panels at the side as each creak open to let out its inhabitants, all of which hiss through clenched teeth before darting out like foxes on the run.

"They are let out! Let us now make haste!", Klaus says, getting nods from Takumi & Pietro.

"Go! I shall cover your escape!", said the muscular German as he sees the shimmers of the Yautja clan heading straight for them. The man takes aim & fires at the approaching semi-invisible mob as the three commanders take off in the opposite direction. Even though the bullets from his Luger hit only metal, one of the shimmers materialize – Cougar – and stroll towards the Nazi, the rest hanging back. Panicked at his sudden appearance, the Nazi fired his weapon at the Predator, only to hit the metal of his armor & never getting near his flesh. When it clicked empty, Muscles dropped his Luger & grabbed his MP40. He got it off his shoulder & halfway to aiming position before Cougar snatched it away like a father doing so to his child's toy & breaking it like one with one swing against the wall, breaking it apart as if it were made out of balsa wood. Cougar took a second swing at Muscles with a swift left hook, but the Nazi dodged it in time & delivered a hard kick to the creature's midsection, jarring him briefly before following it with several fists that Cougar actually felt wherever they landed on his alien person. This was why Muscles was very good at his job: a few blows from his fists made numerous POWs humble & helpless in concentration camps, along with any & all soldiers who stepped out of line. Even his sheer intimidating size alone made them shiver in trepidation.

But Cougar wasn't intimidated, let alone afraid, by this man: with each punch Muscles gave, the creature gave back in spades. Blows that Cougar gave & connected staggered the man in a higher degree, his lips bleeding & swollen in only a few moments of battle. Muscles even received cuts on his face, chest & arms that made each strike a chore as pain racked his body from head to toe. Even with blurry vision, Muscles saw what remained of his MP40 & dived to retrieve the butt end of it, swinging it & connecting with Cougar's head, the blow knocking off his facemask.

What Muscles saw staring back was a horrid nightmare of a face: crab-like in appearance, with mandibles that opened like a hideous flower & eyes that seemed to burn right into his soul. Muscles swung his makeshift weapon again, only to have it caught in Cougar's right hand as he grabbed Muscles by his left arm. With but a jerk, Cougar bent his foe's left arm back in an irregular fashion, snapping bone & tearing flesh/muscle at the elbow. The pain was intense for Muscles, & he screamed like a child before being slammed down on his stomach. The man was still howling out in agony as Cougar plowed his right hand into Muscles' back, grabbed hold of his spinal column & ripped it out like he was a fish. A wet crunching sound ensued, followed by a satisfactory roar by Cougar as he displayed his new trophy.

Placing his catch upon his belt, Cougar retrieves his facemask & places it back on, reconnecting the tubing as it fell in place.

No sooner did he do this when an echoing, distant sound of screeching filled the area – a noise the Yautja knew all too well.

Deactivating their cloaks, Cougar & Thresher charged towards the oncoming sound, their weapons poised.

Two halls down:

Pietro, Klaus & Takumi reached the door that leads to the hidden garage of the facility, where their personal ride waited. Pietro reached the doorknob when Sergei, Oxford & their squadron turned the corner from thirty feet away & spotted the fleeing trio.

"You three! Where do you mates think you're going to, eh?!", Ox shouted, aiming his rifle along with everyone else.

"Anywhere except here!", Klaus shouted back, firing off a few shots from his pistol as Sergei & company ducked behind the corner to avoid the brief bullet hail. Pietro opened the door & the Axis commanders rushed inside where their getaway car – a beige Mercedes-Benz 260 D, four-door sedan – sat with its driver standing guard. Takumi ordered him to start the car as they all hastily got inside as one: Pietro in the front passenger seat, & Klaus & Takumi in the rear. The driver turned the ignition on, & the car peeled out of the open garage just as Sergei & his band came in with their guns drawn, unable to get a clear shot at either the car or its passengers.

"Quick! Let's flag 'em down in this!", Bartosz says, pointing to a German Studebaker truck. Its swastika insignia hung on the sides & hood, & a 1x12.7mm M2 machine gun with open hole hung over the passenger side of the cabin.

"Perfect! Jacques, up front with me & take the gun when I tell you! The rest of you – in the back!", Sergei orders as everyone rushed to their positions, with Sergei taking the wheel. Starting the engine, he gunned the accelerator & the Studebaker sped off in hot pursuit of the escaping Mercedes-Benz.

In the distance, the sound of fast-approaching planes made their way towards the facility.

Inside the complex:

Aliens left & right were being blasted, sliced, diced & stabbed to death as Cougar, Thresher & their clan fought tooth & nail against the vicious horde. Their numbers dwindled in vast amounts amongst the onslaught, but many more headed their way. In this next wave of horrors, two Predators got snuffed: one by tail impalement, the other by having its brains blasted out of its head by an alien's inner jaws. A third Yautja got an acid bath when one of its brethren blew a Xenomorph in a somewhat careless manner, only to be overtaken & shredded by teeth & claws as lime-green blood flew everywhere.

A third wave of aliens came scrambling down, but it was Thresher who responded first: using a grenade from his belt, he pushed a few buttons & tossed it in their direction as the object counted down in beeping intervals. In under ten seconds, the thing exploded & took a number of aliens with it. Thresher then extended his single blades from both his forearm cuffs & charged the horde, swinging wildly but in a controlled, fluid motion, slicing & dicing alien after alien like he was a living pair of samurai swords, his blades being like an extension of his own arms.

Thresher was definitely living up to his name!

Any aliens he may have missed, Cougar took care of via twin shoulder cannons as he & his partner headed away from their clan to handle any more alien intruders that come their way.

From outside, an armada of bomber planes – from Germany's Junkers Ju 88A-4s to Italy's own Savoia-Marchetti SM.84s – flew in close & loud, their altitude being only 300 feet as they dropped tons of bombs from their fuselage. A series of powerful explosions rocked the complex & blasted everything inside & out into useless scrap. Anything left alive within the facility's perimeter was blown to atoms, be it human or not.

The entire complex disappeared in a holocaust of explosions, fire & black smoke.

It was completely demolished in less than 5 minutes.

Nothing made it out alive.

Or almost nothing: their cloaks going a bit haywire, Cougar & Thresher deactivate them with a few taps & walk off, away from the tremendous blast, receiving only a few bruises & minor cuts. Both Yautja heard the loud roar of the planes even over the dying screams of the aliens they were butchering. Racing for the nearest exit, they closed it off using one of their devices that initiated a multitude of red beams which form a barrier & cuts through anything it comes in contact with.

Both Yautja warriors weren't too thrilled with leaving their clan behind, but knew that it was a calculated risk: to allow the Xenomorphs to escape & scatter across the planet which serves as one of their favorite hunting grounds was unacceptable by Yautja standards. Earth is to be kept as a hospitable world not just for the Xenomorphs, but also for the humans that now rule it; while the aliens are capable of surviving in any environment, humans could not. They need the oxygen in order to sustain their lives & that of the animals that co-exist with them.

This rule was strictly enforced by the Yautja race since Earth's discovery by them many years ago.

It's one Cougar & Thresher carry out to the letter, along with their superior Twin-Tooth.

Hearing more planes approaching, the two Predators reactivate their cloaks & view a pair of Italian Macchi C.200 Saetta fighter planes of the Regia Aeronautica & twin German Messerschmitt BF109 E-4s fly over the forest area, ignoring the blasted facility.

Curiosity overpowering their other senses, Cougar & Thresher race into the forest & do their best to keep up.

Into the forest:

For almost five minutes, the Mercedes-Benz worked its axels into overtime to stay ahead of one of its Studebaker trucks being occupied by members of mostly the Russian & British armies. Sergei kept steering carefully through the dense foliage all the while keeping his foot trained on the gas petal to race up to their Axis quarry, who was now only a good forty feet straight ahead. From behind, the sound of multiple explosions were both heard & felt even from their current position, & Sergei fought hard to keep the truck steady when the vibrations hit. Right afterwards, the sound of fighter planes were closing in fast in both sound & sight in the truck's rear-view mirrors.

"Oxford! Bartosz!", Sergei called back.

"Yeah mate, we see 'em too!", Ox said in the truck's rear. "Keep her steady so's we can lay down some cover fire while you & Jacques concentrate on those rats up front!"

"Copy that! Jacques…"

"Wee, I remember the plan, monsieur!", Jacques said, already getting to a standing position & making his way up into the overhead gun. One of the Messerschmitt & Macchi planes got the Studebaker in their sights & began blazing away with their built-in guns as Oxford & his crew inside the truck did the same, aiming at the approaching aircraft. A shower of high-velocity rounds were exchanged back & forth, their rounds hitting grass, dirt & flying metal. Up at the front gun, Jacques fired at the distant car, careful not to hit any of the occupants as they were needed alive for the time being. Bullets panged on metal as the driver fought to keep it steady.

The first Messerschmitt plane flew past the truck as its Macchi companion took its place & resumed firing. Ox's strategy changed from hitting the plane's metal to that of the cockpit, & did so once it was in plain sight. The shots had penetrated the glass & struck the pilot in the head, spattering the inside with his blood & brains. On a reflex spasm, the pilot jerked his stick to the left & straight into the second Messerschmitt, their mid-air collision causing a fiery blast that blew both planes to pieces & partially lighting up the night before crashing down in burning heaps.

Cheers from Oxford & the men erupted briefly, enjoying their little victory.

"Good one, Ox! Two for the price of one!", Bartosz said.

"You know it, mate! Two down, two to go!", Oxford said with a grin.

The Messerschmitt that flew past both racing vehicles got to a good distance before making a sharp turn & head back, getting ready to fire once the Mercedes-Benz was out of harm's way. On the other side, the second Macchi was already laying down gunfire, with Oxford & his crew returning it. Jacques in the front followed suit.

The gap was closing in, & the Messerschmitt's pilot was getting an itchy trigger finger. Sergei kept going faster & faster, his foot nearly reaching the floor where the gas petal is.

In mere moments, he would be able to fire his guns again.

A simultaneous chain of events occurred: when the Messerschmitt got to about twenty-four feet of the Mercedes-Benz, it exploded as if it were a flying grenade, with the Macchi doing the same behind the truck. Both planes fell to the ground in flaming heaps of scrap metal, the remains of the German plane crashing right in front of the oncoming Mercedes-Benz. The driver hit the brakes so suddenly that his three passengers were thrown forward that they had to place their hands out to stop themselves from diving headfirst into the windshield or the front seats, especially when the car's front bumper crashed into a pile of wreckage, jolting their ride to a rough halt.

Sergei did the same with the brakes on the Studebaker, but he & his troops were better prepared & with an early warning from the Russian Major as everyone held on while the brakes were implied. Unbeknown to all, a pair of mini flying metal objects – each the size of a hawk – fired a shot of blue-white energy from underneath their chassis & flew off undetected by either party. These soar back to Cougar & Thresher, who kept close watch on the battle from their position via miniature 3-D map on their left forearm cuff. Both of these 'birds' fly & fold onto the Yautja's back gear, becoming just another accessory to their vast armory.

Both sense the humans that kept the Xenomorphs in captivity would know more, & decide to keep close tabs on them.

Becoming cloaked once more, Cougar & Thresher went on the move again.

The driver tried frantically to free the car from the plane wreckage the bumper was stuck on, shifting the gears & stepping on the gas to no avail.

"Hurry & get us loose & away from here, imbecile!", Pietro barked.

"I'm trying, signore! But she just won't budge!", the driver said in his defense.

"Then do something, schweinehund!", snapped Klaus. "Before we are overrun & caught!"

Takumi cocks his pistol & aims it at the man's head.

"Driver! You have three seconds to get this car moving again before I shoot!", the Japanese man firmly stated. "One…two…"

Before he could get to three, a shot from another gun – a rifle – hit the car's driver in the side of his head, & he falls dead over the dashboard, his blood decorating it & the windshield. The sound of more guns/rifles cocking made the Axis commanders turn to their left to see Sergei, Oxford, Jacques, Bartosz & the rest aim their weapons directly at them, each without so much as a smirk on his face.

"Hello, gentlemen! Let's go for a ride!", Jacques said with fire in his tone. "Drop your gun, Jap – before you get dropped!"

"Get your arses outta there, you rats – slowly!", Oxford growled.

Knowing they'd shoot them on sight for even the slightest reason, Takumi did as told & he, Pietro & Klaus all raised their hands & exited the car.

Prisoners in tow, Sergei & company took them back at gunpoint to the truck.

CHAPTER V

The lower levels of the Kremlin, Russia:

The technicians worked fervently as General Belov waited tensely.

If only he could be as calm & collected as the inert, comatose form of his agent Nadya sitting in the oversized chair of Sputnik-1; he had no doubt that she'd find her friends in the realm of the deceased & get the info they're both searching for, but he still worried deeply, & it was for more than the fact of Nadya being the sole survivor of the Sixth Division's First Squad. It was a close call for Nadya in her last visit to the realm, & she nearly didn't make it back in time before the signal stopped.

He was struck by that same feeling again now, but increased tenfold.

What if she don't make it back this time?, he wondered.

No, he had to push such a horrid thought like that aside & think positive, no matter how tough it is for him: he had trained Nadya himself as he did Zina, Valya, Marat & Leo.

Nadya believes in what she's doing despite the high risks involved, so Belov must as well.

Then he gets news from a female tech which makes his heart skip a beat.

"General, Sputnik-1 is starting to overheat!", she says. "She won't have much longer to spend in there!"

"Dammit! I had hoped the cooling fans would help to give her more time, but she's been in there long enough!", General Belov said. "Quick – give Nadya the signal for extraction so she knows to start pulling out!"

The female tech didn't waste a single second: grabbing a vial of red fluid, she stuck it in another port as the red liquid was injected into Sputnik-1, the machine drinking it dry.

"Done, sir! The signal's been sent! It's all up to her now!", the tech said.

Come on, Nadya…don't let me down!, Belov thought.

The Land of the Dead:

Nadya gave her First Squad teammates every detail of her plan in record time, sparing nothing. The squadron all looked at each other once she finished, having their own thoughts about her idea. Not wanting to push the envelope any further, the discussion was concluded in the simplest way.

"I have to admit, Nadya…it's quite the radical plan, what you have in mind", Marat says.

"But if there's even the slightest chance of it working, then it's one worth taking…isn't it?", Valya adds.

"Of course it is!", Zina put in. "Dead or alive, we're still & always will be the Sixth Division's First Squad…and no force on Heaven, Hell or Earth will ever take that away from us!"

"You got that right, Zina!", Leo said. "When you get yourself back home, Nadya, put it in motion when you feel it's time & we'll follow on through! As crazy a plan as it might seem, it's still worth a shot!"

"Hey, sometimes crazy plans make for the best ones…in which we specialize in!", Marat added with a smirk & a wink. His response brought out a cheerful guffaw from everyone, including Nadya herself. She enjoyed it: just because her friends are dead, it didn't mean they lost their sense of humor even in a place such as this.

"Thanks tons, you guys! You all really are the best! I always knew you'd help in any way you could!", Nadya says proudly when she suddenly started doing a bit of a distortion like she was an image on a radar screen. It was then followed up by the whole area slowly but surely flashing crimson, the color hitting everything from the First Squad members to the landscape itself.

It's time!, Nadya thought, knowing what the distortion of herself & color flash means.

Leo & the rest knew it too.

"General Belov is giving you the signal again, isn't he? The one for your departure!", Valya says.

"That's right! The extraction point is the Ferris wheel, just like last time!", Nadya said.

"Then let's not waste a single moment! Everyone…into the truck!", Leo said as the group piled into the vehicle with him at the wheel.

"Hey Shadow…you coming?", Marat called to the Yautja, who listened in on their conversation.

His instincts kicking in, Shadow ran towards the truck & hopped in the back with most of the group as Leo then stepped on the gas & they peeled out, the rear tires kicking up red dirt.

Nadya's figure static-ed again, knowing time was short.

At the amusement park:

Leo drove to their destination in record time, not sparing the gas & pushing the truck's limits to get Nadya to the Ferris wheel which will take her back to the land of the living, lest she be stuck in this godforsaken realm forever. The First Squad members & Shadow held onto the railing for dear life as Leo sped through for all he's worth, reaching the exit for Nadya without any problems.

Racing up the empty concrete strip, the Ferris wheel lay straight ahead.

Nadya felt like she was getting a massive headache, & her teammates came to her side.

"Nadya?", Zina says, placing her hand to her forehead.

"I'm okay. I just need to get inside the Ferris wheel", she said.

"No worries – we're here! It's smooth sailing from here on for you, Nadya!", Valya said with pride.

"I think you may have spoken too soon, Valya!", Leo said from the driver's seat.

Before anyone could ask what he meant, a squadron of aliens abruptly appeared from almost out of nowhere & started forming a living blockade, putting themselves between the truck & Ferris wheel. Leo stepped on the brakes of the truck & jarred it to a halt, with its passengers bracing for the sudden stop. Dozens of aliens hissed & drooled at the squadron, as if taunting or daring them to make a move.

No! Not when I'm so close!, Nadya thought, her headaches getting a little worse. Unless she gets inside her one & only ticket, she'll be just as dead as her teammates – a condition she isn't ready to share yet.

"Leo! Can't you just drive right through them?!", Marat asked.

"Not a chance! They'll be all over us in seconds!", he replied. "And no matter how many we shoot down, there'll be many more to take their place!"

"But we have to get Nadya back to that wheel! What can we do if we can't shoot, get through or over them?!", Valya said.

"That's it! Maybe we can't, but I'm betting he can!", Zina said, an idea hitting her as she turns to Shadow. "We desperately need your help, Shadow! Our teammate Nadya needs to get over to the Ferris wheel quickly – she doesn't really belong here yet! Do that for us, & we'll continue to fight by your clan's side against these monsters!"

Shadow's answer was immediate: scooping up Nadya with his right arm, the black-armored Predator made a leap from the hood of the truck's cabin like he was a bipedal bullfrog & soared through the air, Nadya in tow. Several of the aliens made a leap themselves at the airborne human & Yautja warrior, but Shadow unfurled his barbed whip from his belt & used it to lash out at those which got too close, severing arms, tails, bodies & even heads. Corpses of aliens were littering the grounds as Shadow landed gracefully on his feet like a cat & ran towards the closest Ferris wheel car with Agent N held aloft by one arm, sword & all.

Xenomorphs that charged after them were hit & killed from behind by Leo & his First Squad teammates, turning their attention back to them & buying Shadow & Nadya the time they need to reach the latter's target.

"Much obliged, Shadow! My friends are good on their word – stay by their side against these monstrosities, & they'll assist you & your clan every step of the way!", Nadya said as Shadow nodded. The young agent then opened the door to the car of the wheel & entered, while Shadow lay down some cover fire of his own with his twin shoulder cannons, blasting aliens left & right. Swinging his whip through the air brought down more of the creatures as Shadow began his dangerous trek towards his allies.

"Have a safe journey back, Nadya! We hope to see you on the other side – again!", shouted Leo before Nadya's vision was getting redder by the second. The sounds of battle were replaced by blaring alarms as Sputnik-1 began going critical as announced by a male tech. When Nadya opened her eyes again, she found herself being taken out of the machine as techs removed the faceplate & restraints from her limbs with General Belov right by her.

Unable to support herself due to lack of energy, Nadya fell forwards & was caught in her commander's arms.

Nadya felt her limbs feel like overcooked Linguini, & her breath came out in small, short pants.

A female tech offered her a drink of water & held it to her lips, which she kindly accepted.

"Nadya! Thank goodness!", Belov said, his heartbeat slowing with effort. "We were all so worried, but this is the second time you've come back to us from that world, comrade! Congratulations! So, can you tell us what it is you've discovered over there? Were Leo & the other members of your squadron able to find out anything about what you've been dreaming of that can help us? Nadya?"

"General Belov?", she says in an exhausted voice.

"Yes?", Belov replied, placing her in a more upright position as she stared at him with droopy eyes that were like slits.

"Let's…let's not…do that again…anytime soon", she said in intervals before passing out completely & her eyes close as she goes limp in the general's arms. Belov held her firmly as one of the techs checks her pulse.

"She'll be all right, General", he said. "The experience was just a little too much for her to handle, that's all. A good night's rest in bed, & she'll be as good as new in the morning."

"I figured as much, but it's nice to get confirmation. Thank you, Doctor", Belov said, rising to his feet with his agent in tow. "Give this machine a thorough maintenance everywhere & then shut it down for the time being, people. If we're lucky, we won't be needing it again for a very long time."

General Belov was out the door with Nadya by the time he finished giving his orders, heading for the elevator & making their way up to ground level.

The techs began their labor on Sputnik-1.

The Kremlin, Wednesday, September 2nd, 1942, noon:

Sergei & his squadron – including Oxford, Jacques, Bartosz & their troops – arrived in Moscow in a few hours by plane after a brief discussion on whose HQ their prisoners should be taken to & hijacking a suitable Luftwaffe aircraft: a Junkers Ju52-3M, 3-propellor transport plane with rear MG 15 machine gun. Two of Sergei's men piloted the craft as he, Oxford, Jacques & Bartosz kept a close watch on the three prisoners – Italy's Pietro Giomar, Germany's Klaus Ulbrecht & Japan's Takumi Shinobu. The rest of their party took the time for some well-deserved shut-eye, but Ox warned the trio of commanders that they'll spring up, point & shoot their weapons at a moment's notice if they dare to try anything funny.

Even with their arms tied, none of the captured commanders tried testing that theory, so they sat in total silence.

The co-pilot of the plane got on the radio when they were passed Nazi-infested lands to contact the Red Army of their approach in a German plane to avoid being shot down, either by accident or intentionally. He gave them a detailed description of the craft to inform them which plane to not attack & blow into a million pieces, along with the prisoners in tow.

Relaying the vital knowledge to their comrades & General Belov himself, the hijacked Junkers Ju52-3M landed near Moscow without incident where a caravan of Russian soldiers stood by with their rifles at the ready, waiting for the word from Belov. When Oxford Langley & the other foreign party stepped out, Major Sergei introduced each one to Belov & the roles they played. Every newcomer was greeted with warm handshakes, putting everyone on good terms which included Bartosz Wieslaw of Poland.

It was a something of a gamble bringing him & the rest over to Russia considering the tenseness of Poland's one-time foes when the war started only three years ago, but it paid off big-time: Bartosz saw nothing but determination in the eyes of the Red Army in stopping the Nazis, & he could relate in that aspect.

Bartosz was as welcome to Russia as any willing to fight & die for their motherland.

And sharing a deep hatred for the Axis didn't hurt either: when Pietro, Klaus & Takumi were brought out of the Junkers, all sets of eyes were boring into those of the captured commanders like they could roast them alive simply by staring, & more than a few were willing to aim their guns & pull their triggers & be done with it.

Only the knowledge of what the captured Axis trio possesses had saved them from an old-fashioned execution, as Sergei explained to General Belov.

Under heavy armed guard, the trio were frisked & taken to the Kremlin in Moscow & placed in a holding cell.

Lying on cots lay out next to one wall, Pietro, Klaus & Takumi slept the night under watch from the next room with guards eyeing them through a one-way mirror.

In the mid-morning, they were taken to a similar room with one-way mirror, only to find a table & three chairs as the only furniture within. Major Sergei stood guard inside, his rifle slung over his shoulder. The prisoners were firmly handcuffed to the table by a conjoining bolt & served a dish of unrecognizable food with a spoon which they strongly ignore & refuse to touch, let alone eat. Helping themselves to a dish of food served by the enemy is a sign of weakness to the trio, & they'll do anything to prevent showing it.

They plan to adhere to that principle.

A bolt unlocks at the door, & it opens to allow General Belov, Oxford & an unidentified soldier entry. Belov saw the uneaten food & made a face, hating to see good Russian food get wasted, especially in times of war.

"Soldier, take their plates & put one of them at my desk & the rest back in the fridge", Belov ordered. "I'll have my lunch in my office once we get some information out of our prisoners here."

"Right away, General", the soldier said, taking all three plates & exiting the room with Sergei closing the door.

None of the captives even flinched as it slammed shut.

"What's wrong, boys? Not hungry? I always thought that cockroaches ate just about anything", Oxford said in a half-gloat. Klaus & the other two just glared at him.

"You gentlemen know how hard it is to get caviar here in Russia, even for us?", Belov asked. "Don't tell me you only hunger for power. Remember what British historian John Dalberg-Acton said about it: 'Power tends to corrupt, & absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.' Then again, I suppose that does sound just about right, considering your Axis leaders are currently drunk with it. Just try to remember what happened to the likes of Attila the Hun, Vlad the Impaler…"

"I don't see how they're any different from your country's Ivan the Terrible, or maybe even your current Premier Josef Stalin!", Klaus cut in sharply. "Word is going around that he's even worse than Herr Hitler himself, & even killed more people than our Fuehrer! Last year, when we invaded your land for the first time, he sent you Russians in to halt our progress on a continuous basis, & even when you were losing men & machines left & right, he still wouldn't allow you to retreat for any reason, despite the mounting casualties! And yet, you still serve him without question! So instead of judging Herr Hitler for his acts of horrid violence or any of our Axis leaders, you should perhaps be more wary of your own Premier! Unless, that is…you do fear him more than we do Herr Hitler & Tojo!"

Klaus' last statement was from a toothy grin, with Takumi & Pietro joining in.

"Would you boys like to test that theory as I invite Premier Stalin to come down & help with this interrogation?", Belov asked. "I'm sure he's quite anxious to have a little chat, especially with you, Klaus Ulbrecht. All it'll take for me is to make a quick phone call, & he'll be on his way, just like that. What say you, boys…want to take that gamble?"

Their grins were wiped off their faces as if they'd been mere dirt removed by a wet cloth.

Even with the threat of having to face Russian Premier Josef Stalin, the trio of Axis commanders refused to cave in to the Red Army.

"What do you people want from us? Why were we brought here, of all places?", Pietro asks defiantly.

"So you're ready to get down to business, then? Good", Belov said. "That factory you had standing between the Linea Caesar Line & Anzio before it all got bombed to Hell…what exactly were you building in there? What was so valuable that it needed soldiers from each of the three Axis parties to keep it heavily guarded in one's jurisdiction?"

The three commanders continued to stare defiantly at the general without a word.

"Look here, mates", Oxford stepped in. "Whatever you've had in that factory is now gone, giving you blokes one less weapon to carry out your sick New World Order regime. Why don't you make it easy on yourselves & tell us what was inside that place, & if there's another one like it anywhere else, hmm? Cooperate with us, & you'll get treated quite fairly. Face it – you're going to lose this war like you did in the last, with us coming out on top."

"Like you British had done over at Singapore?", Takumi said with a sinister smirk. "I wonder how Churchill-san feels about losing his prized 'impregnable' fortress when we conquered it with ease just seven months ago."

It was a button Takumi pushed on the British Commander, & Oxford reached out & grabbed the Japanese man by the throat with one hand & held him aloft for as much as his handcuffs would allow.

"So you think that's funny, do you?! You Nipponese piece of shit!", Ox bellowed, squeezing the man's neck. The man's eyes bulged like they were ready to pop out of his skull, & General Belov & Sergei grabbed the big Brit to make him let go of their prisoner.

"Oxford, no!", Belov barked, forcing the Brit to release his vice-like grip on the Japanese man as he gasps for air. Pietro & Klaus keep their distance, clearly afraid of the big powerful man. "Listen: I know that losing Singapore had hurt your country very badly, & you have our sympathies! But please – don't let him or any of them get under your skin like that. As long as we have them kept under lock & key here, they're not a threat to anyone. Please, Oxford."

Heeding Belov's words & a few deep breaths gave Oxford the sedative he needed to get himself under control & take a couple steps back. Belov & Sergei released their hold on him.

"Yeah. Sorry, mates", Ox said, meaning it. "It's just that these Axis blighters undoubtedly have more of those facilities lying around somewhere, & I'm willing to bet they know where they're located at as much as whatever's in them. We need to get that information out of these blokes one way or another before they have a chance to use them."

"Good luck with that, I miei amici!", Pietro taunts, getting chuckles from Klaus & Takumi. Ox just scowled.

"Believe me, Oxford: there is a way to get what we need from these men", Belov said, ignoring the Italian man's childish rebuke. "And the best part is…none of us needs to lay even one finger on them."

Oxford looked at the Russian man.

"How exactly do you plan on doing that, mate?", he asked, perplexed.

"Trust me", Belov stated with a smile as he gestured him & Sergei towards the door. The three Axis commanders looked at each other, being just as confused as the Brit as to what Belov meant. And the way he smiled suggested that he was trying to get under their skins in order to put the fear into & make them incriminate themselves.

"Whatever you're up to, it won't work! You hear me?!", Pietro snapped as Belov, Sergei & Ox exited the room, refusing to give in to pressure under fire.

The door slammed with a loud clang, & the lock clicked firmly in place.

Nineteen minutes later:

When the door to their cell opened again, Pietro, Klaus & Takumi expected to see General Belov, Major Sergei and/or Oxford coming in. Instead, they were caught totally off-guard by who it was: a young teenage 15-year-old girl in a baby pink dress, brown boots, thin red scarf, blue eyes & blonde hair that reached her shoulders. In her left hand was a samurai sword with a pink teddy bear dangling from a string at the base. The girl didn't say a word as the door to the cell closed again, leaving her inside with the Axis commanders.

In the next room, General Belov, Sergei, Oxford, Bartosz, Jacques & the monk all watch through the one-way mirror as Nadya went in silently, neither acknowledging nor looking at the prisoners as she stopped in the center of the room. The leaders from Poland, France & England were as perplexed as ever.

"No offense, General, but…are you insane?!", Bartosz said.

"Wee, monsieur Belov!", Jacques said. "What are you & the old monk thinking, sending a young girl in the same room with three dangerous men like those, handcuffed or not?"

"Yeah, mate! What can that child do that any of us can't?", Oxford asks.

"That 'child', Mr. Oxford, is an incredibly gifted youngster", said the monk. "In but a few moments, you'll see just how gifted she really is. With her abilities, we shall be gathering the intel we need in mere moments from now."

Oxford was about to say something further when Belov cut him off.

"Trust us, Oxford…and watch", he said with a smile.

With nothing else to say, Ox & the rest did as Belov suggested.

Nadya turned to the three prisoners for the first time, remaining silent & keeping a straight face.

Pietro, Klaus & Takumi couldn't help but to be amused.

"This is a joke, right?", Pietro says with a grin. "Little girl, isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Or maybe she should be in school right now, learning about how your country will be losing this war!", Klaus added in, getting chuckles from each man.

"Young lady, that's a very dangerous weapon you're holding there", Takumi said, holding out his free hand to her sword. "Perhaps you'd like to give it to me, as someone who knows how to expertly handle a sword like that."

Staying mute, Nadya removed her red scarf & placed it over her eyes, tying it in the back. Nadya then took a few steps toward the table, standing only a few feet from the commanders. With her right hand, she points first to Pietro.

It was only then in which she started speaking.

"You – Italian Commander Pietro Giomar. You were going to send a horde of those acid-blooded monsters over to North Africa to aide Erwin Rommel in his campaign against the British. You were only days away from doing so when you were hit by unseen forces, with your entire base being destroyed."

Nadya then points to Klaus, her aim dead-on as if she wasn't blindfolded.

"You – German Commander Klaus Ulbrecht", she says. "Your Nazi Germany has another facility set up on the outskirts of Warsaw, Poland, where more of those monsters are being bred at. To prove your loyalty to the Nazi cause, you killed your own parents by poisoning them at a dinner when Adolf Hitler became chancellor after they had both vehemently disapproved of his ascension. He promised you a high position in his Third Reich once the war ends."

The fact that Nadya was able to discover hidden secrets from them gave the men a disturbing feeling, & their faces of amusement turned to that of stunned silence, becoming just as mute as Nadya when she first entered.

She then turns & points to Takumi, who reveals as to why she was able to find out their inner desires/secrets so simply.

Extra Sensory Perception…this child is gifted with ESP!, he thought dreadfully, his eyes wide.

"You – Japanese Commander Takumi Shinobu. Your Imperial Japan has a facility located at…", Nadya started to say when Takumi rammed his head hard into the corner of the table, the blow causing a deep bleeding cut as he keeps the assault on himself repeatedly. Even with the blindfold on, Nadya knew what was happening, & she stepped back until her back touched the wall.

"Shit!", General Belov shouted, racing out of the room with the rest to follow. He frantically entered the room & ran over to Takumi, who now lay in a puddle of his own blood. Belov checked the Japanese man's neck for a pulse.

He found none.

"Dammit!", Belov spat with a heavy sigh as Oxford & Jacques came in the room. The others hung back at their request, not wanting to crowd the room & restrict movement.

"Are we too late, General?", Oxford asked.

"I'm afraid so, Ox", Belov said, rising from the floor & undoing Takumi's cuffs. "Jacques, would you be so kind as to get Nadya out of here while Ox & I take our two remaining prisoners back to the holding pens?"

"Sure thing, monsieur. This way, madam, if you please", the French commander said, taking Nadya's hand & gently but quickly taking her away from the mayhem inside the room. The young agent gave no resistance: she wanted out of that room as much as he did.

Pietro & Klaus were utterly stunned by the display of mayhem that went down.

"Oh Gott!", was all that Klaus could say.

"Buon Dio! The Japanese really are as crazy as we've heard!", Pietro said.

"Like you wankers should talk! You Axis creeps were all crazy to even start this bloody war in the first place!", Ox snapped as Belov undid their cuffs & placed them in front before he & Oxford brought them out of the room. The General ordered Sergei to get a body bag for Takumi's corpse.

Saluting, the Major went to work.

Their day would become crazier as it went by.

1:00 p.m.:

Takumi's body was removed immediately as a soldier was given duty to mop up the blood puddle, not wanting the cell to stink of death hitting them any more than what they experience out on the battlefront.

Especially from inside the Kremlin itself.

General Belov had enough room in his office for himself, Oxford, Jacques, Bartosz, Sergei, the monk & Nadya as she went over the details of what the Sixth Division entails, her recent dreams, her visit to the Land of the Dead with her deceased First Squad members, & of the acid-blooded monsters & humanoid alien hunters that stalk & kill them for sport. The monk explained & added that Nadya was born with ESP – enabling to sense things others never can, which was one of the reasons for the Sixth Division's existence. He retold her adventure with the coming of Baron Von Wolff at the beginning of the year, & how Nadya had contacted her dead friends from First Squad to aide her in stopping & pushing back Von Wolff's undead horde to the realm her friends now reside.

Jacques, Bartosz & even Oxford were astonished & somewhat skeptical by this info, but it still didn't mean they believed it any less: if a fifteen-year-old girl can read minds & gain precious information as Nadya did, then they'll take it all in stride & accept it.

"We can certainly see as to why you have developed this 'Sixth Division', monsieur Belov", Jacques said. "If the Nazis will go as far as using the supernatural to help them achieve their goals, then it only makes perfect sense for you to devise a counterstrike team that specifically deals with such a thing."

"Exactly right, comrade", Belov replied, blowing smoke from his cigarette. "I've helped to bring up this division from scratch with my bare hands, & Nadya here – also known as Agent N – is my best operative in this department. As we've openly revealed to you men what it entails, I must now ask you three for a vow of secrecy: to not breathe a word of what you men have learned of my division to anyone. Can I count on you for that?"

The men didn't hesitate to answer.

"Yes you can, General", said Bartosz.

"Wee, monsieur", said Jacques. "It's the least we can do."

