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Chapter 28

Orpheus

Vai'dqouulth and his human companion hid from the new threat. The hard meat was hunting for them, but it was clear the creature didn't know where they were. Or if they even existed. Perhaps the scent masking had been strong enough to render them invisible to its senses.

There were partitions and tables to hide behind, and it seemed he and Adrien had the same idea: let the hard meat go farther into the room before slipping out the door. The hard part was maneuvering out of its way without alerting it to their presence.

Unfortunately, Vai'dqouulth had cornered himself, and the hard meat was about to discover him. He couldn't prematurely activate a weapon without making noise, but he held it at the ready.

Just as it was about to find him, Adrien began singing out loudly. "She's a killer queeeeeeen! Gunpowder, gelatin, dynamite with a laser beam! Guaranteed to blow your mind!"

The queen's warrior turned and hissed, slowly stalking toward the human instead of finding Vai'dqouulth. Adrien backed out of the pharmacy room, still singing absurdities, and it followed, leaving the escape wide open. More warriors enclosed in on the human, having been alerted to his outburst. What had he been thinking?

"That's right, follow the marine!" Adrien stated. Vai'dqouulth followed and peered around the corner of the pharmacy entrance.

"Get out of here, Blue. Save the girl," Adrien spoke in a strained voice, watching the hard meats carefully.

For the good of the hunt or mission, sometimes a Yautja was forced to sacrifice himself. Adrien was clearly doing the same.

"Blue! Go now! Save Katja!" Adrien shouted before firing his weapon and disappearing around the corner, just as the warriors attacked. More human weapon sounds could be heard, and the various noises of hard meats.

Vai'dqouulth stood there for a moment. He had gotten what they came for, but he was leaving something behind…

"This is a terrible idea. You say you got this from an American movie?" Petrov demanded of Alexei in a hushed voice.

The easiest solution to the matter, of course, would have been to covertly approach Sokolov from the back, as Sokolov had done to him. From there, all Petrov would have to do is get the right angle, shoot the blade, and be done with the matter.

But the easiest solution was not always the correct one. Petrov didn't want to just murder the man without first trying to talk him down; and he knew Katja would want him to proceed this way.

Unfortunately, he was unable to think of a good way to conceal the weapon. He'd need to be able to draw it quickly enough to outshoot his former captain – if things came to that – and was starting at a disadvantage by bringing a knife to a gunfight. Ballistic blade notwithstanding.

Perhaps even more unfortunate, Alexei had offered a suggestion – and it wasn't even his own. It was from one of the kid's dumb movies.

"Well, I don't see you offering any solutions!" Alexei shot back. "And John McClane is an everyday man, like you! It's not like I'm dealing with Sylvester Stallone, here!"

Alexei's 'brilliant' idea was to tape the ballistic knife to Maksim's back, so when Sokolov inevitably demanded for him to put his hands behind his head, it would be within reach. Then, he'd just have to close the distance as much as possible to narrow the room for error when aiming.

"Go get him cowboy! Give him the old yippee-ki-yay!" Alexei encouraged with a slap on the back.

"I don't know what that even means!" Petrov vented in frustration. Many Russians watched Western films; but other than a couple of instances, he was not one of them. He and Alexei practically spoke different languages.

"It means you are an American Cowboy now. Not a Russian. Now get in there and execute my perfect plan," Alexei pushed.

"It's John McClane's plan, not yours. Whoever that is," Petrov murmured. Regardless, Alexei was right. He didn't have a better plan, and time was running out.

Rounding the corner, Petrov slowly approached the agitated captain. By the minute, Sokolov was getting angrier at the radio, like he was having a conversation.

What the lieutenant also noted were all the corpses of Spetsnaz soldiers around the pool room – sitting in chairs, lounging on towels, propped up against the walls, and one even on a pool floaty. Based on the wounds, they had all died in a variety of ways. Looked like Blue may have even lent a hand on some of them. A few he recognized; most he didn't. They were Sokolov's men to be sure. What was left of them anyway.

"Captain Sokolov?" Petrov ventured. The man stopped and turned to face him. Surprisingly, the Captain looked happy to see him.

"Look who it is, boys! Maksim Petrov himself! Didn't expect to see you again," Dima chortled. The captain then looked over at one of the bodies as if he had been interrupted.

"Balakin wants to know if you're still completely pussy-whipped?" Dima asked on behalf of a… corpse, it seemed.

"I guess that's a matter of opinion," Petrov offered carefully, a chill going down his back. Dima was full-on nuts if he thought those men were talking.

"Uh, what happened to you sir? We– I thought everyone was dead out here," Petrov probed, pulling Sokolov out of a heated 'discussion' with the corpses.

"Well as you can see, we are all alive and well. After clearing this hotel of guests, there was an attack. We drove those motherless bastards back with a little fire!" Dima grinned maniacally and fired off a homemade flamethrower attached to the underside of his rifle, causing Petrov to jump a bit.

"I heard rumors that American forces made landfall and released this scourge upon us. The first wave of an invasion," Dima began. That was quite far from the truth; but better to not get into it right now.

"What happened to you, Petrov? How'd you survive? Where are your unit and commander?" Dima asked.

Did he really not know?

"The unit is… gone. It's just me and Katja left," Petrov worded carefully.

"On a first-name basis with her suddenly, hmm? You really are pussy-whipped. Well, shame about your unit. Really is unfortunate. Where is Captain Mikhailov now?" Dima asked.

"That's her. At your feet," Petrov pointed.

"Oh," Dima said as he looked down at her. "So it is. Didn't even recognize her."

Dima's attention was then pulled to another dead body. And Petrov was sure he picked up something about him being 'infected' and here to 'spread' more. Something told Petrov that wasn't a good sign.

It was clear Dima was suffering from some dissociative mental breakdown. Petrov was honestly surprised he had cracked through it enough to communicate with the man.

