Chapter 27
Into the belly of the beast
Petrov went through his ammo, then counted it again. Of course, it hadn't changed. He hoped Pierce would have the good sense to grab some magazines at the FOB; but then again, simply escaping with the medicine and his life would be quite an accomplishment.
He was distracted when Alexei unzipped the tent and poked his nose out. "Katja's hungry," the boy reported.
Petrov seriously doubted that. "Uh-huh. Is she even awake?"
"Well… someone in this tent wants breakfast."
Instead of answering, Petrov threw another log on the fire.
"Can I at least come out and sit by the fire for a while?" Alexei requested.
Petrov's parents had always taught him kindness, that even the chickens who produced the fewest eggs were still valuable and must be treated well.
That theory had never been more tested than since he'd met Alexei. "No. You need to watch Katja."
"I'm not a doctor. I can't help her if she flatlines. Do I have to explain the difference between having a doctorate and being a doctor? You're just from a farm so I know you don't understand these things–"
"If she stops breathing, call me so I can resuscitate her. Try to get her to drink… but make sure you lift her head. Do not drown her. If she gets cold, climb in the sleeping bag with her. And above all, do not leave that tent. Am I making myself clear?"
"I liked it better when you and the American didn't get along. He leaves you in charge, and suddenly your head is as inflated as his."
"Thanks for the feedback."
"You're welcome. It's the only way you'll improve." The nose twitched, and thankfully withdrew.
Petrov forgot about Alexei the second he was out of sight, and did a visual search of his surroundings.
He didn't like the cover the forest gave to potential enemies; but on the other hand, it helped the campsite blend in, too. Pierce had been smart with the alarm system. Simple, yet effective.
Yes, Alexei was right about one thing. Though a bit of uncertainty still lingered, Petrov had mostly come around to the American. He'd thought the betrayal and kidnapping of Katja had been unforgivable, up until he saw the train car full of surgical instruments. Now, Adrien looked like a saint by comparison. At least he would've let Katja go after his mission was complete.
The hunter, though, hadn't completely earned Petrov's faith. A few days prior, Katja had told Petrov Pierce's story in confidence, and he found it incredible that the American Captain had been so ready to set aside his understandable bias and give his full trust to the alien. Even more amazing was the alien seemed to be willing to do the same for him.
Maybe it was because of Katja. It was possible they both liked her more than they hated each other.
Turning, Petrov cracked the tent open and looked inside to check on her. Inside, he saw that Alexei was half doing his job, anyway.
Katja's face was waxy, and though her breathing seemed steady, the sheen of sweat on her forehead worried him. If Pierce and the alien didn't succeed, he would lose her very quickly. The very thought was almost paralyzing.
"Alexei, tell me, what do you think their odds are?" Petrov asked in a low voice. He was nervous, and Alexei was far from an expert; but he had to talk about it to someone.
"The pig and the monster? Poor to impossible," the kid answered simply. "We should start making a plan, because it's just going to be you and I out here soon."
Petrov scoffed and turned away. He knew the little prick would answer that way, but he had stupidly asked anyway.
"Course, I've been wrong about this stuff so much out here. Is this what it's like for you simpletons?" Alexei asked.
"What do you mean?" Petrov rubbed his head, not really listening to him.
"Well, I predicted we'd all die at the train because Captain America would never be able to hold the alien off long enough. I was wrong. I didn't think we'd survive the train attack or crash. Wrong. I was completely sure we'd never find Jekaterina again. We did. I'm not wrong this often, you know." Alexei fiddled with his coat zipper. "I don't like it much."
"And? What are you saying?" Petrov pushed for an answer.
"That there is a healthy amount of luck involved in all of this. Statistics aren't enough to go off of," Alexei finished. "Maybe they'll get the medicine. Maybe she'll survive."
For some reason, hearing Alexei (arrogantly) say that was a comfort. Adrien was a marine who had fought and killed a much-more-advanced-in-every-way alien hunter, and he was backed up by an alien hunter, whom Pierce claimed specialized in purging the serpents from a very young age.
Alexei was right. If any sentient individuals could pull off the impossible, cheat death, and the odds, it was those two.
"Hold on, my Katyusha," he thought, giving Katja one last glance. "Just a few more hours. They'll be here."
Turning around to tend to the fire, Petrov came face to face with a figure right before darkness enveloped him.
Jade was gone, and Vai'dqouulth did not share Adrien's trust of her.