"Mum's the word, mate. And ours is as good as gold", said Ox, getting nods from Belov & the monk, believing them 100%. Oxford & the rest then turn to Nadya. "So Nadya, love. Those monsters you've been having grisly dreams about, they're actually…space creatures? Meaning, otherworldly life forms?"

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Oxford", Nadya began. "When I first started having those visions in my sleep, I couldn't make heads or tails of them other than brief flashes & sounds of teeth, claws, hissing, cackling & energy beams – ones of which I've never seen before. Visiting my friends in the netherworld, I discovered that those monsters – aliens, if you will – with acidic blood are of a vicious, unrelenting nature, more beastial & savage than anything one can imagine in the wilds of the jungle. Those of a more humanoid form – which my friends call Predators – are a race of hunters with weapons that possibly make ours feasible by comparison. While brutal & savage in battle, they have something of a code which they live by, including a strong sense of honor. I should know: one of them aided me in getting back from the netherworld when my friends & I were surrounded by those aliens. Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here with any of you right now."

"Then what happened over at Stalingrad just the other day…", Ox started to say.

"Exactly. I deduced that the Nazis have somehow found these creatures – the aliens – and have been breeding them & then turning them loose on their enemies. That's how Captain Alexander Nemov's forces were taken down so quickly & violently."

"But it still doesn't explain as to how they all disappeared with hardly a trace", said Jacques, turning to Belov. "You said that no bodies were found when Captain Nemov was, right?"

"That's what the men reported, Jacques", Belov said. "I'm simply guessing, but I believe these 'Predators' which Nadya encountered have somehow literally erased all traces of their existence, using some kind of weapon or perhaps even a chemical of sorts to wipe out the evidence – both human and alien. I believe that is the fate of Captain Nemov's squadron at Stalingrad."

The room falls silent for a brief moment to allow Belov to say a prayer for his troops.

"And above all else, of what Nadya described of these creatures, I do believe I'm starting toremember them as well", Belov said, turning all eyes his way.

"General Belov – you knew about those acid-blooded aliens this whole time?", Nadya asked. "Why haven't you said anything about it until now?"

"Because, Nadya…I thought I was simply imagining those monsters when I first saw them", he explains. "It all started back in August of 1914, when our country was invading the German province of East Prussia in its final years of the Russian Empire: I was a Sergeant leading a battalion against the enemy of that horrific fight, when we suffered losses of over half my men in just a matter of days. We were able to draw the Germans back with all our efforts, albeit temporarily. In the fight, I suffered a broken leg & a bad concussion that left me out of action for the duration of the battle. I left the squadron for my Lieutenant to lead in what seemed to be the endgame of the conflict. In the course of it, I listened to the sounds of war: guns & cannons going off with deafening booms, men screaming battle cries & being killed moments later. One tends to get used to that particular chorus when out on the battlefield. Me? I wished for it to simply vanish into the night once it came by. And when the evening finally did, my wish hadn't been granted, much to my dismay. Amid the screams of the men on both sides, I heard a brand new sound that stung my ears: that of a horrible screeching sound, exactly like…"

"Nails on a chalkboard", Belov & Nadya said in unison, with the former nodding to confirm on what his young agent mentioned the other day.

"When I first heard it, I scrambled to see for myself what it had been", Belov went on. "Upon first sight, & amid my injuries & the unbearable heat even within the dead of night, I felt like I was either hallucinating or having the most terrible nightmare. In a way, I was: those acid-blooded monsters were running rampant among the conflict, attacking & slaughtering armies on both sides, cutting them down to size & tearing them to pieces like they were nothing more than children's toys. Nothing could stop them, despite the Germans & my soldiers teaming against them like comrades in arms. Things took a turn for the worse when a series of…shimmers in the air showed up & attacked both creatures & soldiers alike with weapons I've never seen before: guns mounted on their shoulders that shoot beams of bluish light, spears that extend & contract, discs that are thrown & returned like boomerangs that slice through mostly anything, a pair of or singular blades that extend from their arms that make bayonets dull, steel nets which can trap prey as if they were fishing in a lake, & darts that go through even the hulls of the cannons. I watched in awe & stunned trepidation as these invisible creatures – the Predators Nadya described – cut down human & monster alike with swift decisiveness I'd never seen in any soldier previously. In under two minutes, they took down every living soul of my men, the enemy and the invading monsters. Unable to keep my balance, I fell to the ground & they turned their attention to me. Even if I was in perfect health, or if it was just a hallucination due to my injuries and the sweltering heat of the summer, there's no way I could've run for cover – I was too frozen with fear. All I could do was stare up at the things & wait for them to do me in as they had my squadron. But they didn't: almost as suddenly as they appeared, they were gone from view, & I passed out from the combination of the heat and my pain. I remembered nothing after that except for being found days later & brought back to a Russian hospital, where I recuperated & sent back into battle until war's end & having my status raised from Sergeant to Colonel, & eventually to General – a status I still hold today."

Silence ensued as Belov finished his story & cigarette, putting the stump out in his ashtray.

"So in all that time, you knew about those monsters & never realized it?", Oxford asked after several moments.

"Like I said, Oxford – I thought I was having a bad hallucination caused by my injuries in conjunction with the high heat of that time", Belov said. "In all, I more or less dismissed the whole thing as wartime propaganda – which is a more common condition in soldiers who fight endlessly in conflicts like the First World War. Sometimes a case is so severe that they get hospitalized in an institution, or worst of all, they get put down like a rabid dog."

"That's harsh", said Bartosz. "But it makes sense: after seeing something like what you've witnessed, General, it's no wonder you chose to dismiss it for the most part. Most of your squadron or even your superiors probably would not have believed you if you had explained the scenario you'd seen, disbelieving that they were real."

"But unfortunately, they are real, & dismissing those monsters now is not an option!", Jacques firmly stated.

"No it isn't, Jacques!", Nadya said just as firmly. "We don't know as to how the Nazis came to be in possession of the aliens, but we do know that while they may not be of supernatural origin as Baron Von Wolff is, it still doesn't make them any less dangerous: in their possession, they have the means of wiping out any & all opposition we throw at them! All the Nazis or any of their Axis partners need to do is give these monsters a specific course to run down & set them loose: containing unparalleled animalistic fury & viciousness, they'll easily overrun & decimate anything that's foolish enough to be in their path! The ruination of Captain Alexander Nemov's troops in Stalingrad is concrete proof to it! Plus, there's something else they're creating in these facilities! I can't say precisely what because the commanders themselves don't even know, but it's all the more reason why we need to act fast to stop this plague & prevent it from reaching other areas of Russia or our Allies in this war!"

"And like you would any infestation, we must go & cut it off at the source before it can spread beyond control", said the monk. "The best place to start doing that is to rally our troops over to Warsaw, Poland & bring that facility down like the one in Italy had been."

"It's too bad we don't know where Takumi was keeping his at, on account he took his own life before Nadya could obtain that information", Oxford said.

"Actually, Mr. Oxford – I did", Nadya said, all eyes turning to her. "Just before he died completely, I was able to scan his mind using my gift of ESP. Takumi & the Japanese have a complex of his own between the areas of Mount Ontake & Mount Kohide, near the Miure Dam in Otaki."

"But that would mean that it's located in…", Bartosz started to say.

"Japan itself, yes", the monk said. "Although we have basically left that Imperialist country alone as they have us for the most part of this war, we have no choice but to send in a party & destroy that facility like we need to do over in Poland. While it's a calculated risk to cause Japan to turn its attention towards Russia, it's one we must take – anything as deadly & dangerous as those aliens cannot be allowed to remain in enemy hands."

"Then we'll have to split our forces into two separate parties if we're going to bring down these places, now that we have positive target areas on where to strike", Jacques said. "Perhaps a simultaneous attack is the best option."

General Belov lowered his head as if to contemplate Jacques' idea.

"I'm a little skeptical about splitting us up & weakening our defenses, Jacques, but considering our options, we may have no alternative but to do as you suggest", Belov says. "However, we shouldn't go in blindly: I'd like to head down & see if we can get more information from commanders Klaus & Pietro before we make preparations. Maybe even any of those other twelve Nazis we captured this morning can give us some intel."

"What other twelve Nazis, General?", Nadya wondered.

"Oh, that's right, love – you don't know, do you?", Oxford says. "While you were resting up from your ordeal in the netherworld, a group of Nazis boldly para-trooped from a plane & landed only 5 miles from Moscow. And here's a shocker: even though they were heavily armed to the teeth, they surrendered immediately without the slightest hint of a struggle. I guess they figured Hitler's New World Order just wasn't worth it."

"They gave themselves up – simply like that?"

"Exactly like that", Bartosz said. "It is strange, I must admit: you'd think they'd resist & battle us to the death in a position like that. But not them – once the Red Army had them surrounded, they offered no resistance, despite their heavy armament. Several of them even smiled – almost as if they wanted to be caught."

'As if they wanted to be caught'…I don't think I like the sound of that, the monk thought, indicating something wrong with the whole thing.

"In any case, let's head down to the holding pens & chat a little more with our prisoners", Belov said, rising from his seat & heading for the door. "Even the smallest scrap of intel from them can mean the difference between life & death once we deploy our assault."

The General opens the door & exits, with Nadya by his side & the rest to follow. As they walked, the monk had gave more thought of the twelve Nazis that gave up & allowed themselves to be captured without a fight: what is the purpose of their immediate surrender? He knew there was some motive behind it, & it wasn't because they didn't think Hitler's New World Order or Third Reich was worth fighting or dying for, as Ox had.

Unlike the Brit, the monk doesn't believe it for a second. And it worried him.

A soldier with his rifle slung ran up to General Belov, calling his name as he caught his breath.

"What is it, son? What's wrong?", Belov asked.

"I-It's those Nazi prisoners, sir! The ones that you've captured this morning!", the young man said. "They've all started clutching their chests & convulsing madly! A red patch of blood was forming in that very spot on each of them! Only the two commanders you interrogated aren't showing any symptoms!"

Memories of chests convulsing & bleeding from inside flooded Nadya's mind: visions of the monk & General Belov being stuck & held onto the walls of the Kremlin & seeing their chests bleeding before bulging out like…

Like something was pushing out from within! That must be how the Nazis are breeding the aliens!, she thought.

"We've got to kill those men! Quickly!", Nadya shouted, running for the stairs that lead to the holding pens & drawing her sword.

"Nadya, wait…!", Bartosz said.

"She's right! Everyone downstairs…now! We're under attack!", the monk said, rushing after Nadya with General Belov by his side & the rest following.

In the holding pens below the Kremlin, the dozen Nazis all fell to the floor with their hands clutching their chests as blood stained the front of their uniforms. Their frantic cries became shrieks now, & their chests were all starting to bulge as something was forcing its way out. Being trapped in the same cell as them, Commanders Pietro & Klaus can only watch the inevitable occurred, & the men all cry out 'Heil Hitler!' at the top of their lungs before it happens: the chests of the dozen Nazis burst forth in a steady, one-at-a-time flow as each has his rib cage explode in a gout of flesh, blood & bone to reveal a tiny eyeless head with needle teeth in their mouths. An inhuman screech emanated from each set of alien mandibles, & they slithered out like snakes from their now-dead hosts. Neither Klaus nor Pietro have seen a sight of such horror, much less of how the aliens were bred to be used for the Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy & Imperial Japan cause; this is the first time they're seeing as to how it's being done.

They use living hosts to breed these creatures? Mein Fuehrer…why haven't you told me?, Klaus thought.

Signore Mussolini…why keep this from me?, Pietro thought, just as baffled & feeling more than a bit betrayed.

Neither commander had the time to ponder the thought any further: two of the alien snakes caught sight of the Nazi & Fascist leaders & launched themselves straight for them, their speed like lightning.

Pietro & Klaus' screams echoed the entire pen, becoming louder than any of the dozen Nazis'.

General Belov, Nadya & everyone in their party reached the holding pens in a minute's time, the cries heard even from a distance before becoming briefly silent as two more screams of agony took its place & dying again as suddenly as they began. Now the place was quiet as a tomb, & it sent a chill down the spines of its new residents. Everyone with a firearm had it out & ready, preparing for the worst. When they reached the cell door in which the dozen Nazis & the commanders Pietro & Klaus were held in, they saw a puddle of blood seep out through the cell door's crack down at the bottom. General Belov gave a hand signal to indicate that everyone hold back as he & Nadya approach the door with utmost caution, his gun drawn & her sword ready to swing.

Belov looked at Nadya, who nodded & he opened the door.

Once he did, all of the snake-like creatures slithered out with inhuman speed & raced off down the hall, taking all by surprise.

"Gor blimey!", Oxford said, watching the snake creatures pass by in the wink of an eye.

"No! Stop them! Don't let they get away!", Nadya snapped.

"Nadya's right! We need to lock this whole place down! Now!", Belov shouted, running back the way he came as Nadya followed behind with Oxford, Jacques & Bartosz doing the same. Only the monk stayed behind, & he went to look inside the holding pen to be greeted with a grisly sight: fourteen bodies lay dead on the floor in puddles of their own blood, with twelve of them having fist-sized holes in their chests. Commanders Pietro Giomar & Klaus Ulbrecht had their throats ripped out by the little creatures, bleeding to death in seconds.

The monk couldn't help but feel pity for the men, enemy or not.

A hideous fate for any man…including the Nazi Germans & Fascist Italians, he thought, shaking his head.

Without a second thought, the monk ran to catch up to his comrades topside.

The Kremlin, 30 minutes later:

Given the order, General Belov had the entire building locked down in record time. He gave strict instructions that nothing & nobody was to enter or exit the building unless specifically ordered by him to do so. Every man & woman was to be well-armed & keep a lookout as sharp as a razor for anything out of the ordinary.

When one soldier asked what that 'out of the ordinary' would be, Belov gave him a brief summary that the place was 'partly infested' with unknown organisms that kill on sight. He didn't go any further than that, other than they're big & black, & that everyone in the Kremlin is to watch out for them & holler at first sight while shooting on sight & not get too close when they do.

It was all the info Belov was willing to share, leaving out the 'alien' & 'outer space' parts.

Nobody pressed him for anything more, & soon the whole place was on full red alert by every abled body.

Sans the blaring alarm, silence filled the building which put some on edge.

Nadya stood with General Belov, as the former consulted with her in a low voice.

"Where are they, Nadya? Can you sense their presence in any way? If so, are they still inside the Kremlin?"

Nadya concentrated on using her talent to try & locate the creatures, having picked up a scant reading when they escaped from the holding cell.

"Yes, they're still in here with us!", she said softly but firmly, her sword in hand. "They're like lions – they stay close to the zebras & move in for the kill first chance they get!"

At least they haven't reached out to the populace of Moscow!, Belov thought with some relief.

He shuddered to think of Russia's capital overrun with the aliens, as Stalingrad briefly had been.

His thoughts were replaced by a shouting that was heard by all that got cut off with a wet splash of blood, & the general, Nadya & their party raced down the hallway & hung a right to see a soldier that got eviscerated by an alien just before it disappeared into an overhead duct. Parts of the man lay everywhere, the walls decorated with his blood & organs. They didn't have time to sit & cry about it: another scream down the hall got them on the move again, followed by other screams at various areas within the building. They were cut to the sound of gunfire & screeches, indicating one of the aliens got it, but it was overcome & outweighed by human screams that were abruptly stopped.

Undecided on where to go next, Belov's troops briefly ceased running.

"Damn things are everywhere!", Bartosz said. "Where do we even begin to start exterminating them?!"

"Just stay together, Bartosz!", said Jacques. "They'll pick us off one by one if we dared to separate!"

From above, four of the aliens – now full-grown – crashed through the ceiling & landed ten feet from the group, leaping at them like jaguars with their claws extended. Belov & his party had no choice but to divide, lest they become eviscerated themselves like that soldier. Alien claws miss gutting their prey by a fraction of an inch, & most dropped their weapons in the scuffle.

Except for Nadya.

"Hey! Over here!", she shouted to the alien quartet, her sword still in hand. Each monstrosity turned in Nadya's direction & hissed in contempt, giving Oxford & the others time to grab their armaments. It was partly successful: the men did re-obtain the guns, but most went after Belov, Bartosz, Oxford & Jacques while only one pursued Nadya down a separate hallway, its jaws dripping saliva. She lead the creature down to about thirty feet from Belov's party when a second alien smashed through the door of a room twelve feet away, the door shattered in large pieces as the monster held a dead Russian soldier in its hands, his head punctured & bleeding in the forehead.

Nadya surmised the soldier never knew what hit him, judging by the look of surprise on his face.

The second alien dropped the dead man like a hot potato & turned to Nadya, hissing in anticipation of its next meal/victim. The one behind her did the same, almost as if they were communicating in a language as alien as their own physical forms.

But Nadya wasn't fooled: she knew what they were probably planning on doing with her, & when the moment came, both aliens charge at her in both directions like rhinos cornering an enemy. Nadya waited until the exact moment to act, & she does so by diving to one side when the monsters get within two feet of her. Unable to stop, both creatures crash into each other with literally skull-cracking force as one gets its head smashed in, spilling its acidic blood on the floor & dropping dead, the acid eating the floor where it lay motionless. The other alien's head was intact but delirious from the blow, & it took a few seconds to reorganize itself.

It was all Nadya needs: with a swift thrust, she rammed her sword in the skull of the monster where the neck was & driving it in deep, the head nearly touching the handle. It let out a dying screech before expiring & falling to the floor with its late companion. Nadya removed her weapon from the thing's skull; because of the blade's mystical origin, it did not melt, only smoked. But she was still careful not to touch the acidic fluid nevertheless.

A clacking of footsteps made her turn to see a Russian soldier come her way.

"You're okay!", she told him.

"For now, at least!", he replied back. "What are these monsters, Nadya? I've never seen anything like them! Are they what General Belov mentioned at the briefing when we locked this place down?"

"The very same! There's twelve of them in all, including these two dead ones, & I think I heard another one get taken down!"

"Yeah, one was blasted to hell by a soldier who ignored the General's order & shot it at point-blank range! Poor bastard was half-melted by the thing's blood, leaving only his legs & feet!"

Nadya took a moment to absorb the man's fate, getting a chill up her spine.

"Where's General Belov? I thought you'd be with him!", said the man.

"We got separated when those things attacked us!", Nadya explained. "I need to know if he & the others are all right amidst all this chaos!"

"Let's find out together! I'll stay by you as we look for the General & hope that he's…"

The man's sentence was cut short as gunshots sounded in the distance & his body was riddled with bullet wounds as Nadya dived to the side to avoid the barrage. He fell dead to the floor with a wet thud, dropping his rifle as it clanged on the tiles. When Nadya looked to see who had shot him, she was greeted by a pair of tall blondes in Nazi uniforms who looked exactly alike in every aspect, each holding a smoking Walther P-38 pistol.

They were the Nazi Twins that tried to kill her during Operation: Sword of Vengeance at the beginning of the year. A dreaded sense of deja-vu hit Nadya like a slap in the face.

"Hello again, Nadya!", said Twin #1.

"Remember us?", said Twin #2.

Nadya stared hard at the twins as they walked in her direction like they were taking a pleasant stroll, their guns aimed right at her head. Even facing certain death, she refused to show her fear to the lethal twins & planned to go down fighting like any solider would.

Once the chance to strike arises, Nadya will give it for all it's worth.

"You gave us the slip last time, Nadya, but now there ain't nowhere left for you to run!", said Twin #1.

"This time you're going straight to Hell, you little bitch!", said Twin #2.

Just come a little closer, you two – I'm not going alone!, she thought with venom through clenched teeth, her hands holding her sword tightly until her knuckles turned white.

"Not today, she isn't!", the monk barked ferociously, clobbering Nazi Twin #2 at the same time with his staff, knocking her into her partner. Nadya used the distraction to rise from the floor & run off as the monk stood in the way of the assassins & buy her time to make good her escape. A furious fight ensued between the monk & twins as they had swung fists, feet & staff in swift decisive maneuvers. Even at his age, the monk can keep up with each move the twins make, matching their charges & blocking with accuracy that would tire out a normal man of his position.

"I'll admit, old man – your presence is a big surprise to us!", said Twin #1. "We don't know how you lived in our last encounter, but you won't be so lucky a second time!"

"We'll make sure you don't rise from the dead this round, monk!", said Twin #2.

"Then good luck with that, you Nazi cunts!", the monk barked.

Both twin assassins grit their teeth, & the second one rushed at him in a blind rage. The monk raised his staff to block her knife which she managed to draw in a flash. Her gleaming blade was only an inch from his face when the first twin ran off in the direction Nadya took. Being engaged with her partner, the monk was unable to go to Nadya's aide.

He wished her the best of the Lord's luck just before clobbering his foe in the side of the head with his staff.

Their fight became more furious with nothing held back.

The first Nazi Twin has tracked Nadya down to the classroom wing of the Kremlin, with the large science room coming into view to her right. She gazed carefully through the opaque glass of the room for any sign of her young but sneaky quarry. At first she spotted a haze of what appeared to be a bookcase, but upon closer inspection she made the outline of a young figure that matched Nadya's description.

Her mouth formed a sinister smile that would make Count Dracula proud.

Reaching to her belt, Nazi Twin #1 took a Model 39 Eihandaranate (egg hand) grenade, pulled the pin & tossed it with enough force to create a small hole in the glass before bolting to stay clear of the oncoming blast. The figure in the room did not move, let alone acknowledge the grenade's presence.

The weapon detonated after ten seconds, blowing out the entire room.

The grenade blast was felt everywhere, including where Nazi Twin #2 & the monk battled fiercely, the ground shaking the floor & nearly losing their balance.

"Nadya!", the monk said to himself before receiving a solid kick to his solar plexus from his foe which knocks him on his ass & up against the wall. Nazi Twin #2 holds her gun aimed at his face with a grin on hers.

"You should've been more concerned about yourself than that of your little tramp, old man!", she said icily. "It's too bad you won't get to learn that lesson any further!"

A cackling sound interrupted her banter, & she turned to the source with her gun leading, only to have it bitch-slapped out of her hand by an unseen force that revealed itself as one of the Yautja creatures towering over her. Twin #2 brought up her knife, but that too was wrenched out of her hand when the Predator used its singular wristblade to shear her own off the knife's hilt with one clean swipe before contracting it.

A few inches further & it would've been her hand that got severed.

She didn't let up: a hard kick to the chest put the creature back a step before it swung a fist that would've put her in an unconscious state had it connected. The blonde assassin swung her fists & feet in a fluid motion, all of which was avoided & blocked by the monster with black-stranded, gold-braided hair & facemask. The monk watched as the alien hunter matched the female Nazi killer move for move, & then some. He was clearly fascinated at its speed, cunning & timing of every parry & block she was giving it, never missing a beat. Unlike the acid-blooded aliens, this creature has a fierce intelligence behind its facemask just as Nadya had described.

It was a true warrior in the traditional sense of an expert combatant – even for an alien.

The Yautja caught Nazi Twin #2's left hand after she pulled a spare blade from a hidden pocket & gave her a backhanded blow that sent her flying across eleven feet, hitting the floor on her side. Seeing white spots in her vision, the Nazi assassin ignored it & pulled her spare firearm: a Sauer 38H pistol. The Predator stood poised to dodge any rounds that came from it, but she never pulled the trigger on account that her partner came around the bend with news for her ears.

"Never mind them! I found & killed Nadya – she's history now! Let's go!", Nazi Twin #1 said.

Nazi Twin stared at the Yautja creature & the monk with hard eyes.

"Another time, old man!", she said, turning tail & rejoining her partner. Neither the monk nor the Predator gave chase. Rather, the Yautja regarded the old man instead & looked him up & down as if studying him like a specimen in a jar, with the monk staring back & doing the same. The old man didn't flinch.

"I take it you're not here for us, are you?", he said, rising slowly to his feet with the help of his staff. "No – I do suspect your real quarry is in the form of those 'aliens' we've been infested with in this building. Am I right?"

His answer comes in the Predator activating its cloak & taking off in search of its real prey.

Nadya…!, the monk thought dreadfully, wondering if what the Nazi Twin said was true.

He ran off in the direction where he last saw her, praying the report is false.

The center of the Kremlin:

Soldiers were falling victim to the aliens one at a time – armed or unarmed, male or female.

A multitude of tail swipes & stabs, inner jaw puncturing, acid blood splashing & animalistic rending with bare limbs cut the Kremlin's Red Army down to less than half. It was accomplished in the timespan of just a few minutes, & now it was down to General Belov, Bartosz Wieslaw, Jacques Armand, Oxford 'Ox' Langley, & a handful of Russian soldiers & technicians/secretaries the aliens haven't gotten to – yet.

It was them against eight killer creatures from space, all of which have trapped them in a flanking circle.

Belov & the others did the same, keeping a close eye on them & waiting for the first one to make a move.

"I hate to admit it, General, but it looks bad!", Bartosz said, never taking his eyes off the beasts. "They've nearly wiped out your entire squadron in this place, & we've only gotten two of them out of the whole dozen!"

"I know the feeling, Bartosz, but I'll be damned if I let those Nazis or these monsters triumph against us!", Belov said. "All of you – watch them like hawks & blow the first one that so much as twitches!"

"No argument on that, mate!", Ox put in.

The Mexican Standoff became tense for both sides as the seconds ticked by, watching each other's parties with eyes & no eyes. Fingers on the triggers of the soldier's guns/rifles were itching madly, each one wanting nothing more than to cut loose with a barrage of bullets & bring the alien intruders down to size before they can do the same. They must be precise, however: they've seen how inhumanly fast these monsters are, so they need to aim with as deadly an accurate strike as their own reflexes will allow, lest they face total evisceration like their poor comrades that already died by their hands.

Everyone can hear the other's hearts palpitating madly, adding to the tension.

Then it occurs, & several things happen in a simultaneous manner: a pair of aliens make a powerful leap at the handful of soldiers & techs, only to get impaled by some invisible force that sends them over to the wall before the cause materializes into twin spears, each one snagging their prey in the midsection; two more aliens get sliced in half by two different kinds of discs – one shaped like a dinner plate, the other with a half-dozen curved blades; one alien gets wrapped in a clearly visible whip that was barbed, which skewered the monster in pieces as its limbs go flying; another becomes impaled by a double-bladed weapon that was driven in the chin & through the top of its skull, & the last two simply get shot at by beams of blue-white energy – one in the midsection & in half, the other getting its head blown to bits like a balloon, the pieces scattering everywhere.

Miraculously, no acid hits Belov or anyone else in all the confusion.

The two aliens pinned to the wall struggle as they try to get free, only to be put out of their misery by a well-aimed bullet from Oxford.

Cougar, Thresher & most of the other Yautja hunters deactivate their cloaks & reveal themselves to Belov & the rest, staring in stunned silence at the invisible intruders abruptly appearing right out of thin air. The Predators retrieve their weapons & regroup, keeping half their sights on the humans that banded together in a huddle against the aliens which were planted by the Nazis to take out one of their main control centers in Moscow.

It may still happen, as most of the soldiers believe: raising their guns, the cocking of firearms put the Predators on alert themselves, aiming shoulder cannons with beams of three red dots in a triangular pattern. Some aimed for their weapons, others for their heads. Because of his previous experience with the alien hunters, General Belov knew that his men wouldn't stand a chance in Hell if they started firing.

He needs to defuse the situation before it gets ugly – quickly.

"If they shoot, we shoot!", said one soldier.

"If they shoot, it won't matter! Put them down!", Belov said.

"General, you can't be serious! These things…"

"I am serious, soldier – deadly serious! Now put those damn guns down! That's an order!"

"With all due respect, sir, we're not lowering these guns until…", said another man before being cut off.

"No, wait! Don't shoot! Do what General Belov told you to! Please!", said Nadya as she enters the foray with the monk & a shimmer that revealed itself to be Twin-Tooth, standing behind both with his glaive which he contracts & puts behind his back. He then uses hand signals that orders his clan to stow their own weapons away as he has, cackling in his tongue to his troops.

Cackling in answer, Cougar, Thresher & the rest of the Yautja hunters comply as targeting systems, blades, discs, spears & shoulder cannons become stashed & inert.

"It's all right, mates", Ox says. "I do believe that these blighters know the score, & that we each have a common goal."

The men turn to Belov, who nods wordlessly. It was all the answer the Red Army needed, & they indeed lower their weapons as the Yautja have.

"They certainly do, Oxford", Nadya says, who was naked except for a large Russian flag cloth which she wore like a robe the ancient Greeks used to wear. As usual, her sword was in hand. "We're not their actual targets: it's those acid-blooded aliens that they really want. We're just simply caught in the middle. But now we all have a common foe, & we'll need each other's cooperation if we're going to pull through this. Neither side can do this without the other as backup & staying side-by-side. I can tell they've agreed on those conditions. Can they count on & trust you for that?"

Nadya's answer was immediate.

"Yes they can, Nadya", said Bartosz, getting nods from the rest of the man & a smile from Belov, Nadya & the monk himself.

"What was that explosion before in the building, madam? Did they cause it?", asked Jacques.

"No, it was caused by one of those Nazi Twins", she said.

"The same ones that tried to kill & prevent you from stopping Baron Von Wolff & his troops?", Belov asked.

"Yes, General. But I gave them the slip: I took cover in the science room of the building, removed my dress & boots & put them on the skeletal dummy that gets used for teaching, adding packets of blood underneath for dramatic effect. When one of them tossed the grenade inside & went off, it blew apart the decoy into pieces & took out a portion of the wall. I managed to take cover & escape before the blast, but I saw one of the twins examine the fake body & she seemed convinced that it was me. She was gone quickly after that."

"And that was when she ran into this creature here, whom I do believe is the leader of this caravan of hunters", the monk said. "And now that we have the location of those other facilities in which the Axis has constructed in order to harness these aliens in, we should make preparations on how to deal with & bring them down."

"Agreed", Belov says, turning to a female secretary. "How goes things over in the computer room? Did any of the spectral equipment get damaged at all? If so, how much had been caused?"

"There is some damage done to the machines, sir", she replied. "Everything happened so fast that we couldn't make an instant speculation on how much. It all depends: if it's minimal, we can have it all up & running again in just a few days. If it's more severe, it'll take us up to & possibly over a week."

"Good enough. Inspect the machines thoroughly & begin repair work on them immediately. Anything you need to get them fixed properly, the technicians can get for you in just a matter of hours. Have round-the-clock personnel working on them straight away. I want them up & running as soon as you can."

"Yes sir", she said before heading off with her staff, steering clear of all the Predators & dead aliens as best they can. He turns to Ox & the rest.

"Let's get our new comrades inside before they start to draw an unwanted crowd", he said. "We've got a lot to discuss & go over about making our move towards these facilities. But let's take care of all the bodies first."

"Yes sir!", said one soldier, & they scramble inside. Belov turns to Nadya & meets her at eye level on one knee.

"That was pretty clever what you did back there, Agent N", he says. "Both those assassins believe for you to be dead: let's see how long that ruse can be kept up. Now then – let's get you into something more suited than that piece of Russian cloth, shall we?"

A wink from her commanding officer entices a smile of appreciative humor from Nadya, nodding.

Both Belov & the monk smile themselves.

The Kremlin, 9:00 p.m.:

Before heading inside with Oxford & the other soldiers, Twin-Tooth & his Yautja clan wiped away any traces of the aliens using their special blue liquid that dissolved the creatures completely from head to tail, eradicating evidence of their existence in no time. Even the aliens inside Russia's famed building received this treatment, & the human men who gave their lives for their country from the alien invaders were next on their list until General Belov stepped in to stop them, saying that he & his people shall bury their own dead like any man in the service.

Most of the other Yautja were confused by this, but Twin-Tooth understood & let the matter go.

Human customs were not Predator customs, & vice-versa.

If it was any consolation, the Yautja were able to go dissolve the bodies of the twelve Nazis in the holding pens, including those of commanders Pietro Giomar, Klaus Ulbrecht & Takumi Shinobu – three men who don't deserve to have a burial.

Twin-Tooth, Cougar & Thresher wasted no time in dissolving them, & did so with the utmost pleasure.

After the initial cleanup was accomplished, General Belov had men & monsters gather round the table in the big war room, where maps of Warsaw, Poland & Otaki, Japan were placed. He went over the plans thoroughly to everyone in the room which included Nadya, who got attired in a khaki short-sleeved uniform with hat. Brown boots identical to her other pair adorned her feet, & her sword was slung over her chest like a rifle would be. Like the rest, she studied the plans Belov was making & memorized every detail, no matter how big or small.

Twin-Tooth did the same, & they cackled about it between each other. Grunts erupted after, & they placed an arm across their chests, the meaning of the gesture becoming crystal clear.

"It would seem that they fully approve of your plan just as we do, monsieur Belov", Jacques said.

"I concur", Bartosz says. "We trek across Russia until we hit Warsaw, commence with an air & ground strike to cripple any interference, enter the facility there, plant explosives deep within, set the timers & get ourselves out before it blows & we run into too much opposition from the Nazis should they decide to cut us off."

"I can get us a whole platoon of men from one of the ships sailing out in the Baltic Sea, General", Oxford says. "We've had a few posted there since we sunk the Bismarck last year. Anything you need to help us on this operation – men, tanks, planes – you name it, & we can supply it in just hours."

"And like Bartosz, I have resistance fighters ready to battle alongside your men, General", Jacques said. "Just a quick radio or telephone call to the right people, & they'll join our cause in no time."

"Glad to hear it, gentlemen", Belov said. "You have our deepest thanks for your contributions. Now then, let's concentrate on who gets to go to enemy territory in Japan to take out that other facility they've got hidden away there."

It was Nadya who spoke up in that regard.

"General Belov…let me head over there to help take it out. I can do it", she stated firmly.

Murmurs of bewilderment erupted within the group.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Nadya", Belov stated. "I don't have any doubt that you'd be successful, but to go in alone…that's something I'm not too crazy about letting you do. It's suicide, even for the most skilled of soldiers. And you're my best agent, not to mention the last member of First Squad. I don't want to lose you like I did Leo, Marat, Valya & Zina – your old teammates. The very thought of it makes my stomach queasy…"

Twin-Tooth's cackling interrupted him & he stepped towards Nadya, placing his hand upon her shoulder. The young blonde soldier looked up at the Yautja clan leader in the eyes of his facemask, & they felt something of a strange but strong kinship: Twin-Tooth saw great bravery in a human so frail & young, & he observed Nadya as she took on & out a pair of Xenomorphs, followed by outwitting one of her own enemies by setting a decoy of herself with the figure of bones when it was blown by a grenade, creating a perfect charade.

He found a warrior's spirit in her, & he can hugely respect that in any human regardless of sex or age.

Like before, it was clear to everyone in the room, including Belov.

Nadya already nodded her approval.

"You'd make sure you watch over & guard her back & complete your end of this mission?", Belov asked Twin-Tooth, approaching him as he would any of his men. The Predator leader placed his free arm across his chest. "Then you two shall head over to Japan at the designated targeted area, following the same planned procedure as us. First, you'll both take a plane to a secluded airstrip near Vladivostok & wait there until we reach our destination at Warsaw. That's when the plane will take you to Otaki, where you'll para-troop down behind enemy lines. Once you accomplish your task, get out of there as soon as you can in any way that you can: the Japanese are ruthless to anybody they take prisoner. Just remember those who were caught during the Doolittle Raid five months ago. It's a big gamble, but…"

"We'll make sure we don't get caught, General", Nadya said firmly. "Besides, you once told me in training for the Sixth Division that it was our job to be fearless & look after oneself & your comrades. It's missions like this that I was trained for – all under your supervision."