"I'm afraid, Maksim, that she is infected and under quarantine for study. I was just about to remove the embryo. Good news is, evac is on the way," Dima said. "Maybe they can still find a way to save her, who knows."

"Sir, I've been by her side since this started. She is not infected. And I know for a fact no evac is on the way," Petrov stated firmly. Dima sighed and looked to the ceiling.

"Stepanov said you were acting funny. I just didn't want to believe one of the best lieutenants in the Russian army was mixed up in all of this," Dima stated in a disappointed tone.

Well, this was going downhill fast.

"I assume you're with them?" Dima paced around, head on a swivel.

" 'Them?' " Petrov asked. "Who?"

"Weyland! The Americans! Weyland is the United States government! It's our government! It's everywhere! They buy and sell us like cattle!" Dima yelled.

Strange, how sane a deranged man suddenly sounded. Petrov could sympathize with him about being treated as a test subject by their own government. And how a corporation was the puppeteer behind it, too.

"Sir–" Petrov began.

"And you are one of them. A traitor, not to your corrupt government, but to the people. The reason we do this," Dima said as he raised his rifle. Petrov put his hands up.

"Woah, woah, easy!" he protested. Remembering the concealed knife, he put his hands on his head. He would be left with no choice. It was clear he was too far gone to be reasoned with. "Sir, I'm on your side!"

"I wish you had made better choices, lieutenant," Dima said sadly, and Petrov heard the telltale click of a gun safety coming off.

Now or never.

Before Dima could take aim, Petrov yanked the knife taped to his back and made a blind shot. The blade entered and exited through the man's mouth before he could close it, slicing vital brain/spinal functions and killing him instantly.

And just like that, it was over. No glory, no big celebration or fanfare like the very few American movies he had seen. Just fire, then death.

Petrov felt a little sick. Dima was an ass, but clearly not evil.

But Katja…Katja was still in one piece, and that was his priority.

Walking to Katja's body and crouching, Petrov took her wrist and checked her pulse. Steady; too fast, but not yet dangerously so. With a relieved inhale, Petrov squeezed his eyes shut and closed his hand over hers. Pressing the inside of her wrist to his cheek, he gave a quick prayer of thanks.

"Happy trails, Hans," Alexei suddenly strolled in, acting like he had done all the work. Seeing all of the dead bodies, he made an exaggerated gagging motion.

"Shut up. Show some respect," Petrov snapped, standing.

Before anything else could happen, though, three yellow-clad men entered the pool room from behind them.

"Hands up!" they shouted in English, and then one said it in Russian. Based on the coat colors and logos, there was no doubt this was Weyland. Having no choice, Petrov and Alexei obeyed the mercenaries.

Petrov was in the middle of deciding what to do next when a familiar, flying, fanlike weapon spun into the room and severed one of the Weyland men in half at the torso, while the other two were lifted into the air by an invisible force. The air shimmered, and a giant humanoid form appeared. It was Blue, holding both men up by the backs of their necks as they begged.

He gave a roar so loud; Petrov was pretty sure that he would be given permanent hearing damage. With a downward flick of the wrists, the hunter was able to de-spine and skull both of the men in a simple, fluid motion.

It was worse even than the sight of Dima dying. Little wonder why Adrien was terrified of these things. Petrov would be seeing that in his nightmares for a while. Maybe even to the end of his days.

"Blue?" Petrov voiced. Immediately, the laser targeting device within the alien's helmet fell on him – and so did the shoulder cannon.

"Woah! It's me, Petrov! Friendly!" Petrov yelled. Blue relaxed visibly, and the laser turned off, the cannons folding back down. He also dropped the spines with still-attached skulls.

"Took you long enough," Alexei sniffed. The alien snarled at him, and Petrov jumped up to put himself between them.

"Alexei, do everyone – including yourself – a favor, and shut the hell up!" Petrov ordered before pushing the kid away. Having no muscle, sense of balance, or coordination, Alexei staggered and teetered to the pool's edge before falling in with a splash.

This elicited a rapid clicking noise from the hunter, who pointed at the kid as he flailed about. The hunter was laughing. Well, better than a follow up display of his last act.

"I can't swim!" Alexei babbled, thrashing his arms.

"You're in the shallow end," Petrov pointed out as he rubbed his forehead. "Stand up." That line must've been a gut-puncher to the alien, as the clicking increased and the beast braced himself at the knees.

"Oh," Alexei said as he stopped and put his feet on the tile below him, standing. For once, the kid looked like he was embarrassed.

Gathering his thoughts, Petrov realized something. Blue had returned, but alone. "Where's Adrien?" Petrov questioned.

The 'laughing' stopped, and the hunter looked at him before looking to the side and away. Petrov could interpret that. Any soldier could. A man had been left behind.

Guilt overcame Petrov. Now a little girl in America didn't have a father. It should have been him to go with Blue to the FOB; Adrien had no reason to risk his life for a woman he barely knew. "Do you have the meds?" Petrov finally asked.

Blue held up a human canvas bag and handed it to him.

"Great, so we have everything to save her, but I don't know how to administer it," Petrov huffed, now even more frustrated. He knew how to administer basic veterinary medicine to livestock, but not this. He wished Adrien was here for ideas; the alien would not know exact human anatomy, and Alexei was useless.

Suddenly, there was a notepad with the hotel's name and logo in his face. Blue was holding it out. Taking it, Petrov read the less-than-perfect English handwriting.

'Have instructions from Adrien, will save female, then going back out to get hunt brother. If only for proper warrior burial.'

"I'll go with you; I'm not leaving him behind either," Petrov stated.

"Yeah, you're not," a voice cut in.

"Yeah, you're not," Adrien said as he walked into the pool room. All his fellow idiots were standing around, instead of saving Katja.

They all turned, and even the alien seemed stunned to see him.

"By the way, you missed one," Adrien addressed Blue as he dumped a Weyland body of his own beside the others. It was oh-so-satisfying to one-up the alien; and though he hated to admit it, he was coming around to the big guy.