The human female had reeked of arousal the moment she had laid eyes on his companion. The scent did not entice him in the least, though it wasn't bad, either. Interestingly, Adrien did not seem to reciprocate in any way that he could tell.
When he had dropped the cloak to intimidate her, he was only briefly satisfied until her desires turned to him. At least, he believed so. She had gone so far as to touch his chest, which was a sign of… interest… within the Yautja.
He had looked to Adrien for help, as he didn't want to accidentally accept her offer, and thankfully the male had assisted him. She must've been at the peak of her season to want someone of a different species.
In a universe full of sentients, crossbreeding wasn't an unheard-of occurrence, though it wasn't common either. Yautja had a different set of rules on that particular matter, however. Strict rules.
What was really strange was that she seemed to want both of them at once.
Vai'dqouulth had been with two females before, sure. Twins, as a matter of fact, because he had made a mistake during courting and was forced to follow through with them both or suffer a long-lasting decline in his reputation.
It had been a difficult feat, but yes, he had one right after another. Two males and one female would never work though, in his mind. Though Adrien didn't seem to see it as a problem, which left him somewhat curious, just not enough to try. At least with Jade. It made no sense, either. The idea was to impregnate a female yourself, rather than invite a contending male to do so. Strange indeed.
Despite Jade appearing to be a warrior as well, Vai'dqouulth thought she seemed to rely more on deceit and trickery than battle skill, unlike Katja, who fought honorably. Still, she had clearly been at too much of a disadvantage, so perhaps she just wisely submitted.
He also wondered if he had found the planet's supply of human female warriors. One was rare to his kind, two was unheard of.
Desperation was not a desirable trait to Vai'dqouulth, though, and Jade had it. No proving of his prowess required, no skulls, no fighting other males, and no providing. She was simply eager. If she were Yautja, he'd do the unthinkable and pass on her offer.
Still, female attention was, as always, something he liked; even from this 'Jade', and it just reinforced his pride. A part of him hoped Adrien had a boost in his pride as well, as she had shown her interest in him before he had likewise rebuffed her advances.
"Ok, what the hell was that earlier, with the mercs? I thought you were going to back me up?" Adrien suddenly demanded.
Right. They had been interrupted during this conversation before. He wasn't really sure why Adrien was angry. The Yautja-killer was more than competent enough to take out a few unskilled humans, and Vai'dqouulth had wanted to see him hunt.
So, to explain, he wrote it out as simple as that into the snow.
"No way you haven't seen a human hunting before," Adrien shot back.
Vai'dqouulth shook his head. He didn't want to see just any human hunting; he wanted to see Adrien hunt. He wanted to see the skills and intelligence that had taken down one of Vai'dqouulth's own. He had seen a glimpse of it during their battle at the transport station, but an observation would be almost as interesting.
"I hope you saw your fill, because I need to know you're gonna be there when I need you," Adrien seemed to do a human hiss. Vai'dqouulth cocked his head. Why was the veteran so worked up about this? The Weyland clan members were dead.
Adrien appeared to take a meditative breath and calm down, then elaborated. "In my military culture, we commit to a plan and promise the best we can. Even up to death. What you did would be considered dishonorable by our standards."
Vai'dqouulth knew he looked visibly shaken. He hadn't intended to commit dishonor; he had simply wanted to observe. This was another culture transgression, and he felt this one actually could be unforgivable, because honor was on the line. How humans settled these matters of honor, though, he didn't know.
"In our military, we consider one another metaphorical brothers and sisters. Family we never abandon. That's why I'm out here with you, a species I loathe. To get Katja medicine," Adrien said. "It's my duty to not let her die, if I can prevent it."
The bigotry Adrien harbored towards his kind wasn't surprising nor even offensive. Most, if not all, sentient species hated Yautja; though Katja seemed to be an exception. Yautja considered all those other species inferior beings, so being speciesist was a sort of give and take for his kind.
Not that Yautja even cared what others thought. Others were prey and to be hunted, after all. But Adrien was setting that aside for the betterment of Katja and in turn, for the survival of his planet and species.
This revelation was significant, and like Katja's scolding over the snowballs, it didn't sit well with him. The brothers and sisters metaphor really cut to his core. He had hunt brothers and sisters, in much the same sense. No; Vai'dqouulth knew he needed to set aside his universal Yautja prejudices of humans too, if he and the planet were to survive. For now, he'd treat them as equals, even if they weren't.
