Author #1 here! Do you have a favorite character yet? Please let us know in the comments! P.S., you might want to double check that you read the last chapter. Fanfiction seems to have had some issues last week...

Chapter 10

Are we there yet?

Adrien couldn't believe his good luck. The exit plan was all going to work out perfectly now. He and his men would even complete the mission, girl and necks intact.

He was feeling ecstatic enough that he was even willing to give her men a free ride to safety with them.

Sure, maybe it was a bit twisted of him to have started inwardly rejoicing at the gory remnants of the base. But the civilians had gotten out, and he was gonna live, so he couldn't feel too badly.

He just had to be patient, and let the Russians finish their search. Then they could all move on to the abandoned town where his men were, wait out the night, and call his evac in the morning.

Yes, things were definitely looking more positive for Adrien and his team than they were a few minutes ago.

"So, Zaitsev, my metric man," Adrien said as he lazily picked through a duffel bag. "I am not finding anything good here."

That's when he noticed a light snow was settling in, creating a sort of 'fog of war' across the area.

"Neither am I. Maybe we should go in that direction," Zaitsev suggested, indicating a spot further from the getaway vehicle.

Though Adrien would have liked to keep the BTR in sight, he decided it was best to concede. Zaitsev's crooked nose didn't need to get even more bent out of shape. "Whatever you say, comrade."

He wished he could explain that they didn't really need anything, because they only had one more night in this place. But that could lead to more problems than it solved; Adrien had a feeling it was better to discuss it after they were somewhere secure. A 'pick your battles' scenario.

He just wished they'd hurry. Dusk was already descending upon the area, and now the snow, no matter how light, was going to add to that complication.

As they crossed the edge of the base, Adrien and Zaitsev passed by a huge, armored truck. Adrien noticed Petrov was standing beside it, and–

Oh, this was too good.

Katja was hanging over the back of the vehicle, ass in the air, struggling to get inside the thing to no avail. God, what he wouldn't give to go over, reach up, steal one of her boots right off her foot, and run away with it.

Unfortunately, her boy toy Petrov probably wouldn't allow it. Not to mention they may have been in slightly too precarious of a situation for pranks.

Adrien settled for taunting her. Predictably, she told him off, and Zaitsev dragged him away by a vest strap before Katja could climb down and treat him to another slug to the face.

"You trying to make her hate you?" Zaitsev asked in disbelief when they were in the next area, amid what looked to have once been a checkpoint and guard post. "She's the only one bothering to keep you alive."

"Whatever doesn't kill you gives you an unhealthy set of coping mechanisms, and a dark sense of humor," Adrien shrugged.

"What does that even mean?" Zaitsev asked.

"It means that the last several hours have been really stressful, and I needed a laugh at her expense." Delivering a kick to a half-dissolved gun on the ground, Adrien asked, "So what's her deal, anyway?" If he couldn't get her men to turn against her, maybe he could at least learn a bit more about her. He had a feeling that despite having no other way out of Siberia, she still wasn't just going to hop on a submarine for the United States without an argument. He needed leverage, just in case.

"I don't understand," said Zaitsev. " 'Deal'?"

"You know," said Adrien, "Katja? Her 'mother hen' act? She seems personally attached to you guys. It's pretty unusual for a military officer, don't you think?"

Zaitsev went silent, examining the inside of the guard post. At last, he said, "She doesn't really have any family left, anymore. At least, none worth mentioning. Her unit is her family."

Not much, but a bit of insight into her personal life. Could be useful. Well, it was a sucky day to be Katja, in any case. If the state of the base was any indication, her 'family' only had three men left – four, if Alexei counted. "Dangerous way to think, for someone who might have to send you out to die someday," said Adrien.

"Or, it might make her not want to waste our lives," Zaitsev pointed out, somewhat heatedly. "Maybe it doesn't mean anything to you, but it does to my wife and kids."

Adrien began to reply, when suddenly they heard shouting in Russian. Zaitsev strained to see over a flipped vehicle, but it was blocking the source of the sound.

"What's going on?" Adrien asked, immediately shifting back into combat readiness.

"I think it was Petrov. He said we've been spotted and to go for the BTR," said Zaitsev, going pale.

"Right."