General Belov looked at Nadya with worry but conviction: since beginning the Sixth Division, he has put all his recruits through the most rigorous training as any drill instructor would do. Nadya had been no different or any kind of exception: whatever was thrown her way, she passed with flying colors, from training out on the battlefront to hand-to-hand combat with her fellow First Squad members. She'd never complained about nor unfinished an assignment once it got handed to her.

Belov couldn't have been prouder of her, even after losing four-fifths of her team last year in June when the Nazis first struck Russia & ended when she fought & defeated Von Wolff with her friends.

With the Nazis currently launching a second, more vicious attack on their country, he'll need all the advantage he can get – especially since they're resorting to using ravenous, vicious monsters from space to help them achieve their horrid goal in place of the supernatural.

I've trained Nadya better than even I ever anticipated, Belov thought, seeing he couldn't afford to get picky if Russia & the rest of the world wants to keep seeing a better tomorrow.

"You're right, Nadya", he said at last. "Perhaps by having only you two going in at Otaki, you'll stand a better chance at staying incognito & complete your objective than if you went in with a whole platoon." He looks at the alien clan leader again. "As I've said, Nadya is my best agent from First Squad, & the only surviving member. I'll leave her welfare in your hands, fella. Don't let me regret it."

"…we'll make sure we don't get caught, General…", Twin-Tooth said in a flawless imitation of Nadya's voice, a maneuver that stunned everyone in the room.

"Nice trick", Belov said, clearly amused before facing everyone & becoming serious. "All right, people: we have our plans of attack, so let's get ourselves some well-deserved shut-eye. We leave at 0600 hours. That's it. Dismissed."

Everyone piled out of the war room in a fluid, single-file motion as only Belov, Nadya, the monk & Twin-Tooth & his clan were left. The Yautja leader cackled his own orders to his people, & they grunted/cackled in answer before they as well exited. He & Nadya got to the door when General Belov called to her, stopping them both.

"Nadya", he said.

"Yes?", she said, turning to him.

"Please make sure you return home safely."

"That I shall, General. Good luck on your part."

"And you on yours. Good hunting, comrade."

Nadya nods as Belov saluted her, & she & Twin-Tooth were through the door & gone – without the use of the latter's invisibility cloak.

"Worry not, General", said the monk once they were out of earshot. "Nadya's more gifted & resourceful than some of us give her credit for. Along with that, she'll have a good partner by her side. Although he's alien in origin, he's no less capable of keeping her in good hands, just as he promised."

"Yes, I know", Belov said, more to himself than the monk. Despite the old man's assurance, Belov couldn't help but to be more than a bit worried for Nadya. It was enough to have her go on a dangerous mission like the one she'll embark on in the morning, but to put her life in the hands of some strange alien creature with weapons & technology that puts their own to shame raised the stakes on the matter on a level that was too grandiose in scale even for him.

But Nadya was right: this is what he trained her for, & there was no going back.

He would leave it up to fate to decide what the outcome will be.

CHAPTER VI

Dobre, Poland, Sunday, September 6th, 1942, 11:30 p.m.:

Like General Belov promised, the men were up & leaving Moscow at 6:00, traveling with a caravan of KV-1 & 2 heavy tanks, BM-13 Katyusha rocket launcher trucks & Russian Studebakers. It was a rough, three-day trek across the continent, fighting heat, rain-soaked roads (when it did rain), & keeping an eye out for any loose Nazi parties that may have been scattered on the Russian mother land unknown to the approaching armada as they made their way to Poland.

Any air support was to be held at bay unless it was absolutely necessary to engage, so as to save ammunition & fuel for the most part.

In a strategic move, Bartosz called ahead for some assist out of his resistance renaissance by staging an attack at the Ukraine/Belarus border, as Oxford did the same with his British troops, calling in for air support over at the borders of Lithuania & northern Poland. Both men put their plan into action shortly after taking off from Moscow, giving them a much-needed distraction at both ends & giving their armada less chance of having their forward progress impeded as much as humanly possible. Cougar, Thresher & the rest of the Yautja hunters rode in their own Studebaker trucks, with Oxford & Jacques being their personal drivers & Bartosz & Major Sergei as their passengers in the cabs.

They all felt a little weird transporting alien troops instead of human ones, but brushed it off & kept their minds on the task at hand.

With their path more or less cleared of any major obstacles (thus far), the caravan stopped over at Weirzbno, just about an hour or so trek from their destination. Joining them are assisting military vehicles from the British: Bofors 40mm Guns & Tractors, A.E.C. Matador trucks with 5.5 inch Guns & Churchill tanks, named after England's Prime Minister & equipped with heavy armor while sacrificing some of its speed.

Their vehicles in position, troops human & alien poured out of the trucks armed with firearms, grenades, knives & whatever else will help their chances of survival. General Belov stomped his cigarette out on the ground & looked through his binoculars with Sergei, Oxford, Jacques & Bartosz. Cougar, Thresher & his clan use their vision enhancers that are built right into their facemasks. Like their human allies, they see the place is heavily fortified with armament, from anti-aircraft guns to ground vehicles & troops armed up the wazoo.

Hitler made good on his promise to beef up security at the Axis' two remaining facilities.

For General Belov & his team, it proved to be a challenge.

For the Yautja, it was an opportunity for more challenging sport, as well as a crucial mission.

"So that's the kind of facility you & the others found in Italy, Major?", Belov asked Sergei, lowering his binocs.

"Just like it, General", Sergei replied, lowering his own pair. "I had a feeling they'd add more armament after what went down at the last one. Even with the earlier distractions, we'll have quite a time getting near it."

"That's why we've planned ahead, Major. Whatever happens tonight, that complex must not stand for another day. Everything set on your end, Oxford?"

"You know it, General", the Brit said. "I gave the RAF the word 2-3 hour ago, & their crafts should be here any moment now. All we need to do is wait just a tad longer, & then the fun can really start."

Their 'tad longer' lasted for five-ten more minutes before a sound of plane engines cut through the evening sky. Peering through his binoculars, Belov can see an armada of planes with the circled RAF insignia painted on each one of their fuselage. Even at night, the Russian general can see a swarm of two of the RAF's most reliable bomber planes: the De Havilland Mosquito .II & the Handley Page Hampden, the latter nicknamed both the 'Flying Suitcase' & the 'Tadpole' due to its narrow fuselage. Both had an ample amount of bombs that can level whole city blocks with ease & have been very successful at night bombing raids, which is why these particular aircraft were called in for.

It was good news for Belov's party.

For the Nazi facility, it was the opposite: like ants found under a rock, those keeping watch scrambled to ready their anti-aircraft guns & cannons from the multiple Panzer tanks & 88mm Guns mounted on the rear of the .7 tractors. Unlike last time, these cannons & guns fired their first rounds into the air, taking out a pair of planes as they exploded before plummeting to the ground in an inferno, shaking the earth when they hit. More powerful shells were fired with deafening booms when a second wave of RAF planes came buzzing in like angry bees.

These weren't bombers: they were the Supermarine Spitfire & Hawker Hurricane Mk aircraft that gave the Nazi Luftwaffe a run for their money during the Battle of Britain two years previous. A strafing of rapid gunfire made short work of a battalion of armed men as they got cut down like trees for their lumber. Bodies of Nazis fell, along with the bombs from the Mosquitos & Hampdens up above. Even though some were shot & exploded in mid-air, the majority of them still reached their targets & blasted a good number of Panzers, 88mm & anti-aircraft guns, blowing each one to useless scrap. Many regular non-armament vehicles like the Kubelwagens & Opel Blitz trucks suffered the same fate.

A blazing fireball briefly lit up the nighttime sky like a sun, a glorious sight for the Allies.

It also served as their signal for attack.

"That's our cue, gentlemen!", Sergei says, signaling the tank battalion of both Russia & England to commence.

Nodding, they enter their armored vehicles & proceeded onward, with the BM-13s, Bofors & A.E.C. Matadors to follow. Belov, Oxford, Jacques, Bartosz, Sergei & the rest tailed them from behind, as Cougar, Thresher & the other Yautja hitched a ride alongside the trucks, not bothering to hide in the rear. It didn't matter anyway: stealth is no longer a priority, now that all hell has broken loose.

More of it was about to burst: the KV & Churchill tanks opened fire from their turrets once they got halfway to their target, striking holes in the outer fence & taking a few Nazis with it. The BM-13s launched their rockets that blew pieces of tanks, anti-aircraft guns & Nazis everywhere, with the 40mm & 5.5 inch Guns doing the same.

Cougar & Thresher & their clan were getting rather impatient, & Belov can see it in them.

Time to let the dogs loose!, he thought as he looked at Oxford, who nodded.

"All right, fellas – you're up!", the Brit yelled out the driver's side window.

It was all the motivation they needed: jumping off the trucks while they still rolled on, the Predators hit the ground in a run & drew their spears, wristblades, discs & shoulder cannons as they activated their cloaks, disappearing from view.

Operation: Shutdown has commenced in full.

Over the skies of Japan, near Mount Wakatochi, 11:45 p.m.:

Unlike the caravan her commanding officer departed Moscow in, Nadya & Twin-Tooth left for their rendezvous point by means of an LI-2 Soviet transport plane, armed with a singular machine gun mounted on top of the main body which swivels inside a glass turret & operated by a single gunman. First reaching the outskirts of Vladivostok in just a couple of hours for a quick refueling at a secluded strip, the two unlikely partners spent three days in the wilderness, hunting for their food to save on Nadya's rations for the actual mission when they reached Japan.

That time has now come: their plane flew over enemy Nippon territory as Nadya & Twin-Tooth checked their gear, weapons, & so forth. On the First Squad member's left forearm is a miniature version of the Predator's device in which activates the invisibility cloak. Twin-Tooth had showed Nadya on how to use it by pressing a series of buttons to activate it, then in the same pattern again to disengage.

Nadya got it down in her mind on the first try flawlessly. Twin-Tooth couldn't help but be proud of her, just like a teacher would to his pupil on his success.

An even smaller version was fixated on her sword, which would blend right in when Nadya became a shimmer in the air herself. This one only had one button to activate & disengage.

Aside from the pilots, the plane was filled with two other crewmen, one of which manned the overhead gun.

"Nadya! We're just about at the drop point! You & your friend had better chute up & get ready to bail!", the pilot called back to her.

"Copy that!", she called back. "Listen: as soon as we do bail out, you turn this plane around & get yourselves out of Japan! You know what the Japanese will do if they lay their hands on you!"

"All too well! Don't worry about us: just be sure that you don't fall in their hands!", said the co-pilot as the plane was suddenly hit by spotlights & shells exploded nearby which made the plane jar violently in the air, shaking everyone aboard. From the ground below, Japanese anti-aircraft batteries shot shell after shell & multiple rounds of ammunition in their mad attempt to bring the Russian craft down. From the overhead gun, bullets roared as the gunner announced that they have company coming in from the front.

"He's right! Enemy Japs approaching & coming in fast!", shouted the pilot as the plane rocked again by a shell not too far away, followed by three more. To make matters worse, the gunner said that more were approaching in from behind, & their craft was already getting buffeted by bullets in the rear as well as the front. Nadya watched Twin-Tooth arm his twin shoulder cannons & head for the door. She nods, & the Predator opens it up to be hit by a strong blast of air at his rear, the winds buffeting his dreadlock hair forward even with the door blocking the majority of it. Ignoring it, he hangs halfway out with one hand holding the side & searches the skies for enemy planes.

The gunner was proven to be correct: at the rear just fifty feet away, a trio of Japanese planes came in at a killer speed, firing off rounds that peppered the plane's outer hull. Two of those Jap planes were the infamous Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero & the Aichi D3A1 Val fighters – the ones that dared to launch an attack at & strike the American Naval base at Pearl Harbor near Hawaii almost one year ago. The Aichi was olive green with a black nose, while one of the Zeros was of the same color, with the other one having a silver finish. The bright red Rising Sun insignias were clearly visible on their fuselage & wings, even at night.

Nadya instructed the gunner to handle the Jap planes in the front as her alien friend took on the ones in the rear.

And take them on he did: with his reliable targeting systems, Twin-Tooth shot forth a beam of blue-white energy from his right shoulder cannon that sailed its way like a comet & struck the first Zero plane square inside the cockpit, killing the pilot & blowing up the craft in one sweep. His left shoulder cannon took out the other Zero, leaving only the Aichi craft as it dived left to retreat, but Twin-Tooth wouldn't have it: a quick blast from his right cannon made sure he went nowhere except to Hell as the plane burst into flames, plummeting to earth.

The gunner managed to snag one plane as it got closer to the Russian LI-2. It went down in ruins, its tail smoking as it dived to oblivion. Four more passed by & turned to reposition themselves, which made easy targets for the Yautja as he sent those to join its companions. A quartet of blasts cleared the skies of Japs, leaving them as the sole bird in the air at the moment.

But they knew it would not last for long above Japanese skies, & they needed to act quickly.

"Nadya, although your friend made it somewhat safe passage for us, they'll be more Japs on their way to finish what they started!", said the second crewman over the roaring engines, exploding shells & howling winds. "If you two are going to make your bail, it's got to be now!"

"I agree – and I see he does too!", Nadya said, watching Twin-Tooth reenter to place a curved rectangular object with a red triangle jewel placed in the center. He places it on his chest & straps encircle his back, securing it firmly.

He does the same to Nadya: although a bit big, the straps adjust to her small frail size & Twin-Tooth makes fast gestures with his hands/fingers that indicate when they do bail, she is to hit the red jewel in the middle of her device to deploy the chute within.

Nadya nodded, saying she understood.

Getting to the door's edge, Nadya & Twin-Tooth braved the roaring winds that buffeted them in the face, their blonde & black snakelike hair blowing like crazy.

"Good luck down there, you two!", the crewman shouted as Nadya turned & nodded just before she'd taken her leap out of the plane, followed by Twin-Tooth seconds later. Once they both bailed, the crewman shouted to the pilots of their departure as he fought to close the door, doing so before the plane made a sharp left turn to get themselves away from the Japanese homeland. Nadya saw their flight turn tail & fly off while she was in free-fall, slapping the red jewel in the center as instructed by her alien partner, who did the same. The triangular jewel began flashing & beeping, starting out slow before becoming more rapid in pace. When it became a steady sound, a rectangular chute deployed in the blink of an eye that jarred Nadya quite violently at the abrupt slowing of her descent, causing her to yelp sharply.

Twin-Tooth's own chute also deployed with a grunt from its passenger, doing no other discomfort. Nadya was another story: the sudden jolt of the chute's deployment caught her off-guard, & her head snapped back that threatened her to black out.

No! Don't you dare pass out, Nadya!, she thought through clenched teeth, fighting to keep herself awake despite the urge to close her eyes. Stay awake! You close your eyes or pass out here, you'll die for sure, so keep it together!

Nadya managed to stay conscious amidst the jarring pain, albeit barely.

Even though their descent was slowed, they still came down rapidly & were soon ambushed by machine gunfire & exploding shells. A volley of high velocity rounds came close to Nadya & her chute, while several shells went off near Twin-Tooth, shaking him in his straps with grunts of disapproval.

Good god! They'll even shoot at young kids?! The Japanese really are barbarians, probably more so than the Nazis!, Nadya thought, stunned at how far the Japs will go to follow their Emperor Hirohito or Hideki Tojo himself.

She, too, was sick of their Imperialist regime, but couldn't do anything at the moment.

Twin-Tooth, however, can: pinpointing the origins of the machine gunfire & shells, he aimed his twin shoulder cannons & fired both weapons that made their way to the anti-aircraft guns, hitting them dead-on & exploding with a pair of bright fireballs that can be seen from many yards/meters away, killing all on or near the guns. Using his thermal vision, Twin-Tooth can spot a small fleet of Japanese Chi Ha tanks hiding in the thick bushes of the forest, their human operators clear as day. More shots of blue-white energy erupted from his cannons & struck the tanks, meeting the same horrible fate. Brief screams were audible even from where they fell, & the Predator leader got Nadya's attention before he signaled to her in activating their cloaks.

Understanding, she nodded & started pressing buttons on her forearm device in exactly the way Twin-Tooth had showed her, becoming a shimmer in the summer night air with her sword doing the same right after. The Yautja leader followed suit seconds later, vanishing from sight. Nadya was amazed by her transformation: even invisible, she could still see herself & Twin-Tooth in a colored infrared spectrum, their body heats displayed clearly in her eyes.

So this is how they track down their prey – by seeing the heat of their bodies!, she thought, highly astonished.

Her fascination of the Predators' way of life would have to be postponed: they touched ground a few minutes later, their landing a bit rough but were shrugged off as they undid their harness & regrouped. Knowing they had a bit of a trek to commence with, Twin-Tooth picked Nadya up with one arm & held her firm as he dashed across the wooden Japanese terrain with the grace of a panther in pursuit of a deer for its dinner. Nadya didn't fight it: she knew her alien partner was better suited for a run of this magnitude without tiring, & she'll need all of her strength & stamina for when it came time to infiltrate the facility.

She held onto her partner for dear life.

300 yards from the Miure Dam, Japan, 1:15 a.m.:

For an hour-&-a-half, Twin-Tooth ran across the terrain & never broke a sweat once. Were it anyone else, they'd be panting like there was no tomorrow, having covered the distance the Yautja leader had. Even after an excruciating exercise like that, Twin-Tooth was still ready & able to fight with energy to spare. He & Nadya have found the place they'd been searching for, giving him the opportunity he greatly craved. The Japanese facility like that in Italy & over in Warsaw, Poland stood & stuck out of the forest scenery like an ostrich at a penguin party or even the proverbial sore thumb. The place was built & set up like a fortress: a barbed-wire fence surrounded the entire complex, & tanks, guns, cannons & armed Japanese covered the interior & exterior of the outer perimeter.

Like Hitler had done with the facility at Warsaw, Hideki Tojo took no chances & made the security tighter than a rubber band stretched to its full capacity.

It would prove to be a challenge even for two individuals who can turn invisible at a whim.

Challenging, yes, but it wasn't impossible: Twin-Tooth pressed a few buttons on his left cuff & a portion of his shoulder harness broke off & formed a pair of metal wings before taking off with hardly a sound, heading right for the complex.

A metal bird?, Nadya thought, seeing the thing take form & glide off to its destination. She & her alien partner sat back & watched as the floating bird remained a good thirty feet above the Japanese & their weapons of destruction & death. From beneath its belly, a port opens up to unleash a sprinkle of tiny metal discs that softly float down & attach themselves magnetically to anything made of metal, making a sound so soft they never get heard when they connect.

Twin-Tooth's metal bird takes a good 10-15 minutes delivering its tiny packages before returning to its owner as it folds unto itself & reattaches to his shoulder harness. Nadya didn't say a word about what went down; she didn't want to lose the element of surprise on their side in case there were any Japanese soldiers roaming the forest nearby & give away their position.

She just stayed quiet as her partner tapped a different button on his forearm cuff.

In that instant, all hell broke loose at the facility: the tiny discs Twin-Tooth's metal bird planted incognito were miniature bombs the size of an American dime that exploded with the force of a normal grenade. Everywhere inside the fence that had these attached to went off in fiery blazes, from vehicles to Japanese themselves as they were blown into clouds of crimson, their limbs going in all directions. The vibrations of the blasts were felt even from where Nadya & Twin-Tooth hid, & the former's teeth & bones rattled slightly.

That's our cue!, Nadya thought as she & Twin-Tooth emerged from their hiding place & made their way to the complex as Japs ran almost like headless chickens as they try to maintain order. Reaching the fence & leaping over it with Nadya in tow, Twin-Tooth placed her back on her own feet & they made it to an alternate entrance besides the front way, taking care of three Japs they found upon entering with quick blade action.

Infiltrating the facility had been done.

Next step came in bringing it down, which might prove to be easier said than done.

Like invisible ninjas, they trekked the hallways.

Dobre, Poland:

Aerial support came for both sides, with the skies being filled with various planes from the Russian Red Army, the British RAF, & the German Luftwaffe. LaGG-3, Bell P-39Q Airacobra, IL-2M3 Ilyushin Sturmovik, Petlyakov Pe-2, Spitfire, Hurricane, D.H. Mosquito, Handley Page Hampden, Messerschmitt, Focke Wulf, & several Junkers aircraft from the 87D-3 Stuka to the 88A-4 were buzzing the nighttime skies like migrating birds flying south for the winter in a massive aerial dogfight. The Arado Ar 196 seaplane was a new addition to the Luftwaffe foray, having seen previous action in the Battle of the Bismarck in May 1941. Losses in this three-way aerial assault piled up, as all opposing forces lost several planes & their crews in fiery blazes, be it from the air or on the ground.

The ground forces weren't faring any better: massive loss of man & machine on all fronts of fighting battalions rose high as two joint forces fought rigorously to push away a single one that was showing amazing resistance despite the overwhelming numbers.

Horrible as it was, it gave Belov, Oxford & the rest of the foot soldiers the support they needed to infiltrate the facility & get inside, their momentum increasing with each step.

Cougar, Thresher & the Yautja had hardly any problem doing so themselves: every swipe of a wristblade, spear, disc, dart or shot with shoulder cannons took down Nazis left & right with ease, armed or not. Some were even caught in their steel nets & trapped like land fish, immobilizing them as they dug into their flesh & left bleeding marks, crying out from the pain. Some were fortunate enough to have been shot by passing Allied soldiers to get their agony ended; others had it prolonged, & died from blood loss shortly after.

Doctor Heinrich saw the chaos that has infested the complex, & he gathered every scrap of his papers before he tossed the bundle into a raging fire stove, watching it all burn to ashes so that none of the Allies can ever know, much less see, what was displayed/written. With them gone, he has the sole knowledge of what they entailed in full intricate detail, & it would be a cold day in Hell before he ever revealed his secrets or allowed his brain to be picked.

Once his work was completely burned away, Heinrich grabbed his lab coat & made his way out of the room to head for his personal escape vehicle that waited in the garage of the complex as Pietro, Klaus & Takumi used over at the Italy base.

Immediately he was spotted by Belov & the other leaders, which also included Cougar & Thresher.

They all locked eyes on him.

"Verdammt!", Heinrich spat, taking off running.

"Hey you – stop right there!", Belov shouted.

"Get him, General! The rest of us will continue on!", Bartosz said, breaking off into a run himself as he spoke & taking his Polish troops.

"You three – with me!", the Russian General said to Sergei, Oxford, & Jacques as they took off in pursuit of the fleeing German scientist. Cougar & Thresher joined the quartet, believing the human knows more than what's surmised to be inside the complex. Rushing ahead, the two Yautja second-in-commands caught up with the Nazi scientist as he enters a room with a sliding metal door that puts up a barrier between him & his pursuers a fraction of a second before either Predator can grab him. They immediately start pounding on the door, causing fist-sized dents in the metal & the sound echoing like a jackhammer. The Nazi brainiac knew that the barrier would give him only a couple moments until it gives way, so Heinrich went to the console at the far side wall & flicked several switches & turned a few knobs when the door split in the middle from a huge bulge. Two pairs of alien hands grabbed the seams of the split & have started widening it with incredible strength until it gave in like it was no more than tin foil.

Being big enough for a person to enter, General Belov went inside the room first, followed by Sergei, Oxford & Jacques, most of whom had their rifles/guns aimed at the Nazi scientist.

General Belov grabbed the man by the lapels of his lab coat, pulling him to eye level & staring at him coldly.

"Doctor Heinrich!", he said in an even colder manner. "I guess I should've half-known that you were behind the breeding of those acid-blooded aliens you've set loose on us!"

"You know this lunatic, Monsieur General?", Jacques asked.

"Dr. Bren Heinrich, born June 16th, 1900 in Munich, Germany, graduated from college at age 18 before heading into the University of Berlin! There, he was booted out for his unorthodox & unconstitutional scientific methods before he met with Adolf Hitler himself, who went on funding his research for his sick New World Order campaign! It's a damn good guess that he found the aliens during an excavation to help further the cause, keeping their existence secret up until now!"

"So…my reputation precedes me, jawohl?", Heinrich says with a sly smile. "Those acid-blooded aliens are only the mere beginning, my friends! Soon, the world will see what we have really cooked up, & the planet will soon fall to Herr Hitler's Third Reich before too long!"

"Well then, since you seem to know what else is cooking, you can spill the bloomin' beans about what that recipe is!", Oxford said sternly. "And you are going to spill it to us – unless you want to contend with our two friends here! Maybe they can help loosen your tongue if you're going to prove to be uncooperative!"

"A better idea is to merely show you first-hand what else has been brewing within our pot, Brit!", Heinrich said, his grin widening. "And I think you'll find the results of this particular experiment the pinnacle of our success, ja?"

Human screaming echoed down the hall, turning the heads of Belov & his party. Heinrich laughed maniacally as he heard the sounds of men dying in great agony, followed by bones being crunched like eggs or twigs.

"Ah, our children have been awakened at last!", the Nazi scientist gloated.

"What do you mean?! What children?! What have you been doing at this facility?!", Jacques demanded.

"Heil Hitler!", Heinrich said before biting down on a small device he had hidden inside his mouth, just under his tongue. Immediately he started to convulse as his mouth began foaming like a mad dog's would, raising his hand in the Nazi salute before expiring. The answer for his condition was well-known to Belov & the rest.

Cyanide capsule…shit!, the Russian General thought as the Nazi scientist went limp, his eyes staring into open space & his mouth kept foaming. Cougar & Thresher watched the spectacle with a touch of fascination: they've had past experiences on humans willingly sacrificing their own lives for some cause, such as doing so for the hunting of the Xenomorphs when they first discovered Earth many millennia ago. In those days, they actually worshipped the Yautja & their cause in hunting their favorite prey for the 'Rite of Passage' part of their culture.

This, however, was something totally different: humans taking their own lives for a cause to turn upon its fellow species. Aside from their vast knowledge of the planet's superior race, the Yautja will probably never understand them truly & outright.

All this was absorbed in just a second or two before the screaming of more bone crunching & men dying caught their attention, & they dropped Heinrich's body to head over to what is undoubtedly Bartosz's squadron. They exit the room & run to the source of all the confusion, & as they get closer they hear a new type of sound that sounded like a growling tiger or other jungle cat, but with a deeper tone.

It sent a chill up Belov's spine, & that feeling hit Sergei, Oxford & Jacques.

For Cougar & Thresher, it meant a new breed of prey to face & take down.

"Bartosz?! Bartosz, is that you?!", Jacques shouted as they were only a hallway down from their destination with a door placed in the middle of it. The cries of help & inhuman growling were strongest from within, & Belov's party wasted no time reaching it & peering inside. What awaited for them was a nightmare beyond even their wildest dreams: it was a vast area the size of a public parking garage, with long cylindrical capsules lined in neat rows along the walls on the left & right. Each capsule was ten feet high with a glass door in front & wide enough to fit a man inside.

But the things that emerged from these capsules were anything but men, despite their humanoid forms: these figures have flesh that were all muscular combinations of human, alien & Predator in a horrid mesh, with pointed claws on their toes & fingers. Some of their heads had hair, while others were clean-shaven, & their eyes were yellow without a pair of irises. They were naked except for a pair of short trousers, thick sandals & a piece of body armor similar to the Yautja, covering the top part of their chests & shoulders almost like football pads. Painted on their chest armor on both the back & front was the Nazi swastika insignia.

"Oh, mon Dieu!", Jacques said just above a whisper.

"Gor blimey!", Oxford said a bit louder.

It hit Belov & the other men what the late Doctor Heinrich was doing.

That Nazi son-of-a-bitch! He cross-bred both alien creatures with his own people!, he thought dreadfully.

The men of the Allied forces were staring at hideous hybrid Uber-mensch – superhuman soldiers, or the Superior Men.

Lying upon the floor at their feet were most of Bartosz's men broken & twisted in unnatural ways in puddles of their own blood; some got punched through the chest & others were missing limbs, having been torn right out of their sockets with ease like they were plastic children's dolls. Bartosz himself was held helplessly in the arms of the lead hybrid Uber-mensch, being held up above its head as it grabbed the Polish soldier by the scruff of his neck & both his ankles. With hardly any effort, the hybrid creature bent Bartosz backwards until the rear of his head was kissing his own feet, his back breaking like he was nothing more than a wishbone.

He blaringly screamed in unimaginable anguish the whole time, his spine cracking even louder.

Tossing the dead soldier away like a used tissue, the hybrid figure growled as its brethren joined in & making a chorus of horror. More of the Allied soldiers & Yautja come running to the sounds of chaos to discover for themselves what new horrors have been bred in the complex aside from the acid-blooded Xenomorphs.

At first sight, the soldiers were as still as statues, unable to move or even blink.

Only when the hybrid Uber-mensch charged the group did they snap out of their stupor & aimed their weapons.

Most were taken down instantly: British, French & Russian soldiers went down like living bowling pins, never to get back up as they were beaten or ripped apart to death in splashes of blood. Some were even smashed through the walls, their heads being used as battering rams as bone cracked & split open. Even the Predators were having difficulty with the Uber-mensch hybrids: many of them fell victim to their unexpected speed & received the same treatment as Belov's crew, with lime-green alien blood mixing with crimson human blood.

Cougar & Thresher, however, were both poised for battle: extending their wristblades & aiming their shoulder cannons, the two Yautja warriors blasted & sliced/diced the hybrid horde as they would any score of Xenomorphs they encountered. With Cougar's merciless blasting & Thresher's swift swirling & slashing of his blades, a good number of Nazi Uber-mensch hybrids were made short work of, depleting their vast numbers in moments. It was this that Belov's squadron of Allied forces stepped in & fired their weapons at the hybrids, getting in good shots & taking down more.

A mixed breed of soldiers they may be, but the Uber-mensch hybrids can still die like anything else. Their blood spattered everywhere & hit several men & monsters, but fortunately it wasn't acidic aside from a warmth they generate.

Working together, the human & alien soldiers were turning the tide on the battle.

Then a familiar screeching sounded from down the hall, & it was working its way towards their position.

More aliens were heading their way – fast!

Once they get into the melee, it will be a whole new ballgame – one that can spell doom to the entire squadron, followed by the war itself.

They couldn't let that happen.

"Once those nightmares get here, we could be really screwed!", Oxford said, killing another hybrid & turning to Belov. "General: take whatever men you have left & leave this place! We'll bring it down with our own bare hands, if need be!"

"You want us to abandon you?! I can't do that, Oxford! Furthermore, I won't do it!", Belov shouted back, taking down another hybrid. "You need us as much as we need you!"

"And what about Nadya, mate?!Are you willing to abandon her?! How's she gonna keep on thriving without her commanding officer by her side?! Both her parents & friends from First Squad are gone, General! You're all that she's got left! Does that have to be taken from her as well?! Think about it!"

General Belov knew a chord was struck within him, & he did give the matter some thought: Nadya's parents died while on a mission, leaving her an orphan until she was enlisted into the Sixth Division where she met her First Squad teammates – Leo, Marat, Valya & Zina. They were like a family until June of last year, when they were hunted down & killed by the Nazis, with Nadya as the only survivor.

He's the closest thing to a father Nadya's ever likely to have in her life.

No way was he going to take that away from his best recruit in the Sixth Division.

General Belov processed this in a second as even Cougar gives him encouragement, speaking first in Nadya's voice: "…General Belov…" Then he spoke in his own: "…Please make sure you return home safely…"

That is rather creepy, Belov said to himself as he stared hard at Oxford.

"I'll have your word that nothing human leaves this place alive, Oxford?", he asks.

"As sure as Winston Churchill is the Prime Minister of England, mate!", the Brit said with a smirk & a wink.

"Go, General! We'll finish the job!", Jacques adds in with a wink & smirk of his own.

"Then good luck to all of you!", Belov said, calling out to Sergei. "Major! Get our people out of here! We're leaving the rest of this to Oxford, Jacques & our Predator comrades!"

"Right away, General!", Sergei said, calling for a retreat for all Red Army troops that survived. Those that did heard the order & follow their commanders while Oxford, Jacques & the Yautja troops brace themselves for the alien horde that has now come into plain sight. Like a tide of black, the monsters raise their claws, tails & teeth at the horde of enemies in sight. Man & alien soldier alike started blasting away at the oncoming storm of black hell, hitting alien after disgusting vicious alien, blowing away a bundle of nightmares.

But like before, with every one they take down, there were many more to replace their charge until they made it to the squad of men & Yautja. Several fall under the claws, teeth & tails of the Xenomorphs, screaming in terror before expiring in clouds of red & lime-green. Oxford & Jacques stood firm & blew away each beast that came too close as Cougar & Thresher blasted & diced with deadly precision, their cannons & blades working overtime to dwindle their enemies' numbers of Xenomorph & Uber-mensch hybrids. From the corner of their eyes, Oxford & Jacques watch as Cougar & Thresher perform: their graceful moves hypnotize the battle-hardened men for a brief moment, having been the first time they fully get to witness such a spectacle. All of Cougar's shots hit his targets, sparing none of the energy that emitted from his shoulder cannons. With each swing Thresher made contacted with his quarry, cutting off limbs wherever he swung his blades & never getting a drop of their blood upon his person.

Like Cougar, he was truly a wonder to behold, & clearly the best at what he did.

But even the best of warriors can leave themselves vulnerable to assault.

Without warning, a bunch of aliens hidden in an overhead vent smashed their way through & landed upon the Yautja leaders unexpectedly, receiving savage attacks from teeth & claws that draw blood as their weight brought them down, giving them no leverage. Oxford & Jacques were about to lend a helping hand when they as well were attacked: from behind, an alien plowed its sickle-like tail through Ox's back & out his chest on the right. Jacques called his name & instinctively grabbed a grenade while raising his rifle but was grabbed from behind by one of the Uber-mensch hybrids, its muscular arms holding him firm. All around, human & Yautja fighters were going down like dominoes as Xenomorph & hybrid forces started overwhelming their alleged prey.

But if anyone or anything is to know something about the British or French resistance, it's that they're not going down easy or alone: the alien that snagged Oxford lifted him up to its purported eye level, the British man grabbing a grenade from his belt & staring down his eyeless foe hard.

"You're a tough bugger & you die the same way, I'll give you that!", Ox said through a cough of blood. "But we Brits die even tougher, & you're about to see just how much! All right, men – let's give it one for old man Churchill!"

The British soldiers knew what Oxford meant, & they each take a grenade or two & poise themselves to pull the pins. Cougar, Thresher & the other Yautja & Jacques' troops catch on, & they too ready their own grenades. All parties pull pins & tap buttons when Oxford & the British get to the middle of their country's song popularized by writers Ross Parker & Hughie Charles, singing it at the top of their lungs:

There'll always be an England

And England shall be free

If England means as much to you

As England means to me

"Vive le France!", Jacques shouted defiantly as a pair of aliens lashed out at the French commander with their inner jaws.

All grenades of human & alien origin exploded in a series of blasts.

The facility was being bombed from inside by powerful explosions that shook the foundation soil, the shockwave nearly knocking Belov, Sergei & their men off their feet. Neither had the time to mourn the loss of their comrades that remained inside: the blasts were setting off a chain reaction & catching fire everywhere, making the scene look like a snapshot of Hell itself. The blasts drowned out even the roaring engines of planes flying & shooting overhead with the Luftwaffe still engaged with the Red Air Force & British RAF, the latter two outnumbering the former.

Nazi planes were literally dropping like flies.

Seeing the futility of pressing on, what remained of the Luftwaffe turned tail & headed west.

General Belov, Major Sergei & all the Russian troops went over to a surviving Churchill tank as a man opened the top hatch.