"What happened? I saw serpents hightailing it to your location," Petrov wondered.

"Long story short? We were about to be discovered, so I was the distraction. I figured split-lip there would be faster than me. Not that it seems to matter, as you all are standing around with your thumbs firmly up your asses."

Blue seemed to be writing on a notepad frantically, before coming over and offering it. It was chicken scratch handwriting, but his wife's was far worse. 'Were you followed?'

"No, I gave them the slip. Took your technique to the next level. Double and triple-crossed my path before coming to a farmhouse. I hid in a cart filled with manure. Threw them off my track like a charm," Adrien said.

"Biff," Alexei was laughing. " 'I hate manure'."

"Well, I'm glad you made it, Adrien. Even if you do stink," Petrov said, smiling a little. Adrien didn't know if he was laughing at his own joke, or if he was just glad Adrien had made it back.

"Thanks, but we've got more important things to deal with," Adrien said, urging them over to Katja.

"She's getting worse," Petrov observed soberly.

"Ok. Alexei, Petrov, pick up her stretcher and let's move to a room," Adrien ordered, and got to his feet.

Climbing the stairs, Adrien took point and Blue covered the caboose with Alexei, Petrov, and Katja between them.

Finding a corner room specifically, Adrien went to it. Room two-fifteen. Seemed like a winner to him. "Keys? I don't want to break the door in case we have to barricade it later," Adrien requested. Petrov didn't hesitate to run back to the front desk, taking a protesting Alexei with him. Now that Adrien had a minute, it was time to clear the air.

"I can't forgive what your kind has done to mine, but you do have my thanks," Adrien said as he held out his hand. The hunter looked at the offering. "Handshakes were created to show an empty weapon hand. No hostile intent. Two individuals would then grasp weapon hands in a sign of trust and respect," Adrien explained.

The alien took it, his much bigger hand enveloping Adrien's.

"Katja called you 'Blue', not because of your coloring, but because it's a code word for an 'ally' or a 'friendly' individual in my military. I thought she was full of shit, but I guess I was wrong," Adrien smiled. Sometimes, you couldn't pick who to share a foxhole with; you just had to make do. And he thought they had made a damn good team.

A moment later, Petrov reappeared with the keys, and Adrien made sure to drop this sappiness with his nemesis before anyone thought they could actually get along. At least Katja wasn't awake to see it and gloat.

The key was an actual, ornate key; not the electronic card most places had. Fancy. Though it seemed electronics were built into it, as well as the keyhole. Even more fancy.

Thinking further, this whole hotel was way out of place in Siberia. Adrien wasn't sure many high-end hotels in America could even hold a candle to this place. It was like some villain's lair out of a James Bond movie.

"Secure the area," Adrien motioned to everyone. Walking in, the group began a sweep around the room, checking for threats.

At least, Blue and Petrov did. Alexei tiptoed behind the el-tee.

Adrien watched the hallway, Katja at his feet. It would be stupid of them to get this far only to die by not ensuring their safety. When the others were done clearing the room, they returned to bring in Katja, and Adrien finally got a look inside the room.

It certainly was an awesome suite, Adrien decided as he took in the surroundings.

The master bedroom had a king-sized bed and looked decorated for a literal king. The bathroom sported a jacuzzi-like bathtub and could easily fit four if desired.

The next bedroom had two queens and a lesser; but still had an impressively large bathtub/shower hybrid in the bathroom.

There was a small kitchen prep area with a decently sized eating table. Checking the fridge, Adrien found it stocked. Whether that was the hotel's doing or the guest's was a question mark, but the lack of smell made him think that at least all the food was still within code date.

The final room was an entertainment area with a big TV, couches, and a coffee table. This would be useless – but still, impressive.

"What's the plan, Pierce?" Petrov asked after everyone regrouped in the main area.

"Let's get Katja in that king size," Adrien ordered before quickly washing his hands. With her resting on the bed, Adrien then returned and rolled up her sleeve. Next, Blue prepped the IV drip while Alexei and Petrov jerry-rigged a pole for it to hang from.

When it all came together, Adrien found a vein, slid the needle in, and flicked the IV to get it going. They all stood there expectantly in silence until Petrov asked what they all were likely thinking.

"Do you think we made it?"

"If she's stubborn enough, which she is," Adrien answered as he walked away from her and to the table.

Grabbing the complimentary, embroidered, leather-bound notepad resting there, he began writing out a to-do list as they likely wouldn't be moving for a few days at minimum. Hopefully, by Petrov's report, they had spooked the queen, and she had recalled all her forces for protection. With any luck, that would slow her advance. Maybe they could continue to keep her attention on them and not on expansion.

He wrote quickly and sloppily, but at least it was all down on paper.

- Bed assignment

- Establish sleeping shifts

- Establish guard and Katja monitoring shifts

- Secure hotel

- Secure hotel perimeter

- Seal room

- Procure resources

- Clean up bodies

Reading it over once more, Adrien decided that was enough. He'd have to prioritize what they had, and they would probably come up with more.

Especially the bodies. It was clear Blue had killed some of those Russians and Katja would not be happy to see that, even if she knew that was what he did. For now, he'd get to work on that first line.

"Blue, you'll be sharing that bed and bedroom with Katja; make yourself at home." Adrien pointed to the master room. Nodding, the hunter headed off to that room.

Alexei whined in protest. "He asks why he doesn't get the best bedroom?" Petrov asked. Adrien studied Petrov's face, and it seemed he didn't like the idea of the alien sharing a bed with his commander.

"Because for one, Blue is not going to fit on other beds. And two, I'm sure he's the lightest sleeper and can practically sense any change in Katja if she takes a turn," Adrien argued with Alexei.

Huffing, the kid stomped to the room with the two queen beds and slammed the door. Or at least as much as his weak arms allowed. Baby.

With him gone, Adrien turned to Petrov. "It's fine, Max; I'm sure we won't have a repeat of that night in the apartment," Adrien assured the Lieutenant. Plus, the alien would have to cross a Sahara Desert-sized bed to even find the girl.