They bolted in the direction of the vehicle, Adrien not even glancing behind him. Even slowing slightly could be fatal.

To his side, he saw Zaitsev stumble and fall over some loose tank shells. Adrien briefly hesitated, debating whether to assist him or keep running. It would be easier to extract Katja with fewer of her men.

"American, help!" Zaitsev begged. Behind him, spiders were scuttling quickly over wreckage in his direction.

"Not my problem," Adrien thought.

But… the river. He remembered Zaitsev with his gun, steadily picking the things off his own back.

"Son of a–" Growling, wondering exactly what had happened to his self-preservation instincts, Adrien turned and opened fire, and the spiders scattered. Zaitsev quickly clambered to his feet and rushed forward, and once he was going, Adrien began to run again.

He knew the gunfire would have immediately alerted the nearby serpents. The only thing left to find out now was if they could all make it to the carrier before they were swarmed.

As she and Petrov hustled for the BTR, Katja suddenly heard cracks of gunfire. "No!" she thought frantically, "you'll give away our position!"

She hoped there was a good reason for it, because there would be consequences. Large, slimy, acidic consequences that moved very fast.

It was bad enough that there was currently one after her and Petrov – at least, according to what he'd said before he'd grabbed her and they'd ran. Now there would be multiple contacts.

Ahead of her, she saw Preobrazhensky appear from behind a partially collapsed tent, hauling Alexei over to the armored vehicle. Opening one of the doors, Preobrazhensky shoved the kid inside, then turned to Katja and Petrov. "Come on!" he screamed.

"Keys, find the keys!" she yelled back, sprinting as quickly as she dared over the ruined and uneven landscape.

Preobrazhensky jumped into the driver's seat and began to search.

Where were Zaitsev and Adrien? They couldn't have gotten too far, but–

What if they had encountered something? It would explain the gunfire. She was going to have to go back for them if they didn't show up soon.

An unhinged string of particularly foul English curses became audible, and Katja almost smiled. Yep, there they were.

By then, she and Petrov had arrived at the BTR. Katja motioned for Petrov to get in, her anxious gaze still turned to watch Zaitsev and the American approach the rest of the group. She trained her rifle behind them, ready to cover their approach if necessary. Noticing some spiders on their tail, she opened fire.

"WE… ARE… LEAVING!" Adrien shouted, hurtling over some debris as he arrived. Zaitsev was a beat behind him, but climbed on the vehicle first. Adrien followed, slinging lead as he retreated into the vehicle.

"Get in here, already," Adrien bellowed at Katja, and he and Zaitsev each reached down and grabbed one of her arms before hauling her in after them.

With everyone inside and the rear deployment hatch closed, Katja noticed Preobrazhensky up front, holding out the keys. She quickly gave the order. "Zaitsev, you're the only one trained on these. You drive."

"Oh no, this baby is mine," Adrien said eagerly, snatching the keys away from Preobrazhensky as he approached the wheel. However, after a second, he turned to Zaitsev. "On second thought, you drive," Adrien muttered.

Katja smirked vengefully. He couldn't read the Russian controls.

Zaitsev got into the driver's seat and started it up before flooring it out of the danger zone, tires digging into the icy mud. Nobody was properly secured, so they all went tumbling to the bottom of the vehicle in a heap of arms and legs. After a moment spent untangling, they were all able to stabilize themselves.

The thumps and thuds above, however, reminded Katja they weren't out of danger yet. Stragglers had latched on and were trying to get inside with them.

Adrien's eyes met hers. "We have to get rid of them," he said in a low tone.

"I know," said Katja with a quick nod, and inhaled. Preobrazhensky didn't have his sniper rifle, and he was better at longer range shots anyway. "I'll go."

Grasping her elbow, Adrien said, "You sure about that?" He didn't seem thrilled by the idea; but then again, neither was she.

Zaitsev somehow managed to find the erstwhile pothole in the road, and everyone bounced in the air before again recovering.

"I was the top marksman in my basic training group," she told him truthfully. It wasn't really a natural or instinctual ability. She just trained ceaselessly on the range. Maybe she couldn't match most of the physical things her men could do, but she made it a point to excel in what she was capable of doing.