"Look, I'm not dumb. You have the better chance of getting Katja that medicine, and I will likely die in there helping you do it. I've accepted that. But I need to know you're going to follow through and get it to her. What you did isn't reinforcing that," Adrien said, with a much quieter tone to his voice.
Vai'dqouulth wrote 'hunt brother' in the snow, then pointed at Adrien. He crossed his fist to the opposite shoulder, dipped his head, and spoke an apology, even if it couldn't be understood. Then, he added one more thing: a phrase Katja had said that night in the cave, and Adrien had spoken before they left. 'I will watch your back'.
"Ok, I'm trusting you on this," Adrien said.
It seemed both their honor was reclaimed. Vai'dqouulth swelled with pride. They were hunt brothers now.
"Let me just gather some supplies from this camp before we go," Adrien requested.
As he poked through equipment and accessories, the human spoke again. "Sorry Jade groped you and tried to force you into something you likely didn't want. Kinda rape-y."
It took Vai'dqouulth several moments to grasp the understanding of that last word. The concept of rape among Yautja was completely foreign. All copulation was unwilling until either the female rendered the male unable to complete the act, or the male proved his worthiness.
But other species viewed this matter differently, he supposed. Jade would've been unable to defeat Vai'dqouulth – probably would have struggled with even a human male – so perhaps it would've been unfair for him or Adrien to approach her for that purpose. It stood to reason, then, that in accordance with these human rules, she should also not have done the same without invitation, even if he could easily stop her. That was why Adrien was apologizing for her behavior.
Vai'dqouulth just waved the matter off, deciding it was best not to get too far into the nuances at this time. Humans likely had reasons for most of their regulations. Whether those reasons were good remained debatable to him.
"Yeah, she was a hard pass for me, too. Besides, I have a wife and child back home," Adrien chuckled.
Gods have mercy on him, Adrien had reproduced. And he had a wife. It seemed some humans, at least, believed in marriage. Several sentients did. Yautja didn't; the closest they got was a lifemate.
"Sorry, I mean I had a wife," Adrien corrected himself. This surprised Vai'dqouulth. Marriage was generally considered sacred and permanent, at least among other species. Walking over to Adrien, who was rummaging through a bag, he tapped the human on the back.
"I got verbally abusive with her after my encounter with one of you. I was sort of messed up mentally after all that. Been trying to get forgiveness since," Adrien answered his unspoken question.
Vai'dqouulth flared his mandibles in anger. He would've taken the veteran's head after hearing of his abuse to a female; human, Yautja, or otherwise. Well, maybe not a queen hard meat. But he said verbal, not physical. Still, it took his will to stay his hand. Even if the females of his kind had a size advantage, they were still life-givers and were to be respected. Generally, anyway. Dishonorable.
As for the psychological aberrations, they were extremely rare and treatable in the ranks of the Yautja. And they were trained at young ages to suppress emotion, though this wasn't foolproof either – given some of Vai'dqouulth own personal history.
He knew it wasn't unique to him either.
Adrien also had said he was regretful and seeking her forgiveness. It sounded like his female had grounds to give him none, but that was ultimately up to her.
At least the male had openly admitted transgressions and was trying to reclaim honor to them both. He could respect that. It seemed he wasn't perfectly honorable, as Vai'dqouulth first assumed. But then again, neither was he.
The veteran was waiting for him to acknowledge the information, so Vai'dqouulth simply nodded. Everyone did something dishonorable in their lives. That didn't make them all bad bloods. Adrien openly confided his dishonor to him, and explained he was trying to right the wrongs. To Vai'dqouulth, the matter was settled, no matter what his female's ultimate decision was. The marriage split now made sense, anyway.
"Enough about my personal problems, let me finish up here, and we'll make for the base."
Petrov awoke in the snow with a pounding head. His vision slowly came into focus from its hazy blur. A bright, sunny day and very light clouding greeted him. Too bad it was so cold out...
Sitting up, Petrov looked around and found the camp completely ransacked, tent and all. Shit. Shit. Something had hit them, and he'd allowed it to get the drop on him.
He stood, only to fall over again as his head swam. What had hit them? Looking down, he noticed some critical pieces of his gear were missing, such as weapons and ammo. Thankfully, his coat and armor were left alone.
Finally getting his wits restored to him, it dawned on him that Katja and Alexei had been in the tent. The tent was gone, and he saw no sign of either of them.
"Katja! Alexei!" Petrov called out without thought. "Katja!" He quickly remembered that they were still in a danger zone, and closed his mouth.