Speaking of, he still wanted to ask Blue what exactly he had wanted back in the apartment complex that night. He decided to add it to the list, but give the hunter a chance to tell them himself.

Getting up, Adrien donned his shed equipment once more.

"Where are you going now? You just got back," The lieutenant asked in confusion. "Rest up a bit. Take a shower. You had a close call."

"I'm fine. Gonna start with a room-by-room check for any 'unwanted' hotel guests. You stay here and watch her. Any change, come find me," Adrien answered before exiting.

He gave an exhale of air while donning his helmet and scanned around. There were a lot of rooms. Maybe not as many as a typical Best Western or Comfort Inn, since these were all luxury rooms; but more than he'd prefer to check. He also wondered what that central tower up top was earlier. Maybe the Presidential suite?

Either way, this place reminded him of the hotel from the movie 'The Shining'. The carpeting even had a similar design to the movie's set. Maybe the owner was a fan or maybe this was a themed hotel.

While doing this, he was also going to look for a washer and dryer. Petrov wasn't wrong. He and his clothes did stink, after all.

After gathering the keys, Adrien stacked up on the first door like he was gonna breach it. That's when Blue seemed to appear from thin air with a note.

'Will join'.

"Won't say no to that."

Katja awoke in the tent feeling terrible – but lucid, at least. It seemed to be late afternoon, with the sun setting.

She got up and unzipped the tent, only to find Adrien resting with his back against a log. His sidearm was in his hand, and he stroked it. More worrisome was the spidery parasite curled up beside him.

Looking around, she saw Blue's dead body, his chest blown outward. God only knew what had escaped him. Alexei was also dead – a spider latched to his face, but dead – with bullet holes riddling it. The acid likely ate his face away, and she was glad she couldn't see it.

Her lieutenant was the worst. He was literally ripped in half. Stifling the rising bile, Katja approached Adrien.

"What happened?" she asked.

He looked up at her with dead eyes. "I tried to hold things together. I failed."

"Adrien, what happened?" she repeated.

"What does it matter? Won't be long now anyway," he answered, and went back to stroking his gun.

"We needed you, and you weren't there," Adrien mumbled. "I suppose it was always meant to end this way. Just wish I could've seen my little girl grow up."

Katja was barely holding herself back now, but she also didn't know what to say. It was her fault. All her fault. From her birth onward, she only caused others misery. No wonder she was never wanted.

"So long, Captain," Adrien stated before shoving the muzzle to his chin and firing. Katja yelped at the sudden violence and fell backward. Not a second later, Adrien's chest burst open and the serpent baby leapt for her with a screech.

Katja cracked open an eye, thinking she was waking for real. But her surroundings seemed too surreal.

She was in a real bed, and the bedroom itself seemed to be out of a fairytale. Then, she heard talking from another room.

The room was warped and spinning uncontrollably, but she managed to stand and walk to the door frame, dragging some weird pole from her arm.

This was one hellva fever dream, because she saw her friends all around a table playing poker. Alien friend included. It almost looked like that painting of dogs playing poker that her mother loved so much.

"Katja?" a voice asked. She couldn't even be sure who. Strangely, she was now looking at the ceiling – when had that happened?

Several warped faces were looking at her now. Well, and a masked one. They were speaking, but she didn't know what they were saying. The ringing in her ears was too strong.

Thankfully, that dark abyss was closing in again. She was just so tired.

The next time the little doe woke up was the middle of the night. From across the sleep pallet, Vai'dqouulth heard her calling weakly for water.

Leaping from the synthetic pelts he didn't much care for, Vai'dqouulth hurried to the food preparation area and grabbed a crystal drinking vessel from a cabinet. His kind preferred to drink from jugs or bowls, but he supposed the mouth structures between their species were entirely different.

Earlier, he had seen Adrien utilizing a faucet to sanitize his hands, so he knew where to get water.

"What's up, Blue?" asked the one called Petrov, who was on guard duty.

Vai'dqouulth merely grunted in response.

"If you're thirsty, I think the refrigerator has a cold-water dispenser. I'm sure it tastes better than sink water. And it's filtered."

Musing on that, Vai'dqouulth finally put together that the drone meant the tall, chilled, food storage appliance. Well, if the water unit in that machine was superior, then that's what Katja would get. She deserved the best, after all.

He half-filled the crystallized vessel as Petrov observed him. "How is she?" he asked, and Vai'dqouulth tried not to growl. He didn't mind communicating with the humans, but it was time consuming to write everything down. Especially for the lesser drones like Petrov.

Instead, he pointed to the glass and then back to the sleep room.

"It's for her?" Petrov inferred. "She's awake?" He rose from his seat at the table, scraping the chair on the glossed wood floor. "I'll come with you."

Vai'dqouulth did not see the need for that. Giving a short bark, he shook his head.

Petrov controlled any outward reaction, making it difficult for Vai'dqouulth to decipher what he might have been thinking. At last, he asked a question, "Is she okay?"

Vai'dqouulth gave the human a quick nod, hoping to end the interaction and get the water to Katja before she fell unconscious again.

Petrov slowly sat again as Vai'dqouulth exited the area and returned to the female, activating the room's lights as he did so. He did not like dealing with Petrov for this reason. That human tended to react before thinking, unlike Adrien and Katja. Perhaps that's why he held a lower rank.

Adrien had explained their military hierarchy, which was insightful. Adrien had also said that he would hold an equal position to himself and Katja in their group's hierarchy. Trust and respect had certainly developed between them. Or perhaps he just didn't trust Alexei or Petrov's judgment. Vai'dqouulth certainly didn't.

As the day had progressed, Katja's heart rate had slowed; and while it was still elevated, it was closer to the healthy human standard. She was improving.

With the room now bright, he decided to change his mask settings to color.

"Blue?" she asked tiredly as he stood beside the sleeping pallet. "Where are we?"