"Oxford?", he asked plain & simple.

"Sorry, son", Belov said in a mournful tone, bowing his head along with Sergei & the rest for a brief moment.

When he raised his head again, he was all business once more.

"This place is done for, comrade. Have your RAF bombers give it a final strafing just to be sure, & then let's all make a quick retreat before the Nazis decide to send in reinforcements & cut us off. If they become successful, we'll be no more than sitting ducks."

"Leave that to us, General!", said the Brit in a tough tone. "You get your squadron away from here: we'll make sure those Nazi wankers don't get anywhere near you boys!"

"Our thanks, comrade!", Belov said, turning to Sergei. "Major, have the men take as many of our vehicles as they can & head east! At the same time, call for an extraction plane for Moscow!"

"Right away, General!", Sergei said, saluting his commander before carrying out his orders as Belov returned the salute. Along with retreat, he kept thinking of Nadya & what her situation in Japan is currently, hoping that she & her 'partner' are having equal success as they've had.

Remember your promise, Nadya, he thought.

Not wanting to stay in enemy territory any longer than necessary, Belov went to one of the Studebaker trucks & got behind the wheel.

For him & his troops, it was time to head home.

Otaki, Japan, 1:30 a.m.:

Klaxons blared as Nadya & Twin-Tooth were making it through the complex without being detected, their cloaks keeping them blended in with the scenery like they've melded into it. Japanese men passed by without acknowledging their presence due to their outstanding stealth capacity. Once the coast was clear, the duo went down a hallway when Nadya saw something that caught her eye.

"Wait! In here – I think I see something of high importance!", she said quickly & not too loud for fear of giving away their position. Luckily, Twin-Tooth heard her perfectly at that volume & entered the room with his young but bold partner. Closing the door, Nadya deactivated her cloak as Twin-Tooth did the same & followed her to a wall with a large map hung & a table with all sorts of papers lying on top.

"Let's see if what I believe I saw happens to be in – yes! Here it is!", she said, rummaging through the papers & finding a sketch which had one of a Japanese man from the front & back, stripped naked sans for a pair of shorts & chest armor that resembled Twin-Tooth's & covering the top, with shoulder pads completing the look. The Japanese Rising Sun insignia was shown on both sides. But what bothered Nadya most was the way the flesh looked: a mixture of human & alien in a hideous combo of the alien and Predator. She scuffled through more of the papers & had found a pair of new sketches: one of the Xenomorph, one of the Yautja. Their drawings look as if they were dissecting both, the pictures showing their inner organs & muscle texture.

Even though the text was in Japanese, Nadya can piece the drawings together & deduced what she feared.

Twin-Tooth wasn't too fond of what he was staring at either, & it was likely he came to the same conclusion.

"So that's it!", Nadya said, looking to her partner in his facemask & holding up the drawings. "When the Nazis had found the aliens, they must've also found one of your people as well! Somehow, they were able to combine their genetics with that of humans to create these hybrids that are drawn on these papers! That's what they've been doing inside these facilities: not only are they breeding the aliens, they're also making soldiers with enhancements in stamina, strength, speed & the like with genetics from both your species! Once they're complete, our regular soldiers will be no match for them – the Allies would be overrun & killed in no time, no matter how valiantly they fight!"

Nadya then looked to the large map above the table, showing the country of Japan, the Pacific Ocean & United States. She also saw some papers hung by thumbtacks on either side. Taking them off, she studied the context on each: one had that of a largely built ship that looked to be about three times the size of a normal carrier, with airstrip & all. It was displaying American flags instead of Japanese ones all around with two other regular-sized carriers accompanying it, & on the other paper Nadya & Twin-Tooth saw the Japanese hybrid warriors with a line drawn between them & the ship. Following that, they saw a red line that was made from the port in Hong Kong, China, going past between Taiwan & Manila, out into the Pacific which steered clear of Hawaii & stopping at a piece of land Nadya had dreaded. Looking back at the papers, she saw that the ships had left its port months ago with its deadly cargo, & is only a short distance away from reaching its destination.

"I get it now – and it's even worse than I first thought!", she said, turning to Twin-Tooth. "All those Japanese hybrids they'd been making – they've stowed them away on three ships disguised as American carriers & sailed out to sea shortly after the beginning of this year, starting in either March or April at the latest! Because of their disguises, none of the other American vessels would think twice about their purpose until they reach port, concealing their main objective until the last minute! These wolf ships in sheep's clothing – they're bringing them over to America!"

At that moment, Nadya's legs felt like a ton of lead & unable to move them.

Little did she or Twin-Tooth realize that a pair of Japanese soldiers heard them from outside the room silently & headed over to the complex's commander to report their intrusion.

"So they've discovered our secret plan, have they?", the commander said. "Are they still in the room?"

"They are", one soldier said. "I doubt they were aware of us spying on them. What shall we do, commander? If word gets out to the Allied Forces…"

"Don't worry – it won't. Our secret will die along with them!", the commander replied, flicking switches with a wicked grin that was shared by the rest.

Nadya regained her composure as she follows it up with their next course of action.

"We need to find a radio somewhere, & fast!", she says desperately. "I've got to warn the United States Armed Forces of what's coming their way before the Japanese can spring their deadly trap! It'll be a disaster if they happen to reach American soil, killing countless innocent lives! Please – help me find one in time before it's…"

A muffled screeching caught their eardrums even over the blaring alarms, one in which both combatants have grown accustomed to. The acid-blooded nightmares were racing their way, & it didn't take Sherlock Holmes to find out who set them loose & why.

They must've discovered us somehow, & now they're going to make sure neither of us leaves this complex alive!, Nadya thought as she drew her sword. But Twin-Tooth had other ideas: tapping a few buttons on his left forearm cuff, he signals Nadya to hang back & wait a few minutes. Even though she was anxious to get herself moving, she trusts her alien partner & does as he suggested.

A few minutes had seemed like seconds as she heard a chorus of Japanese soldiers screaming while firing their machine guns at…something. It wasn't aliens either: these were growling noises like a mix of angry bears & hungry cats of prey. Twin-Tooth activated his cloak as Nadya did the same before they headed out the door to the room. What the young Russian agent saw was a new kind of creature which laid waste to whatever Japanese men were left in the complex: they were quadrupedal beasts about the size of a rhino but not as bulky, with five sharp claws on each foot. A plethora of long curved spikes adorned their backs, coupled by several more on their necks & long heads, Their jaws were aligned with sharp teeth that shot forwards from visible gums, & they had the most predatory eyes of any beast Nadya had ever seen, be it from Earth or not.

And there were sixteen of these in which she could count!

They were the Predator Hounds the Yautja use against overwhelming odds, & they made short work of all the Nipponese soldiers foolish enough to engage them, being eviscerated & torn apart with ease as Japs died horribly with a cry that lasted no more than a second or two.

Having disposed of the Japs, they now raced after bigger & better prey – the Xenomorphs themselves!

The Predator Hounds raced towards their quick-approaching targets, acknowledging Twin-Tooth and Nadya as they passed by but ignored them completely, concentrating on the aliens instead. Like they did with the Japanese, these alien dogs slaughtered the acid-blooded horrors mercilessly as limbs & acidic bodily fluid flew everywhere, echoes of inhuman screams filling the hallways & eardrums of the two combatants. Nadya had never bore witness to living things with such audacious brutality as aliens get taken down even more ravenous as they would do to enemies.

She had hoped the Axis hadn't made hybrids of them as they had their 'masters'.

Nadya watched the horrors on four legs shred aliens for ten seconds before Twin-Tooth cackled for her to get themselves out of the facility. With a nod, she followed her partner & ran past bodies of Japanese, most of which were nothing more than torn & shredded pieces & unrecognizable as people; some were able to get shots off, while others never did as their guns were bent & broken like cheap toys.

Not that either of them were crying about it.

With no opposition, Nadya & Twin-Tooth made it out of the facility as the latter pressed something with one of his mandibles inside his facemask with a barely audible click. What only the Yautja clan leader was privy of is that the Predator Hounds were all rigged with a miniature explosive device injected into their bloodstreams set on a timer – one which Twin-Tooth had just activated.

He & Nadya kept running away from the complex, past the bodies & destroyed smoking vehicles.

Inside, the Predator Hounds reached in just about every main body of the place.

Nadya & Twin-Tooth made it out of the fence perimeter just as the timers in the quadrupedal creatures expired & detonated: every area of the complex was blasted to rubble & twisted metal in moments, taking every living thing out of the picture, from Yautja hound to Xenomorph that escaped evisceration up to that point. The whole place caved in & collapsed in on itself, burying bodies of human & alien origin under tons of rubble.

Both paused to catch her breath & deactivate their cloaks as soon as they were a safe distance from the chaos, turning to what remained of the Japanese facility – the last of three that housed & bred the aliens & hybrid soldiers.

But it was a hollow victory, & Nadya knew it.

"We brought down their base, but I'm afraid it was all for naught", she said, defeated. "We're out in the middle of nowhere stuck behind enemy territory without a plane or radio in sight. And even if we did find a plane, there'd be no way to get to that fleet in time or warn the American forces of what's coming. I probably would've had no chance in sending one anyway – they no doubt would've jammed the transmission if I even tried to."

Twin-Tooth felt differently about the situation: tapping a series of buttons on his right cuff, he calls upon a small ship the length & width of a Studebaker truck that had its wings in the rear & pontoon engines posted on the tail. The cockpit was a two-passenger, with a canopy of glass that opened like the lid of a plastic garbage pail. The craft hardly made a sound as it descended from out of thin air, its cloak activated until reaching ground level.

Nadya looked at the ship with awe, & her spirits started rising back up: she was wishing this craft was as fast as it seemed, & if that really was the case, then there was still hope left.

Looking to Twin-Tooth, she nodded as the Yautja clan leader did the same & helped Nadya inside by grabbing her with his arm & getting to the rear seat as he took to the controls up front. Their seat belts wrapped around them as Nadya's had to be tightened more due to her frail size, but they fit her nice & snug once they adjusted without biting into her too deeply. Luckily, she placed her sword next to her seat so as not to restrict or obstruct the belt as it wrapped across her chest, making her ride a firm but comfortable one.

Even though the Predator's vehicles & equipment weren't meant for humans much, let alone young girls her age, Nadya adapted to it quite well in the last twenty-four hours or so, & she found the seat well-padded & was going to find out the necessity for it.

Taking the stick & closing the canopy, Twin-Tooth rose the craft in a vertical position to a height of 100 feet just before punching the afterburners & taking off like a shot, heading east as the ship's cloak gets reactivated. The forward momentum pushed Nadya back hard into her seat, the padding of it working overtime to steady her as she felt like a big hand was holding her firmly.

She did her best not to feel nauseous from the speed, but as an inside joke she was clearly getting her wish: at the velocity they're traveling, they'll reach the disguised Japanese ships in a matter of a few hours instead of half a day as it usually would take any regular aircraft capable of crossing over the Pacific.

Nadya prayed they'd make it in time.

CHAPTER VII

The Pacific Ocean, Monday, September 7th, 1942, 3:00 p.m.:

The aforementioned disguised Japanese vessel was now between Hawaii & the state of California, having made it past both the former & the island of Midway without incident along with its two smaller companions sailing by its sides. Its path was literally smooth sailing since leaving port at Hong Kong, cruising along the world's largest body of water as if it were our for pleasure instead of business/conquest. It was now only a few hours from reaching the Californian coastline. One of the ship's Japanese seamen at the helm indicated that they would reach port at sometime either in the hours right before the sun would set, if not sooner.

Commander Susumu Kobayashi smiled.

Very soon now…, he thought, barely able to contain his joy.

Ordering his men on the bridge to keep it steady, Susumu ordered another group to follow him below.

The ship's holding pens:

Captain Stephens & his Sergeant were showered & clean-shaven as their uniforms got the same treatment, along with the rest of their captured crew. In the morning, they were fed the usual foul-tasting food they've been eating for months while being treated like dogs in the harsh conditions of their cells & surroundings – and all for nothing more than the personal amusement of their captors.

Like always, they showered & shaved under very close gun watch.

An echo of footsteps put Stephens, the Sergeant & the rest of his crew awake & alert. His door was the first to be unlocked & opened to reveal Commander Susumu Kobayashi & three armed guards at his side, their rifles aimed right at their chests. Only the slightest smirk on his face was visible as he took two steps inside.

"Captain…it's time to go", he said simply.

"What is it this time, Commander? More torture for your own enjoyment?", Stephens asked.

"Nothing of the sort – yet. You're wanted on the bridge", Kobayashi said with a hint of sarcasm. When next he spoke, his snarl returned. "Move it! And keep those hands where we can see them!"

Guns cocking were all the motivation that Captain Stephens & his Sergeant needed to comply. They raised their hands as they walked towards the door, the guards never wavering with their rifles as they went past.

Even at gunpoint, both men stared hard at their captors & didn't show the slightest hint of fear on their faces.

It mildly amused the Japs. Mildly.

The Bridge, five minutes later:

All the rest of Captain Stephens' men were taken up at gunpoint, shoving those who walked too slowly or tried helping his fellow man. Once inside, only the Captain & Sergeant were brought up to the controls as the rest were held back by the Japs' rifles, warning them of being shot if they dared to move or make even the smallest hint of a sound.

As before, their hands were kept in plain sight.

Susumu ordered Stephens & his Sergeant to halt as he stood by the former's side.

"Now Captain…you're probably wondering as to why my men & I have been keeping you & your own alive for all these months, permitting you to shower & shave & even saving your uniforms in the best condition considering your inhospitable circumstances", Susumu says nonchalantly.

"You need us for something!", Stephens said in an icy tone as Kobayashi let out an amused laugh.

"You are quite perspective, Captain! I do admire that – even in an enemy!", Susumu said, impressed. He spoke again in a less amusing tone. "The reason for you staying alive is this: we are now only mere hours from arriving upon your shores in the state of California. We know there will be an armada of Navy vessels guarding the coastline in order to prevent any more surprise attacks like we did at Pearl Harbor last year. What you are going to do is radio those ships & inform them to your approach so that this ship can dock without a problem."

Kobayashi then stared hard & cold at Stephens & spoke in an even colder voice.

"Make your report sound convincing, & don't over-exaggerate! One more thing: if you should dare tell them of our presence aboard, or that you & your men are being held prisoner in any way, you & the Sergeant will watch as we kill your men before doing the same to you both! Do we understand each other, Captain?!"

Stephens stared back just as hard & cold, but he answered nonetheless.

"I do!", he said low & firm.

"For the sake of you & your men, I hope so! Keep doing exactly as we tell you, & we might just let you witness your country fall under Japan's Imperialism & Hitler's New World Order!", Susumu said, picking up the radio receiver & handing it to Stephens. "Now then…care to make that call?"

The Captain grabbed the receiver from Susumu & began making his report.

"This is Captain Stephens of the Barracuda calling the U.S. Navy over at the Californian coast. Come in, over", he says. After twenty seconds of no reply, Stephens was going to try again when the radio came to life.

"Stephens? Captain Stephens?! Is it really you?!", it replied.

"Yes, it's really me. Over", he said.

"What a relief to hear from you, Captain! We all thought you & your crew were goners when the Japanese took over Burma back in January! What's your current position? Over."

"They've taken us prisoner, but we managed to get away after a violent struggle. We kept radio silence for most of the trip home, for fear that the Japs might pick up on & hunt us down. We're about several hours from the coast. I can't pinpoint the exact time, but I'd say we should definitely arrive sometime between seven & nine. Over."

"Glad to hear it, Captain! There's an Army base set up on over at the Fort Funston National Park, just outside of San Francisco! We're about two hours from your position! Once we have you in our sights, we'll escort you back to the coast with a full welcoming committee!"

Stephens looked at Susumu, who nodded as he approved of the idea.

"That will do just fine. We'll see you in two hours. Stephens out", he concluded as Susumu took the receiver out of his hand.

"Good boy, Captain. Very good boy", he says as his face lit up in mock amusement. "So your original ship was called 'The Barracuda', huh? A fitting name – I like it!"

"Our original ship was nowhere near this big, Commander!", Stephens said sternly. "As soon as they get close enough to this big boat, they'll discover…"

"By the time they 'discover' our charade, it will be far too late, Captain!", Susumu cut him off sharply. "We will have our…cargo ready to deploy by then."

"Cargo? What the hell do you Japs have on this ship anyway?!"

"You'll see it later when they send the welcoming party. Now…no more questions! Stand by the window & stay there! And no talking – from any of you!"

Stephens & the Sergeant did as told, keeping their hands in sight as they backed up until they had their backs to the window. Both kept icy glares at their captors.

A lone Japanese soldier entered the bridge.

"Commander! Our German guests are due to arrive at any minute!", he said.

"Excellent!", Susumu said without taking his eyes off Stephens or his Sergeant. "Have a party waiting out at the landing strip! Once they step out, take them over to the rec room so they can help themselves to whatever delicacy their hearts desire!"

"Right away, sir!", he finished as he bowed & left the bridge.

Susumu smiled wickedly at Stephens.

The Captain wants nothing more than to wipe it right off his face.

At the first chance he gets.

Over the Pacific:

The waters of the world's largest ocean zipped by as Nadya & Twin-Tooth caught sight of the large vessel that began as a spec in the distance, growing in size the closer they got nearer towards it. Like the drawings showed back in Otaki, two lesser vessels strode on either side of the massive disguise freighter that sported American flags. Up ahead at a closer range was a quintet of planes that were making their approach towards the carrier: a Mitsubishi KI 46-II Dinah, a Messerschmitt Bf110, a well-armed Junkers Ju 88A-4, a Heinkel He 111 H-20 with jungle camouflage, & a Junkers Ju 52/3 g5e passenger plane, which is believed to have once served as Hitler's personal transport craft.

Inside the Heinkel were the Nazi Twins, who are the special guests of honor for this new mission of theirs. Both female assassins were in good spirits after allegedly killing their young quarry Nadya Ruslanova just days ago at the Kremlin in Russia, being praised by both Obergruppenfuhrer & Adolf Hitler himself on a job well done. With Nadya out of the way, there could be no serious opposition with their new plan of attack despite the unfortunate losses of all three facilities in Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan only hours ago as reports over the wire had come in.

It was exactly why the Nazi Twins were heading to the disguised carrier in the first place: all the girls have to do is ensure its safety & success in reaching the American shores, carrying their plan of attack into the next phase.

Should it succeed, the loss of each facility would be necessary & acceptable ones.

The Nazi Twins rode with satisfactory smiles on their faces.

From the cockpit of Twin-Tooth's ship, Nadya scanned the armada for the best likely candidate that will allow them to board without too much trouble getting in. When she gets a better view of planes heading towards the carrier, she sees her answer & points to their targeted craft – the Junkers Ju52-3M.

"Over there!", she tells him. "That large plane with the three propellers – all we need to do is take out the lone gunman towards the rear & enter through the door on the left side! Once we're inside, I can use their radio to send a message to the United States Navy or Coast Guard that are in the vicinity & warn them of the disguised enemy vessels on approach! When they receive my warning, they'll send in planes to help destroy & sink them!"

Twin-Tooth hears her plan & nods his approval. Gesturing with a hand, he instructs Nadya to activate her cloak as she nods & commences on both herself & her sword, with the Yautja clan leader doing the same. In the wink of an eye, both warriors became a shimmer in the air as the Predator put on a bit more speed to get them lined up with the Junkers' tail. From a port under its nose, the ship shot out a Y-shaped dart that struck the rear gunner in the head, silencing him before he could realize what the weird shimmer in the air was about.

He never made a sound as the dart killed him, his small crew inside unaware that their gunner is now dead.

Putting his ship on autopilot, Twin-Tooth scooped up Nadya with one arm & opened the canopy as strong wind gusts hit both their semi-invisible bodies. Ignoring the buffeting gusts, Nadya held tightly to her alien partner as Twin-Tooth made a death-defying leap from the cockpit to the plane, landing at & latching onto the side next to the door as the claws on his free hand & feet dug into the metal.

The sound of something hitting the side of the plane got noticed by the ones inside, & their guns were raised at the ready in case any saboteurs were aboard.

But they knew it was impossible – they were hundreds of feet in the air, & there was absolutely nowhere either on or in the plane to hide.

The door suddenly burst open as Nadya & Twin-Tooth entered with a cat's agility before it closed from the wind gusts. Already, the Predator was stabbing & slashing Nazis everywhere, with none of Hitler's followers ever getting a shot off. The pilots see the commotion through the narrow doorway of the cockpit, & the co-pilot picked up the radio receiver to call in the disturbance. Without warning, Twin-Tooth materialized & ripped the entire panel that separated the cockpit from the rest of the plane as if it were tin foil. He then extended his wristblades & placed the ends under the chins of both men before any call for help can be made.

Nadya deactivated her own cloak & approached the pilots.

"If you two wish to stay alive, you'll do exactly as I tell you to! Understand?!", Nadya said with a scowl as the pilots nod. Twin-Tooth removed his blades from their chins as Nadya issued a strict warning. "Don't either one of you try anything stupid: my friend here can & will kill you before you can so much as blink! You – radio receiver! Now!"

The co-pilot obeyed & handed Nadya said device as she worked the radio to get the right frequency. Neither of the pilots dared to disobey her order in trying anything foolish: if her 'friend' can tear down a wall with his own bare hands like he did, they know of what fate awaited them.

Nadya turned knobs & switches until she heard in the background what she hoped is what she was searching for.

Praying to the heavens that she found the correct frequency, she started speaking into the receiver.

"To all available vessels of the American Armed Forces at or near the western coast of the United States, this is agent Nadya Ruslanova! I serve under the command of General Belov of the Russian Red Army! I bring you urgent news of dire importance, so please listen to me very carefully: a trio of seagoing vessels heading for the west coast are not American ships! They're disguised Japanese freighters equipped with an extremely deadly cargo – one that will spell imminent doom for every man, woman & child should they be permitted to reach your shores! I've seen this cargo myself, & it's terrible beyond description! And now, they are only hours away from getting to their destination…"

Over at the Heinkel on the Junkers' right, the pilot had removed his headset after getting permission to make a landing on the main vessel. A piece of movement caught the corner of his eye at his accompanying plane to his left. He placed his binoculars to his eyes & spots something most irregular over at the Junkers transport plane: a young blonde girl in a khaki uniform, the other being a huge muscled figure in some kind of silver metal mask & body armor. The girl is making a report on the radio receiver, sending a message as the pilots do nothing to stop her.

Saboteurs!

"Frauleins!", the pilot of the Heinkel shouted as the twins appear in the cockpit seconds later. The pilot gave the first twin his binoculars & pointed to his left. Twin #1 peered into the binoculars to see something she shouldn't.

Impossible!, she thought with venom in her mind through clenched teeth.

But as much as she wanted to deny it, she knew it was true – Nadya was still alive.

It's a problem she & her double will have to rectify & fast, if they were to have any future in Hitler's New World Order.

"Pilot, speed up & get us halfway ahead of that plane! We'll be at the guns to shoot it down!", she instructed.

"Jawohl!", he said, putting on a burst of speed as the twins head for the top & left-side guns.

On the Junkers' radio, Nadya continued making her report.

"Please! To any Allied vessels in western United States waters, head out & intercept these ships before they can get anywhere near your shores! The human casualties will be catastrophic if they…"

A chorus of gunfire erupted in the cockpit, hitting both pilots with bullets & almost getting Nadya herself, a few zipping past by her face at only a fraction of an inch. She yelped at the abrupt attack & jumped back as Twin-Tooth & she raced back towards the plane's tail while the Nazi Twins peppered the Junkers with machine gun fire from the guns on the roof & left-hand side, turning the aircraft into Swiss cheese.

Several of their bullets have hit the right & front engines, the rounds shorting them out as their propellers cease spinning & catching fire. The remaining propeller wasn't nearly enough to keep the plane airborne, & the Junkers' nose dipped down as it descended towards the edge of the main carrier's flight deck with smoke blowing from the shot-out engines.

Nadya & Twin-Tooth did their best to keep their balance as the plane slanted forward into a dive, the former holding her sword so tight that her knuckles started turning white.

The disguised Japanese vessel was rapidly coming into view.

With a jarring crash, the Junkers plane hit the flight deck's edge as the whole front of the aircraft exploded.

Pieces flew everywhere.

Fort Funston National Park, San Francisco, California:

Since Pearl Harbor nine months ago, one of San Fran's parks had a suitable Army base set up along the coastline to remain vigilant in case the Japanese or any of the Axis Powers tried a surprise raid on U.S. territory, thinking they can catch them off-guard twice. A metal hangar & several small, one-story houses with curved roofs which served as sleeping quarters & such were built to hold over two hundred soldiers: privates, sergeants, majors, colonels & generals. A number of vehicles lay around the area, including Studebaker trucks, M3A1 Half-Tracks with a .50 caliber Browning M2-HB machine gun mounted over the passenger side, M4A1 Sherman tanks & the standard Jeeps – some armed with a .50 caliber machine gun, others with 105 recoilless rifle cannon.

A few still had neither, & were used for passenger transport.

In the water just several yards away, a couple of blue Vought OS2U-1 Kingfisher & black Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina floater planes rested on the ocean surface, anchored in place & ready to fly at a moment's notice.

Some soldiers were outside doing maintenance work around the base, handling gardening chores & the like.

Right now, the majority of the men were inside one of the large hangars enjoying a newly-released cartoon from MGM Studios entitled 'Blitz Wolf', directed by animator Tex Avery. It was basically the 'Three Little Pigs' story with said pigs dressed as soldiers in the country of Pigmania as they join to fend off Adolf Wolf – the big bad wolf dressed as Germany's chancellor in one of many of America's attempts to poke fun at him. They were up to when said wolf's armored vehicle with cannons sticking out in front & on the sides made the scene, with the left door having a sign saying 'Der Fewer (Der Better)'. The cartoon's main antagonist opens the door in Hitler's drab & infamous moustache, his mouth dripping as his tongue wipes it away before taunting the audience by holding out a big sign that reads 'Go on and HISS! Who cares'; even bigger laughs from the men watching ensued when the wolf gets hit in the face by a ripe tomato by an invisible audience member.

Their guffaws echoed the hangar, keeping the men in good spirits during a tough period in the country's history.

Over at a private house, the Colonel was enjoying a late lunch consisting of steak slices, mashed potatoes with a bit of gravy, string beans & a glass of fresh milk to wash it down. He ate in silence except for the radio playing by his side which was emitting the song 'Remember Pearl Harbor', sung by Sammy Kaye & his Orchestra.

It was now on its last verse:

Let's remember Pearl Harbor

As we go to meet the foe

Let's remember Pearl Harbor

Like we did the Alamo

We will always remember

How they died for Liberty

Let's remember Pearl Harbor

And go on to victory

The rest of the song was a musical interlude of blaring horns, drums & such. The Colonel was using his fork to scoop up his mashed potatoes & consuming them in his mouth, gravy included.

Even in the thick of war, he savored the taste.

Not a bad meal for just a few ration points, he thought with a slight smile before taking a sip of his milk.

As the song ended, a radio announcer came on.

"That was Swingin' Sammy Kaye & his Orchestra with 'Remember Pearl Harbor'! And that's exactly what our country will be doing in just three months from now, as we do indeed remember the fateful, tragic event that drew our beloved land into this second global conflict when the Japanese viciously attacked the U.S. Navy fleet from right off the Hawaiian Islands, claiming as many as 2,000 lives…"

The Colonel was lost in thought as he ate the rest of his meal absent-mindedly, with pictures being rewound in his head like a movie reel to a particular date:

U.S. Capitol, December 8, 1941:

The Colonel was standing along the side wall of the room along with other military advisors as people of the press got full coverage of a speech that was about to take place. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stood at the front podium, with Vice President Henry A. Wallace & Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn. Roosevelt's son James sat to his father's left as Sam Rayburn pounded on his gavel for order, ceasing the thunderous applause as Roosevelt stepped up & delivered his speech to the Congress.

It lasted just over seven minutes long.

"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly & deliberately attacked by naval & air forces of the Empire of Japan…The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval & military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost…With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph, so help us God."

Another round of thunderous applause erupted in the room, with the Colonel & his military peers joining in.

September 7th, 1942:

His mind came back unto the present, the Colonel finishes his meal with another sip of his milk as a commercial for National Tire Registration Week concluded on the radio.

"…remember, the government ruling is, you must register your tires, or you cannot get any gas. So act tomorrow to register yours."

It was replaced by one of the Payroll Savings Plan, as told by actor Orson Welles.

"Lend Uncle Sam a dime to win this war, & he'll pay you back with interest when he's won it. The easiest, most convenient way to lend in these dimes is to enroll in the Payroll Savings Plan. Just tell your boss to deduct ten cents from every dollar he pays you & lend it to Uncle Sam in your name. Sign up for this simple savings plan today, & when victory comes, you'll have war bonds in your pockets instead of Axis bonds on your wrists."

When the commercial ended, the radio went back to playing music as the song 'We're Gonna Have to Slap the Dirty Little Jap' by one Carson Robison, with the beginning done by a hand-held accordion.

"Colonel Philips, sir!", a man with glasses said, entering the room with a slip of paper in one hand. "I'm sorry to interrupt your meal like this, but…"

"It's all right, son", Philips says, turning off the radio before the vocals began. "I was just about finished with it anyway. So…what can I do for you, Sergeant?"

"Colonel, this came in over the wire about a minute or two ago. It's something which you should definitely see for yourself, sir."

Colonel Philips took the paper & read it thoroughly, not missing one detail. It contained the report made by one Nadya Ruslanova, saying she serves under General Belov of the Russian Red Army, & that a trio of ships making their way over to American shores were really disguised Japanese vessels with a deadly cargo which could spell a slaughter of horrendous proportions for millions of people should they succeed reaching U.S. soil. It concluded with the one who sent the SOS – Nadya – that she begged for any Armed Forces in the vicinity of the western coast to send out/intercept the oncoming armada before countless deaths can occur.

"It also stated that the message was abruptly cut off as this 'Nadya' was making her SOS", Philips says, looking at the Sergeant. "What do you think, Sergeant? Do you concede her report to be on the level?"

The Sergeant looked the Colonel in the eye, unflinching.

"My gut instinct tells me that it is, sir", he stated. "Colonel, even though we braced for imminent war since the negotiations between us & Japan have collapsed, those Nipponese bastards still caught us with our pants down in a way we never anticipated! We've even been informed that the Hail Mary & her escorts out in the Pacific received the same SOS this Nadya person was sending out! If they really are disguised Japanese vessels, & I have no doubt that they are, then we should be intercepting them at our earliest convenience! We can't afford a repeat like Pearl Harbor, sir!"

Colonel Philips stroked his chin before nodding. The Sergeant was right: America knew it was only a matter of time before it entered this second global conflict like it did in World War I, albeit late in the game. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor almost a full year ago made it official, but not before more than 2,000 American lives were lost; some were even still in bed when they were hit & sank beneath the waves to Davy Jones' locker.

The United States cannot afford another incident of that magnitude.

"No we can't, Sergeant", he said at last. "Has the Hail Mary or any of its escorts sent out planes to investigate the matter?"

"That they have, sir", the Sergeant said. "Several of their birds are already bound in its direction. If those vessels are wolves in sheep's clothing, we'll know soon enough when they start shooting & dropping bombs."

"Then we ought to go & do the same ourselves", Colonel Philips said, rising from his seat. "Sergeant, we're on full red alert as of this moment. Have the men report to their posts on the double, & get our own birds fueled & ready to take off. I want them in the air & heading westwards in fifteen minutes."

"Yes sir!", the Sergeant concluded, turning & heading out the door to carry out his orders. He stopped before he exited & faced Philips again with something on his mind. "Sir…what about the one who radioed in the report, the girl called Nadya?"

The Colonel stood silent for several moments that felt like forever before answering.

"She knew what she was getting into, Sergeant", he says with a bit of compassion. "If she is still alive out there, we can only hope that she's nowhere near the carnage once we start bombing those vessels out of the water."

"Understood, Colonel", the Sergeant said, exiting.

Deep in his mind, he offered a little prayer for the Russian girl.

Be safe, Nadya. Don't let your death be on our conscience, he thought.

A minute later after shuffling papers into a folder, he headed out of his office.

Melbourne, Australia:

All of the Land Down Under was on full watch alert for any Japanese attacks since the Nips had begun invading islands along the Pacific, from Manila to Bataan. The military force, amazingly, was not too big as one might suspect: one could label it a skeleton crew for the most part. But even with a limited number of resources at its disposal, the city & country did what it could to remain vigilant.

Standing in his office at the Army base, the General was interrupted in his thoughts by a knock at his door.

"Come in", he said as the door opened to permit a well-built man in fatigues & boots to whom the General turned & faced. A slip of paper waved in one hand.

"General, we've received this report over the wire just now", the man said in a deep Austrian accent, handing it over for his superior to read. The report was basically the same as that in which Colonel Philips in San Francisco was looking at: the information made by a Nadya Ruslanova of the Red Army in Russia, the trio of ships heading towards the western United States that are disguised Japanese freighters, the SOS getting cut off while being transmitted, etc..

It also read that the Hail Mary carrier & its escorts were sending planes over to make an investigation & attack if reports were true, including the base at San Francisco's Fort Funston National Park doing the same with their own craft & heading westward as commanded by Colonel Philips of the U.S. Army.

"This Nadya Ruslanova claims this 'deadly cargo' can & will cause the deaths of countless people if it dares to make it to shore", the General says. "The Hail Mary: don't you have some of your people aboard that ship, Major?"

"Yes sir, I do", the Major replied. "It's where this report came from in the first place. I know these men well, sir: I've trained them myself. They've learned to trust their instincts to the fullest, & can tell if a report is accurate or not as if by magic. If they've sent planes over to those three vessels instead of consulting with them first in person, then I fear something is amiss & terribly wrong. This Nadya could very well be telling the truth about her report, sir."

The General became lost in his own thoughts on the matter in silence. He suspects the Major was on something: he's known his people as long as the General has known the Major, if by a year or two. Even if his right-hand man has something of a German accent to his Austrian voice, the General was willing to dismiss it on account of their friendship which was solid & strong on all counts.

His word was all he needs to be convinced.

"Major, you & I are going to take a little trip", the General said finally. "Tell the pilots of my personal plane that I want it fully fueled & ready to fly in twenty minutes."

"Right away, General", the Major said, saluting his superior before turning around & leaving the room to fulfil his orders. The General stared back out his window, contemplating what the report indicated: what kind of 'deadly cargo' is aboard those disguised vessels that can wipe out millions of innocent men, women & children in that kind of magnitude?

A new breed of deadly virus, perhaps: are the Japanese planning to make people horribly sick & unable to either fight for its country or help to support it while the enemy takes over the United States with little to no resistance?

Whatever it was, it was something that has to be investigated and, if reports are accurate, destroyed while still far out at sea.

The smoke rose from his pipe as he took a few puffs.

Aboard the deck of the disguised 'Barracuda' vessel:

The wreckage of the downed Junkers Ju52-3M plane lay near the edge of the rear, its front creating thick clouds of black smoke from the fire engulfing it, making it impossible to see inside. The Heinkel passed overhead as the Nazi Twins parachuted down the side door & onto the deck, regaining their footing & ditching their chutes. Armed Japanese soldiers crowded the area & pointed their rifles/machine guns at the wreckage by order of the twins when they reported saboteurs aboard the downed craft, eyeing the plane cautiously & watching for any sign of movement that wasn't one of them.