"Maksim?" he heard a male voice. "You're alive?" Alexei popped his head up from the area where the terrain plummeted by the mountain stream, and then began edging his way nervously towards Petrov.
"Alexei! What the hell happened?" Petrov demanded.
His first thought had been serpents. But if that were the case, they'd already be dead or cocooned as the kid had described back at the house. His second thought had been another hunter; but again, they wouldn't have survived such an encounter. Third thought was ultranationalists, but he guessed the ones operating in the area were already dead, too. Who did that leave?
"It was a Russian soldier," Alexei stated. Petrov blinked, startled by the reveal. If that were true, why would they have attacked? It had to be the ultranationalists, then. Alexei must have been confused.
"You're mistaken; it's probably an ultranationalist reconnaissance force in stolen gear and a uniform. Plenty of that to take out here," Petrov explained.
"No, I'm sure of it. I recognized him because he stole my cookie back in the mess hall when we first got here. He was an older guy; older than you and Jekaterina anyway. I have a photographic memory, and I made sure to commit his face to get revenge," Alexei insisted.
Petrov inhaled, trying to cover his shock. If Alexei was correct… "Ok, ok. Start from the beginning. What happened? Where is Katja?" he asked.
"Well, the guy hit you over the head with a gun. Then he pointed it at me, saying I was 'infected' and he needed to 'make sure I wouldn't birth them'. I escaped before he could kill me, but watched as he took everything, including Jekaterina, and put it all in a truck of some kind," Alexei answered.
Must've been a GAZ Tigr; which was basically an armored Russian truck/SUV with a turret. There had been a few out and about during the base attack. It appeared the serpents had missed one. Looking around, Petrov saw the tire tracks crushing a path through the snow.
"I think… I think he's going to try and dissect Jekaterina. He kept talking about getting an embryo and then calling an evac," Alexei added further.
Evac? The radios didn't work, but maybe this guy didn't know that – which was hard to believe. Either way, Katja was NOT infected, and the soldier was about to conduct a makeshift surgery – with likely nothing more than a bayonet, if Alexei was right.
"Ok, we have got to move and go get her," Petrov urged, sweeping the area with his eyes to see if there was something he could use as a makeshift weapon. He lifted a mid-sized branch from the pile of logs and tested its weight. No good. Everything in the pile was either too thin to be effective, or too heavy to wield properly.
"Forget it! I have put up with too much of all of you peoples' craziness out here! We don't even have weapons now!" Alexei threw his hands in the air and plopped down on a log where the fire used to be.
"Alexei, excluding Katja from this equation, we have no shelter, no supplies, and no weapons. We are dead anyway if we don't get that all back." Petrov tried a different approach, since the kid clearly didn't value anyone's life out here but his own.
Something must've resonated with Alexei, because he tilted his head back and considered that fact. "Ugh, fine. You've tricked me into this somehow, I'm sure of it. Not just an uneducated farm hick, it seems," Alexei finally agreed.
This would be a risky trip. They'd follow the tire tracks, yes, but there was no telling what could ambush them out here without their weapons. And aside from the serpents and Weyland, there could also be 'allies' of this supposed soldier waiting for them at the end of the path.
Worst of all, they were on a time crunch and would have to rush. That's when a soldier tended to get sloppy and make mistakes to make up the time.
He just hoped the pieces of the universe would fall into perfect place and all parties would be in time to save Katja.
They had to be.
Adrien had mostly finished pillaging the outpost. He wished he still had his GPS to tag the site, but he could probably just remember the spot. There was plenty of other gear, after all, such as a Barrett M82 .50 cal sniper rifle. But right now, the goal was to stay light and fast.
Interestingly, his alien companion seemed to be searching for something as well. What that something was, Adrien couldn't even begin to guess. "Need help?" Adrien asked.
The hunter shook his head and carved into a piece of bark with his index claw. 'Later'.
So be it. "I'm ready if you are," Adrien gestured. The alien shook his head again, then guided Adrien toward some exposed dirt. Wasn't even permafrost. Then, the big brute did something totally unexpected. He began rolling around in the soil.
Adrien was baffled, to say the least. This thing had a lot of relatable human elements to its actions – but then it would go and do alien things like this that he didn't understand. Blue stood, pointed at him, and then the dirt pit.
Racking his brain, Adrien tried to figure out what it was doing, and why it wanted him to copy it. He had seen his wife's cat do something similar when it snuck outside. The feline would go find dirt and just roll around in it. Then it would come home with prey in its mouth.