Even if he had a way to answer Katja, Vai'dqouulth himself wasn't sure. As a matter of fact, even the other humans were uncertain. It was certainly more lavish than other human structures he had seen out here; but from listening to the conversation of the drones, it did not seem that it was meant to be permanently lived in. Rather, it was a temporary dwelling space for recreational purposes. A hotel, something he rarely utilized in the cosmos.

In response, he gave a short purr, hoping to relax her. Lifting her head, he cradled the back of her skull and helped her drink. His mandibles were going wild with twitching beneath his mask as he did.

So close to her face, he suddenly noticed the clusters of small, reddish-brown dots adorning her. The dusting of skin markings trailed across her nose and upper cheeks, and did not appear to be rashes or inflammations; but rather, more like his own stripes. Were they for camouflage? A rare human pigment detail? Undeveloped armor, like scales? His kind could have natural spotted camouflage patterns that were similar to hers. Granted, it was more prominent on Yautja.

When she was better, he would ask. He certainly found them somewhat attractive.

With a sigh, Katja finished the glass and lie back against the pallet. "What's happening? I need to… I gotta regroup with… Blue, who of my men are still alive?"

In lieu of a verbal answer, Vai'dqouulth held up four claws, unintentionally including himself.

A small tremor ran through Katja's body. "Oh, thank God. I'm… I should…" With that, her eyes closed, and she became still. She had once again passed out.

Human sleeping customs were their strangest rituals yet. They felt the need to bundle themselves in pelts and they slept in their clothing. Yautja generally slept without apparel and on top of their pelts rather than buried in them. There were always exceptions depending on the environment, of course.

He also didn't need to sleep as often as they did; but given how their circumstances could change very quickly, he decided to try and adapt to their sleep cycles as much as possible. There may come a time in the near future when he wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

Setting the glass on the small table, Vai'dqouulth checked her vital signs with his mask. With Adrien's help, he now knew what to look for. At least, somewhat. With that done, he once again joined her on the sleeping pallet. His guard shift was approaching soon, and he needed rest.

Katja did not know how long she stayed in that bed, drifting in and out of reality. All she knew for sure was that everyone was being very good to her. Much more compassion than she deserved. Even Alexei had been reading aloud to her at one point. She thought it had been Hemingway.

The first time she woke and felt somewhat sound of mind, she found Petrov cleaning her face and neck with a cool, damp cloth.

"Hi, Maksim," Katja said, stretching muscles that had been dormant for too many hours. "How are you?"

"Me?" he asked, chuckling and dabbing the cloth at her forehead. "Shouldn't I be asking you?"

"Mmm," she mumbled. "Well, the room isn't spinning, so that's an improvement."

"Your eyes are nice and clear today," he told her, putting the cloth aside. "I hope this means you're over the worst of it."

"That makes two of us." Her gaze swept over the beautiful surroundings. "Maksim, where are we? What happened? Last thing I remember clearly was being in a tent outdoors."

Leaning back, Petrov briefly described where they were, and the separate rescue missions each man had undertaken to get there.

Katja winced. "You guys should have just–"

"What, let you die?" Petrov asked. "No."

Sitting up slowly, Katja tugged her fingers through her tangled hair and decided not to respond to that. "How many days have we been at this… place?" Part of her wondered if she was still hallucinating, because a luxury resort in the Urals made no sense whatsoever.

"A few days. Three or four. We took out your next to last IV bag just this morning, but you'll also need one more day's course, per Adrien."

"I picked a good time to start recovering, then," Katja said, thumbing at the bandage on her arm joint, "because nobody is going back to that nest for more medicine."

Glancing at the wall, she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror and cringed. "And my recovery starts with a shower." She looked bad, and knew she must have smelled even worse. "Is my pack around here? I need my toothbrush, too."

Climbing out of the bed, she tested her feet on the floor. After a brief flash of dizziness while her body oriented itself, she decided she was able to move on her own, if very slowly.

"Easy does it, Captain," Petrov told her, clasping her elbow. "Do you need… help?"

"In the shower?" Katja's bit back a chuckle. "Lieutenant, that's awfully forward."

"I didn't… I only meant…" Petrov scratched the back of his neck, looking at the floor.

Ever the gentleman. "Sorry," she apologized, "I'm sorry. I guess I've been around Adrien for too long. I know what you meant. I think I'll be okay. If I get dizzy, I'll call you."

She heard footsteps, and suddenly Alexei appeared from another room in the suite, popping expensive-looking chocolate truffles into his mouth. "Oh, hey Katja. Was Petrov telling you how I basically saved your life?"

"He did tell me," Katja replied, smiling at him. "Thanks, kid. You did well. I owe you one."

Alexei waited a beat or two, as if he was expecting a cutting follow-up comment from her. When he didn't get one, he beamed. "You're welcome. I'm pretty heroic."

Katja laughed, reached out, and mussed up his hair before heading to the bathroom.

Cleaning herself up made Katja feel like a new person. Stepping out of the shower, she looked at her sweaty uniform, which was balled up on the tile, and wrinkled her nose. No way she was putting that back on until it was clean.

Luckily for her, there were fresh, clean, fluffy robes inside garment bags, hanging from hangers under a towel cabinet. Taking one, she ripped off the price tag. 66,000 rubles.

Katja's eyes widened. "This better be the best damn bathrobe ever." She slid it on, tying it at the waist. In fairness, it was extremely soft and comfortable.

Hearing a knock at the door, Katja opened it to find Petrov semi-geared up.

"Hey," he said. "Blue and Adrien haven't come back from their patrol. I'm going to go look for them. You can go back to sleep if you'd like. Alexei is here, and the room as well as the building is secure."

"No, I'll come with you," Katja said. "I can watch your back. I feel well enough."

"You don't have to, Katyusha. You're not even dressed."