For three tense minutes, nothing emerged.

A pair of twinkling lights within the clouds caught their attention, & in the wink of an eye two Japanese men got a weapon shaped like propeller blades embedded deep in their skulls & fell dead. This was followed up by multiple hits from blasts of blue-white energy that took down scores of Japanese soldiers, taking it in their chests, arms, legs & even heads as their numbers dwindled with every blast of alien energy. From the smoke the Nazi Twins can make out a pair of shimmers emerge before they started cutting down more men with invisible blades. One of those shimmers was only half the size of the other one, & the twins had a very good idea on who that was.

Nadya!, they thought in unison.

Drawing their Lugers, the twins fire rapidly as one at the smaller shimmer & strike something metal on its left arm. The cloaking field fades in & out from the damaged device, revealing Nadya as half-visible. When her forearm device shorts out completely, she becomes fully in view & the Nazi Twins grin wickedly before charging after her.

Everything else was irrelevant to the twins, from the dying Japanese to the one cutting them down to size, as the Nazi assassins have a case of tunnel vision – their main focus being solely on Nadya.

The twins put their guns away: they want the pleasure of finishing off the young Russian girl with their own bare hands. One reason was for fulfilling their superior's orders, as they've been instructed to.

Another reason was for making total fools of them, hurting their pride.

That alone was excuse enough to make sure she suffered before she died.

Nadya struggled to get the ruined cuff off her left forearm before going for her sword. She only got as far as to getting her hands on the blade: before she could unsheathe her weapon, Nadya was grabbed by Twin #1 by the throat as her sibling grabbed her feet. Nadya's vision started going dark as she held her sword tighter, making a last-ditch effort in calling in some 'special backup'.

Her air cut off, Nadya's face began turning red & the twins smiled bigger.

Within Nadya's sub-consciousness:

The area was purple, with black & red swirls as Nadya looked around for her miracle of help to arrive. When she & Twin-Tooth were diving inside the plane the twins shot down, she used her sword to contact her friends over in the Land of the Dead. It was a plan she formulated herself: her connection to Leo & the others were still strong aside from their being deceased, & that helped to bring them in to fight Baron Von Wolff in January.

On this endeavor, it would be a little bit different: once her friends broke through the barrier like last time, they would join their very essences – or spirits, if one prefers – with Nadya's own.

She just needs to find them within the confines of her own mind.

But they better arrive soon before she fully expires.

A shine of white caught her attention that grew in size the closer it came zooming in. Nadya could see the quick-approaching object split into four others & take humanoid shapes. Even from far off, she could see the familiar outlines of her First Squad teammates – Leo, Valya, Marat & Zina.

First Squad would get reunited in a way they never thought possible until now.

The sight of her friends put a smile on her face, giving her a boost of strength.

But it wasn't enough: Nadya started turning pale like a zombie, & knew her life force was slipping away due to being strangled by one of the Nazi Twins. If Leo & the others don't reach her soon, their trip will be all for naught, & soon they'll all be permanent residents in the Land of the Dead.

"Guys – please hurry!", Nadya shouted. "I don't know how much longer I can hold out!"

"Whoa! Check it out, you guys: Nadya's getting nearer to being as dead as us!", Valya said, clearly panicked.

"Then let's make sure that doesn't happen!", Leo said. "Hold tight, Nadya – we're almost there!"

"We'd better pick up the pace, Leo!", Marat said. "She still seems like a million miles away!"

"Put everything you boys have into it!", Zina said. "We are not losing Nadya – not now!"

"No, we're not!", they all shouted, driving & pushing themselves further up to & beyond their limits.

Nadya's flesh was now turning blue, indicating that true death for her was only right around the corner.

Her vision was going dark, & she reached out to her friends as they became within reach.

She couldn't tell if she made contact as her vision finally went dark.

The Japanese vessel's deck:

Nadya gasped for breath as the first Nazi Twin continued crushing her windpipe, cutting off her air flow. A huge grin was plastered on their faces.

"Old man Obergruppenfuhrer & even Herr Hitler will be somewhat displeased when they hear we didn't finish off this little brat like we first said we did, but one look at her actual corpse will have it all forgiven!", said Twin #1.

"They'll be even more pleased when we present her head to Mein Fuehrer as a trophy for his wall!", said Twin #2.

Nadya's life was slipping away as she barely heard her killer's words, when she was suddenly assaulted by a huge surge of renewed strength & vitality like she was a car battery recharged to full capacity. She opened her eyes & stared venomous eyes at her would-be killers, both of whom were stunned by her abrupt rejuvenation.

"Don't bet on it, bitches!", Nadya spat, removing one foot & driving it into Twin #2's face. The blow stunned her vision as she saw white spots while Nadya freed herself from the first twin's grip with a solid kick to her side.

The young Russian agent followed it up with a series of hard fists to Twin #2, beginning with her stomach as the wind gets knocked out of her before giving several to her chest & face. From behind, Twin #1 grabs Nadya & pins her arms to her side, taking her away from her sibling.

"You filthy little Russian slut!", Twin #1 spat venomously. "I'll gut you like a fish & eat your insides for hitting my sister!"

"The hell you will, you Nazi whore!", Nadya spat back, ramming her face with a hard head-butt. The Nazi cried in anguish as the sound of cartilage gets broken & her nose gushes blood, forcing her to release her captive before she gets a hard left foot to her solar plexus. Miraculously, Twin #1 recovered quicker than Nadya expected, & the two were now engaged in a vicious hand-to-hand battle.

Twin #2 had no choice but to make a hasty retreat due to her sudden injuries & lack of breath.

That little cunt! I think she broke a couple ribs!, she thought through gritted teeth as she hobbled away, working overtime to catch her breath when the wind got knocked out of her. In her condition, she'd be no good in a fight; she'll have to find someplace to recuperate before she got back into the swing of things.

Fortunately for her & her sibling, she's on an allied vessel, else they'd probably be dead.

She still might be, if things go sour like it is currently for the Japanese, as Twin-Tooth effortlessly skewers, slices, dices & blast away Japs all over with shoulder cannons, wristblades, Y-shaped darts, razor-sided & bladed discs, & a double-sided glaive with curved blades. Like a professional acrobat or ninja, the Predator clan leader flies through the air gracefully & wields his weapons with timed precision, making every shot count. Even armed with Type 100 Submachine guns & Nambu pistols, the Japs couldn't hit their mark & they fell one after another like houses of cards.

Nadya's fight with Twin #1 was just as intense, with both combatants sweating profoundly as Nadya uses all the natural abilities of her friend's spirits in her struggle to overcome the enemy: Leo's quick-thinking in situations, Zina's agility, & Valya & Marat's eagerness to fight & win all make a recipe for a warrior worthy of being engaged in combat with.

Having Marat's great strength in her possession surely didn't hurt either.

But even with those factors in her possession, Nadya was still out matched by Nazi Twin #1: she's had tons more experience in hand-to-hand & armed combat, & she was larger to boot. Using a swift maneuver with her right leg, she swept Nadya off her feet before following it up with her foot down on her chest, holding her firmly in place. She then pulls her Luger pistol & aims it right at her head. Nadya tried prying her foot off, but her strength was a bit more solid & wouldn't budge.

"Nice try, Nadya – for all the good it did you!", Twin #1 said with a wicked smile. Then she wipes if from her face & grits her teeth in anger. "But you've made fools of us three times already, & that means all bets are off! You're not getting a fourth! When we present your head to the Fuehrer, he's going to get it with a bullet hole in your skull!"

"…The hell you will, you Nazi whore!...", Nadya said without her lips moving.

Nazi Twin #1 was confused: she heard Nadya's voice but never saw her speak the words. Either she's practiced in ventriloquism…

Or somebody was behind her!

Turning around 180 degrees, the Nazi assassin aimed her gun but her hand holding it was sliced off at the wrist by a weapon which made a razor seem dull. She didn't have time to scream in pain: she got jammed in the chest by a pair of double-jagged blades that went through her with ease & out the other side at her back. All she could manage to emit from her mouth was a slight grunt as Twin-Tooth stuck & lifter her off her feet, her mouth spitting blood.

"…This time you're going straight to Hell, you little bitch!...", he repeated in Twin #2's own voice, which was practically the same as her sibling's.

Nazi Twin #1 cursed her foolishness in her last seconds of life: she was too concentrated on Nadya that she did not pay her alien partner any mind, & she paid for her tomfoolery dearly. Blood oozed from her mouth & chest as her own vision grew dark until she went limp on Twin-Tooth's blades before tossing her over the side with one swing of his arm. She disappeared from sight & splashed into the waters of the ocean, where she would sink like a stone.

Through it all, Nadya found herself enjoying the Nazi bitch's fate as Twin-Tooth skewered her.

Who's the little bitch now?!, she thought coldly, having no sympathy for her as she rose to her feet.

"Come on, partner!", Nadya said, unsheathing her sword. "Let's hope that my SOS got through to the American Armed Forces in time, & until they do arrive, it'll be up to us to bring these ships down & everything on it!"

With a nod & a gesture with his glaive, Twin-Tooth & Nadya headed for the bridge.

Inside the bridge:

When the shot-down Junkers crashed onto the deck outside, klaxons blared & men scrambled to the site of the crash. Commander Susumu Kobayashi saw the men he has sent to investigate it getting butchered by a pair of invisible saboteurs & raced to the controls of the bridge's bow, pressing a button or two. From below the ship within its belly, a cadre of pods opened up to let loose some of its deadly cargo as they growled & headed up towards the deck.

This was done several minutes ago.

Now they faced a new problem, as Susumu's second stared out of & saw through the windows of the bridge from his binoculars.

"Commander! We have incoming!", he said as Susumu took his binoculars & peered to see for himself. The man wasn't lying: even from far away the Japanese leader could see an armada of American fighter planes consisting of the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Lockheed P-38 Lightning (nicknamed the 'Fork-Tailed Devil'), & the Douglas SBD Dauntless, the latter plane which fought in the Battle of Midway & won the victory for the United States only three months ago.

Even though there were only those three types of planes heading their way, there were a lot of them.

"We've been made out, Lieutenant!", Susumu said in an obvious manner, lowering the binoculars. "Our secret has been exposed! An advanced warning has somehow been sent!"

"But how can that be, Commander?", he asked, pointing to Stephens & his crew. "We have them under close watch this whole time! There's no way they could've done it!"

Susumu shook his head.

"It wasn't them!", he said, facing his Lieutenant. "The ones from that downed plane must've done it just before it was shot out of the sky! Quickly – send a message to our two escorts to get their planes up in the air!"

"What about those saboteurs, Commander?", asked his second. "What if they're still alive & aboard this ship?"

"We'll let our 'special troops' take care of them if that's the case!"

Nodding, the Lieutenant saluted & got on the radio to their two companion ships. In almost no time, they dumped their armada of planes consisting of German & Japanese alike: Junkers, Messerschmitt, Focke-Wulf, Arado, Stuka, Zero & Aichi aircraft were hitting the skies & opening up once the enemy targets were within range.

Inside one of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning planes, the pilot clearly saw the Nazi Iron Crosses & Japanese Rising Sun insignias on the fuselage of the approaching planes & addressed the others from his radio.

"Boys, it looks like that anonymous tip we received before was right on the money!", he says, hearing that all the others can see the enemy insignias just as he can. "They are disguised raiders, & not just the Japanese! Open up, boys! Let 'em have it!"

With no further encouragement needed, the American air fleet let loose with strafing bullets on the approaching volley of Nazi & Nipponese planes once they got in range. High velocity rounds buzzed like swarms of angry bees or wasps as they penetrated flying metal, causing smoke to pour from the fuselage & down into the open water, hitting it with a splash that was followed by an explosion. Some detonated in mid-air when a fleet of bullets hit exposed bombs, blowing the plane to pieces & frying both aircraft & pilot(s) alike. The Japanese Mitsubishi Dinah plane made a retreat due to its function of a reconnaissance craft & lacking any armament, only to be blown apart by a passing Curtiss P-40 Warhawk as it strafed the cockpit with bullets, killing the pilot instantly before detonation. The Heinkel that carried the Nazi Twins fought back with its machine guns & took down a couple of planes in its sights with no parachutes that had been ejected from pilot or gunner.

A well-placed bomb at the cockpit from a passing Douglas SBD Dauntless sent it to its own watery grave.

A multitude of American crafts were being dropped like flies caught in a mist of bug spray, but the Japanese & Germans were starting to lose more planes than their enemies, & they fought fiercer than ever. Not since the Battles of Britain & Midway has there been a more ravenous aerial dogfight than the one currently over the Pacific skies.

The sounds of battle could be heard even through the thick glass of the bridge, the explosions vibrating the walls.

Susumu turned towards Captain Stephens with a look of contempt.

"It seems our deception is over, Captain, but I promise you this: if we should go down, you're taking the fall with us!", he said with a snarl. "Not one of you shall live to see another day!"

"That's pretty funny, Commander: we've had that very same thought about you!", Stephens snapped as his men all nodded in full support.

Susumu was about to approach Stephens to land a punch to his face when he heard an engine nearby & turned to the window. A German Arado hydro-plane flew only twenty feet away as the tail-gunner was firing at a pursuing SBD Dauntless craft, which was firing its front guns.

The Japanese Commander's heart raced.

No! Not this close, you fool…!, he thought as the bullets from the American plane struck the Arado's fuselage & hitting its fuel storage. The Nazi hydro-plane blew apart in flight, & the explosive force blasted the windshield as glass shards flew inwards, forcing both captives & captors to drop down on their hands & knees for cover; Captain Stephens, his Sergeant & all their men made it to the floor in time, as did Susumu, his Lieutenant & some of their men.

Others were too slow, & these got impaled by glass that came at them like bullets or missiles. Japanese soldiers went down like dominoes, bloodied glass piercing their chests, heads & limbs.

With their numbers down a great deal, Captain Stephens saw this as the window of opportunity he & his men have waited for, as it was now wide open.

"NOW!", he shouted, & he & his men all let out a loud battle cry & charged in to assault their captors with near-blinding speed & overcome their Nipponese keepers, snatching their guns away & beating them to death with the butts & staining them with their blood. The leaders on both sides were engaged in a fisticuff brawl: Stephens' Sergeant was in combat with Susumu's Lieutenant, & both Captain & Commander were locked in a brutal conflict. Susumu's forces fell under the barrage of American soldier rage, with not one Japanese grunt left alive after having their brains bashed in with their former weapons. Susumu himself & his Lieutenant were beaten badly as Stephens & his Sergeant wrecked their faces with rock-hard fists, swelling both men's cheeks & eyes. Every blow was payback for all the times they've been beaten with interest, & felt the greatest satisfaction in dishing out what they had endured for eight months by their hands.

Unable to stand on their feet, Susumu & his Lieutenant fell on their rears next to the control console. But despite their humble defeat, they still remain defiant as Susumu reached up & pressed a final button before staying on the floor. Stephens & his Sergeant aimed the pistols they grabbed when they overthrew both Japs.

"What the hell did you just do, Commander?!", Stephens barked.

Even though it hurt him to do so, Susumu smiled a bloodied, toothy grin & chuckled.

"Just releasing the rest of our cargo!", he said in a rasp. "You were quite curious before about what we have on this ship, & soon you & your men will be getting front row seats in witnessing it – for the remainder of your lives!"

The Japanese Commander laughed again, coughing up more blood.

"So…any last words before you all die, Captain?", he asked cockily.

"Only this: here's one for Pearl Harbor!", Stephens shouted before he & the Sergeant fired their Lugers at both Japanese leaders, riddling their bodies full of holes as Susumu & his Lieutenant fell to the floor in puddles of their own blood. Masks of pain & defiance were plastered on the corpses' faces as they stared up blankly at the ceiling. Taking spare clips for the handguns, Stephens, the Sergeant & the other men arm themselves to the teeth before regrouping over in the next room, away from the boisterous noise of the massive dogfight & avoid getting hit by friendly fire.

"What could he have meant by that, Captain?", asked one man. "What do they have aboard this boat exactly that these Nipponese bastards have more safely guarded than Queen Victoria's crown?"

"I fear we'll know soon enough, soldier!", said the Sergeant.

"He's right, people!", said Stephens, hefting his machine gun. "Whatever is aboard this ship, we can assume that it's a grand threat to us & will be to the country if we allow this vessel to reach American shores! Our job is to make sure that never happens!"

"Looks like those boys out there have the same idea, sir!", said another man. "They're willing to bomb this tub & everything on it at all costs – even if we're still on it!"

"All the more reason for us to not be here when they send in the big guns, soldier! Listen up: from this point on, we stay as a group & make our way over to the lifeboats, & we mow down any Japs or whatever else is aboard this tub! Stay together, stay alert, & we'll make it out of this with our skins intact! Understood?"

A chorus of 'Yes sir' from every mouth in Stephens' group erupted briefly when he signals for silence.

"Does anyone hear that?", he asks softly as the men listen closely over the roar of planes flying & shooting right outside. It took a few moments to hone in on the sound, but they finally make out what it is: a growling of something which echoes throughout the halls of the ship: it was a sound that chilled Stephens & his men to the bone.

Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't human in origin.

"Captain…let's get moving!", the Sergeant said softly but firmly.

Nodding, Stephens gestured with his rifle to follow his lead.

Elsewhere aboard the ship:

Like Captain Stephens & his crew, Nadya & Twin-Tooth heard the growls of inhuman things heading their way over the engine & bullet roars & plane detonations, but unlike the American troops, they knew precisely what it was.

"The Japanese – they've awakened their hybrids!", Nadya says as her alien partner nodded. Weapons poised, the pair make their way down with the utmost caution, listening to the growls of beings that were manufactured by a group of deranged Axis scientists using their own people as test subjects for experimentation.

Unfortunately, they were successful in doing so for the most part.

All the more reason to take them down!, Nadya thought as she dwelled on the situation.

The wall just seventeen feet from their position gets knocked down, the metal giving in like the ship was made of balsa wood. A pair of powerful fists with clawed fingers smashed its way through, & the Japanese hybrid soldier lets out a growl to communicate with its kin that prey has been found. Twin-Tooth brings it down with a blast from his left shoulder cannon, blowing its head off as it collapsed to the floor. It was quickly replaced by a dozen more which kept on growing & growing in numbers, filling the narrow space with hybrid horrors. Even working & fighting alongside with each other, Nadya & Twin-Tooth will have a difficult time bringing this armada down, & they both knew it. Their troubles doubled when the wall from behind them caved in, revealing more Japanese hybrids. They were now trapped at both ends, & no amount of slicing, stabbing or even blasting will bring the creatures down before they get overrun & killed.

They need a new & different method of defeating them quickly, or overrun they shall be.

Fortunately, Twin-Tooth came up with the perfect solution: while in his ship, the Predator clan leader packed his forearm cuff with an effective device that can cause the Xenomorphs something the humans would call a migraine or even a headache, only in their case, it's many times more deadly. And since these hybrids are part Xenomorph, they should experience the same results in a theoretical manner.

Only way to find out for sure was to commence with his plan: indicating for Nadya to cover her ears as best she could, the young Russian girl did as Twin-Tooth suggested before the Yautja pressed a button on his left forearm cuff. As soon as he does, a high-pitched sound that resembled that of a radio emergency test emits from his cuff & hits the hybrids full-force. The effect was instantaneous: the monstrous soldiers immediately grabbed their heads & let out loud growls of pain. For Nadya, it was irritating to her ears as well, but it was still nothing she couldn't endure.

But to the Japanese hybrids, it was like being stabbed in the brain with a hot poker. Their minds felt just like a balloon being inflated, the pressure coming close to causing them to burst.

Death wouldn't come soon enough: the hybrids were now screaming in great agony, their howls stretching all over the ship as they begin bleeding in rivulets from their eyes, ears, noses & mouths. Their legs become weak & feel like sticks holding up a massive form of flesh, & they soon buckle under the pressure & get to their knees. One tried to make it over to the one causing them such anguish, but the excruciating pain made it impossible to do anything except scream & bleed.

Before long, something finally gives: even though their heads don't explode like they first thought, their brains inside do, & each hybrid felt a surge of agony that lasted for a split-second – and feeling like all eternity – before they pop & turn to mush at a moment's notice & collapse to the floor with wet thuds.

When the last hybrid hits the floor, Twin-Tooth turned off his irritating noise as Nadya removed her hands from her ears, sticking a finger in each one as if to remove any small traces of buzzing. A slight buzz has remained, but it was already fading away once the noise ceased, & she looked up at Twin-Tooth.

"…Nice trick…", the Predator clan leader said in General Belov's voice. Nadya couldn't stifle a slight laugh or a smile, so she doesn't – she was rather amused by his antic as her commanding officer had been.

"I'll say it was!", she said with her smile before she wiped it off & being all business. "Let's search the ship to see if your little trick got all of these hybrids! With them being as dangerous as the real things, we can't leave anything to chance!"

Twin-Tooth nodded, knowing her frail-but-bold human partner was correct: unleashed even on the Yautja, they could very likely take them down even faster than the Xenomorphs themselves could were they to be overwhelmed by their numbers. Another reason is they don't take lightly of having their kind made abominations out of, be it by aliens, humans or otherwise. That is about as taboo to their species as killing weak & defenseless prey – a violation of the code his race goes by.

His partner by his side, Twin-Tooth & Nadya take off in search for more hybrid enemies to dispose of.

It's a mission that they must succeed in.

Captain Stephens' crew:

Aside from the aerial battle taking place outside, the interior of the ship was mostly quiet & felt close to a ghost vessel. Many found it hard to believe that it was fully inhabited by the enemy, only to have them disappear like it was a magic trick of sorts. But each man knew better than to let his guard down: the inhuman sound they heard before was a full testimony of it, & they need to find their source & put it out of commission before the higher-ups in the American Armed Forces decides to send in the big guns & blast the ship to atoms – a possibility with a high percentage.

The need to be off & away fromthe overgrown tugboat by the time that need comes around.

"I don't hear them anywhere, Captain – not since we first did right outside the bridge", said one man. "Do you?"

"Not a peep", said Stephens. "But stay alert anyway – just because we don't hear or can't even see them doesn't mean they're no longer in the vicinity! That also goes for any straggling Japanese: you see them, don't engage in any kind of conversation! You shoot them on sight before they can do so to us! Got it?"

"Loud & clear, sir!", said another man, approaching a door. Turning to Stephens, he nods & they burst it open to a good-sized medical room with medicines of all kinds & several beds for patients to recover in.

But it was devoid of any doctors – if they even had any to begin with.

"Nothing", whispered a man, somewhat disappointed.

That was when the ceiling came crashing down on several of the men as debris rained over their heads, followed by some things – some creatures – that were a mix of Japanese humans & some other beasts Stephens couldn't identify off the top of his head. He & his Sergeant dive to one side as the men engaged in & were getting trampled by the new arrivals. Everywhere the two leaders looked, a soldier was being beaten to death and/or literally torn apart by hideous aberrations of nature that were making short work of their squadron like they are nothing more than insects under one's heel. Some of the men were able to get a couple shots off from their weapons & even killing a few, but the majority of them stood victorious & crushed the opposition.

Stephens' men died screaming horribly & hurting a lot before they expired, the sound of bones crunching mixed in chilling the blood of the two leaders.

The Captain & his Sergeant began firing their machine guns at the horrid creatures, taking down those that have already killed his men so as to quickly avenge their deaths & before they could kill again. Under the barrage of bullets, these monstrosities died instantly.

At least these things aren't bulletproof!, Stephens thought, mowing down another creature.

It was a small comfort: in no time, all the men were dead & Captain Stephens & his Sergeant are now the only ones left alive. More of the beasts crashed down from above the ceiling, one of them landing in front of the two men & slapping away their weapons effortlessly. Stephens & the Sarge ducked & dove for cover from an inhuman fist that most certainly would've taken their heads clean off their shoulders had it connected. The things blocked every exit that was in the room, sealing it off from the rest of the ship & keeping their intended victims trapped. It was a sound play: if Stephens & the Sarge wanted out, they'd have to fight their way out, & fighting these things in hand-to-hand combat was mostly a futile effort.

These things are animalistic in fury, but they still think like regular soldiers – it's exactly what we would've done!, Stephens thought, seeing the strategy they just played.

Some not guarding the doors took steps towards the two men, intent on doing to them what they'd done with the rest of their squadron. The two from the U.S. Armed Services had no intention of giving them the satisfaction: reaching for a grenade, they place a finger in the pins of each one, ready to pull them at the right moment. If they're going to die, then they want to take these nightmarish hellions with them.

At another three steps, a sound like a radio emergency signal emits everywhere, giving Stephens & the Sergeant an irritating but non-fatal buzz in their ears, & they place their fingers within to block out the worst of it. The hybrids, however, were screaming out in agony & grabbed their heads. It was an unusual twist of fate: these hybrids broke & beat down Stephens' men with ease, & yet a simple noise was making them bleed to death from their ears, eyes, nose & mouth before falling dead among the bodies of their men, never to rise again.

The noise ceased as abruptly as it began, & the men removed their fingers: aside from a slight ringing, they were unharmed all over, inside & out. Both men looked at each other for answers, with neither one able to give any for what happened.

"What was that, Captain?", the Sergeant asked as they rose from the floor.

"Damned if I know, Sergeant", Stephens replied, regaining his machine gun with his friend doing the same. "But we just got a lucky break, so let's use it to search this place & see if whatever killed these things did so to the rest of them, if there are more. It's the least we can do for our squadron."

The Sergeant looked at what remained of their team: bodies crushed, torn & beaten to bloody pulps was all too heart-wrenching to see, & if there were any of the creatures left alive, they owe it to their men to settle the score with them to the fullest.

"Let's find them & wipe 'em out!", the Sarge said plain & simple as Stephens nodded.

Exiting the medical room & all the bodies, the men resumed their trek.

They searched a good portion of the ship for close to an hour. In all that time, they've not seen any sign of those hideous aberrations, & none have jumped out for a surprise attack on them. The only thing that was still constantly going on was the aerial dogfight raging outside as Axis & American planes shot at & bombed one another, with some hitting the ship itself & causing it to shiver under the barrage in spite of its huge size.

A pair of bomb hits from a passing Douglas SBD Dauntless caused a violent tremble & sudden blackout as a red light shined on to substitute for illumination. Stephens & the Sergeant hugged the wall for support before things have stopped rocking. With the crimson light, they had to be extra cautious as it wasn't as reliable as the normal one, & an attack could come at them more easily because of it.

They come into & search a new room with multiple spare parts, presumably for fixing damaged areas of the ship like in the engine room, for example. Some contents were spilled to the floor when the vessel shook.

But they saw no signs of life anywhere.

Turning around, they headed for the door when movement from outside caught their eye. The Sergeant cocked his rifle & fired, but Stephens caught on & pushed his weapon aside, the bullets hitting only the floor & walls with metal pinging loudly.

"Captain, what the fuck…!", the Sarge started to say, ending his barrage.

"Hold up, Sergeant!", Stephens said, taking a few steps towards the door. The regular lighting came back on, & Stephens saw something of a blur just outside the door, squinting his eyes to try & make out what it was. A trio of thin red lights in a triangular pattern shined from out of nowhere & upon the Captain's head as red dots. Neither he nor the Sarge could move, for the red dots moved from his head to his chest.

Stephens understood this: it indicated a targeting system of sorts, & his heart galloped like a race horse.

He heard cackling from where the blur stood.

Then he heard the voice of a young girl.

"No, don't!", Nadya said, stepping in between the men & the blur. Twin-Tooth deactivated his cloak & targeting system, his sudden appearance startling the men as he retracted his shoulder cannons. Neither one dared to draw his weapon: the creature before them could no doubt set them up for kill shots within the blink of an eye, giving them no chance to get even one shot off. They even assumed he could throw that double-bladed glaive in that amount of time.

Another reason is because neither wanted to endanger the young girl's life & put her in the crossfire.

But Nadya wasn't worried, & she faced the men before something between them happens by accident.

"Gentlemen, please!", she begged. "He's a creature, but he's not like those other ones! He's with me, & we're both here to put an end to them, same as you!"

Something hit Stephens, & he pieced it together in a snap.

"It was you two, or rather, your 'friend' there who made that sonic-like sound which caused those creatures so much pain in their minds that they died from it, am I right?", he asked.

"Yes, he emitted that noise to give them a fatal headache!", Nadya said. "If not for that, we probably wouldn't still be standing here right now!"

Stephens looked at the Sarge, who nodded & seemed to be relieved by a miracle that came from a most unusual source.

That definitely explains a lot, Stephens thought, turning back to Nadya.

"I suppose we owe both of you our thanks for that", he said. "What's your name, honey?"

"It's Nadya Ruslanova", she said. "I serve under the command of General Belov of Russia's Red Army & Sixth Division."

Stephens & Nadya locked eyes for a few moments: he & the Sarge were stunned that someone of her age could be out in the field as they, but dismissed it due to current circumstances. It seldom mattered: if she can wield the sword she held tight like they can shoot their rifles, he didn't care if she was still in diapers.

"Greetings to you, Nadya. My name is…", Stephens began when Nadya cut him off.

"Yes, I know", she says, pointing a finger at him. "You're Captain Anthony Stephens, & you serve under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower of the U.S. Army. You were born on November 23rd, 1917. Your father was unfortunately killed in the First World War just a few months before it ended, with your mother dying from grief shortly after. You hardly ever knew your parents."

Anthony was more stunned than ever: she never met Nadya until now, & already she knew what occurred in his life from long ago. It was all true: Anthony never did know his mother & father, & he was raised by his aunt & uncle into the fine young, strong & abled man he is now. He'd been told that his parents were such wonderful people, & that they wished only the best for their young bundle of joy – a feat more than accomplished as he is a soldier under Dwight D. Eisenhower's wing, & damn proud of it.

He wasn't sure if they'd be proud of him if they knew he & the men under his own wing were captured by the Japanese & brutally tortured for months on end.

That's one time he was glad they weren't alive to bear witness to.

Snapping out of his temporary stupor, Anthony went back to the task at hand.

"I guess we can discuss how you became privy of that info later, Nadya", he said. "Right now, all we need to know is that you & your friend there are on the same page as us – finding those aberrations & making sure they're all dead!"

Nadya nodded & turns to Twin-Tooth, who responds in Anthony's own voice.

"…you & your friend there are on the same page as us…"

Anthony & the Sergeant became shocked again hearing the Captain's own words & voice come from the Yautja warrior, but it wore off as quickly as it hit. Nodding, they keep their rifles at the ready.

"Nadya, why don't we let you & your friend here take point on this, since you both seem to know more about what we're up against than we do?", Anthony says.

"That's exactly what I was thinking, Anthony, & it's an excellent suggestion!", Nadya replied. "Let's be on the move & stay close, boys!"

That said, Nadya & Twin-Tooth take off down the hallway with Anthony & the Sarge following close behind & sticking to the pair like glue. Allowing the young Russian girl & her alien partner leading the way, Anthony & his close second never wavered or left their side & kept eagle-eyes open at all times for any surprises that might spring forward & attack.

Since being teamed with their new allies, there've been no signs of enemies anyplace, be it of human or inhuman origin. It's been that way for fifteen minutes now, & they all started to wonder if they are the only ones aboard. It was a tad weird: the ship was built to hold hundreds of personnel, & yet it contained what appeared to be a mere skeleton crew.

Was that part of the Japanese's plan – to make it look like there's nothing of high value aboard this tub until they release those horrid creatures upon them?, Anthony wondered as the group were now coming to a door they haven't explored yet, with Nadya getting to the handle as both G.I.s & Twin-Tooth poise themselves for action. Anthony & the Sarge nod to the Russian agent, & Nadya opens the door to a vast room that was almost as spacious as a hangar. They were hit by a gust of wind from the large hole in the high ceiling – one undoubtedly caused by the explosion from the attacking Douglas SBD Dauntless minutes before. The room itself was about the size-&-a-half of a B-25 Mitchell plane in both length & width, & a ceiling being close to 30-35 feet high. Outside, the aerial battle still commenced as bombs, machine gunfire & explosions filled the skies.

Due to the absence of windows in the room, there was no way of knowing who was gaining the upper hand.

Anthony & what remained of his crew couldn't concentrate on that now: they have their own mission to fulfil.

They can simply hope that their side is winning.

From behind a stack of thick wooden crates, Nazi Twin #2 took refuge in order to nurse herself back to health as best she could under strenuous circumstances. She used a cloth to create a makeshift bandage for her ribs, tying it tight to keep her body firm. She cringed from the pain in doing so, & vowed to make Nadya pay with extreme prejudice as soon as she's fully recovered.

The sound of the door opening put her on alert once more, ignoring the pain in her ribs. Her Luger pistol in hand, she carefully peers over the crates to get a glimpse of its new occupants.

Her eyes widened when she saw who it was, & her teeth gritted.

Nadya!, she thought with malice.

Giving away her hiding place, Nazi Twin #2 aimed & fired at the Russian girl, only for Twin-Tooth to take note of her presence & use his body to shield Nadya from the bullet barrage, the rounds hitting only the alien armor as each shot bounces off it like popcorn. The Sergeant takes aim himself & fires off a round of his own, hitting the woman's pistol dead-on & knocking it out of her hand which stung it before she disappeared behind the crates.

"You there!", the Sarge barked as Anthony backed him up with his weapon. "Come out from behind those crates & keep your hands up! If we have to come over there, you're going to be shot!"

"You heard him! Now step out of there!", Anthony barked. A few well-placed rounds from their guns were all Nazi Twin #2 needed to convince her of their seriousness, & she does indeed step out from her hiding place with her hands raised. A venomous scowl painted her face, & it hurt her to move too much.

Nadya saw her in great pain, & it pleased the Russian girl to watch her suffer for a change.

Twin-Tooth wanted nothing more than to put the human bitch out of her misery, but he leaves it to his two new allies to handle her, & they seem to be doing a good job of it.

Anthony & the Sarge took cautious steps towards their new prisoner when the area shook from an impact that was from within the room itself rather than the aerial dogfight outside. Nazi Twin #2 fell hard to the floor, receiving a new surge of pain in her ribs as she & the rest looked to a bulge at the floor & wall over on the other side of the room. Another powerful hit caused both to buckle under the pressure, & it resumed until they split like the skin of an overripe orange.

One more powerful thrust, & the split was big enough to let loose a gigantic horror in black that rose like a huge dinosaur on the prowl. It was like the aliens but 2-3 times bigger, with an elongated cranium & an extra pair of smaller arms jutting from the torso's center that sported three-fingered hands. It wasn't alone either: a second newcomer rose from the hole, being a hybrid cross between an alien and a Predator, with dreadlock hair on the sides of its head & its face sprouting the crab-like mandibles of the Yautja. Unlike the larger creature, this beast growled like a predatory cat or bear of the wild, while the other monster hissed like a huge snake.

These new monsters were new to Nadya, Anthony & the Sergeant, but to Nazi Twin #2 & Twin-Tooth, they were very familiar.

They were in the presence of the horrid Alien Queen & PredAlien.

CHAPTER VIII

None of the surviving humans & Predator could believe what they bore witness to: one was the literal mother of Xenomorphs in all her hideous glory, while the other was a combo of said creatures & Yautja. The surviving Nazi Twin & everyone else kept still, unable to move as if frozen in stasis by their presence. Nadya felt something different about both creatures: alongside their animalistic nature, she can also sense with her ESP a set of growth hormones within each one.

It hit Nadya with the answer once she did.

Those creatures – they must be how the Nazis are breeding the aliens in part!, she thought. They're the real egg-carriers of their kind!