"Fun," said Adrien, releasing her, and she reached for the roof hatch. She thought she heard a worried Petrov call out to her, but she ignored him. She had to stay focused.

Partially opening the hatch, Katja carefully peeked outside the vehicle. From her vantage point, she saw that three serpent drones were clawing and biting at various parts of the BTR, attempting to slow or stop it.

Katja then climbed fully onto the roof, AK-105 in hand as she crawled on her stomach and approached the serpents. The wind whipped her braid around, and she tucked it into her collar.

She was aware that the real trick to these shots would be killing the monsters without getting acid all over the vehicle.

The creatures were so preoccupied, and the BTR so noisy, that they took no notice as she crept to an ideal angle and fired. She picked off the first one easily, even avoiding acid damage to the truck. The creature tumbled down the road behind them, but the gunfire had alerted the others.

She readied herself for the next shot, wind stinging her eyes enough to make them water. The next target would be much more difficult.

Another serpent was rapidly crawling toward Katja from the side of the BTR, the setting sun reflecting on its glossy body. She steadied her breathing, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit directly, jolting the serpent into a fall; but before she could recalibrate her aim, the third alien pounced, turning her over and pinning her to the roof.

Its strength was overwhelming; she couldn't even flinch as its mouth opened with a hiss. Drool spilled from the creature's teeth, hitting her cheek.

Not wanting to die with her eyes closed, Katja stared at it head-on, waiting breathlessly for the end. Maybe, at least, the others would still get away.

The mouths, lowering closer, were suddenly jerked away as a hook forcibly latched into the side of its face. Katja was only able to process what was happening for a second before the serpent was ripped by its mouth off the vehicle, flying onto the road to join its friends.

She looked over to Adrien, who was crouched on the roof nearby, and her rescue became clear. He had grabbed one of the tow hooks and chains off the BTR, and hooked it into the alien's mouth before pushing the slack off the vehicle. She suspected the other hook end had caught on something on the ground; maybe a tree.

"He was a little too hooked on you," Adrien grinned. She grumbled, and was about to tell him to shut up, but his smile suddenly dropped.

Turning, she saw what he saw. Another serpent was chasing their vehicle, but it was much bigger; at least 3 meters tall, and it could move. Fast. As in, catching-up-with-a-BTR-going-90-kilometers-per-hour fast. The most distinctive part about it, however, was the 'headdress' it sported; it almost looked like a triceratops skull.

"Must go faster! Tell Zaitsev!" Adrien said as he loaded his grenade launcher.

Katja dropped down through the hatch as Adrien prepared to shoot.

Adrien had no idea what this thing was. No debrief had described what he was seeing. The closest thing he could think of was the queen itself, with that crazy head-crest, but there would be no reason for her to come out of her nest. No, this was something else.

With the launcher loaded, Adrien fired a direct hit at the thing. It slowed, but immediately shrugged it off and kept coming. Adrien reloaded and fired again. Same result. 40mm high explosive grenades were just pissing it off; but it was all he had at the moment.

He reloaded yet again and fired. The shrapnel wounds were numerous now, giving the monster a bloody-green 'spot' pattern. Ha, ha, See Spot Run.

It hiss-roared and bashed the side of the BTR with its head, jostling Adrien – and if he had to guess, everyone inside. He himself almost went careening off the roof of the vehicle.

Once more, Adrien reloaded and fired, hitting it square in its crown. This time, it slowed; but not without a protesting hiss-roar. He suspected this thing generally didn't come out from whatever depths of hell it had been hiding in, and the only reason it was backing off now was because it was 'out of range'. But, of what?

Adrien didn't know. But screw whatever that thing was.

After sealing wounds with regenerative biofoam from his medicomp, Vai'dqouulth leaned back in his tree to recover when he once again heard human weapons firing. Yautja tended to heal very quickly, but he was still in no condition to follow. However, it was fortunate to know which direction they were headed.

It wasn't a moment later he heard an engine of some sort. Not ideal, but he could still track them down. Vai'dqouulth went back to fiddling with his wrist computer, and that was when he heard an explosion.

What the hell were they up to now? Now he wanted to find them just to see what new trouble they were causing. Not to mention it wouldn't be good if the small male – or, more specifically, his computer – was destroyed. That would likely mean the end of his opportunity to save the planet.