Petrov had a point, but she wanted to see Adrien and Blue before resting again. It was an itch that could only be scratched by visually making sure everyone was alive. "I want to go with you. I'll find something to wear. Where did you put my gun?"

Stepping back so Katja could leave the bathroom, Petrov said, "I'll get your Glock. I picked up some magazines for it from some of… of Sokolov's men."

Katja nodded. "Thank you."

They went to the huge resort gift shop first, and Katja found another overpriced look to wear. This time, it was a beige, cashmere sweater. It had a high turtleneck and was clearly made for style rather than warmth or functionality. At least the heat in the hotel was working well. Speaking of, the reason behind the lights, heat, and plumbing still working was one of her top questions.

She matched the sweater with a pair of dark caramel leggings, lamenting that she had no place for her Glock. Not as much as a single pocket! Her combat pants had ten alone by comparison!

Deciding she had to wash her uniform as soon as possible, Katja stepped out of the dressing room.

She vaguely heard Petrov draw in a breath, then say, "You look gorgeous."

"Huh?" Katja asked blankly, then realized he meant the outfit. "Oh. Thank you. I think I look like I'm about to go complain about my artisanal latte to management, but thanks."

They walked together towards the lobby, and Katja could already feel her legs shaking. Maybe she should have gone back to bed. She was weakening.

But she had to cover Petrov, because they still hadn't found Adrien and Blue. What if they were in trouble?

A burst of human laughter came from an area marked 'pool room'.

Katja and Petrov looked at one another, and then she nodded at him to take point.

They entered the pool area, and the humidity immediately hit Katja. She did not see anyone in the pool, but–

To her incredulity, in one of the bubbling hot tubs lounged Blue and Adrien.

Adrien was howling with laughter over… something, and Blue, having his back to her, seemed to be maskless. They were both holding liquor bottles.

Adrien saw Katja and brightened, leaning over the edge of the tub. "Kat! Kat! Hiiiiiiii Kat! You're sure dressed, um, fancy. We're playing Rock, Paper, Scissors."

Petrov looked over at Adrien disbelievingly, and Katja motioned for him to put his gun away. Blue seemed to be scrambling to put his mask back on but was fumbling with it. Clearly, he was a bit impaired.

As Katja neared, Adrien amended, "Well, we were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. But somebody got too mad about the idea of paper being able to beat rock. So, we switched it to Water, Lava, Cow."

"Water, Lava, Cow," Katja repeated as Petrov came to stand at her side.

"Yeah. See, water cools lava, lava melts cow, cow drinks water."

"Why a cow?" Katja asked.

"Blue likes cows," Adrien shrugged and pointed at the alien, who nodded enthusiastically.

"Sei-i," he slurred.

She had to still be dreaming. "I see. You taught him that game?" Katja asked.

"And poker, which he is way too good at now."

Stepping up to the hot tub, Katja took away Adrien's drink. She noticed that aside from his jacket and overshirt, he had his clothes on, marinating in his plain white t-shirt and camo pants.

Same situation for Blue, but he was practically naked even when clothed.

"Are you fully dressed?" she asked them. It was a dumb question when she could see the answer very clearly; but she hoped it would lead to an explanation of whatever was happening here.

"It is minus thirty degrees out with an extreme windchill. And that's Fahrenheit, mind you. Also, another bad storm is coming in. We just did a patrol mixed with hit-and-run tactics to keep the queen from expansion in that shitty weather. So yes, we came back, raided the bar, and got in a hot tub to warm up," Adrien answered, looking her up and down. A little too closely.

"C'ntlip," Blue added, tipping his bottle. The word sounded like 'catnip' to Katja, but she also swore his (growly) speech was slurred, so perhaps he said it wrong. Whatever 'it' meant.

"Anyway, what brings you out of bed? You still have another day's course. Unless you came to join us?" Adrien asked as he shifted over to make room. Blue did the same.

"How drunk are you?" Katja asked. She wasn't sure if she was angry or amused, but she certainly wasn't going to rip into him after all he'd done for her. In a situation as high-stress as this, some respite was both understandable and important.

"A lot less than you'd think, honestly. We agreed to a certain limit just in case it got real again," Adrien explained.

"And since when are you two on good terms?" Katja followed up, looking between the American and the alien.

"Since you got sick, and we all had to come together," Adrien answered, sounding truly sober and serious about what he'd said.

"I heard, and I really appreciate what you did for me," she answered. Stretching uncomfortably over the tub rim, she planted a kiss on Adrien's cheek. It wasn't worth anything, but she felt the need to express her gratitude somehow.

"Hm, you owe me about a thousand more of those before we are even, Kitty-Kat," Adrien winked and grinned widely before playfully chucking her under the chin.

His coordination convinced her he was probably only tipsy. It was a relief to know he was telling the truth about limiting himself and wasn't completely plastered.

Weirdly, despite what she was told about marines from her brother, Adrien seemed unusually… responsible.

"How about a ride home instead?" Katja offered.

"If we live that long, you've got yourself a deal," Adrien agreed.

This was the first time Vai'dqouulth had detected any sexual interest from Adrien towards a female – and it had been so subtle, he'd almost missed it; though perhaps his slightly intoxicated state was to blame for that.

The alcohol on Earth was more or less flavored water to him; but Adrien claimed to have picked something strong, just for him. It took a few bottles, but he was finally there, though they agreed to be restrained in case of surprise attacks. He was acting like a fool, but he did feel more relaxed now.

After another disgusting display of mouth presses that he disliked so much, Katja turned her attention to him. "Blue, I want to thank you for helping me, too."

Vai'dqouulth dipped his head politely.

"Will you come here, please?" she requested.

Even if he weren't slightly drunk, he would've probably done just about anything she asked. Going to her was both simple and something he wanted to do.

He leaned in from over the edge of the pool. "Can you take this off for me?" she asked, tapping his mask. "I want to thank you properly."

No, even drunk, he did not want to do that.

"C'mon, Blue, nothing she hasn't seen, right?" Adrien encouraged, seeming to pick up on his hesitation.