She also deduced that the Nazis must've had a second Predator in their possession: one to use its blood & tissue samples to make their monster soldiers, the other to give birth to the hybrid. Twin-Tooth came to this same conclusion, as it wasn't the first time his race had come across a PredAlien that was hatched by accident.

Only this hybrid was no accident, but intentional by the Nazis & their allies.

The Alien Queen & PredAlien stalk slowly towards their intended prey like panthers on the prowl. Twin-Tooth, Nadya & both U.S. soldiers ready themselves for action. The smart play would be to shoot them both on sight, but the monsters were currently having their sights on the injured Nazi Twin, paying everyone else no mind. The PredAlien reached her first, tilting its head side-to-side with a low growl as if examining her. It sensed the broken ribs she suffers from & concluded that were it to impregnate her with that kind of injury, great damage could be done to the newborns & come out irregular or die while still in the host's body, for it also sensed injury to her stomach when Nadya landed a hard fist & knocked the wind out of her.

She would not make a suitable breeding host.

Disappointed, the PredAlien backed away & was replaced by that of the Alien Queen, her breath hitting the Nazi assassin & feeling nauseous from its foul odor. The Queen didn't bother to look her over: with a hiss as chilling as any serpent's, she extended her inner jaws & struck the wide-eyed blonde Nazi in her nose, her last thoughts being on her sister before shattering it & her brains out the back of her head, forming a puddle as she fell dead into it.

Nadya can be relieved that both Nazi sisters were now gone from her life, but it would be for naught if she & the rest don't survive the monsters that now have their gazes on them.

An inhuman screech & growling echoed the room, & both alien beasts charge the quartet of 3 humans & an alien hunter. Twin-Tooth drew his twin shoulder cannons, while Anthony & the Sarge fired their guns. With speeds that are impossible to accomplish for anything so huge, the Alien Queen & PredAlien dodge the rounds of the machine guns & Twin-Tooth's own energy blasts with ease, with the former creature whipping her tail forward like striking snake.

"Scatter!", Anthony shouted, diving to one side with everyone else doing the same. The Alien Queen's tail point misses its targets & striking only cold metal. Twin-Tooth hits the floor on his left side, dodging a swipe from the Alien Queen's right hand. He gets up to shoot his weapons, only to have the left shoulder cannon & himself knocked away from the others & skids across the floor on his back. The impact also shorted out his left forearm cuff, rendering both his cloak & sonic attack useless. He was now the primary target for the Queen, & Twin-Tooth held his glaive out in front as the huge monstrosity rushed at him, their battle being taken away towards the opposite side of the room.

The PredAlien lashed out at the machine guns Anthony & the Sarge were firing with its tail, slicing both in half like they were made of cheese instead of cold hard metal. Retracting its appendage, the PredAlien shot it again in order to impale its first victim – Anthony – with its razor point. The Captain was a bit too slow to dive out of the way.

The alien tail made contact, & blood was spilled.

But the blood wasn't Anthony's – it was his Sergeant's.

Using himself as a human shield, the Sarge came in between his Captain & the alien appendage, getting struck in the back as the tail's razor-sharp tip pierced his chest & spattered Anthony with his blood. The Captain & Nadya stared with eyes & mouth agape as the former's best friend became skewered right before him. Blood spat from the Sarge's mouth & chest wound as the PredAlien reeled him in like it was going fishing with a pole after snagging a whopper.

When it brought him in close enough, the hybrid monster grabbed the Sarge with its hands & withdrew its tail. In a heartbeat, the creature tore apart Anthony's best friend in half as both halves get flung in opposite directions, spewing blood from both pieces. Time seemed to stand still for Anthony, watching his longtime friend become killed by a thing which originated from two opposing forces not of the Earth itself.

His stunned state left Anthony wide open for attack, & the PredAlien used it to its advantage.

It charged him with its claws extended out in front.

Over the Pacific:

Roars of powerful engines propelled some of the most battle-hardened planes across the waters of the Pacific.

The SOS in which Nadya sent out was received by & alerted several other aircraft carriers near & far, joining the planes en route from San Francisco's Fort Funston National Park. It was an impressive armada of aircraft: heavy-hitters such as the B-25 Mitchells that performed the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan back in April as America's retaliation for Pearl Harbor, the seagoing Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina hydro-planes that first spotted the Bismarck for the British, & the ultimate warplane: the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a craft that all but lives up to its name: a dozen machine guns on the sides, rear, nose, fuselage top and bottom, & carrying a bomb load of nearly 2 ½ tons in each craft.

Even if hit by numerous enemy fire, this plane can still fight with the best of them, giving it a reputation that will undoubtedly grow to a virtually iconic status.

Like the old saying goes, 'It takes a licking & keeps on ticking'.

A baker's dozen of these warbirds soar through the skies with its littler but no less battle-hardened brethren as engines buzz like bees going on the offensive.

The pilot in one of the B-17s gets on the radio & addresses his comrades.

"All crews, get to your posts & man your stations pronto!", he says. "We'll be reaching our targeted area in about 30-40 minutes, tops! As soon as we're there, I want everyone ready to open up with everything they got on the enemy! Do you copy?"

A chorus of affirmatives from every plane in this armada reached back, signaling that each man was heading to his station, be it the guns or Bombay doors.

The pilot of the B-17 offered a silent prayer for the one that called the report in, hoping she isn't in the vicinity of the enemy when they dump their loads.

No further words were said as they flew on.

Aboard the main Japanese freighter:

The room shook with battle as alien & human forces squared off against two threats that can spell doom for the entire human race, be it Axis/Allies soldiers or innocent civilians.

Twin-Tooth engaged in a heated conflict with the dreaded Alien Queen as the latter creature swung her massive segmented tail at the Predator clan leader in attempts to drive it into & put an end to him. The Yautja warrior weaved & dodged every strike with timed precision, moving as nimble & agile as any ninja or samurai. Even savage strikes from the Queen's clawed hands & inner jaws hit nothing but open air due to his agility. Despite the loss of his left shoulder cannon & his right one being shorted out, Twin-Tooth still scored a couple hits with his double-bladed glaive, making bleeding cuts/stabs on the alien bitch's frame. Screeches of pain ensued with each direct hit, making the Queen more frantic & vicious in her assault. Her strikes were becoming swifter & more precise as Twin-Tooth's own, & soon even he might be on the receiving end of her inner jaws and/or razor-tipped tail.

He needs something of an edge to help him overcome the odds in his favor.

Unlike the Queen, Twin-Tooth was more of a strategic planner: he spots some loose debris hanging overhead near the opening in the roof. Letting out a taunting growl, the Predator succeeds in getting the Alien Queen whipping her tail at him. Diving to one side, the impact of the Queen's strike was enough to cause the debris to come loose & fall down upon her enormous frame. It gave Twin-Tooth the time he needed to pry loose his right cannon & readjust it with a few taps. Although it can no longer function as a cannon, he can still use it like a gun: a series of lights atop it lit up with beeping sounds that increased in intervals.

Aiming it like a pistol, Twin-Tooth fired it at the Alien Queen's head.

The alien bitch sensed trouble from her enemy's weapon, & amazingly she freed herself from the bed of debris just as the shot from the Predator's weapon launched as a blue-white bullet of energy. It can only fire one shot at a time, but it packed an incredible punch.

Unfortunately for Twin-Tooth, his shot hit only a piece of debris that trapped the Queen, albeit temporarily.

She was on the move again & even more pissed-off than before.

A high-pitched screech echoed the room as she charged Twin-Tooth, his gun recharging for a second shot. Until it did, he would have to dodge his gigantic foe & steer clear of her claws, tail & teeth.

When his hand-held weapon was finally charged, the Yautja warrior aimed for the Xenomorph's head again.

But the Queen was still wiser than her brethren, & she deflected his shot upwards, the ball of blue-white energy going through the hole on the ceiling & striking a passing Japanese Aichi plane, blowing it to pieces upon contact.

Neither Nipponese pilot ever knew what hit them.

The Alien Queen's strike also knocked his weapon out of the Predator's hand & far out of his reach, & she hit him again with a powerful swipe of her left hand that jarred his facemask free, exposing Twin-Tooth's crab-like face & double-toothed mandibles for which he was named. His glaive also skidded away before he stopped just short from the hole where both alien beasts emerged out of.

Twin-Tooth's vision was partly distorted from the buffeting blow he received, & he worked quickly to bring it back into focus before the Alien Queen overtook him.

Said monster hissed as she stepped closer to her crab-faced quarry.

Anthony & Nadya were having as much difficulty with the PredAlien, despite having scored several hits on it by sword, gun & a piece of pipe the U.S. Captain grabbed to use as a makeshift club. The young Russian agent warned her companion about the creature's acidic blood, & not to get any of it on him.

He took her advice to heart, staying clear of anything that looked yellow/fluid on it.

The Xenomorph/Yautja hybrid attacked the pair of human soldiers with as much savagery & relentlessness as the Alien Queen was to the Predator clan leader. Vicious, swift swipes of its tail & raking of its clawed hands kept both on their toes in spite of having it outnumbered by two against one. Because it was half-Predator, the PredAlien had more intelligence than the aliens it & the Queen give birth to: it knew how to keep enemies at bay & go on the offensive like it's doing with Anthony & Nadya, using its tail like a whip while swiping its claws as an angry cat would. When either combatant came close enough, the creature extended its inner jaws for the kill.

Luckily, Anthony & Nadya avoided each strike, if barely.

Anthony ducked & dived to avoid getting his head taken off by a swipe of the monster's clawed hand as Nadya gets her sword knocked out by its tail, almost taking her hands right off with it. Her weapon landed thirty feet away, & Nadya raced to reclaim it as the PredAlien pursued her. The young Russian agent grabbed her weapon just as the alien hybrid closed in on her. When Nadya swung her sword, the PredAlien grabbed her weapon by the blade in its left hand & pulled it away like an angry parent doing so to a child's toy. The monster's mandibles opened & closed with great anticipation, seeing that Nadya would make for a good breeding host, unlike Nazi Twin #2.

She stared at the hideous crab-mouth as it grew nearer.

"Don't you fucking TOUCH her!", Anthony shouted as he clobbered the creature's oversized head with his pipe, giving Nadya time to clear the way as the U.S. Captain swung his makeshift club at the monster, striking the PredAlien repeatedly with the metal pipe to keep it off-balance. He also used the flaming rage & hatred for the beast for killing his best friend before, giving Anthony an extra surge of strength as his constant buffeting the creature left it disoriented & confused. He dared not let up with his brutal assault: even the slightest bit of hesitation can be fatal, so Anthony makes sure to not relent for any reason.

The PredAlien would force him to: on the next swing, it grabbed Anthony's weapon & bent it with little effort as crushing an egg. It then tossed it aside & swatted the U.S. soldier, hitting him in the chest & sending him sliding across the floor twenty-six feet before coming to a stop. Anthony felt like a vice was closing in on his chest, & he had a tough time getting air into his lungs because of it. The PredAlien made his way towards the American Captain, & with him unable to get up fast enough, he could become easy pickings for the monster.

Stopping just five feet in front of him, the PredAlien raised its tail like a scorpion would as its point was aimed at Anthony's chest, ready to give him the same fate it gave his Sergeant.

The Captain can do nothing except watch as death comes straight for him.

CLANG!

Nadya stepped in between both combatants & deflected the monster's tail tip with her sword.

"Like the man said – don't you fucking touch him, monster!", she snapped angrily at it, her scowl looking like it can melt steel.

Unimpressed, the PredAlien struck with its tail again repeatedly, only to have Nadya parried every blow which sounded like metal clanging. Anthony took this time to scuttle away, ignoring the pain in his chest as best he could. He got his debt repaid from Nadya, & he intends on returning the favor to her once more by finding something that'll help finish this brutal, insane fight before theyno longer can.

Finally able to reach the Luger he lost earlier, Anthony quickly checked to see if it was still loaded. The current cartridge had one last shot, but he still carried two extra clips & got one out. He saw Nadya being grabbed by the beast as it lifts her up by the throat & brings her to eye level. It extends its inner jaws at the young Russian agent, but Nadya tilts her head to one side & avoids the deadly appendage. She does it three more times as the PredAlien gets desperate in impregnating her.

If something isn't done, Nadya will become a mother at age 15 – with children that won't be human.

Oh no you don't, creature!, Anthony thought, firing his Luger at the thing's back & being extra careful not to hit Nadya or get any of its acidic blood on her. His single shot hit the monster between its tail & left leg, causing it to drop its intended host & turn to Anthony as he dumped the empty clip & reloads it with a new one in record time. Nadya saw him take aim at the beast & scuttles off to one side, getting out of his line of fire as Anthony unloads his weapon on the Xenomorph/Yautja hybrid. Each shot punctured the monster's flesh & caused its deadly yellow bodily fluid to spew from the wounds, sizzling & melting wherever it landed on the floor.

Nadya had warned Anthony about its blood, & the U.S. soldier can clearly see why she did: the stuff eats its way through anything, from cold hard metal to human flesh & bone.

It's no wonder the fucking Axis want these things so badly!, he thought, seeing that they would be a great arsenal in their mad quest for enforcing their New World Order on the planet. Everything these monsters possessed, from their unparalleled animalistic savagery to their acidic blood, would serve as an armament for Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany & Imperial Japan.

No way was he or Nadya letting that shit happen: too many good people lost their lives to these creatures, & they deserve justice done while these monsters deserve nothing less than total annihilation.

It's precisely what Nadya had on her mind as well: calling out to Anthony, she points towards the ceiling to a net holding concrete blocks that remained intact despite the violent tremors from the bombing of the roof to the fighting of both alien monsters. Anthony nodded, seeing exactly what his young but tough partner has in mind. Raising his Luger up, he fires the weapon at the supporting rope & hitting the bind that held the net. His gun clicked empty but achieved his objective: the bind broke under the barrage of bullets & opened up to spill its heavy contents upon the PredAlien as it looked up to see death plummeting down. The concrete blocks crashed down on the hybrid monster, with several of them crushing its skull with wet, sickening crunches as the beast went down under the heavy weight. Anywhere that the blocks penetrated on its body, the thing's blood sizzled & melted even the hard concrete.

Upon contact, the PredAlien's long tail whipped up & then fell back down with a thud, never to rise again.

Anthony rose from the floor with a bit of difficulty as Nadya rushed to his side for an assist.

"Nice strategy, partner!", he told her.

"And nice shooting there, Tex!", Nadya replied back with a smile as Anthony returned the gesture.

The Alien Queen's screeching interrupted the moment as both turned to see Twin-Tooth still engaged with the mother of Xenomorphs, swinging his retrieved glaive & extended the twin wristblades on his right forearm cuff. It has now reached a fever pitch at this point, & the Queen was as driven to kill her smaller but tenacious enemy. Twin-Tooth roared like an unhinged animal as the battle-hardened Predator received more cuts & scars on his person, adding to his seemingly endless array of them. Even as he bled, the Yautja warrior fought madly in his attempt to bring down a prize worthy for anyone of his race – the head of the Alien Queen.

Anthony & Nadya watched the battle in stunned silence, observing a sight most others can only dream of. Even if they weren't stiff with fascination, neither of them interfered with Twin-Tooth's quarrel: he has picked this fight as his own, & it will remain his fight alone.

The Alien Queen then snatched Twin-Tooth with one hand & slammed him against a wall, pinning him there until the Predator used his glaive to slice off the appendage & leaving a bleeding stump. Getting free, he hits the floor & runs to his energy gun as the Queen screeches in pain of losing her left hand. The Yautja warrior picks his weapon up off the floor but never gets a chance to rearm, much less shoot it: the Queen snagged him by the leg like a whip & knocks him down. When Twin-Tooth turns over on his back, he sees the Queen's tail come straight at & impales him in his chest, going into the floor itself & pinning him to the spot. Twin-Tooth lets out a boisterous growl that spits up lime-green blood as the Alien Queen looms over her catch, hissing between her needle-teeth.

Nadya began to advance to Twin-Tooth's aide, but Anthony held her back & shook his head.

"I can sense that he wanted this fight all to himself", he said. "Even if he wished for our assistance, it's too late to help him."

"So we're just going to leave him here? I can't do that, Anthony!", Nadya said. "He stood by my side throughout this whole ordeal & promised to return me home safely!"

A thunderous sound came from overhead, catching the ears of human & alien alike. The Alien Queen looked up at the opening of the roof in wonder, while Anthony got a chill that made him more afraid than any of the monsters he faced this day.

"I'm sure he knows you appreciate his efforts, Nadya!", he said to her. "As for leaving him here, we're not being given much of a choice!" He points skywards with one finger. "The sound of those propellers you hear right now? That belongs to the Boeing B-17, nicknamed the Flying Fortress for a reason: they're currently the biggest bomber planes we have in the air! With a bomb load of 4,800 pounds, they can level entire city blocks in seconds! Just imagine what they'll do here to this ship & its two escorts! We need to go, Nadya – now!"

They heard Twin-Tooth speak in General Belov's voice.

"…Nadya…please make sure you return home safely…"

"Sweetie…I'll fulfil his promise for him. And you", Anthony said.

Hearing the veracity of his words, Nadya nodded & sheathed her sword before they took off running out of the room. The Alien Queen caught sight of the fleeing humans & started to retract her tail, but Twin-Tooth took a firm grip on & kept it in place. With his glaive still in his left hand, the Predator aimed both ends at the floor & the Queen herself as he pushed a hidden button. The ends struck the floor & into the Queen behind her head & out the top, the blade now opening up into a grappling hook of sorts, securing his catch. No matter how hard the Queen tried prying herself loose, she couldn't: the cables & weapon itself is highly acid-resistant, & it will take some time for her blood to burn it away & make it weak enough to break.

By that time, it should be far too late, as Twin-Tooth surmises.

Out on the ship's deck:

Anthony took Nadya's hand & held it firm as he escorted her out into the open of the ship into the afternoon sun. Unlike Nadya, Anthony had a bit of trouble adjusting to the sunlight, having been cooped up in a holding cell for many months & not seeing the light of day in that time. It felt so good to be doing so again, but he had to put his personal pleasure aside & concentrate on getting off the ship before the bombers commence with dropping their loads.

He'll enjoy the sweet sunlight at a later time.

If there will be a later!

The roar of the B-17 engines were much louder now, & Anthony & Nadya can see they were accompanied by B-25 Mitchells & PBY-5A Catalinas. Both of their hearts raced: with that many bombers attacking, they won't leave even a scrap of the enemy behind.

Anthony knew they would send in the big guns, but he never knew it'd be this many.

"Come on, sweetie!", he said, resuming their trek for a lifeboat.

Fortunately, lifeboats were all but plentiful as rows of them hung all around the ship. Anthony wasn't too picky about which to take: he guided Nadya to the nearest one & climbed aboard. Like the others, it had an onboard motor in the rear & a pair of oars at one side. Floating life jackets were also present, & they each hurriedly put one on.

It was pretty obvious on which they'd be choosing once they hit water.

"Hold on tightly, Nadya! We've got no time to be gentle about this!", Anthony said, working the rope that held their boat up. Unraveling it, he let the boat go into free-fall straight down to the water. It hit with the equivalence of a lead weight & shook violently which rattled their bones. It was a bit more painful to Anthony due to his chest injury but he ignored it & went to the rear to place the motor's propellers in the water & started it up by pulling the rip cord.

He got it on the sixth try, & soon they were well on their way.

"Here, Anthony! Let me take the stick!", Nadya offered.

"Sure thing, Nadya! Just keep us steady – the waters are gonna get choppy real soon!", he said, giving her the reins for the motor.

"Got it!", she replied, taking the stick as they propelled forward at top speed.

In the air above, the bomber fleet was almost on top of the targeted ships below & the commander in the lead B-17 got on the radio to address his comrades currently in battle with Axis fighters to withdraw from the fight & let them finish what they started.

"Your message has been received, sir! We're pulling out now! Give those Axis bastards a dose of your hell!", the pilot of a Douglas SBD Dauntless replied over the waves.

You can bet we will, son!, the pilot thought.

"Everyone standby!", he states. "We're just minutes away from bombardment, & it seems we got enemy bogies en route to our position! Get those guns cracking & shoot them Axis birds down, folks!"

All planes reply with a 'Yes sir' before commencing with their orders. The remaining German & Japanese planes that open up on the heavy bombers get taken down by heavier firepower than theirs, getting blown straight out of the sky in flaming ruins. Even though some of the bombers received bullet hits themselves, their damage was insignificant compared to that inflicted upon the Luftwaffe & Nipponese aircraft.

In comparison, it was almost like fighting tanks with a bow & arrows.

Planes dropped like weights with wings as they splashed into the waters of the Pacific. Nadya kept a firm grip on the motor's steering rod, being sure to dodge any falling debris that got too close. Anthony grabbed the sides of the bow to prevent himself from falling into the water when his partner had to make a swift turn. He didn't need to see the planes with binoculars to know they were within striking distance, & he willed for the boat to go faster.

Whatever Luftwaffe & Japanese planes were left cut out & retreated, knowing they were clearly outmatched.

"They're retreating, sir!", said the pilot of a B-25 Mitchell. "Shall we commence now with the bombardment?"

"You read my mind, son!", the pilot of the B-17 replied. "To all birds: open your Bombay doors & commence with Operation: Brick Wall! Those ships go no further than this spot, so dump your loads, boys! Give 'em one for our dear Uncle Sam!"

A chorus of cheers erupted over the airwaves as each PBY-5A Catalina, B-25 Mitchell & Boeing B-17 opened up their underbellies & drop their payload of bombs as they descend quickly upon the trio of disguised Japanese ships. In the main ship, the Alien Queen sensed danger from above approach & she fought feverishly to free herself from Twin-Tooth's glaive-turned-grappling anchor, to no avail. The Predator clan leader has made sure that neither survives what he knew was to come, & seeing/hearing the bombs falling towards their position made his prediction come true.

The Alien Queen let out a deafening high-pitched screech as Twin-Tooth let out a boisterous roar as the scream of the bombs soon drowned out both animalistic sounds.

It was then replaced by a deafening explosion as both monsters get obliterated to bits with the rest of the ship, as blast after blast erupts on all three vessels. Everything from man to machine gets blasted to hell by the powerful bangs of the dumped payload from the overhead bombers, turning it all into flaming scrap metal & body parts. Any surviving Axis planes in the nearby vicinity were blown apart either by the bombs or the tremendous shockwave that preceded it.

The good news was that the ships were being destroyed indefinitely.

The bad & worse news was that the blasts created a huge tidal wave, & it was heading straight for the lifeboat Nadya & Anthony were in. The young Russian girl noticed it first, & her eyes & mouth went wide.

"Anthony!", she shouted over the wave's roar.

Oh, SHIT!, Anthony thought fearfully, turning to her & seeing the wave himself. His heart palpitated madly as he hurriedly went to Nadya.

"Stay close to me, Nadya…!", he shouted as he held her close like a father would his child before the tidal wave overtook them, boat & all.

Both their visions went dark.

Within Nadya's sub-conscious mind:

Nadya opened her eyes to find herself drifting in the space of her mind.

What – or who – she saw before her were her friends from First Squad.

"Leo! Zina! Valya! Marat!", she said, reaching out to them like she did before. Leo held up his hands & shook his head apologetically. Nadya was confused by his sudden refusal, but they all had something they needed to say & did so with smiles.

"Our job here is done, Nadya", Leo said. "You set out to do what you wished with your idea, & came through it with flying colors."

"And what a brilliant idea it was!", Valya said. "None of us could've probably come up with something like this– not in a million years!"

"But you did, Nadya, & it worked like a charm!", Marat adds. "Now that's what I call a reunion! We ought to do it again sometime!"

"We always knew you were the most special in our group, Nadya!", Zina said, putting in her two cents. "The way you formulated & commenced with this plan of yours only proves it!"

Nadya had to smile herself.

"We're all very special – but we're even more so together!", she said, making her friends give high-fives to each other with a giggle.

"That, we certainly are!", Leo said before losing his smile & saying something that made the rest lose their own. "But now, we need to return to the Land of the Dead. Our visit to your subconscious mind is only a temporary respite for us. Our place is back there – there's no avoiding it, I'm afraid."

"You really can't stay?", Nadya asked, her tone in a slump like her mood.

"Nadya, you know that's been our home since we were killed by the Nazis", Zina said. "Like I said last time, hon – there's no going back for us."

Leo, Valya & Marat nod in agreement with Zina's statement.

"Then…this is goodbye again, isn't it?", Nadya said, sounding like she was about to cry.

"Hey now, don't start crying or we'll never go back", Marat said, his smile returning. "But don't despair: if we can do this trick once, who's to say we can't do it again? Now that we all have this ability, call upon us when you're in trouble & we'll come-a-runnin'! Your powers are getting stronger, Nadya – use them wisely like you've been taught!"

"But right now, we need to head back!", Valya says. "Besides, we promised Shadow & his clan that we would: we still need to keep a close watch on those alien bastards that entered our realm & make sure they stay there, not to mention keeping tabs on Baron Von Wolff & his pack of mad dogs! Honor – it's what Shadow's clan is based upon, & what we've also been taught ourselves when we trained in the Sixth Division!"

As Valya spoke, the quartet began to drift away from Nadya as they started their journey back, but not before Zina gave a fond farewell.

"Until the next time, Nadya! We love you, girl!", she shouted, & they moved away at a faster pace.

In no time, they were gone from sight, leaving Nadya alone.

Her vision started going dark again, overwhelming her in seconds.

An unknown amount of time passes:

"Nadya?"

The male voice woke the young Russian girl from her slumber, & she found herself lying on a cot in some base she didn't recognize. Immediately she sat up as Colonel Philips & his Sergeant take her arms to calm her down.

"Easy, hon! It's okay!", Philips assured her as both men release their hold once she settles down.

"Where am I?", Nadya asked.

"Welcome to the Army Base here at Fort Funston National Park in San Francisco, California", the Sergeant said. "This is Colonel Philips, & I'm Sergeant Ripley – Daniel Ripley."

"San Francisco, California? Then that means I'm in…"

"That's right, hon. Welcome to the good ol' U.S. of A."

"And thanks to your urgent SOS warning, there still is a United States of America, perfectly intact", Philips said. "We owe you & Captain Stephens a huge debt of gratitude, Nadya. Were it not for what you both had done…"

The mention of Captain Stephens gave Nadya cause to worry.

"Captain Stephens…Anthony!", she says. "Where is he? Is he here? Is he okay?"

"I'm right here, Nadya", Anthony said, standing at the door of the room. His chest was bandaged underneath his fatigues, but otherwise he was unhurt. Seeing him alive & mostly well caused Nadya to smile big.

"Anthony!", she replied happily as he headed over to her right & they embraced one another. She couldn't hold back her tears, so she doesn't try. "I'm so glad you're okay! I thought I lost you for good out there!"

"I felt the same way about you, Nadya. I thought we were goners for sure after that tidal wave hit us. Thank God for our life jackets – they helped us to stay afloat until a Vought Kingfisher plane spotted & picked us up almost an hour later & brought us here. That was two days ago."

Nadya looked at Anthony as they ended their embrace.

"Two whole days?", she asked, trying to absorb the facts. "I was really out of it for that long?"

"I'm afraid so, Nadya. When you didn't wake up once they brought you in, I feared the worst. Thankfully, I can now put them to rest, seeing you alive", Anthony said. "I've been filling in the details of our little adventure to some very important people these last few days. They're still here, & they'd very much like to meet you."

"Who are they, Anthony?"

"Colonel…?"

Philips nodded, rising from his seat & heading to the door to wave in the 'important people' Captain Stephens mentioned. One was a tough bulldog of a man in a short-sleeve Army outfit & helmet, a large unlit cigar clamped in his mouth. The next two were that of men dressed in light tan/beige outfits & seemed to be high-ranking officials: one of these men had a large corncob pipe clenched between his teeth. The fourth & final man had a green uniform & hair that was short & well-trimmed on both the top & sides, with his face having a short beginning of a beard.

Nadya didn't know this particular individual, but the other three she did. A gasp of surprise & fascination came & escaped her gaping mouth.

"Recognize these gentlemen, sweetheart?", Anthony asked with a smile.

"I know most of them", Nadya said, pointing to each man as she announced their names. "British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, & General Douglas MacArthur!" She pointed to the last man, but MacArthur beat her to the punch in introducing him before she could speak.

"Nadya, this is Major Austin Schaefer of the Australian military", he says. "He is also one of my best & oldest friends – and quite the gentleman, too."

He said his last statement with a wink that made Nadya smile.

"How do you do, Nadya? My friends call me 'Dutch'", Austin said in an Aussie accent with a hint of German as he took her hand into his & shook it gently. Even so, she can feel the muscle in his hand, for he was a very powerful man.

"Good to meet you, Mr. Schaefer", Nadya said, releasing his hand & turning to MacArthur. "I heard about your retreat from the Philippines, Mr. MacArthur. I know it must've been tough leaving those from the islands behind."

"It certainly was, I'll grant you that", MacArthur said. "But to stay & fight when it was hopeless is nothing more than a fool's errand. Had we remained, we would've been captured by the Japanese, thrown in a prison hole & tortured upon. It was also essential that I retreated, since I know how to fight the Japanese with very strategic planning, & no way could I do that placed in a concentration camp. Even if President Roosevelt hadn't given me the order to do so, I still would've pulled out regardless. Remember the old saying, 'He who fights & runs away…'"

"Lives to fight another day", Nadya concluded for him. Smiles & nods of proud amazement erupted from every face.

"And nobody knows more about what the Japanese are capable of up-close & personal than all these men here, including you & myself, Nadya", says Anthony. "They're nothing more than animals, plain & simple."

"No worries, Anthony", said Sergeant Ripley. "We've hurt them before, & we'll continue to until we win."

"Indeed", said Schaefer. "The Doolittle Raid & the Battles of the Coral Sea & Midway are indisputable proof that the Japanese can be as badly hurt by an attack as any of us."

"Not to mention what you two have done!", Churchill proudly added, approaching them & getting to Nadya's left side. He removed the cigar from his mouth as he spoke. "You, Captain, endured months of barbaric treatment from the Japs, but never gave in & struck hard when the time was right! And you, my dear Nadya, sent out that distress call to alert the United States of the impeding danger heading their way! Thankfully, it was received just in time to initiate an effective counter-offensive before disaster could loom over this fine country! For your endeavors in bold bravery, we are forever in your debts!"

"Just doing our duty like any soldier who signed up for participation in this war, Mr. Churchill!", Anthony said.

"Speaking of which…", Nadya speaks as something suddenly hit her. "Has anyone heard from General Belov? He's my commanding officer of the Russian…"

"We know who he is, Nadya", Philips said. "Anthony told us of him, & you'll be pleased to know that he & his Sergeant Sergei have survived the battle over in Poland, bringing down the facility there the Nazis were using to create their 'weapons of destructive power' at. I've spoken to him shortly after you were brought here to inform & bring him up to speed of your condition. He was quite worried as Anthony was, but he'll be very relieved to hear you survived."

"What about Oxford Langley & the others? Any word on them?"

The men, including Anthony, bowed their heads, giving Nadya all the answer she needed.

"We're sorry, my dear…they didn't make it", Eisenhower said anyway. "Belov's allies on the mission – Oxford Langley, Bartosz Wieslaw & Jacques Armand – perished when that Poland facility went up, along with many of their own men. It all happened so fast, & their deaths were instantaneous. Not one of them made it out of there."

Now it was Nadya's turn to bow her head.

Bartosz…Jacques…Oxford…, she thought solemnly.

"We know just how you feel, but try not to despair too much, my dear", Churchill says, placing his arm around her. "They knew what they were getting themselves into & believed in it to the fullest. It's no different from what you & Anthony had done to halt the Japs' advance towards the United States." Churchill put on a smile which Nadya found comforting. "And for you to go into the very heart of the Japanese mainland to take down the complex there – that took bravery above & beyond the call of duty, especially from one as young as yourself! Although we still have a very long ways to go before this war finally comes to an end, you & Anthony have undoubtedly cut off the necks of some very big chickens! Some chickens…some necks!"

The combination of Churchill's teasing smile & joke made Nadya forget her somber moment & smile herself, accompanied by a laugh which the British Prime Minister shares & pulls her close like a family member. Grins form on every face, appreciating the break in tension the war was giving.

I can clearly see why the people of England voted for him!, Nadya thought. Along with being a tough politician, the man has a great sense of humor!

"You really are the Prime Minister England needs, Mr. Churchill", Nadya said. "You did promise nothing but blood, toil, tears & sweat, & you indeed did your best when you told the Nazis to do their worst. If I may, sir, I believe that Mr. Neville Chamberlain would be very proud of what you've accomplished so far, God rest his soul."

A round of applause from almost every pair of hands commenced.

"But of course you may, my dear!", Churchill said. "And yes – my good friend & colleague Neville Chamberlain would be quite delighted in how the situation with the Nazis was handled by us, beginning with the Battle of Britain, followed by the sinking of the Bismarck, & this new victory in Poland, Japan and out in the Pacific we achieved thanks to our Russian, Polish & French allies – not to mention by you & Captain Stephens!"

"Then let's keep on doing our best to the Axis' worst!", Nadya said, getting another hug from the British Prime Minister. It was then that General Eisenhower took a few steps to his Captain.

"Anthony", he said as the Captain rose from his seat at attention.

"General", he returned as Eisenhower placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Would you kindly excuse us, son? We'd like to be alone with Nadya for a while, if that's okay."

Anthony looked to Nadya, then back to Eisenhower.

"Of course, sir", he said before he saluted his commanding officer & headed for the door. When Anthony closed it, Eisenhower & the rest turned to Nadya as Dwight took the seat Anthony left vacant.

"What's wrong, General Eisenhower?", Nadya wondered.

"Nothing, Nadya", the man said. "We just simply want to hear your side of the story – Anthony's already given his to the fullest detail."

She looked at the faces of the other men, nodding in agreement with Eisenhower. Nadya wondered what she can tell them, & what not to: her life so far has been filled with training for combat, using her ESP abilities, fending off a horde of undead horrors, eluding twin blonde assassins, & just recently, monsters that don't exist anywhere on Earth. If she does explain what happened, what would they think of her? Will they believe her to be suffering hallucinations due to fighting in the war as her commanding officer once experienced in World War I, when he first encountered both the aliens & Predators? It could be a possible factor, & most likely to her age itself.

"If you please, Nadya", said Churchill with a reassuring nod, making her decision imminent.

Here we go, she thought, nodding to everyone as she began.

Cross-country, United States, 11:00 p.m.:

The talk with Nadya took up most of the day as the young Russian agent first explained her occupation over at the Sixth Division & what it entailed, following the details of her life story on how she ended up in such a squadron, to when she was recruited in order to stop Baron Von Wolff & the adventure that came with it, right up to the point when she met Captain Anthony Stephens & his Sergeant, concluding with the details on how they managed to escape the bombing holocaust before ending up at the base.

After Nadya's lengthy explanation, the men exited the room to allow her to rest a bit before taking a trip.

Churchill & Eisenhower then called upon Anthony to go over certain details about their endeavor: in the time the Captain was explaining his side, a group of men salvaged some materials from the ship wreckage the bombers had left behind. One of them was a device that resembled a cannon or gun of sorts, but with no trigger. Anthony was stunned that it survived the bombardment, & explained that the humanoid creature which hunted the acid-blooded creatures first saw it use the thing like a cannon before switching it to a gun after a few modifications. He added that while it can only fire one shot at a time, it packed quite a wallop & capable of blowing apart a whole tank if aimed at the right spot.