"Scent masking," Adrien stated. Blue nodded in confirmation. They both emitted pheromones. With no visible eyes, perhaps that was how the serpents tracked and hunted. By scent. A theory he himself propositioned out here a few times. Well, he didn't know if this was smart, but it certainly wasn't stupid.
"When in Rome…" Adrien trailed off before dropping to the ground and rolling around in front of the alien, feeling just a bit like an idiot. And like he was being judged.
"Good?" Adrien spread himself for inspection. Blue came close and seemed to sniff around him. Something must have dissatisfied him, because Adrien was pushed to the dirt again and snarled at, though he didn't feel there was a lot of heart behind it. More like a stern 'Again!'
"Fine, fine," Adrien grumbled and began rolling around once more, trying to coat himself better to avoid the persnicketiness of the alien asshole. Standing again, he presented himself for approval. After a sniff test, the hunter reluctantly nodded. Seemed like a 'barely passed' score to him.
Ha, like basic all over again, with the drill sergeant and everything. Nothing was ever good enough for him, either.
"Can we go, then?" Adrien gestured once more. Blue gave him a nod.
The hunter took the lead down the hill, and Adrien followed. Once at the base of said hill, they darted for cover behind a destroyed vehicle. Creeping over the wreckage, they both scanned for any sign that they had stirred the nest.
Nothing presented itself.
"I'm going to defer to your judgment on this. Who leads who? I mean, I can be bait, I've got the sensor; but if you've got a better idea, by all means," Adrien said quietly. "You probably have more experience with these things than I do. My area of expertise is more your species."
Blue seemed to consider this. Using the side of the vehicle, he spelled out a message. As he did, Adrien had to wonder why this thing didn't just use its voice mimicry. No way one with this kind of skill didn't have voice clips. Not to mention all the ones he had to be collecting from all of them. Also, why hadn't he activated his bomb yet?
'Side by side. Best advantage between your tool and my senses. If lead needs to be taken, one of us will, based on the situation,' Blue finished.
Deciding his previous internal questions could be asked while Katja recovered, Adrien nodded and proceeded alongside his 'buddy'.
He noticed the big guy didn't even bother cloaking. It must not do any good against the parasite. Especially if they hunted by smell, as he suspected.
Interestingly, he remembered playing Xbox on base in his earlier years; specifically, a game about a space marine fighting multi-mandibled, tall space lizards that could turn invisible and slice you up with swords. Also, there was a parasite enemy that went after both humans and aliens. As he recalled in one of the sequels, the marine teamed up with the lizard to save the universe.
Seems sometimes, art did mimic real life.
Putting the random thought aside, Adrien refocused.
As they tentatively entered the inside of the base perimeter, Adrien noticed the helipad. He stopped, and so did Blue. He seemed to be looking for a hand signal.
"Just answer me one more question," Adrien whispered. Blue gave an annoyed growl. Adrien was not deterred. He had to know if Katja was right. "That first night – did you save the civilians knowingly, or did you just want to kill serpents? Hold one finger up for the first option, two fingers for the second option."
Blue stared at him – or rather, that emotionless mask was staring at him. It was haunting to see it up close. He figured he'd be a kabob if he ever got this close to one of them again.
The alien held up one finger.
Adrien exhaled. He wasn't sure how much he was wrong in regards to these guys, but this tossed a lot of his assumptions out the window. Not hunting civilians and actively protecting them were two very different things.
Katja was right, and he was wrong. Hell of it was, he didn't feel one way or another about being incorrect.
Blue seemed to be waiting on him, whether a reaction or to move on. Deciding not to dwell on it, Adrien gave a hand signal to move.
The hospital was just one level, not like the taller towers that housed Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He was thankful for that.
They walked to the front door – which was, unsurprisingly, smashed to pieces – and stood there, taking in the foreboding dark hallway.
Well, into the belly of the beast and with any luck… out the demon's ass.
"Are we there yet?" Alexei asked for what Petrov counted off as the sixty-seventh time. And, as per Alexei, he couldn't ask quietly.
"Alexei, for the last time. I don't have a clue. The tracks end where they end. And please, keep your voice down," Petrov requested in a low, exasperated tone.
He was more frustrated at the situation than anything. No weapons, hundreds of lethal monsters running around – including humans – and a harsh environment.
Though they walked in the tire tracks, which offered a sort of path, the snow still wasn't easy to navigate.