"Actually, I've never seen his face," Katja corrected.

Despite his foggy senses, Vai'dqouulth could see Adrien connect the dots and try to salvage the situation for him.

"Oh, then maybe that isn't such a good idea. At least until you have a few bottles yourself."

Vai'dqouulth would be insulted, but the male seemed to be trying to help spare him of this humiliation and a hit to his pride.

"Please?" Katja asked of him humbly.

Damn her.

He could exaggerate and say the air mix of earth was toxic to him. Lacking a particular element. Partially true, but he could survive up to seven earth rotations without his mask. Still, he wanted to please her. Reaching up, he undid the first hose on his mask. Petrov and Katja watched with rapt fascination, Adrien just seemed like he wanted to be somewhere else while this happened.

Vai'dqouulth undid the second hose and brought his hands up as slowly as possible to delay the inevitable. Sluggishly, he peeled the mask down for all present to see. He distinctly heard Petrov gasp, but Katja didn't seem to react at all – though without his mask to see in color, it was hard to tell.

"Yes, yes, he's revolting; but you don't have to stare at him like he's a zoo animal," Adrien tried to help by insulting him.

Vai'dqouulth wanted to retaliate, but that might just make things worse. He had never felt this humiliated, not since making a mistake during his Chiva training.

"He's not ugly," Katja stated. Vai'dqouulth perked up slightly. "I wouldn't say he fits the definition of handsome, either," she continued, and his hopes dipped. Where was she going with this? Did she consider him a monster?

"He looks… lethal," she finally finished.

He didn't often get complaints on his appearance, since it was generally considered irrelevant; but hers was by far the best one he had ever received. He stifled a purr, since other males were present, and it might raise suspicion. Instead, he gave her a happy trill of thankfulness.

"I hope that was a positive noise," Katja giggled, crunching her spotted nose. He nodded, satisfied she found the sound pleasing enough.

"Now, can you lower your head so I can pay you the same respects as Adrien?" the female requested, handing her firearm to the lesser drone.

"For real?" Adrien asked. She just seemed to ignore him.

Vai'dqouulth did not want to partake in this particular ritual. It reminded him too much of a hard meat inner mouth attacking, and just seemed unpleasant in general. Regardless, she had been respectful to him, and he would submit to this.

His eyes were level with her torso area as she leaned into his crest. He felt a very slight, feathery, and warm brush against his forehead, and just like that, it was over. It had not been nearly as bad as he had imagined; in fact, it had felt pleasant.

Lightning quick, he wrapped a hand around her throat and pulled her closer for inspection. This panicked Petrov, to which he paid no mind.

"Cool it," Adrien told the man. It seemed Adrien trusted that he would cause no harm to Katja.

Mindful of the claws, Vai'dqouulth brought a finger forward to touch the raised, plush skin around her mouth. What exactly was this ritual called, and what did it do? It seemed to have no long-term effect on the males of her species, other than inducing varying levels of pleasure – but would it harm him unintentionally? A poisonous secretion coating, perhaps.

"It's called a kiss. It's how humans show affection to one another," Adrien stated, as if reading his mind. "It's not like she infected you with something."

"Kizzz?" Vai'dqouulth tried his best pronunciation of the English word. It sounded awful, even to him.

"Woah, you can speak?" Petrov asked in shock.

"They can," Adrien confirmed. It came as no surprise the veteran knew the Yautja could speak Earth languages.

"I'm guessing you can't, though, or you wouldn't be writing us notes," Adrien deduced. Vai'dqouulth nodded to confirm the statement.

Releasing Katja, he put a hand on her shoulder to acknowledge her affections, more than satisfied to receive them now.

Adrien snatched his bottle back from Katja and took a small sip. "A kiss can be between two humans attracted to one another, or it can be used to show a more general, platonic affection. Like I may give my daughter a kiss, for example," the man explained.

Interesting. Vai'dqouulth passingly wondered which version Katja had given him.

"Does your kind show any external affection?" Adrien asked.

Vai'dqouulth gave a grunt in confirmation, though truthfully it wasn't very common. Such things were usually reserved for life pairings, rather than those who just did their duty to expand the clan.

"Well, c'mon, show us. I feel like we've been teaching you plenty of human etiquette and culture. You can even demonstrate on Katja," Adrien motioned.

"Wait, what?" Katja requested clarification. "Why me?"

"You're the only girl present, duh." Adrien answered.

"Pierce, I don't think that's a good idea," Petrov began. "She's still sick."

"Nah, it'll be fine. We've subjected him to humiliation. It's his turn now," Adrien waved off. Vai'dqouulth really didn't see how this wouldn't be equally humiliating for him too, but decided to go along with it. These gestures weren't generally used publicly for that very reason – but the humans wouldn't know any different.

Getting out of the therapeutic pool, Vai'dqouulth straightened himself and tottered over to a nearby chair. He really was more drunk than he previously thought if his coordination just walking was this difficult. Sitting, so he could be somewhat level with Katja, he motioned her over.

Petrov leaned close to her and asked something quietly, to which she nodded, briefly touching the side of his face. Then, she came to Vai'dqouulth hesitantly.

"Is this going to hurt?" she asked with uncertainty. Obviously, she assumed this would involve his tusks in some way – which it could. But since she didn't have a pair, he'd not engage in those.

"Just our dignity," Vai'dqouulth answered in his language before shaking his head at her. For a moment, they both just waited there, staring at each other.

"Well? We're waiting," Adrien urged.

This first one was simple; he grabbed her nape and brought it forward so her forehead and his crest were touching. He rubbed his head against her, but he had to be careful of the spikes on his head. Her skin was much softer than his, and he didn't want to accidentally tear it.

"Forehead touching. Humans do that. Means the same thing. What else you got?" Adrien broke in, sounding bored.

Vai'dqouulth pulled away. Interesting. Yautja and humans shared a lot more mannerisms than he would've ever guessed. He supposed he could demonstrate a more grand gesture next.