One test shot out on the beach & into the water gave proof to what he claimed.

Churchill said that even with the proof before him, he still found everything – including the space creatures part – hard to swallow.

Neither Eisenhower, Anthony nor any of the others could blame him.

Eisenhower then suggested to his best man that he alone should hold onto the alien weapon for safekeeping.

Anthony immediately agreed with him, & not just because he serves under his command: with a weapon as hard-hitting & powerful as what they have in their possession, it would become catastrophic for all if it dared to fall into the wrong hands, the Axis in particular. If there was anybody who could prevent that nerve-wracking thought from ever occurring, it was General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The rest agreed, closing the matter.

Anthony met with Nadya again just before she was asked to go on a trip: they had spent every second they could together, from eating a hearty meal to discussing future plans once the war was over. Both admitted that they had none currently, but as the war progressed, who knew?

Even though Nadya already knew, she asked Anthony what his Sergeant's name was.

He told her it was Chad – Chad Weyland.

Chad & his wife Alice gave birth to a baby boy on May 5th, 1940.

They named him Charles.

Both their hearts went heavy like they weighed a ton – Chad would never get to see his boy grow up to become a fine young man, having been called away to active duty after Charles was born, only to be held prisoner by the Japs for months with his crew & best friend, freeing themselves from their sick clutches before finally getting killed by an alien monster spawned from another.

When asked if Chad's wife was informed of his fate, Anthony said he handled it personally, noting he was killed in action fighting the Japanese & leaving out the alien monsters part.

It was a more than plausible story, & Nadya agreed, especially since Anthony went through a similar scenario.

Now Nadya was on board a Douglas DC-3 passenger plane with General Douglas MacArthur & Major Austin Schaefer as they headed east in the evening hours, with the pilots & a soldier acting something of a stewardess, offering the plane's passengers drink & food along with informing them of any news that came over the wire. Nadya lay asleep in her seat on the left side of the plane, covered underneath a blanket with her head resting on a pillow. Her sword lay by her side as MacArthur & Schaefer sat exactly on the opposite side parallel with her.

"Look at her, Major", MacArthur says as he & Schaefer turn to the sleeping Nadya. "So young, so innocent, so care-free…and yet, all that she can do is struggle to fight like the rest of us are doing in this war. This is absolutely no way for children or teenagers like her to live."

"I know what you mean, General", Schaefer says. "Fearing imminent war in 1938, plans to take English children to safety were laid out in case it became a reality. When the war had finally started in England only three years ago, the evacuation commenced, as children took essentials such as packets of food, clean clothing, gas masks & the like over to safer areas in Canada. It was called Operation Pied Piper, based on the popular fairy tale. Within just six months, the majority of those children had returned home, willing to risk the Nazi bombs rather than live in the unfamiliar, & often harsh, environments of their new surroundings."

"And I'm sure you recall as well as I do of a similar situation occurring when the Japanese invaded Singapore: the women & children there were evacuated & taken to Australia in January, shortly before my own retreat from the Philippines."

"I do indeed, sir: I was one of the people who helped get those people away from the Japanese's tyranny. As you said, General – this is not a world for young people to live in, & not all of them can fight as well as Nadya there."

"And to think, Major: this whole war…", MacArthur said, waving his arms to indicate what he meant. "All this death & suffering going on currently is primarily caused by one man's desire to go & settle a personal vendetta against an entire nation just because of terms that were deemed 'unfair' after it lost the war of 1918. Damn it all: if only Hitler had just agreed to the conditions of that damned Treaty of Versailles or had simply gotten killed during the First World War, we wouldn't be knee-deep in bodies & unnecessary carnage right now!"

"I doubt that this second global conflict would've been non-existent even if one or the other had happened to Hitler, General. Another man just like him would've no doubt taken the reins himself & do what Hitler's done & keep doing so until he's either won the war or been defeated by us & our Allies."

"Perhaps so, Major", MacArthur said with a nod. "But what really disturbs me is how far the Nazis & their Axis partners are willing to go to achieve their goals. Unlike the First World War, this one is being fought by more than just conventional means: first they dwelled upon the supernatural, & now it's monsters from space. I agree with Churchill: even with concrete evidence, it's still mind-boggling to concede the existence of such propaganda."

"But, with all due respect, sir, it doesn't make it any less true", Schaefer said. "On the plus side, Captain Anthony Stephens has more than agreed to keep what he's discovered under his hat, & I know that Nadya here will do the same, being the benevolent soul she is underneath her warrior's spirit. You know they'll keep quiet about the whole thing."

"I've no doubts about that, Major: it's something we've all taken a vow to", MacArthur said. "But the question is, do you actually believe their story?"

"General, mankind has been intrigued by both phenomenon in a period that dates back to thousands/millions of years ago, from the dawn of mankind to the likes of Thales of Miletus, Copernicus & beyond. They're as much a part of our nature as fighting wars just like this one, & they'll continue to intrigue us for better or for worse."

MacArthur looks at Nadya's sleeping form again & contemplates what Major Schaefer relayed: he can't help but be impressed by her warrior's status despite her young age of 15, & her being in actual combat even earlier by fending off a vengeful spirit that died 700 years ago in her home country with the aide of her friends who are deceased. He can surmise it's exactly why her commanding officer General Belov created the Sixth Division so that they can do just that when conventional means won't cut it. And now the Nazis have upped the ante by using relentless alien monsters that were born on planets light-years from their own: setting them loose upon squadrons of soldiers to get slaughtered, plus using their genetics on their own people to make them superior to regular man in every aspect of strength, agility, speed & stamina without considering the consequences of their actions.

And people like Nadya Ruslanova get recruited to help put an end to dangerous threats like this because some are deemed 'special', being born with sixth senses (hence the 'Sixth Division' name) like ESP, of all things.

Surprisingly, it does make sense to MacArthur: to combat unnatural forces, you need unnatural soldiers to do so, ones that are out of the ordinary.

"Point well taken, Major", he said at last. "It seems to me like the natural case of fighting fire with fire."

"More or less, General", said Schaefer. "At least this particular threat has now been dealt with & averted, thanks to Nadya & Captain Anthony Stephens. Now we can concentrate on dealing with regular threats from this point on."

"Let's hope that's all we face for the remainder of this war, Major", MacArthur finished.

The rest of their flight went in silence.

The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia:

General Belov & Major Sergei returned to Russia's Capital via LI-2 Soviet transport plane, arriving about 5-6 hours later. Since then, he has been worried deeply about Nadya's safety, wondering if his faith in Twin-Tooth was all but misplaced despite the monk's reassurance. To keep his mind off it as best he can, he has kept himself busy at the Kremlin non-stop with activity, fearing he'd go mad should he cease for even the briefest of moments.

Then he got a telephone call that helped his worries to deflate faster than a barrage balloon that sprang a leak.

It was from the big man himself.

"So that's the proposition you've set up then, sir?", he says into the receiver. "Of course it has my full approval – if that is what she wants. Yes sir, I too believe she's earned it due to her hard work & brave service to the cause. And I personally think that this is a good idea, all things considered. But I want you to let her know that she'll always have a home here, & to never think she can't come back. Thank you kindly, sir. And please give that gentleman my very best & eternal gratitude for his contribution. I understand. Much obliged, sir. Farewell."

No sooner did Belov hung up than a soldier knocked on his door.

"Come in", he said as the door opened to allow a soldier in who holds a slip of paper in one hand.

"General Belov, this came in over the wire about a minute ago", the soldier said, handing Belov the paper as he reads it. When he read what was on it, his eyes went wide.

He wants me to meet him right away?!, Belov thought as he rose from his seat.

"General?", the man asked.

"I need to be somewhere on business right now, son", Belov said, heading for the door. "Tell Major Sergei that I leave him in charge until I return."

He was out the door & gone before the man can say anything further.

Instead, he exited himself twenty seconds later & carried out his orders.

Saint Basil's Cathedral, Red Square:

Built from 1555-61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible, the Cathedral has become one of the city's most beautiful & famous landmarks throughout the centuries, remaining the tallest until the completion of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in 1600. Damaged by a fire in 1737 & restored by Ivan Michurin, it survived the Fire in Moscow in 1812 when French military leader Napoleon led his troops into the city to destroy it.

Normally, it would be teeming with people.

Today, its occupancy is practically zero except for stationary Russian guards, General Belov & the person he's under orders to be meeting. The soldiers saluted Belov as he walked past, with him returning the gesture each time.

He knocks on the door that leads to the office of the Cathedral.

"Enter", the voice on the other side says, & Belov complied.

"You wanted to see me, sir?", he asked, closing the door. The man, about taller than Belov's height by a few inches, had his back to him & was staring out the window. Still, Belov can see he was lighting up a cigarette or cigar by the sound of the lighter & the wisps of smoke rising to the ceiling. He was attired in a green uniform with brown boots & hat, & when he turned around to face Belov, he was decorated with medals upon the front, & sported a thick push-broom moustache above his upper lip that was identical to the General's, if not more pointed at the ends. A thick cigar was held by his fingers from his right hand, its end burning.

He was Russia's current Premier, Josef Stalin.

Belov couldn't help but feel a little tense in the man's presence.

"Indeed I did, General Belov", Stalin said, taking a drag from his cigar & blowing smoke. "Walk with me, if you please. We have much to discuss."

Without a word or an argument, the men walked the empty halls & corridors of Saint Basil's. Josef Stalin broke the silence when he asked upon the mission Belov was on, & the General gave him all the details as best he could.

Once he finished, Stalin remained silent for a minute or two before speaking again.

"So, the sole survivor of your Sixth Division's First Squad has made it to American shores", he says.

"Yes sir, that she has", Belov answered. "On the mission, she met up with Captain Anthony Stephens of the U.S. Army to prevent the Japanese from smuggling dangerous cargo into the United States – cargo that would've literally wiped out & killed thousands/millions of people like it could've done here on our own soil."

"Has Miss Nadya chosen to stay over in America, now that she's arrived there?"

"She still hasn't decided yet, sir. But I was informed by the man himself that she's welcome to remain there if she desires to. I also gave the idea my full approval. Unless, sir, you wish for me to get her back home to Russia in case we're under attack again by non-conventional forces…"

"That won't be necessary, General", Stalin said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Miss Nadya Ruslanova has helped to save our fair country from great disaster twice over – first from the supernatural forces of Baron Von Wolff, & then from ravenous space invaders that were bred by our Nazi enemies & their Axis partners. As any soldier in the Russian Red Army, she has given everything to protect our mother land, regardless of the impeding danger placed before her. She's as brave as she is young. No, General Belov – like you, I believe Nadya has all but earned this reward."

"Agreed, sir. It would also help her to ease the pain of losing her other comrades in First Squad – the pain of their loss still weighs heavy on her soul & conscience, I can tell, no matter how hard she tries to hide it."

"Yes. I'm not ashamed to admit that it breaks my heart to hear of such a tragedy to occur for one like Nadya to go through, especially when one has lost her own parents at such a young age. It is a burden no child should ever have to bear, or any parent of losing their own young ones much too soon, especially during times of war. My heart goes out to her & to you, General Belov, for such a grand loss in your beloved Sixth Division."

"My biggest thanks to hear you say so, sir. It is highly appreciated."

Josef Stalin nodded in appreciation, taking a drag from his cigar & blowing the smoke.

"As for handling forces of the non-conventional kind, you raise a good point", the Soviet Premier continued. "If we are to ever face such extreme circumstances again from the Nazis or any of their Axis partners, we should be all but well-equipped & poised for action against it at a moment's notice. Fortunately for our country, we're preparing for just such an occasion even as we walk & speak, I'm happy to say."

"You mean, you have your own Sixth Division squadron set up, sir?", General Belov asks.

"Not exactly, but I can assure you that what we do have is most efficient in fighting our enemies, no matter what kind of threat they pose to us. And here we are – the first stop."

Both men stop at a wall in the far end of the Cathedral. Stalin slides open a hidden panel to press a red button, & a portion of the wall slides down to reveal an elevator door not unlike the one Belov uses when he needs to get to the lower level for Sputnik-1 over at the Kremlin.

He suspects what the Russian Premier has in store is also at a lower level.

Sliding the door open, he gestured for Belov to enter, & soon they were heading down deep into the ground. The ride down was about the same length as that for Sputnik-1, & they stepped out to walk down a narrow corridor that was reminiscent of a castle from an American horror film. The spider webs hanging from the ceiling & alongside the walls added to the eerie décor, & Belov suspects that a dungeon of sorts awaits him somewhere.

They travel all the way to the end & find a shiny metal door that looked out of place with the eerie scenery.

Pressing the green button on the door's right, it slides open to a room mostly pitch-black with pale lighting that came from above. As they walked in twenty feet, the lights brightened as if by magic to show a disturbing scene at one portion of the room: a sealed rectangular cubicle with a large glass panel. Inside were scientists examining & dissecting dead aliens on various tables, body parts cut up & strewn everywhere. A dead Predator also lay hung on an examining table, its body not only dissected but drained of its blood & shriveled like a prune left in the hot sun.

None of the scientists had paid any mind to Belov or even Stalin, as they were too deep into their work to notice either man. Even if they were, they couldn't see either man – the glass was one-way.

Belov couldn't believe his eyes.

"Intriguing, are they not?", Stalin says, giving Belov's stunned expression little to zero notice. "They are most fascinating beyond belief; even I'm having quite the time in digesting their very existence! And yet, there's no denying one's own eyes – alien life forms in our hands! There is still more I wishto show you, General. This way, please."

Silently, they walk a bit further down a darkened corridor before the remaining lights illuminate the remainder of the underground complex. It was something straight out of a science-fiction movie: rows of cylindrical tubes connected with thick cables & wiring lined the walls on either side of the room wide enough to fit a Boeing B-17 plane, with its wings never touching the walls, & measuring almost twice its length. Each cylinder was filled with warm water that held a Russian soldier with a clear piece over his mouth & nose for breathing air. Just like the hybrids he saw over in Poland, these had on boxer shorts & body armor over their chests & shoulders that were reminiscent of the Predator's. The Russian logo of the hammer & sickle were adorned on the front, & Belov could probably guess the rear had it too. Their fingers & toes all ended in sharp claws, but these hybrids had a difference from those the General encountered.

These had tails that were either grown or attached to them in the rear, & they were about a foot longer than their legs, & wrapped around them. Like the aliens', they ended in a sharp point.

General Belov stood frozen in place, unable to take his agape eyes off the hybrids Stalin had in stasis.

He could neither more nor speak, so Stalin did the talking for him.

"I see you're quite speechless about our new soldiers, yes?", he says in an almost nonchalant manner & clearly proud of his handiwork. "When we release these new & improved men onto the battlefield, the Nazis will not know what hit them! Already they have struck us hard with mounting casualties on our side & continue doing so even now; I do believe it's time in which we return the favor & 'give them a taste of their own medicine', as the Americans would undoubtedly say! Like you set out to prove with your Sixth Division, General Belov: in order to counterstrike against an unconventional enemy, one must do so himself & become even more powerful than his rival! Once these men are ready, we shall be doing exactly that to the Nazis before taking them in to deal with Adolf Hitler himself!"

When he was done admiring his achievement, Stalin grew more sinister & took on a serious tone when next he spoke to Belov.

"I've been working on this project for over a decade, General Belov", he said with a stone face. "If these men are to be successful in destroying our enemies, utmost secrecy is of dire importance. Even the eyes & ears of both your people & mine are not to know about them until the time is right. I will accept no excuses or exceptions."

Josef Stalin's brows lowered down to a scowl.

"I trust you'll be discreet."

It seemed to be no problem for Belov: he continued to stare wordlessly with wide eyes at the aberrations before him, reliving a dreaded sense of deja-vu in his mind: he's lived through a terrible ordeal with these hybrid soldiers from the Nazis, & now he's about to live through it again, only this time as engineered & created by his country's very own Premier.

Much as he hated to admit it, German Commander Klaus Ulbrecht could very well be right about Stalin – he is as bad as Adolf Hitler, but unlike the Nazi/German chancellor, the man can do nothing against his country's leader, lest he wants to be tried & even executed for treason, an act Stalin did not tolerate in any percentage with anyone.

Premier Stalin had known of the aliens & Predators for more than a decade?!, Belov thought dreadfully.

The only consolation he can see of this is that Nadya is now half a world away.

It may turn out to be a very small comfort.

EPILOGUE #1

Thursday, September 10th, 1942, the White House, Washington, D.C., 11:00 a.m.:

When the Douglas DC-3 touched down at the Washington National Airport, Nadya was still sleeping in her seat & was carefully awakened by MacArthur. Because of national security, her sword had to be confiscated by the General & held in his care for the duration of her time in America's Capital. She was promised to have it returned once she was on her way back home.

Nadya fully understood the situation, & nodded before being taken into a nearby hotel with three separate rooms which were already in reserve for her, MacArthur & Schaefer. Even though she was somewhat hungry upon her arrival, Nadya went straight to sleep in a comfortable bed & waited until morning for breakfast.

Even with rationing taking part in America's economy, she ate wholeheartedly.

Her next stop was at the White House itself.

On a crisp, clear day, Nadya stared out the window at the well-manicured lawn of the President's home. She was offered an attire of a medium blue dress with white ruffles at the edges, hat, & black ladies' shoes. She looked very much like the character of Alice Liddell from the popular children's book 'Alice In Wonderland', written by English author Lewis Carroll, sans the white apron the title character wore in the story.

Any woman who saw her in that outfit would no doubt believe her to be adorable with it.

In all this time since arriving, Nadya wondered about General Belov & how he's coping in her absence all the while silently mourning the loss of those she'd met: Bartosz Wieslaw, Jacques Armand, & Oxford 'Ox' Langley, who gave their lives to stop a threat that could've spelled doom for the Allies.

Oddly enough, Nadya also found herself mourning Twin-Tooth; different they were in appearance yet similar in nature, she thought of him as something of a kindred spirit, & she had no doubt that the Predator clan leader thought of her in the same manner. Otherwise, why else would he have lend Nadya some of his hunting equipment such as her own cloaking device, or allow her to hitch a ride in one of their crafts that can travel faster than any plane currently in the skies?

For Nadya, Twin-Tooth was the best partner she ever had, second only from her First Squad teammates & that of Captain Anthony Stephens.

She had no doubts that Twin-Tooth felt the same about her.

Over to her right, General Douglas MacArthur walked up to her in his freshly-cleaned uniform, corncob pipe in his mouth. He stopped six feet from her.

"Nadya?", he said simply as she turned to him. "He'd like to see you now."

Nadya simply nodded, & they both headed to a pair of double doors with one of them already opened. Major Schaefer was already inside the room when they entered, & Nadya proceeded further in to the large mahogany desk at the window with a swivel chair that has its back to the trio.

"She's here, sir", said MacArthur as he & Dutch remained near the door. The chair turned on its base to reveal a man at 60 years of age with a well-groomed black & white hairline. A pair of bifocal glasses rested upon his nose, & he held a long cigarette holder with a lit smoke at the end of it. He was attired in a black suit, white undershirt & black tie. Taking a last drag, he put his butt out in the ashtray over to his right & made sure it stayed clear of the chair opposite of him.

Nadya could hardly believe her own eyes: she was staring at Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States of America. This man helped the nation as best he could during the country's Great Depression & gave life to one of his many famous quotes, 'The only thing we have to fear is fear itself', pushed to repeal Prohibition, & has all but waged war against Imperial Japan & Nazi Germany only nine months ago after the attack on Pearl Harbor & Adolf Hitler's Declaration of War against the U.S..

And she was meeting him in person!

"Miss Nadya Ruslanova!", he said with a smile. "What a pleasure to be meeting you, my dear! My wife's dress seems to fit you to a T! I must say, I think it looks even better on you than it did her when she was your age!"

Nadya smiled warmly at the compliment, & she even blushed a little. MacArthur & Schaefer grinned warmly at the remark & her reaction.

"A fitting attire for meeting the man who runs the country, she said", Nadya said. "I told her I'd return it once our meeting was finished, but she wants me to keep it as a gift. In fact, she strongly insisted upon it."

Roosevelt let out a little laugh.

"I'm glad you didn't argue the matter with her any further, sweetie!", he said. "Once Eleanor makes her mind up about something, there's no dissuading her! Believe me – I should know!"

Roosevelt gave her a wink to punctuate his claim, & it brought a chuckle from everyone in the room, including her.

"Point taken, sir", Nadya says. "I'll be certain this outfit doesn't get donated to the war effort."

The President nodded proudly as Schaefer now spoke.

"Nadya, I'm afraid we must now be taking our leave", he said as he & MacArthur approach her.

"You're heading back to Australia?", she asked, getting nods from both men as they kneel down to her level.

"That we are, sweetie", Schaefer went on. "We've still much to do over there, & every waking moment of our time counts, as it's quite crucial to the war effort. We're sorry we can't indulge to you more about what we're planning, but I'm sure you'll understand why…"

"Of course I understand, Mr. Schaefer", Nadya cut in. "There's no need to apologize for anything. As I've heard somewhere, 'A slip of the lip can sink a ship'."

The men grin big at Nadya's ingenuity.

"You're wise beyond your years, Nadya!", MacArthur said, patting her on the shoulder. "I like that in a person of one your age! If just half of the world's children are as brave as you and the ones over in England, then the Axis are going to be in real trouble when we soon come knocking on their front doorsteps!"

Nadya smiled at the compliment as MacArthur & Schaefer rise up & head for the door. They get stopped when she asks one final question to the departing men.

"Will I be seeing you guys again?"

MacArthur & Schaefer give each other a brief look.

"I do believe you will, sweetie", the latter said with a smile.

"Take care, darling", said the former with a smile of his own before they both left the room. Their absence was replaced by an African-American man of a slender built, black tux, shoes, tie & white shirt. He walked on in holding a silver tray with a pot of tea & a couple of biscuits.

Nadya took the seat opposite Roosevelt as the black man set the tray down upon the desk, pouring both a cup of tea & handing out two biscuits to each.

"Thank you kindly for the refreshments", Roosevelt said in that manner. "That will be all for now, Harrigan."

"Yes sir, Mister President!", Harrigan said with a big grin before turning to Nadya & bowing to her. "Madam."

Nadya smiled at the man before he strolled out as happily as he came in, closing the doors & leaving both her & Roosevelt in private.

"A good man you have serving you, Mister President", Nadya said, taking a biscuit & biting into it.

"Harrigan certainly is, Nadya", Roosevelt said, taking a sip of his tea. "Like the rest of my staff, I don't know what Eleanor & I would do without him. I hope this is satisfactory to you, my dear. I wish it could be more, of course, but since we began rationing a vast portion of our foods & other essentials like gasoline when we entered this war…"

"It's perfect, sir. We're doing the exact same thing over in Russia: saving the majority of foods for those who are fighting against the Axis to preserve the peace of the world. On top of that, I did have a fulfilling breakfast before my arrival here."

Roosevelt chuckled as he took another sip of his tea.

"A fierce fighter in battle, & yet she retains her kind-hearted personality as only the innocence of a child can be in possession of", he said good-naturedly. "That is one of the many traits which makes for good soldiers, even for one as young as yourself, Nadya. But naturally, I didn't ask you to come all the way up here from San Francisco just so we can discuss on how a soldier performs in his/her duties out on the battlefront."

"I take it this also has more to do than in congratulating me on helping to stop a great menace that could've – not to mention would've – been disastrous to this country had it touched base on your shores", Nadya said, not a question.

"Like MacArthur said, you're wise for your age, Nadya", Roosevelt said with a nod. "And you're right: there is more to your visit here than that." Placing his cup down, Roosevelt sat more straight in his chair. "I've spoken with your commanding officer General Belov in Russia over the phone just before your arrival here in our country's Capital. First off, he's glad that you're safe & sound, in case you haven't yet been informed. Next, we heartily discussed that he has granted you permission to remain here in the United States as an American citizen."

This was a piece of news which Nadya was not prepared for.

"General Belov wants me to stay here in the U.S.?", she asked. "Did he say why, Mister President?"

"Well, he figured that you've more than earned this privilege as something of a reward for your services to both of our countries", Roosevelt stated. "What's more, I've also spoken to Captain Anthony Stephens the other day to talk about being your legal guardian here, & also to serve under his wing for the duration of this war. He has already fully agreed to it, & I've made the necessary arrangements to grant you citizenship in this land. You do have the final say in this, & of course you have the right to decline this opportunity & head back home to Russia if you prefer, but I believe it's fair to inform you that General Belov personally feels it best for you to stay in America even after this war is over."

Nadya took a moment for all this new info to be digested in her mind.

General Belov…why would you want for me to remain here?, she thought. Is there something going on back home you don't want me being a part of?

"Nadya?", Roosevelt asked when she took too long to answer.

"Well, I'm humbled & honored for this generous offer, Mister President, please don't get me wrong, but…what if I'm needed back home?", she asked. "The Sixth Division is where I was mostly brought up & trained at."

"No worries, my dear. Should your commanding officer have need of your services again, we shall help charter a plane to take you back home. So what say you, Nadya…does staying here in America sound good to you?"

Nadya didn't know what to say: sure, she sees General Belov as something of a father since her regular one was killed on a mission along with her mother, & even when she had temporary amnesia during an air raid by the Nazis back in December/January, he was there for her. She returned the favor by going to a forbidden place to recruit her dead friends to fight something the Red Army's normal forces couldn't, thus saving Russia & perhaps the whole world in general.

But to just up & leave her country in a time of great crisis?

Nadya wasn't so sure she could do that to Belov. She also wasn't sure about staying in the United States, despite how tempting that may be. On the other hand, General Belov did seem pretty adamant about the idea, & she shared a strong bond with Captain Anthony Stephens during their time on the Japanese ship & narrowly escaped death together.

It was about as strong as her ties with Twin-Tooth.

And Roosevelt had said that Anthony would be her legal guardian and serve under his wing, which meant she would continue to give her own services in this war, not to mention spend time together & get to know each other much better.

I guess it would be nice to have a second father figure in my life, she thought.

"Mister President…I'll do it", she said finally after several seconds of giving the matter serious thought.

"Fantastic, Nadya!", Roosevelt said gleefully. "Anthony will be very happy to hear that you've decided to stay in the United States, as shall your commanding officer General Belov!"

"I guess you can say that I owe it to them as much as they do to me, Mister President. Since they're going to all the trouble for me, I couldn't let them down or disappoint them, so I won't. I'll be glad to grant them their wish."

"Splendid, my dear! Your choice will make this a happy occasion for all involved, & yet, General MacArthur had mentioned to me that there was something troubling you as you were having your breakfast, Nadya."

"What do you mean, sir?"

Roosevelt gave Nadya a smile that suggests he was wise to her little game.

"Sweetie, General MacArthur is as good at reading facial expressions as he is in making battle plans", he says. "I myself can tell that there's a matter weighing heavy on your mind. Care to fill me in on it?"

Nadya can tell she'd been made out, & she explains her little turmoil within.

"Well sir, I don't want to make any snap judgments or accusations on one of the decisions you've made, but…", she began, taking a breath to steady herself.

"Nadya, this is a country where you have the right to speak your mind about anything – even if it's a decision its President has made", Roosevelt assured her. "So please…what is this burden you wish to address to me about?"

"It's like this", she explains. "Is it really that necessary to keep the Japanese-Americans living in this country all placed in concentration camps behind barbed wire & guns? I know they're foreigners from another land, but these poor people had absolutely nothing at all to do with Pearl Harbor. In fact, from what I've heard, they're just as angry with Japan as the regular American citizens are, & want it punished just as badly. Isn't there another, peaceful way to handle the situation besides treating them like they were common criminals?"

Franklin D. Roosevelt let out a heartfelt sigh & nodded his head a few times, his face in sorrow.

He looks to Nadya with a small smile, appreciating her honesty.

"I do see what you mean", he said sincerely. "Allow me to explain, Nadya: the last thing any American President wants to do to its citizens – even those of foreign nationality – is take away their constitutional rights. That is a direct violation of what our forefathers fought & died for since the Bill of Rights was created in 1789 & ratified in 1791, with subsequent preamble & articles soon to follow afterwards. But the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the nation had started turning on men, women and children of Japanese heritage. Case in point: funds belonging to these people were immediately frozen, & banks refused to cash in their checks. Milkmen refused to give them their daily milk, & grocers even refused to sell them food to eat. This was creating a tidal wave of turmoil in the United States, especially upon the western coast, & that is something we simply cannot have at the moment. Therefore, I felt it best – although with a heavy heart – to have these citizens rounded up & kept in these camps for the time being until further notice. It's harsh, but you should understand, Nadya – we currently are at war with Japan."

Nadya sighed heavily, but nodded her understanding.

"We are", she said, remembering how they treated Anthony & his crew for months, not to mention what they had done to her when she & Twin-Tooth arrived in Otaki, Japan to bring their monster facility down. "You negotiated with Japan to try & cease their war in China, & their answer back to you was hitting Pearl Harbor, killing over 2,000 lives."

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt nodded.

"And those aremy reasons for rounding up these Japanese citizens", he said in a heartfelt manner. "But you can rest assured, Nadya: once this war has been won by us & our Allies & we come out on top, they shall be compensated for in the best possible manner. As President of this great nation, you believe my words on the matter, do you not?"

Nadya didn't hesitate to answer him.

"Yes sir, I do", she says, smiling. Roosevelt did the same.

"You truly are a doll, Nadya!", he said. "I have to say that you remind me very much of my own daughters at that age – what angels they've been back then, & still are today!"

Nadya chuckled in good spirits.

"In any case, glad to have you as an honorary United States citizen, Nadya", Roosevelt went on. "Your sword is on its way back to Fort Funston in San Francisco, where Anthony will be holding it until you rejoin him tomorrow. I sincerely cannot thank or congratulate both you & Captain Stephens enough for averting a grave crisis which would've no doubt crippled this country beyond belief. In the meantime, I have something to ask of you, if that's okay."

"Of course, Mister President", Nadya says. "What would you like to know?"

"Your commanding officer General Belov mentioned the Sixth Division – First Squad – to me when we spoke over the phone", Roosevelt says. "What exactly does this division entail? Is it some kind of special unit of sorts?"

"That's one way of putting it, sir. We get involved in both traditional and…unnatural situations that threaten our country & even the world itself in general. I should warn you that it's going to sound a bit strange, Mister President, so I hope you'll bear with me on this. But everything I'm about to tell you is nothing short of the truth."

"I'm all ears, Nadya. And please know that whatever you do tell me here will never leave this room."

"It all began when I was just a performer at the circus as a child…"

Nadya started telling the story of her early life, from her circus years to her time in First Squad, her adventure with Baron Von Wolff, & finally her ordeal with the aliens & Predators.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt hung on her every word.

EPILOGUE #2

The suburbs of Moscow, Russia, Present Day:

It was a cool night on this day in April, where trees were beginning to bloom new leaves that will eventually be plentiful on the bare branches after a long winter. In a large two-story house, an elderly woman in a dark pink robe was sitting on a couch in the living room, her feet encased in slippers of the same color. Her white hair was placed in a bun behind her head, & she seemed to be in pretty good health despite her appearance as her wrinkles looked stretched as if she's had plastic surgery to keep her youth.

A young boy & girl, each no older than five, were sitting on the carpet in their pajamas, listening to every word of her story, who smiled as she did so.

"Nadya told President Roosevelt her first two adventures in the Second World War as I've told them to you", the woman said. The boy & girl were deeply intrigued by her tale, & it was evident on their faces that they wanted more.

"How long did Nadya stay in America for?", asked the girl.

"Right up until long after the Cold War between the United States & our country had come to an end."

"What about the monsters Russian Premier Josef Stalin created?", asked the boy. "Were they defeated as well?"

"They were – eventually. But that's a story for another time. It's an hour past your bedtime, & I promised your mother that you'd be in by nine. Now, up you go!"

A pair of 'awws' came from the two children as the nanny of the house took their hands for their ascension up the stairs. The nanny turned to the elderly woman before taking off.

"What about you, my lady?", she asked. "Won't you need help getting up those stairs? They are quite a trek."

The woman chuckled in response.

"Malvina, we've been through this", she said. "Even at my age, I'm perfectly capable of getting up those stairs without any assistance. You just work on getting those munchkins to bed. I'll be fine, & if I do need help, I'll holler."

Defeated, Malvina sighed & nodded.

"Very well, ma'am", she said, addressing the kids. "Come on, you two."

Malvina escorted the children to their rooms & tucked them in as the elderly woman – good on her word – made it up to the top floor by herself & entered her own room, closing the door. Removing her robe, she was in a baby pink nightgown & sat on her bed. From the dresser next to it, she opened it up & removed few photos, plus an object in a metal case. Opening the case, she took out a metal Y-shaped dart that was pointed on all ends & examined it like she was seeing it for the first time.

Even though it's been decades since she got it, the moment still feels like it was only yesterday when she had been presented the thing on that ship just before the big fight with the Alien Queen & PredAlien.

That, too, was etched in her memory, & time did nothing to diminish it.

Placing it back in its case, she then looked over the photos: one had that of Nadya in her circus outfit with both her parents, another with her First Squad teammates. Two were of Nadya with Captain-turned-Commander Anthony Stephens: one was taken at the beaches of a certain milestone of a day in the beginning of June 1944, the other was that of on the deck of an American warship with General Douglas MacArthur in early September of 1945, with several Japanese military personnel present.

A last one was that of Nadya with her commanding officer General Belov.

The woman smiled at each one, with a tear running down her eyes.

Wiping them away, she put everything back in the drawer & closed it.

Getting underneath the covers, she turned the light off & placed them over her & began drifting away to sleep.

Soon, very soon now, we'll be reunited, she thought. This time…for good.

In no time, she was sleeping like a baby.

In the open closet, Nadya's sword lay against the wall.

The pink teddy bear's eyes stared at her, as if in wait.

Extra note to readers:

(This story also goes out in a special dedication to the victims of the earthquake that erupted on April 25th & May 12th,

2015 that claimed over 8,000 lives. All of our hearts & prayers go to each of the surviving families & relatives).