More explosions now; and he knew which of them had caused that sound: the one that had spotted him cloaked, twice now. He was beginning to suspect that particular human's canny actions were a result of another hunter not finishing off his kill properly, and that likely meant that human had encountered and defeated a Yautja before. No small feat, if true.

The explosions finally stopped, and he could hear the engine still running. He leaned back once more. No need to go after them for the moment. Getting to peak condition would be a much wiser move. After all, the virtue of a good hunter was patience.

Forcing himself to rest, Vai'dqouulth was just about to nod off when he felt something on his exposed arm. Flipping back to the trichromatic spectrum, he found it was snowing.

He hailed from a hot and humid climate, so he found the cold to be unpleasant in the first place. Snow just added to his misery.

Grumbling and growling to himself, Vai'dqouulth repositioned under a tree branch with needled foliage that lasted in the harsh climate. At least it would provide some protection, and the thermal netting would keep him warm.

Still, this planet was purgatory.

After telling Zaitsev to speed up, Katja went for the roof hatch again to see if Adrien needed help. But before she could, the American hopped down inside the truck, putting his gun off to the side.

"You killed it?" she asked.

"No. I'm not even sure I really hurt it, honestly," he said with a shake of his head. "It just… ran off, for some reason. But we're clear."

She found it hard to believe it would've just given up, but maybe there was another factor at play. Regardless, trustworthy or not, she knew Adrien didn't want to get killed by those things any more than she did; so if he said it was gone, she believed him. "What was it? It didn't look like the others."

Throwing his arms in the air, Adrien said, "No idea. I have no idea what in the Chernobyl-fuck that thing was. Ask geeksquad over there."

From his seat on the bench that lined the inside of the truck, Alexei protested, "Hey!"

Actually, Katja reflected, questioning Alexei wasn't a bad idea. But their first objective should be getting out of the hot spot. This time, she actually believed Adrien when he said he didn't know. The frustrated tone was a major tip-off. That, and the creative word usage.

"Adrien, go up to Zaitsev and give him directions to this abandoned town of yours," she instructed, wiping leftover alien saliva off her cheek. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be acidic. It was still disgusting, however. "Everybody else okay?"

Her men were staring at her in astonishment.

"We're fine," said Preobrazhensky. "You were the one hanging off a moving vehicle with those creatures surrounding you."

"Fast and Furious," Alexei mumbled.

Still feeling the adrenaline, Katja heard herself joking, almost hysterically, " 'Creature?' Come on, don't be mean. Adrien's a jerk, but I wouldn't go as far as 'creature'." Her eyes were still watering from the wind, and she used her sleeve to wipe at them, feeling slightly dazed by her second close call of the day.

Shaking his head, Preobrazhensky sat on the bench and said, "You're as crazy as the American, you know that?"

"You sure you're alright?" asked Petrov, taking a step closer. "None of that acid got on you?"

Now moving past her giddiness, Katja steadied herself with a few short inhales. "I'm perfectly fine."

He leaned forward, so only she could hear him. "Just so you know," he whispered, "you took about five years off of my life just now. Maybe even gave me some grey hairs. Don't do that again. Ma'am. Please."

"I'm just happy it wasn't all of your years," she whispered back. "We got really lucky. They seemed more interested in defending the nest than attacking us."

With her flight or fight defense spent, Katja suddenly felt exhausted, and slumped back onto the bench with a groan. Hopefully, they'd reach Adrien's town soon.

"This is it. The apartment complex," Adrien told Zaitsev, who braked and put the BTR in park several yards from the building's entrance.

"Good," said the man, "because we are pretty much out of diesel. Don't think we'll be going anywhere else in this thing without a fill-up." Pocketing the keys, Zaitsev looked back at Katja. "Ma'am, the American says we've arrived."

"I heard him. Thank you, Zaitsev," she said, and signaled her men to exit the vehicle with weapons ready. Clean dispersal; and Adrien noted how proud she seemed to see it.

By the time Adrien hopped out of the passenger's seat, he found the Russians all waiting on him.

"Lead the way," said Katja pointedly. "I don't know which room they're using."