Petrov cursed himself. He should've been paying closer attention back at the campsite. At the very least, he should have heard the vehicle approaching instead of talking to Alexei. Maybe the attacker wouldn't have managed to ambush him. Now Katja might pay the price for his error.
He wondered how long they had been followed and scouted. No way this guy 'happened' upon them.
"Can we at least have something to eat? I'm so hungry," Alexei groaned.
"Alexei, all the food is gone. Best I can suggest is the wild berries. Just make sure to ask me before you eat them. I'd hate for you to get poisoned," Petrov answered. Even he didn't know anymore if he was being sarcastic.
Actually, his mouth was salivating at the thought of Pierce's steaks with mountain berry glaze. The American knew how to cook, that was for sure.
"Fine. Do you know what I really want?" Alexei posed as he grabbed a handful of berries off a bush.
"No, and don't tell me. I'm starving too." Petrov ordered. "And don't eat those unless you want to vomit up your entire digestive system."
"A burrito, but American style. Not like the culturally correct ones. Rice, beans, meat, veggies, and some hot sauce. All rolled into a warm tortilla," Alexei said anyway, letting the berries fall from his hand.
Damn that kid. That sounded delicious. Russia wasn't known for its cuisine, that was for sure. But right now, he craved a little bit of home in the form of his mother's Solyanka. She knew just how much to burn the bacon the way he liked in that soup.
As Alexei was about to continue, Petrov heard a noise.
"Quiet!" he hissed. Listening, he heard it again. The screeching of serpents. They sounded agitated and close.
None too gently, Petrov ushered Alexei behind a tree.
Not a moment later, two of the monsters went ripping by. Looking at his pinned-on vest compass, one of the few things not stolen, he could see they were heading toward the FOB. Pierce and the alien.
A third was right behind it, but stopped on the other side of their hiding place. Petrov could hear noises. Almost sounded like sniffing. Slowly, eerily, a large hand braced against the tree, very close to their faces.
The creature came around the trunk, but thankfully it was looking in the complete opposite direction of them. It continued to test the air, giant head waving, then let out a screech before running off with the others.
That had been close. Far, far too close.
"Ok, I'm done talking now," Alexei stated, his face colorless with terror.
"Scared shitless?" Petrov asked.
"No, there is plenty of that. I'm more scared speechless," Alexei corrected.
It sure didn't sound like it.
But now Petrov was left with a dilemma. The alien and American had obviously stirred up the hornet's nest and might need help. Without their success, there would be no medication. On the other hand, someone had to rescue Katja or there was no point in getting the medicine in the first place.
"Make a decision." Adrien's voice echoed in his head from the night before. Shaking himself of the memory, Petrov considered.
Those two could handle themselves. They had to. And they didn't know Katja had been captured. Likely, by the time they got back and figured it out, she'd be dead too.
That was his choice, then. He was going for Katja.
Even if helping at the FOB had been the better choice, Petrov probably would have chosen Katja all the same.
It took a little bit of coaxing after the serpent encounter, but Petrov managed to get Alexei moving again. With the serpents obviously more interested in their hives getting attacked, he hoped that they wouldn't encounter any more. Sadly, that also meant that his two allies would be taking the brunt of it.
Still, they had heavy weapons, and he didn't have so much as a rock.
At last, it seemed they had reached the final destination; though Petrov had to swipe at his eyes to make sure what he was seeing was real – and he had seen some odd things out here already.
The GAZ Tigr was parked outside what looked to be a luxury hotel, or lodge. Maybe for skiers? Either way, it looked extremely out of place with the rest of Siberia and its generally dilapidated-looking buildings. It towered high with all its ornate, enormous windows and balconies, as if defying the rough landscape with its elegance. Almost like seeing an actual castle.
Looking inside the vehicle, all he could find was Katja's bag. Damn, all the weapons and supplies were cleaned out. Sighing, he opened the pack. Not much was left but… there was a familiar case on the floor. Her ballistic knife. It seemed her captor had overlooked an item. Better than being unarmed, anyway.
Petrov took a moment to reflect. Like his family, and maybe even more so, the people of Siberia were typically of more meager means. Maybe even farmers like him. As a matter of fact, if he survived all of this, he promised himself to go back to that lifestyle and live in peace.
Maybe, somehow, he could even convince Katja to come with him, and take her away from all the madness and people who seemed to be seeking to exploit her.
As Petrov maneuvered his two-man team around the structure, he took note of both a small solar panel and wind farm a slight distance away.