She didn't exactly have the same neck clearance as one of his kind, but he could work around that. He had to spread mandibles wide, which seemed to intimidate everyone present, though they didn't voice it. The scent of fear was the social cue.

Leaning in, he got right into her neck and caught her throat between the teeth of his mouth. As always, she smelled wonderful. Very sweet, though he could detect a bit of nervousness too, likely because with one simple jerk, he could tear her throat out.

Neck nuzzling and throat holding was often done between those paired for life. It was the ultimate expression of trust as the neck was such a vulnerable spot for attacks. In his impaired state, he did a second part of the act he really shouldn't have.

"Woah!" Katja jumped back.

"What?" Adrien asked.

Petrov just looked furious.

"Did you just lick me?" Katja demanded, sounding startled rather than angry. Vai'dqouulth shrugged and nodded nonchalantly, playing it off as part of the demonstration. But he was slightly panicked on the inside. He should not have done that.

"Eww," Adrien laughed, "Was it like sandpaper?"

"It was… different." Katja shifted, looking uncomfortable; or at least what he could see suggested that. He realized she suspected the 'demonstration' hadn't been all that innocent. Did the others know?

He may never drink again after this.

"He's the world's biggest, scaliest puppy. Where do you even keep a tongue in that mouth?" Adrien chuckled.

"Ok, that's enough. She needs to rest," Petrov cut in. He clearly suspected something.

"Killjoy. Alright, well, it's good to see you doing better, Katja," Adrien said.

Vai'dqouulth quickly wrote on his notepad, 'Apologies' and handed it to her. It was the first time he had ever apologized for anything rather than reclaiming honor with the wronged party. But, she couldn't really challenge him, and he wanted her to know his regret.

"It's alright. I just wasn't expecting it," Katja said. Always so forgiving. He'd have to do much more if he had offended a Yautja female. He gave her a headbutt and cheek to cheek rub, his final 'demonstration'. It nearly knocked her off her feet, but she just laughed it off.

"See ya upstairs," Adrien waved as they left. He settled back into the hot water, and Vai'dqouulth joined him after securing his mask. Adrien was watching Katja leave, but by his eye trajectory, he was looking at her hips and hindquarters. Vai'dqouulth made the mistake of looking, too.

"Damn, she is lethal in those leggings," Adrien muttered.

To Vai'dqouulth's knowledge, she was lethal in several ways; but he understood the sentiment and wholeheartedly concurred.

"Umm, I think we're over our established intoxication levels," Adrien rubbed his eyes.

Vai'dqouulth agreed. There would be no way most of what just happened he would normally allow sober.

Well, maybe he'd allow those things with Katja. But privately.

And now that his more efficient system was cleaning out the alcohol, he was regretting acting like a fool. He needed to act like the elite warrior he was.

Still, it hadn't all been an unpleasant experience.

That reminded him. He was concerned about pheromones attracting hard meats. He needed to ask a question.

After writing it out, he held out to Adrien.

" 'When does Katja go into season?' " he read aloud. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What the hell does that mean?"

'Mating season', Vai'dqouulth clarified. He watched as Adrien broke into laughter.

"You don't know the reproductive habits of your prey? What kind of hunter are you?" Adrien said between gulps of air. Vai'dqouulth growled with annoyance. He didn't have to be insulting about it. He hadn't hunted humans in some time, after all, and couldn't remember his studies. Not to mention he had many other species' details to remember as well.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. But man, even human hunters know the habits of the animals they hunt." Adrien calmed down. "Humans don't have a 'season'. With some exceptions, we are good to go year-round. Why do you ask?" he finished.

Vai'dqouulth grumbled. Some species had all the luck. No wonder there were so many humans for being such a young species. Still, he wrote out his explanation.

'Concerned about hard meats hunting by strong pheromone output.'

"Oh. Yeah, I asked her something… related, for the same reason. She got pissed at me. Typical, am I right?" Adrien rolled his eyes. "Anyway, shouldn't be a problem if it hasn't been so far. At least for now."

Vai'dqouulth wanted to question that further but decided to let it go. "Look on the bright side, she gave you a kiss. Something to be proud of, right?" Adrien reasoned.

He should be proud of a kiss? Well, then he'd just have to earn more…

Adrien had excused himself to go make coffee to sober up. But he really didn't need to. He had been acting the whole time. Amazing what alien hunters would let you get away with when acting the part of the fool. While making the cup, he turned on some music.

On a dark desert highway

Cool wind in my hair

Warm smell of colitas

Rising up through the air

Up ahead in the distance

I saw a shimmering light

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim

I had to stop for the night

Even though Katja's appearance had been unexpected, he'd set up that impromptu demonstration to see if his assumption was correct. Which it was. Even Petrov had seen it, if his expression during Blue's 'demonstration' was anything to go by.

Blue had a thing for Katja. Though Adrien truly believed the 'season' question had been innocent and genuine. He listened to his music while trying to piece this phenomenon together.

There she stood in the doorway

I heard the mission bell

And I was thinking to myself

"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell"

Then she lit up a candle

And she showed me the way

There were voices down the corridor

I thought I heard them say

Back to the matter at hand. For whatever strange reason, Blue was into Katja. The 'why' was irrelevant, because it worked in their favor.

Maybe.

He knew now the big guy had not originally been after any humans, but he refused to say what he wanted of them until Katja was present; so exactly when his little crush on her had started was a mystery.

Unfortunately, it was also no longer a laughing matter, either. At the end of this, the alien would kill them. Adrien even thought that perhaps he wouldn't want to; but he may be simply duty bound to.

Still, he was hoping to make the ever-oblivious Katja aware of the fact and maybe she could talk him out of it, or leverage it so that he could talk his bosses out of it.

Taking a sip of the coffee from the lobby's hipster café, Adrien considered the uncomfortable conversation he was going to have with her. He thought for sure his first speech of 'the talk' would be with his daughter.