Rubbing his shoulder, where he'd strained it from throwing the hook, Adrien replied, "Penthouse suite. Top floor."

Looking up at the crumbling building with a scoff, Katja said, "Of course that's what you picked."

"Do you have to sarcastically comment on every decision I make? Anyway, we chose it because it was the largest. It has multiple bedrooms, and the stairway is really narrow. The serpents would have a tough time swarming us up there. It'd be like shooting fish in a barrel. Like, literally."

"I can't tell if you're a poet or a realtor," she said smarmily, waving her men forward. "It's just so… impressive."

Rumbling deep in his throat, Adrien followed. She was. So. Difficult.

They entered the building, and right away Adrien noticed something new. There was a low hum in the background, the sound of – a generator? None of the lights were on, but maybe Scarecrow and Hornet were conserving power and only using energy in the penthouse.

The weary, battered group trudged up the stairs, single file. When they arrived at the top, Adrien said, "Better let me handle this part," and squeezed down the hallway past the others.

Lifting his hand, he knocked on the door of the penthouse.

He heard the sound of safeties clicking off guns, and then someone within the room ordered, "Identify." It sounded like Hornet.

Groaning softly, wishing he'd just let them in already so he could crash on the bed, Adrien said, "Daddy's home, boys. Open up."

There was some muffled discussion between Scarecrow and Hornet; then the door swung open for them. A blast of heat hit Adrien, much more powerful than an installed furnace would do, making him realize his men must have found a portable heater.

"The hell, Cap. Why'd you bring the whole Russian army with you?" Scarecrow demanded, eyeing Adrien's companions with uncertainty.

"Said I was going to, didn't I?"

"Hello," said Katja, extending a hand to him politely. Braid disheveled and coming undone, uniform rumpled and stained with mud, face dirty, she still was carrying herself like the frickin' Queen of England. What kind of snobby boarding school did she graduate from, anyway? It peeved Adrien, though he didn't understand why. "I'm Captain Mikhailov. We are in need of shelter for the evening. May we come in?"

"Um, sure. I'm David; you can call me Scarecrow." Scarecrow shook her hand, obviously bemused at her adherence to manners in their situation, then seemed to make the connection that this was their VIP. "Pierce, you found–"

"Yes, I find woman!" Adrien said quickly in a stilted caveman impression, thumping his chest with a fist to add to the show. "Strong woman, good hunter."

The stupid routine worked. It was amazing what people let you get away with when you played the fool. Katja glanced at him with utter disdain, clearly believing he was ridiculous, and Scarecrow stepped aside and ushered them all inside the apartment.

As Adrien passed by Scarecrow, he shot him a warning glance. "Don't say anything more about it."

Hornet, eager as a puppy to meet the others, bounded up and started introducing himself. When he got to Katja, he looked her up and down in amazement.

"Holy crap, Captain, you brought us back a real-life Black Widow! She's got the red hair and everything!" Fascinated, he circled her a couple of times. "Do you know any self-defense stuff? Would you come to my little cousin's birthday party?"

Sensing Katja was quickly becoming uncomfortable – though Hornet meant no harm – Adrien said, "Hornet, she's a captain in the Russian army, not a sideshow circus act. Cut it out and let her be."

Besides, if anyone got dibs on birthday party appearances, it was him for his daughter.

Hornet's demeanor suddenly took a hard turn as he continued to ogle Katja.

"Soooo… how you doin'?" he asked her with a seductive smile. Godsakes, he was going to try and score with the mark. Callsign should be shortened to horny. Or just changed to that.

"Tired, sore, sweaty, dirty, and probably odoriferous. Yourself?" Katja asked flatly.

"Yeah? How dirty?" Hornet questioned, undeterred.

"That's enough," Adrien instructed sharply. Hornet looked like he was about to protest, but realized that was a standing order from his commander.

Adrien began to remove his gear and stacked it by the entryway. They'd cranked up the heat so high in this apartment, he was quickly beginning to roast inside of the extra layers. "What's been going on here? How's Viper?"

Hornet held his hand flat and wobbled it back and forth in a "so-so" gesture. "He's in the bedroom back there. Nothing much has changed. He hasn't gotten worse, but he's definitely not improving, either. You find a medic for him?"