Now at the entrance of the grand building, Petrov carefully tread inside. It was… warm! And the lights were on! So that's what the wind and solar farms were for. The place was so remote, it needed its own energy sources for light and heat.
Who owned this place, and why did they go through the trouble of placing it in the middle of nowhere?
Putting that aside for now, Petrov tried to think of where the attacker might have taken Katja. Somewhere to drain the blood, if he really was going to attempt to cut her open. Like a bathtub, or–
Alexei rang the front desk bell for his own amusement, and Petrov shushed him.
"It's so warm! Do you think they have a pool?" Alexei asked.
The pool; that's where they were. Hot tubs, plenty of towels, and probably an accessible first aid cabinet – tools needed for the kidnapper's plan.
"Good job, Alexei." Petrov patted his back.
"Well, of course I did a good job! What did I do, exactly?" Alexei asked as he shuffled after him.
The navigational signs weren't only in Russian or English, they were in many languages. Some he couldn't even guess. Curious; was this some sort of international retreat for the rich and elite? He had certainly never heard of it, but maybe that was the point, too.
As he closed in on the pool area, he could hear talking. A male voice, one that was familiar. He slowed, and motioned Alexei to be quiet.
"This is Captain Dima Sokolov of the United Russian Federation requesting immediate evac. I have an infected individual quarantined for transport."
Sokolov? Petrov hadn't seen him since they'd first arrived in Siberia, when Sokolov had been bothering Katja while deboarding the train.
"Who is he?" Alexei whispered near his shoulder.
"My old captain, before I was transferred to Katja's unit," Petrov muttered back.
"Great. You're not going to kiss this one too, are you?"
Without bothering to answer, Petrov peered around the corner and saw the captain pacing back and forth. Katja was lying on a collapsed military stretcher, strapped down. Not that it mattered; she was very much still unconscious.
"So, what are you gonna do?" Alexei asked more seriously.
The healer's building was certainly in poor condition – glass all over the place, corpses littering the hall, and holes in the ceiling. The hive resin coated the walls, a clear sign the queen resided here. Given enough time, the land – and by extension, the world – would all be terraformed to look like this.
His new hunt brother, Adrien, moved slowly and carefully, sweeping his tracking device left and right. The pace would be maddening if it wasn't so wise. Briefly pausing his pace, the human folded down two tubes in front of his eyes. They were attached to the headgear.
Vai'dqouulth had learned this was a sort of vision mode, much like his mask had, that allowed his companion to see in the dark better. More proof that humanity, to this day, was still inspired to build and invent like their former gods. He was somewhat proud in an inexplicable way.
Adrien came to a door and silently pointed at it. Vai'dqouulth gave him a nod before going to the opposite side of the door. Adrien grabbed the mechanism and twisted it so very slowly so as to not make noise.
Opening it, Adrien looked inside first, panning his weapon-mounted, focus-beam illuminating device around. He then looked down at the sensor's screen. With Jade's short training session, even Vai'dqouulth could tell there was no presence in the room.
"Damn, just a records room," Adrien whispered. His voice was so quiet, Vai'dqouulth almost didn't pick up on it. They backed out of the room, not risking noise by closing the door.
Now in the hall, the veteran looked around wildly, and Vai'dqouulth thought for a moment the human sensed something he didn't. But that wasn't the case. Adrien made his way over to a wall. Switching vision modes once again, Vai'dqouulth saw a graphic mounted on the wall. A map of the building.
"We are looking for the pharmacy, can you translate and find that?" Adrien requested as he turned around to cover them from threats.
It took Vai'dqouulth less than a minute to find the desired location. It was on the other side of the building, unfortunately. After a tap to Adrien's shoulder, the human turned around, and Vai'dqouulth traced a path with his claw to the location from their spot.
"Shit," Adrien replied, rubbing his forehead. "I guess it makes sense. Someone comes to rob the pharmacy, having only one way in or out is the best strategy. Doesn't help us much, though."
Vai'dqouulth couldn't agree more. While he normally had no issues in purging a nest, they simply didn't have the time to waste right now.
Since the only way was through the building, they didn't delay any longer and began walking the path, trying to avoid the loud debris that littered the way.
For just a moment, Vai'dqouulth became lost in thought about Adrien's question outside. The human seemed surprised that he had gone out of his way to save the non-warriors in the aircraft. Was his opinion of Yautja so low that he assumed one wouldn't try to preserve the lives of pups and bearers over hard meats?