MEMORIALS:

Mario Cuomo, Former Three-Term Governor for New York State, 82 (1932-2015)

Jeff Golub, Sideman for Rod Stewart & Jazz Guitarist, 59 (1955-2015)

Ronnie Berlack, 20 (1994-2015) & Bryce Astle, 19 (1995-2015), U.S. Ski Team Prospects

Francesca Hilton, Daughter of Comedienne Zsa Zsa Gabor, 67 (1947-2015)

Allie Sherman, Former Head Coach for New York Giants, 91 (1923-2015)

Khan Bonfils, Actor Known for 'Skyfall' & 'Star Wars Episode 1', 42 (1972-2015)

Robert Stone, Award-Winning Author of 'Dog Soldiers', 77 (1937-2015)

Samuel Goldwyn Jr., Movie Producer & Champion of the Independent Film Movement, 88 (1926-2015)

Taylor Negron, Character Actor & Comedian, 57 (1957-2015)

Tim Drummond, Bassist who Played with Bob Dylan & Neil Young, 74 (1940-2015)

Don Harron, Entertained TV Audiences with Comic Alter-Ego Charlie Farquharson, 90 (1924-2015)

Becky Lockhart, History-Making Lawmaker of Utah, 46 (1968-2015)

Origa, Singer for 'Ghost in the Shell' anime, 44 (1970-2015)

Dixie Hall, Wife of Country Music Hall of Famer Tom T. Hall, 80 (1934-2015)

Peter Wallenberg, Swedish Business Leader & Ex-Chairman of Investor AB, 88 (1926-2015)

Alan Hirschfield, Former CEO at Columbia Pictures, 79 (1935-2015)

Dr. Michael J. Davidson, Cardiac Surgeon, 44 (1970-2015)

Darren Shahlavi, Actor who Played Kano in 'Mortal Kombat: Legacy' TV Show, 42 (1972-2015)

Ricardo dos Santos, Brazilian Surfer Professional, 24 (1990-2015)

Joe McCarthy III, Brother of Green Bay Packers Coach Mike McCarthy, 47 (1967-2015)

Edward Saylor, One of the Last of the 'Doolittle Raiders', 94 (1920-2015)

Dave Bergman, Member of Detroit Tigers' 1984 World Series Championship Team, 61 (1953-2015)

Monty Oum, Creator of Popular Anime Series RWBY, 33 (1981-2015)

Mary Healy, Actress/Singer who Starred with Orson Welles on Broadway, 96 (1918-2015)

Anne Moody, Mississippi Civil Rights Activist, 74 (1940-2015)

Lizabeth Scott, Film Noir Star, 92 (1922-2015)

Richard Bonehill, Character Actor for 'Star Wars' Films, 67 (1947-2015)

Billy Casper, One of the Most Prolific Winners on PGA Tour, 83 (1931-2015)

Jerry Tarkanian, Hall of Fame Basketball Coach, 84 (1930-2015)

Donna Douglas, Actress Best Known for Elly May Clampett in 'Beverly Hillbillies' TV Show, 82 (1932-2015)

Little Jimmy Dickens, Country Singer & Oldest Member of the Grand Ole Opry, 94 (1920-2015)

Edward Brooke, Former United States Senator, 95 (1919-2015)

Stuart Scott, One of ESPN's most Visible & Visionary Personalities, 49 (1965-2015)

Jack Parr, Two-Time All-American Basketball Player, 78 (1936-2015)

Stu Miller, Former Giants Pitcher Behind Famous 1961 Balk, 87 (1927-2015)

Robert Wolfe, Nazi Archives Specialist, 93 (1921-2015)

Jethro Pugh, Former Lineman for the Dallas Cowboys, 70 (1944-2015)

H. David Parker, Pastor & World War II Veteran, 93 (1921-2015)

William Boeing Jr., Son of Aerospace Pioneer William Boeing Sr., 92 (1922-2015)

J.P. Parise, Playoff Hero for 1974-75 New York Islanders, 73 (1941-2015)

Andrae Crouch, Legendary Gospel Performer, 72 (1942-2015)

Rod Taylor, Australian Actor, 84 (1930-2015)

Francesco Rosi, Italian Filmmaker, 92 (1922-2015)

Clarence E. Huntley Jr. & Joseph Shambrey, Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, 91 (1923-2015)

Anita Ekberg, Swedish Actress Best remembered for 1960's 'La Dolce Vita', 83 (1931-2015)

Dennis Krulder, Veterans Activist, 68 (1946-2015)

Benton Mackenzie, Fought to Use Pot for Medical Use in Iowa, 49 (1965-2015)

Elena Obraztsova, Russian Opera Diva, 75 (1939-2015)

Frans Molenaar, Dutch Fashion Designer, 74 (1940-2015)

Ervin Drake, Prolific Songwriter, Wrote 'It Was A Very Good Year', 95 (1919-2015)

Darrell Winfield, Long-Serving Marlboro Man, 85 (1929-2015)

John 'Red' Pelan, Korean War Veteran, 83 (1931-2015)

Kim Fowley, Rock Musician, Songwriter & Producer for the Runaways, KISS & Others, 75 (1939-2015)

Ray Lumpp, Former NBA Player for New York Knicks, 91 (1923-2015)

Al Bendich, Defended Ginsberg Poem 'Howl' in 1957, 85 (1929-2015)

Steven Rodriguez aka A$AP Yams, Member of Mob Rap Collective, 26 (1988-2015)

George Plitt Jr., Fitness Model & Reality TV Star, 37 (1977-2015)

Lowell Paxson, Broadcasting Mogul & Co-Founder of the Home Shopping Network, 79 (1935-2015)

Tony Verna, Invented TV's Instant Replay, 81 (1933-2015)

Anne Kirkbride, Actress Starred in British Soap Opera 'Coronation Street', 60 (1954-2015)

Faith Seidenberg, Lawyer, Attorney & Activist, 91 (1923-2015)

Dallas Taylor, Former Drummer for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, 66 (1948-2015)

John Charles Bemus, World War II Veteran, 91 (1923-2015)

Melvin Gordon, Built Tootsie Roll Candy Empire, 95 (1919-2015)

Vince Camuto, Legendary Women's Footwear Designer, 78 (1936-2015)

Abdullah, Former King of Saudi Arabia, 90 (1924-2015)

Peggy Charren, Founder of Action for Children's Television, 86 (1928-2015)

Stan Irwin, Las Vegas Producer who Managed Johnny Carson & Others, 94 (1920-2015)

Ernie Banks, Baseball Hall of Famer who Played for Chicago Cubs, 83 (1931-2015)

Justin Capra, Inventor of the Jetpack, 81 (1933-2015)

Frederick Adler, World War II Veteran, 96 (1918-2015)

Joe Franklin, New York TV & Radio Institution, 88 (1926-2015)

Rev. Richard McBrien, Catholic Theologian, 78 (1936-2015)

Demis Roussos, Greek Pop Singer, 68 (1946-2015)

Luke Martin Jr., Son of Father who Fought for Union Army, 97 (1917-2015)

David Landau, British-Born Author & Journalist, 67 (1947-2015)

Bill Monbouquette, All-Star Pitcher, 78 (1936-2015)

Charles Townes, Co-Inventor of the Laser, 99 (1915-2015)

Colleen McCullough, Best-Selling Australian Author, Wrote 'The Thorn Birds', 77 (1937-2015)

Rod McKuen, Songwriter & Poet of the 1960s & 1970s, 81 (1933-2015)

Salvatore Tornatore, Served in U.S. Navy During World War II, 94 (1920-2015)

Bernice Gordon, Creator of the Crossword Puzzle, 101 (1913-2015)

Alice Stratigos, Pilot in World War II-Era Civil Air Patrol, 86 (1928-2015)

Carl Djerassi, Pioneer of the Birth Control Pill, 91 (1923-2015)

Jack Olchin, Liberal Party leader & World War II Veteran, 92 (1922-2015)

Sanford Socolow, Producer for CBS News, 86 (1928-2015)

Geraldine McEwan, Actress Best Known for Playing Fictional Detective Miss Marple, 82 (1932-2015)

Ann Mara, Matriarch for the New York Giants, 85 (1929-2015)

Frank Borghi, Noted Soccer Goalie, 89 (1925-2015)

Charlie Sifford, Pioneer who Broke Golf's Color Barrier, 92 (1922-2015)

Aldo Ciccolini, Italian-Born Pianist, 89 (1925-2015)

Martin Gilbert, Biographer of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, 78 (1936-2015)

William Woestendiek, Ex-Editor at Newsday, 90 (1924-2015)

Alan Nunnelee, Congressman for Mississippi, 56 (1958-2015)

John Whitehead, Former Leader of Goldman Sachs Firm, 92 (1922-2015)

Dean Smith, Hall of Fame NCAA Basketball Coach, 83 (1931-2015)

Niki Quasney, Fought Indiana Ban on Gay Marriage, 38 (1976-2015)

Joseph Dwyer, Retired NYPD Officer, 76 (1938-2015)

Fitzhugh Fulton Jr., Pilot Known as the 'Dean of Flight Test', 89 (1925-2015)

Ed Sabol, Founder of NFL Films, 98 (1916-2015)

Kayla Mueller, Humanitarian Worker, 26 (1988-2015)

John J. Ramacciato, Veteran of the U.S. Air Force, 79 (1935-2015)

Joseph Langdell, Survivor of Pearl Harbor Attack on December 7th, 1941, 100 (1914-2015)

David Carr, Writer for the New York Times, 58 (1956-2015)

Bob Simon, Correspondent for CBS' '60 Minutes' & War Reporter, 73 (1941-2015)

Rhonda Glenn, First Female Anchor on ESPN & Promoter of Women's Golf, 68 (1946-2015)

Gary Owens, Television's 'Laugh-In' Announcer, 80 (1934-2015)

Anita Darian, Singer for Opera & Broadway, 87 (1927-2015)

Wendell Kim, Former MLB Coach for Giants, Red Sox & Cubs, 64 (1950-2015)

Michele Ferrero, Maker of Nutella Chocolate & Hazlenut Food Spread, 89 (1925-2015)

Philip Levine, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet, 87 (1928-2015)

Steve Montador, Former Defenseman for the NHL, 35 (1979-2015)

Lorena Rojas, Popular Mexican Actress & Singer, 44 (1971-2015)

Sam Andrew III, Bandmate & Friend to Singer Janis Joplin, 73 (1941-2015)

Stan Chambers, Legendary TV Newsman for Los Angeles, 91 (1923-2015)

Lesley Gore, Singer-Songwriter, Sang 1963's #1 Hit 'It's My Party', 68 (1946-2015)

Louis Jourdan, French Actor, Starred in 'Gigi' & 'Octopussy', 93 (1921-2015)

Steve Strange, Lead Singer of 1980s Pop Band Visage, 55 (1959-2015)

Riichiro Manabe, Japanese Composer of Film & Television, 90 (1924-2015)

AJ Peterson, 6-Year-Old Son of Former NFL Player Adrian Peterson (2008-2015)

Cass Ballenger, Nine-Term U.S. Congressman from North Carolina, 88 (1926-2015)

Jerome Kersey, Former NBA Player with the Trail Blazers, 52 (1962-2015)

Ahmad 'Real' Givens, VH1 Reality Star from 'Real Chance of Love' Dating Show, 33 (1982-2015)

Harris Wittels, Comedian, Writer & Co-Executive Producer of NBC's 'Parks & Recreation', 30 (1984-2015)

June Fairchild, Actress who Fought Drug & Alcohol Addiction, 68 (1946-2015)

Draven Rodriguez, Teen who Gained Fame Over Laser Cat Portrait, 17 (1997-2015)

Ernest Sternglass, Physicist & Nuclear Critic, 91 (1923-2015)

Bruce Sinofsky, Oscar-Nominated & Emmy-Winning Documentary Filmmaker, 56 (1958-2015)

Clark Terry, Grammy Award-Winning Jazz Trumpeter, 94 (1920-2015)

Yutaka Katayama, Ex-President of Nissan Motor Co.'s U.S. Unit & Father of the 'Z Car', 105 (1909-2015)

Dr. John Willke, Anti-Abortion Advocate, 89 (1925-2015)

Ben Woolf, Actor Best Known for FX's 'American Horror Story' Series, 34 (1980-2015)

Robert E. Herzstein, Lawyer in Nixon Papers Case from 1970s, 83 (1931-2015)

Donald Keough, Former President of Coca-Cola Company, 88 (1926-2015)

Leon Kent, Earned Silver Star During World War II, 99 (1915-2015)

Bobby Emmons, Legendary Nashville Studio Musician, 72 (1943-2015)

Mirjana Puhar, Competed on CW Reality Series 'America's Next Top Model' in 2014, 19 (1995-2015)

Robert Belfour, Mississippi-Born Blues Musician from Memphis, 74 (1940-2015)

Dori J. Manyard, Champion of Diversity who Changed American Journalism, 56 (1958-2015)

Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, Former President of the University of Notre Dame, 97 (1917-2015)

Earl Lloyd, First Black Player in NBA History, 86 (1928-2015)

Irving Kahn, Manhattan Money Manager, 109 (1905-2015)

Ralph Carrieri, Batboy for New York Yankees, 84 (1930-2015)

Colonel Paul Green, One of Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, 91 (1923-2015)

Leonard Nimoy, Actor Best Known as Mr. Spock in Beloved 'Star Trek' Franchise, 83 (1931-2015)

John B. Fairchild, Editor of Women's Wear Daily, 87 (1927-2015)

Robert Mosard, Swimming Champion & World War II Veteran, 94 (1920-2015)

Anthony Mason, Former Player for the NBAA, 68 (1946-2015)

Minnie Minoso, Chicago's First Black Major League Baseball Player, 89 (1925-2015)

Yasar Kemal, Turkish Author & Political Critic, 91 (1923-2015)

Movita Castaneda, Actress who was Marlon Brando's Second Wife, 98 (1916-2015)

Eugenie Clark, Noted Shark Expert, 92 (1922-2015)

Charmayne Maxwell, Grammy-Nominated Member of 1990s R&B Group Brownstone, 46 (1969-2015)

Jeff McKnight, Former Player for the New York Mets, 52 (1963-2015)

Orris Walker, Episcopal Bishop, 72 (1943-2015)

Ezra Laderman, Composer of Classical Music, Opera, Symphonies & Films, 90 (1924-2015)

Dave Mackay, British Soccer Star, 80 (1934-2015)

Mal Peet, Award-Winning British Author, 67 (1947-2015)

Claude Dilain, Noted French Politician, 66 (1948-2015)

Alex Johnson, Former American League Batting Champion, 72 (1942-2015)

Daniel von Bargen, Actor of Stage, Film & Television, 64 (1950-2015)

Natalia Revuelta, Early Backer of Fidel Castro, 89 (1925-2015)

Albert Maysles, Acclaimed Filmmaker of Popular 1975 Documentary 'Grey Gardens', 88 (1926-2015)

Cardinal Edward Egan, Former Archbishop of New York, 82 (1932-2015)

Jan Sturdevant, Former Copy Editor at Newsday, 78 (1936-2015)

Dean Hess, Air Force Colonel & World War II Veteran who Rescued Korean War Orphans, 97 (1917-2015)

Joseph Bartlotti, World War II Veteran, 91 (1923-2015)

Richard Neems, Retired Police Officer & Detective, 65 (1949-2015)

Anthony J. Germano, World War II Hero, 96 (1918-2015)

Sam Simon, Co-Creator of 'The Simpsons' & Animal Rights Activist, 59 (1955-2015)

Harve Bennett, Producer of 'Star Trek' Movies & TV Classics, 84 (1930-2015)

Morton Rechler, Real Estate Developer & Designer of the Aluminum Chair, 93 (1921-2015)

Jeff Hale, Award-Winning Animator for 'Sesame Street' & 'Thank You Mask Man', 92 (1923-2015)

Richard Glatzer, Filmmaker who Wrote & Directed 2014's 'Still Alice', 63 (1952-2015)

Camille Muffat, French Swimmer who Won 3 Medals At 2012 London Olympics, 25 (1989-2015)

Claude Sitton, Leading Reporter on Civil Rights, 89 (1925-2015)

Windell Middlebrooks, Actor who Gained Fame in Miller Beer TV Commercials, 36 (1979-2015)

Rev. Willie Barrow, Longtime Civil Rights Activist, 90 (1924-2015)

Michael Graves, Celebrated Architect who Created Whimsical Postmodern Structures, 80 (1934-2015)

Bill Badger, Tuscon Hero During Gabby Giffords' Shooting, 78 (1936-2015)

Daevid Allen, Founder of Gong & Soft Machine Psychedelic Rock Groups, 77 (1938-2015)

Gene Patton, Best Known as Gene Gene the Dancing Machine of 'The Gong Show', 82 (1932-2015)

Terry Pratchett, Fantasy Author who Created 'Discworld' Series, 66 (1948-2015)

Jimmy Greenspoon, Keyboardist for Rock Band Three Dog Night, 67 (1948-2015)

Al Rosen, Cleveland Indians MVP & New York Yankees Executive, 91 (1924-2015)

Richard Brennan Sr., New Orleans Restauranteur Known for Commander's Palace, 83 (1931-2015)

Christine Schoen Codd, Contestant on Season Eight of 'Food Network Star', 36 (1978-2015)

Heath Bogin, Senior Analyst at Citadel LLC's Surveyor Capital, 37 (1977-2015)

Curtis Gans, Liberal Activist, Journalist & Expert on Voter Turnout, 77 (1937-2015)

Buddy Elias, Holocaust Diarist Anne Frank's Last Close Kin, 89 (1925-2015)

Andy Fraser, Bass Player for Rock Band Free, 62 (1952-2015)

Valentin Rasputin, Revered Russian Writer, 77 (1937-2015)

Jack Haley, Played Nine Seasons in the NBA, 51 (1964-2015)

Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Japanese Cartoonist & Author of 2009's 'A Drifting Life', 79 (1935-2015)

A.J. Pero, Drummer for Heavy Metal Band Twisted Sister, 55 (1959-2015)

Bob Kastenmeier, Ex-Wisconsin U.S. Congressman, Early Vietnam War Critic, 91 (1924-2015)

Hans Erni, Prolific Swiss Artist, 106 (1909-2015)

Lee Kuan Yew, Founder of Modern Singapore, 91 (1923-2015)

Pedro Aguayo Ramirez, Mexican Wrestling Legend 'Lucha Libre', 35 (1979-2015)

Michael Brown, Rock Musician Co-Wrote 1966 Hit 'Walk Away Renee', 65 (1949-2015)

Malcolm Fraser, Former Prime Minister of Australia, 84 (1930-2015)

Arthur McCormick, Veteran of the U.S. Marines, 82 (1933-2015)

Lucy Coffey, Oldest Female Military Veteran, 108 (1906-2015)

Irwin Hasen, Comic Book Artist & Cartoonist who Created 'Dondi' Character, 96 (1918-2015)

Joel Moskowitz, Ceramic Engineer, 75 (1939-2015)

Chuck Bednarik, Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer, 89 (1925-2015)

Lisa Colagrossi, Emmy Award-Winning Reporter for WABC-TV's 'Eyewitness News', 49 (1965-2015)

Peggy Rae Sapienza, Avid Science-Fiction Devotee, 69 (1945-2015)

Providencia Paredes, Assistance Aide to Former First Lady Jacqeline Kennedy Onassis, 90 (1924-2015)

Lil' Chris, Singer who Gained Fame on Channel 4's 'Rock School' Series, 24 (1990-2015)

Don Robertson, Pioneering Songwriter & Pianist, 92 (1922-2015)

Ellen Conford, Author of Children's Books, 73 (1942-2015)

Bob Kastenmeier, Former Politician who Opposed the Vietnam War, 91 (1924-2015)

Alberta Watson, Canadian Film & Television Actress Best Known for '24' Series, 60 (1955-2015)

Steven Smith, Co-Founder of Tazo Tea, 65 (1949-2015)

Miriam Bienstock, Music Industry Pioneer Helped Found Atlantic Records, 92 (1923-2015)

Ib Melchoir, Writer & Director of 1950s & 1960s Science-Fiction Films, 97 (1917-2015)

Yehuda Avner, Former Diplomat & Aide to Israeli Leaders, 86 (1928-2015)

Gerald McKelvey, Hard-Boiled Reporter for Newsday, 71 (1943-2015)

Louis DeMonte, Advertising Account Executive for Newsday, 63 (1952-2015)

John Renbourn, Masterful Guitarist & Founding Member of 1960s Pentangle Band, 70 (1944-2015)

Dov Siporin, Inspirational Cancer Patient (age not provided)

Tomas Transtromer, Nobel Prize-Winning Swedish Poet, 83 (1931-2015)

Roger Mayer, Movie Executive & Film Preservationist, 88 (1926-2015)

Sally Forrest, Actress from Hollywood's Golden Age, 86 (1928-2015)

Gene Saks, Tony Award-Winning Director who Collaborated with Neil Simon, 93 (1921-2015)

Victor Sanchez, MLB Pitcher for Seattle Mariners, 20 (1995-2015)

Lt. Col. Robert Hite, One of Last Surviving 'Doolittle Tokyo Raiders', 95 (1920-2015)

Hot Rod Hundley, Professional NBA Player & Television Broadcaster, 80 (1934-2015)

Gary Ross Dahl, Created the Widely Popular 1970s Fad the Pet Rock, 78 (1936-2015)

Misao Okawa, Labeled as the World's Oldest Person, 117 (1898-2015)

Leslie A. Williams, Former Member of U.S. Army's Tuskegee Airmen, 95 (1919-2015)

Miroslav Ondricek, Czechoslovakian Director of Photography, 80 (1934-2015)

Walter Grauman, Prolific Director for Television, 93 (1922-2015)

Nan Tucker McEvoy, Heiress who Ran San Francisco Chronicle, 95 (1919-2015)

Michael Cohen, Co-Founder of California Fashion Brand Michael Stars, 79 (1935-2015)

Jeremy Brown, Guitarist for Scott Weiland & the Wildabouts, 34 (1981-2015)

Robert H. Schuller, Televangelist & Founder of Crystal Cathedral Megachurch, 88 (1926-2015)

Hayley Okines, Campaigner of Rare Premature Aging Condition, 17 (1997-2015)

Eddie LeBaron, Former NFL Quarterback & War Hero, 85 (1930-2015)

Robert Z'Dar, Actor Best Known for 'Maniac Cop' Film Series, 64 (1950-2015)

Cynthia Lennon, First Wife of Former Beatle John Lennon, 75 (1939-2015)

Sarah Brady, Gun Control Advocate, 73 (1942-2015)

Jenny Wallenda, Matriarch of Famous Family Circus, 87 (1927-2015)

Lon Simmons, Hall of Fame Sports Broadcaster, 91 (1923-2015)

Julie Wilson, Tony-Nominated Singer & Actress, 90 (1924-2015)

Robert Burns Jr., Drummer & Founding Member of Rock Band Lynyrd Skynyrd, 64 (1950-2015)

Billy O'Connor, Original Drummer for Rock Band Blondie, 61 (1953-2015)

Jeannette-Therese Obstoj, British Lyricist, Video-Maker, Poet & Graphic Artist, 65 (1949-2015)

Nell Brown Jackson, Mother-In-Law of Country Singer Alan Jackson, 94 (1920-2015)

Victor Gotbaum, Former Union Leader, 93 (1921-2015)

Fredric Brandt, Pioneering Dermatologist & Early Proponent of Botox, 65 (1949-2015)

Rev. Gardner Taylor, Preacher & U.S. Civil Rights Figure, 96 (1918-2015)

Gertrude Weaver, World's Oldest Person for Five Days, 116 (1898-2015)

Tom Towles, Character Actor Played Roles in TV & Horror Films, 65 (1950-2015)

James Best, Actor Best Known as Sheriff Rosco on TV's 'The Dukes of Hazzard', 88 (1926-2015)

Stan Freberg, Singer, Humorist & Voice Actor, 88 (1926-2015)

Bradford W. O'Hearn, Former Political Reporter at Newsday, 73 (1941-2015)

David Laventhol, Editor & Publisher for Newsday, 81 (1933-2015)

Natalie Bobrova, Bronze Medal-Winning Russian Gymnast, 36 (1978-2015)

Ivan Doig, Award-Winning Author from Montana, 75 (1939-2015)

Jose Capellan, Former Major League Baseball Pitcher, 34 (1981-2015)

Geoffrey Lewis, Actor & Father of Actress/Singer Juliette Lewis, 79 (1935-2015)

Richard Dysart, Emmy-Winning Veteran Actor who Starred in TV's 'L.A. Law', 86 (1929-2015)

Ray Myers, Master Sculptor for Aurora Model Kits (age not provided)

Lauren Hill, Freshman who Fought Tumor to Play College Hoops, 19 (1995-2015)

David Nadel, World War II Veteran & Radio Operator, 93 (1921-2015)

Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan Author & Leading Voice of Latin America, 74 (1940-2015)

Jim Mutscheller, Former Tight End for Baltimore Colts, 85 (1930-2015)

Mark Reeds, Assistant Coach for the Ottawa Senators, 55 (1960-2015)

Percy Sledge, R&B/Soul Singer Had #1 Hit in 1966 with 'When A Man Loves A Woman', 74 (1940-2015)

Raul H. Castro, Former Governor of Arizona, 98 (1916-2015)

Jean-Louis Cremieux-Brilhac, French Resistance Leader from World War II, 98 (1917-2015)

Richard Post, Energy Scientist & Inventor, 96 (1918-2015)

Joel Spira, Founder & Leader of Lutron Electronics Company, 88 (1927-2015)

William Morey Jr., Thoroughbred Horse Trainer, 74 (1940-2015)

Sheila Kitzinger, Anthropologist & Childbirth Expert, 86 (1929-2015)

Ralph Sharon, British-Born Jazz Pianist, 91 (1923-2015)

Guenter Grass, Nobel-Winning German Author, 87 (1927-2015)

Dan Farrell, Photographer who Snapped Iconic Photo of John F. Kennedy in 1963, 84 (1930-2015)

Robert Griffin, Former U.S. Senator who Hastened Nixon Resignation, 91 (1923-2015)

Art Powell, Former NFL Player Helped Shape 1960s Pro Football Landscape, 78 (1937-2015)

Homaro Cantu, One of Chicago's Most Renowned Chefs, 38 (1976-2015)

Barbara Strauch, Former Editor at Newsday & New York Times, 63 (1951-2015)

Stanislav Gross, Former Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia, 45 (1969-2015)

Ira Doyle Nelson Jr., Younger Brother of Country Star Willie Nelson, 77 (1938-2015)

Thelma Coyne Long, International & Hall of Fame Tennis Star, 96 (1918-2015)

Lee Remmel, Spent 6 Decades with Green Bay Packers as P.R. Executive, 90 (1924-2015)

Cardinal Francis George, Former Archbishop of Chicago, 78 (1937-2015)

John Lundergan, Lacrosse Coach & Police Officer, 66 (1948-2015)

Paul Almond, Canadian-Born Filmmaker who Created 1964 'Seven Up!' Documentary, 83 (1931-2015)

Johnny Kemp, R&B Singer of 1988 Hit 'Just Got Paid', 55 (1959-2015)

Jonathan Crombie, Actor Best Known as Gilbert Blythe in 'Anne of Green Gables', 48 (1966-2015)

Ben Powers, Actor Best Known as Keith Anderson in TV's 'Good Times', 66 (1949-2015)

Herb Trimpe, Comic Book Artist Best Known for 1970s Run on Marvel's 'The Incredible Hulk', 75 (1939-2015)

Mike Mitchell, Winning Racehorse Trainer, 66 (1948-2015)

Jaroslav Holik, Czechoslovakian Professional Hockey Coach & Player, 72 (1942-2015)

Doug Buffone, Former Linebacker for the Chicago Bears, 70 (1944-2015)

Elio Toaff, Longtime Chief Rabbi of Rome, 99 (1915-2015)

Bob St. Clair, NFL Hall of Famer with the San Francisco 49ers, 84 (1931-2015)

Betty Willis, Creator of Iconic Vegas Sign, 91 (1923-2015)

Steve Byrnes, Longtime NASCAR Broadcaster on Fox Sports, 56 (1959-2015)

Richard Corliss, Longtime Film Critic for Time Magazine, 71 (1944-2015)

Frederic Morton, Austrian-Born Author, 90 (1924-2015)

M.H. Abrams, Noted Literary Critic, 102 (1912-2015)

Sawyer Sweeten, Child Actor Best Known for CBS Sitcom 'Everybody Loves Raymond', 19 (1995-2015)

Lois Lilienstein, Canadian Musician of Sharon, Lois & Bram Fame, 78 (1936-2015)

Don Mankiewicz, Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter, 93 (1922-2015)

Verne Gagne, Professional Wrestling Legend, 89 (1926-2015)

William Hannan, Former NYPD Detective & Korean War Veteran, 81 (1933-2015)

Keith Harris, British Ventriloquist Best Known for Orville the Duck, 67 (1947-2015)

Jack Ely, Singer Best Known for 1963 Hit 'Louie Louie', 71 (1943-2015)

Suzanne Crough, Child Star from 1970s TV Show 'The Partridge Family', 52 (1963-2015)

Jim Fanning, Longtime Executive for Montreal Expos, 87 (1927-2015)

Jayne Meadows, Emmy-Nominated Actress & Wife of TV's Steve Allen, 95 (1919-2015)

Calvin Peete, Winner of 12 U.S. PGA Tour Events, 71 (1943-2015)

Gene Fullmer, Former Middleweight Boxing Champion, 83 (1931-2015)

Peter Cronkite, Grandson of CBS Anchor Walter Cronkite, 22 (1993-2015)

Marty Napoleon Sr., Jazz Pianist Played with Louis Armstrong & Other Greats, 93 (1921-2015)

Barry Popkin, Pianist & Singer who was Born Blind, 61 (1953-2015)

Keith McCormack, Singer, Guitarist & Songwriter, 74 (1940-2015)

Jean Nidetch, Founder of Weight Watchers Company, 91 (1923-2015)

Betsy Von Furstenberg, Versatile Actress & Baroness, 83 (1931-2015)

Patricia Goldstein, Banking Executive at Emigrant Bank, 69 (1945-2015)

Alexander Rich, Principal Figure in Molecular Biology, 90 (1924-2015)

Marcia Brown, Award-Winning Author & Illustrator of Children's Books, 96 (1918-2015)

Andrew Lesnie, Oscar-Winning Cinematographer for 'Lord of the Rings' Trilogy, 59 (1956-2015)

Jozef Paczynski, Auschwitz Prisoner & Personal Barber to Nazi Commander Rudolf Hoess, 95 (1919-2015)

Ben E. King, R&B Singer of 1961's 'Stand By Me' & Other Classic Hits, 76 (1938-2015)

Nigel Terry, Stage & Film Actor Best Known as King Arthur in 1981's 'Excalibur', 69 (1945-2015)

For those of you who are interested in the Second (& even the First) World War,

here are some extra treats consisting of both these historical conflicts:

Documentaries:

WWI: The Great War 1914-1918 (2 DVDs, book & memorabilia; Go Entertainment Group Ltd., 2014)

WWII: The Complete History 1939-1945 (4 DVDs, booklet & memorabilia; Go Entertainment Group Ltd., 2013)

Great Battles of WWII: In Color (3 DVDs; Image/Madacy Home Entertainment LLC, 2011)

Film:

To Be Or Not To Be (United Artists, 1942; starring Jack Benny & Carole Lombard)

To Be Or Not To Be (20th Century Fox, 1983; starring Mel Brooks & Anne Bancroft)

Tora! Tora! Tora! (20th Century Fox, 1970; starring Martin Balsam & Joseph Cotton)

Pearl Harbor (Buena Vista Pictures, 2001; starring Ben Affleck & Kate Beckinsale)

Patton (20th Century Fox, 1970; starring George C. Scott & Karl Malden)

Saving Private Ryan (Dreamworks & Paramount Pictures, 1998; starring Tom Hanks & Matt Damon)

The Longest Day (20th Century Fox, 1962; starring John Wayne & Henry Fonda)

Unbroken (Universal Pictures, 2014; starring Jack O'Connell & Domhnall Gleeson)

Fury (Columbia Pictures, 2014; starring Brad Pitt & Shia LeBeouf)

MacArthur (Universal Pictures, 1977; starring Gregory Peck & Ed Flanders)

Emperor (Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate & Shochiku Co., 2012; starring Tommy Lee Jones & Matthew Fox)

The Thin Red Line (20th Century Fox, 1998; starring Sean Penn & Adrien Brody)

The Bridge on the River Kwai (Columbia Pictures, 1957; starring William Holden & Alec Guinness)

Catch-22 (Paramount Pictures, 1970; starring Alan Arkin & Bob Balaban)

Shining Through (20th Century Fox, 1992; starring Michael Douglas & Melanie Griffith)

Memphis Belle (Warner Brothers, 1990; starring Matthew Modine & Eric Stoltz)

Casablanca (Warner Brothers, 1942; starring Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman)

The Great Dictator (United Artists, 1940; starring Charlie Chaplin & Paulette Goddard)

Yankee Doodle Dandy (Warner Bros., 1942; starring James Cagney & Joan Leslie)

Invisible Agent (Universal Pictures, 1942; starring Jon Hall & Ilona Massey)

Captain America: The First Avenger (Paramount Pictures, 2011; starring Chris Evans & Hugo Weaving)

Television:

'The City On The Edge Of Forever' (Star Trek: Season 1; Paramount, 1967)

'Patterns Of Force' (Star Trek: Season 2; Paramount, 1968)

'Wonder Woman' (Season 1; Warner Brothers, 1975)

'Why We Fight' (Angel: Season 5; 20th Century Fox, 2004)

'Road To Germany' (Family Guy: 20th Century Fox, 2008)

'The Savage Time' (Justice League Season 1; Warner Home Video, 2002)

(The Three Stooges)

'Half-Shot Shooters' (1936)

'You Nazty Spy' (1940)

'Boobs In Arms' (1940)

'Dutiful But Dumb' (1941)

'I'll Never Heil Again' (1941)

'They Stooge To Conga' (1943)

'Back From the Front' (1943)

'Higher Than A Kite' (1943)

'The Yoke's On Me' (1944)

'No Dough Boys' (1944)

'Booby Dupes' (1945)

(Cartoon Shorts)

'The Vultures' (1941, Russia)

'Any Bonds Today?' (Warner Bros., 1942)

'Blitz Wolf' (MGM, 1942)

'Cinema Circus' (1942, Russia)

'Donald Gets Drafted' (Disney, 1942)

'The Ducktators' (Warner Bros., 1942)

'Japoteurs' (Paramount, 1942)

'You're A Sap, Mr. Jap' (Paramount, 1942)

'Daffy – The Commando' (Warner Bros., 1943)

'Der Fuehrer's Face' (Disney, 1943)

'Spinach Fer Britain' (Paramount, 1943)

'Commando Duck' (Disney, 1944)

'Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips' (Warner Bros., 1944)

'Herr Meets Hare' (Warner Bros., 1945)

(Music/CDs):

Yankee Doodle Dandy (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack; 2002 Sony Music Entertainment)

Pearl Harbor: Songs of WW2 (2001 newsound 2000 Ltd.)

Music from WWII (2-CD set: 'Wartime Anthems' & 'Big Band Patrol'; 2001 Direct Source Special Products Inc.)

Swing Out to Victory: Songs of World War II (4-CD set; 1999 Platinum Entertainment Inc.)

Remember Pearl Harbor: Songs That Won the War (2001 Varese Sarabande Records Inc.)

The Entertainers of WWII (4-CD set; 2004 Quality Audio, a trademark of DSSP INC.)

Great Songs of World War II (2009 Delta Music Group)

Doing A Grand Job: Favourite Songs of the 40s (2007 Classical Communications Ltd)

Songs & Speeches That Inspired A Nation to Victory: 1939-1945 (2005 Delta Music)

Bless 'em All: Humorous Songs from World War II (2012 Classical Communications Ltd)

Something for the Boys: The Songs of World War II (1992 Vintage Jazz Classics, Ltd)

The War Years: Songs That Won the War (2001 Allegro Corporation)

The Music & Sound of World War II: Original Cast Album 1940-1945 (1991 Radio Yesteryear)

Songs & Sounds of World War II (1995 The Special Music Company, a division of Essex Entertainment Inc.)

The Words & Music of World War II (2-CD set; 1991 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.)

Hitler's War Declaration Against the USA, Dec. 1941 (2001 International Historic Films, Inc.)

Bomber Command: Recordings from the Second World War (1998 Pavilion Records Ltd)

The Second World War: I Can Hear It Now (2007 Sony BMG Music Entertainment)

Heroes & Villains of World War II (3-CD set; 2000 GAA Corporation)

(Many of these films, episodes & CDs can be found at video stores like FYE, Target & Best Buy, while all can be purchased from eBay & . The majority of aforementioned cartoon shorts & many others can be viewed on networks like YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, etc.)