"Tried to. Unfortunately, this is all that's left of the base," Adrien said, gesturing to the group behind him. He tried not to notice the small flinch Katja gave.

"But," Scarecrow said proudly, "we got the generator working, so we do have power. Water, too. Must be connected to Vizhay's system. It was just shut off. Can you believe it? What's the point of that?"

"So the pipes don't freeze," said Adrien and the Russians in unison.

"Yeah, well, how was I supposed to know that. Polar people," Scarecrow muttered.

Alexei tugged at Katja's uniform and said something to her in Russian. She gave him a quick scolding, but then spoke to Petrov, who started digging in his pack. Withdrawing some MREs, he irritably shoved one over to the scientist.

"Oh, there's no need for that; there's some non-perishables here. I'll cook you something," Scarecrow offered affably, moving over to the stove.

With that, the Russians also began removing their gear. Alexei dropped his vest and pack with a thud and a triumphant – sounding declaration.

"Yes, you are wearing that again. You do realize there's armor in there?" said Katja in English. 'Could be the only thing that stands between you and death. When we go to Adrien's transport, it goes back on."

"Yeah, about that," said Adrien, scratching the back of his head. "We gotta wait for the evac until morning. It'll be way safer. That okay?" Hopefully the snow stopped, too. Helicopters would not currently risk flying in this. No matter how light the flurries.

Katja shrugged, removing her own vest and then her jacket, revealing a basic olive-hued t-shirt underneath. So, Adrien wasn't the only one who thought it was a bit too warm in the apartment. "I suppose. It makes sense. But we should go as soon as it's light out."

Alexei pointed to the bathroom, eagerly asking something.

Frowning, Katja turned to address Scarecrow. "You mentioned the water is working?"

"Yes Ma'am, it is," confirmed Scarecrow. "Even the water heater is," he added with a glance at Alexei.

Adrien tensed. Whatever Alexei had asked, it clearly had to do with hot water. The fact that Scarecrow could speak Russian was a card that Adrien didn't want to show yet, but the man was practically announcing it to Detective Mikhailov herself.

But Katja either didn't make the connection or just let it go, and told Alexei firmly, "The others go first, if they want one. Then you can have a shower."

"Yes, please," said Preobrazhensky, pushing Alexei aside and making for the bathroom.

"Six minutes each, guys, so everyone gets hot water," Katja called out, seating herself on the sofa.

Adrien knew he couldn't have his men talking further with Katja before he discussed certain things with them. Trying to appear as though the idea had just occurred to him, Adrien said, "I think I'm gonna do a perimeter check and catch up with the guys before we lock up for the night. You ok to watch Viper over there?" He nodded towards the first bedroom.

Katja's eyes narrowed. "You're offering to do this? Getting a little dark out for patrolling, isn't it? Plus, how do you know one or both of the aliens didn't follow us?" she asked over the sudden, muffled noise of the running water that had started from the shower.

"Jeez, one question at a time. Anyway, that's why I'm doing a perimeter check. To see if we were followed," Adrien reasoned.

Katja glanced at Zaitsev and Petrov. "Fine. When should I start to worry?" she asked, standing and crossing over to the kitchen to take over Scarecrow's cooking.

Adrien considered. "Say, twenty minutes and no check in. I'm not doing the whole town." She nodded, and he left with his men in tow.

Once they reached the lobby, Hornet immediately chimed in. "So, if that's Black Widow, does that make you Captain America?"

"How long have you been holding that one in? And Steve Rogers was in the army, not the marines,' Adrien couldn't help throwing in the correction with his question, glancing over at the lobby computer. No, it wasn't worth checking to see if it had an internet connection. Looked like it was from the 90s, anyway.

"Since she arrived. It's been literally killing me," Hornet grinned.

"I will literally kill you," Adrien shot back exhaustedly.

"What did we miss out there, Captain?" Scarecrow asked, attempting to get the conversation back on track.

Adrien leaned against a row of mail lockers. "Russians got their asses handed to them, same as us. Pure luck that she and her men took shelter in a house farther up the mountain, or I'd be individually checking bodies outside their base for her," he answered, glancing out the cracked glass of the front door. Dark clouds were rolling in from the west. Probably more snow.