When they had time, he would explain to Adrien that Yautja might hunt humans, but that didn't mean that humans were despised or deserving of extermination, like the hard meats. If that were true, he wouldn't have been sent by the clan to prevent just that.
Coming to a split path going to the left and right, the veteran turned left, sucked in air, and ducked back to the wall as fast and quietly as possible.
His heart rate had spiked to higher levels. "Serpent, in the hall, out of sensor range," Adrien spoke nearly as a breath. Bringing up a vision mode that would reveal hard meats, Vai'dqouulth looked around the corner.
Sure enough, one was sitting on its haunches in the middle of the hall, in a dormant state. This was exasperating, as that was the direction they needed to go. Pulling at his memory, he remembered that going right could still get them there. They'd just need to cut through the cafeteria.
Vai'dqouulth came to face Adrien and pointed right. "You sure?" he asked. Vai'dqouulth nodded; he was positive. The only variable was how the hard meats would continue to impede them.
Wordlessly, the veteran kept his weapon trained on the creature down the hall, while Vai'dqouulth navigated the both of them safely in the opposite direction.
The corridor was mostly devoid of portals to other rooms, other than one labeled 'maintenance'. It also was absent of any hard meats.
Finding the cafeteria entrance just as planned, Vai'dqouulth came to the wide wall cut-out and pointed to the other end.
"Hope you know where we are going," Adrien mumbled. The veteran let him go first, likely to copy his path across the food dispensary. That was fine with him, as there were a lot of utensils and tools for human eating scattered across the floor, along with rotting food. Should they bump anything, it would surely bring the queen's warriors running. Maybe even her Royal Guard, the praetorians.
Vai'dqouulth hoped the stench of said rotting food furthered covered up their pheromone output.
Once on the other side, Vai'dqouulth watched Adrien tentatively make his way toward him. Given the low light and many scattered items, he was appreciative that the human was being deliberate and thoughtful, rather than rushing.
A short while later, the veteran made it without making a noise. He should be proud; his stealth was exemplary, even by Yautja standards.
Now they were back in that same hallway from earlier, but with the resting warrior drone to their backs. Adrien stepped ahead and pointed to the sensor's screen. He wanted to lead and scan for threats. Fine with him.
Looking over his shoulder as they moved, Vai'dqouulth could now see the blips on the sensor, all over the place. He had wondered why they hadn't encountered more before. It seemed they resided deeper in the hive. Maybe closer to the queen.
Adrien signaled for them to hold, and Vai'dqouulth stopped and waited. The marine pointed to the floor, and the Yautja had to switch vision modes to see the glass that littered the corridor. There was going to be no avoiding the noise. They'd just have to try and minimize it.
Taking the initiative, Vai'dqouulth stepped very slowly and carefully. The crunch was louder than he'd prefer, but there wasn't much that could be done about it.
Almost halfway in, there was the sound of a large piece breaking, louder than the others. His mandibles froze in their current position. Looking back, he could see the veteran wincing, silently scolding himself for stepping on it.
There was a definite shift in the atmosphere. Hard meat noises, such as hisses, began to echo off the walls from deep in the building. The message communicated with no uncertainty; the hive had heard that. It was now awake.
The noise may have stimulated the warriors, but they didn't know anything yet. Vai'dqouulth and Adrien could still remain in the shadows if they were careful. It helped that they were also very close to their objective.
Now on the other side of the glass, they hurried a little more recklessly to the pharmacy. Once inside, Vai'dqouulth shut the door and peered through the small windows while Adrien began picking through medicine.
The human came to him a short time later. "Ok, this is it. It'll need to be administered intravenously via an IV," Adrien explained to him, showing him the medicine and a bag, "You'll need to stick the needle into a vein in her arm, where the joint meets, and keep the bag upright so gravity can allow it to leak into her system."
Vai'dqouulth nodded. A primitive method, but straightforward. He assumed the male was telling him in case he didn't make it. "You'll have to fill the bag to this point with the medicine, then dilute it with this solution to this level. Got it?" Adrien finished, his sentences fast, nearly running on each other.
Again, Vai'dqouulth acknowledged the instructions. "Ok, let's get the hell out of this place," Adrien said as he packed the medicine and equipment into a separate pack before handing it off to him.
Directly afterward, a hard meat burst through the door with a hiss…
Broforce-1 has entered the hive!
And Dima makes a comeback. You remember Dima from earlier chapters, right, dear readers? Pepperidge Farm remembers...