"Heard a lot of gunfire out there; safe to assume that was you?" Hornet jumped in next.

"Yeah, I contributed." Adrien nodded. They waited for him to continue, probably in morbid curiosity. "She deviated us to the forest to search for a lost team. We got jumped by spiders at the river, and then when we did find her men, the hunter was waiting for us."

"Damn, how many casualties in total from your party? Err, her party," Hornet followed up, snuggling into his jacket like a turtle withdrawing into its shell. The lobby was not heated.

"One in total," Adrien responded. Both men stopped and looked at him.

"One?" Scarecrow repeated.

"Yes, just the one," Adrien confirmed. Hornet and Scarecrow looked at each other before turning back to him.

"We assumed the group was small because they got decimated on the way here; you mean to tell us that it was just her and a handful of men that survived the night?" Scarecrow asked incredulously.

"Well, the rest of her men were at the base when it got overwhelmed. Sounds like the house she was in was the last one to check in the sector. I've learned she's an overachiever, and probably was competing with herself to finish before returning," Adrien explained.

"And the hunter returned? That doesn't bode well for us." Hornet changed subjects.

"Yeah… he was after that kid. The one with the glasses who looks like he's still a teenager. That mean anything to any of you?" Adrien asked, still confused.

"All of our intel says they go after 'worthy opponents'. Hell, you read the debriefs; they won't attack someone that isn't a confirmed combatant. And who is that kid anyway?" Scarecrow asked. "He really a soldier?"

"We'll… get into that. For now, level with me. Kid trips and rolls down a hill. Hunter goes after him and not us. Why? There's no sport in him," Adrien posed. Maybe it shouldn't matter, and honestly, he didn't care if Alexei lived or died at this point, but…

The Hunter, and its behavior?

That concerned him. Adrien's only advantage was what he knew about the hunters. And now even that small edge was in question.

"He has something the alien wants?" Hornet reasoned.

"Plausible, but what? He didn't have food. Very little water, compared to the rest of us. The rest of his gear is tech crap, and we know they are more advanced than us in that department," Adrien argued, growing more frustrated.

"Maybe it's what's in the tech gear? Evidence of their existence?" Scarecrow pointed out.

"Could be, but it's not like there's internet out here for him to upload a TikTok. Plus, we all have phones. Why would his be special?" Adrien argued again. The lobby was quiet as everyone thought through the puzzle.

"You're sure it was after him? Nobody else?" Scarecrow finally broke in. Adrien was about to say yes, but considered the scenario in his head. It hadn't appeared until Katja was between him and Alexei. Maybe it was after Katja?

"I guess our VIP was down there, and it only revealed itself after she inserted herself," Adrien thought aloud.

"There you go! Simplest answer. He wanted Black Widow at his cousin's birthday party, too," Hornet stated.

"Funny; I'd assume the simplest answer is he wanted her head," Adrien answered darkly.

"Well, this is why I'm the brains of the operation, Cap," Hornet smiled, bouncing on the balls of his feet with pent-up energy. Lucky army idiot, sitting in a heated suite all day.

There was some chuckling, but Adrien continued thinking. Why Katja?

Actually, he'd been asking this question awhile now. What was important enough about her that someone powerful had taken notice and wanted her expatriated from the country?

In fact, everyone around her seemed to desire something or another from her – Hornet notwithstanding. With Zaitsev and Preobrazhensky, it seemed to be a sense of security. Alexei looked to her for protection. Petrov, well… that was obvious. And Adrien's own team needed her to complete the mission. But the Hunter?

"Why her, though?" Adrien pressed. The theory had holes in it. But it was the best theory given so far.

"Jealous she was picked first, Cap?" Hornet joked.

Adrien shook his head. It wasn't like that. Yes, there were men with more physical prowess, including himself. But no, he was not jealous that she was picked to die first.

"You know what I mean," Adrien retorted.

"Cap, you're overthinking it. It wasn't going for the kid, it was going for the girl. It was going for the girl because of how rare it is to come across a female soldier in a combat zone. Notch in his belt to brag to his buddies," said Scarecrow.

"Probably wanted to put her rack on the wall. And I don't mean her head," interjected Hornet mischievously, showing his open hands imitating 'squeezing'.

"Ugh, how do you not have a million restraining orders against you?" Scarecrow asked, sounding disgusted. He then returned his attention to Adrien. "What I am trying to say is, Captain Mikhailov might be a rarity to this thing. End of story," Scarecrow assured.

"Maybe…" Adrien trailed off. He wasn't convinced, and it didn't add up at all. Everything they thought they knew was currently out the door. But, that was a plausible human explanation, to be sure. Guys bragging to other guys about how awesome they were. Adrien could relate to that, being in the military. But other than having two legs and two arms, how many similarities did their species really have?

"Well, should we step outside?" Scarecrow suggested, pushing at the entrance doors. "Pretend we're actually patrolling?" He didn't wait for an answer, but continued out into the early evening chill. The snow had kicked up a bit, too. Hopefully that would keep the hunter from coming around.

Hornet held a hand on the door, but stopped for a brief moment once Scarecrow was out of earshot.

"You know what I think?" he asked eagerly.

"No, and I don't care. You've been less than insightful," Adrien sighed.

"I think we all know how fugly they are under the masks. I'd guess their women are, too. I think he just wanted at least one attractive date. And what better place than Earth? It's our best export. Not to mention the exceptional chest and butt on her. What male could resist? Eh? Eh?" Hornet explained, nudging him in the side with his elbow.

"Get back on pretend patrol," Adrien snickered, pushing him forward. Hornet really would do anything. Sicko. How could he even tell what her figure was like? She was covered in equipment all the time.

When he pointed this out, however, Hornet only grinned and said, "Not true. She's wearing the hell out of that T-shirt right now. Who knew a military top could be so sexy?"

However, the sad thing was that his joke/theory about the hunter wasn't the worst one Adrien had heard so far. Maybe because he was surrounded by morons.

"So, Cap, you were going to tell us about the kid?" Scarecrow prompted once Adrien and Hornet had caught up to him.

"First things first, Scarecrow; I do not want you tipping them off that you understand Russian. Eavesdropping and reporting, no more. Are we clear?" Adrien asked.

"Wait, how come?" questioned Hornet, confused. "I thought they were just coming with us, and boom, mission accomplished. Is there a problem?"

Adrien rubbed his jaw. "Well… Katja – I mean, Captain Mikhailov – might not know she's leaving Russia."

"Wait, what?" Scarecrow asked, startled. "Hold on. You're saying she doesn't know why we're really here?"

"I may have… embellished the truth. Wasn't completely sure she was our girl at first, so I made up some crap about assisting with relief efforts in the area. In the back of my mind, I kept waiting for her to take me aside and tell me she was ready to evacuate with us, but she never did. Even though there were plenty of chances."

"So, this… contact in the old Soviet government, the one who wants her in the United States, he never actually told her she was leaving the country with us?" asked Hornet worriedly.

"That'd be my guess," said Adrien grimly. "And the problem is, I get the sense she's gonna put up a fight about it."

The words of the old man in the satellite call returned to him. "Will you loyally extract Jekaterina, even if she doesn't want you to?" The creepy bastard had known. He knew this would happen, and he still had demanded her extraction.

Adrien wondered if Katja even knew who the old man was. He would ask her on the trip to the United States… if she was still talking to him at that point.

"Then how do we play this?" asked Scarecrow, pulling his boot out of some muck he'd stepped in. "They are armed. And with Viper down, they outnumber us, too."

"I'm hoping we just get them on our transport like we're giving them a ride, drop her men off somewhere populated, and continue on with her."

Hornet glanced uncertainty up at one of the penthouse windows. "And what if that doesn't work? Need me to seduce her? I'll take one for the team, and she can just plain take one. Everyone wins." Though he had ended the question with another terrible crack, Adrien could tell Hornet was anxious about their options.

"Ugh, nasty. You want to scare the girl off? That won't be necessary. No; she has a weakness for her men. Use them as leverage, and she'll come along easily enough. Just be ready to follow my lead on it."

Scarecrow cringed, and Hornet looked solemn.

"Dang. Right after she lost all her guys at the base?" Hornet asked.

Adrien glared at them. "Hey," he said sharply, "we agreed on this already. We do what we have to, remember? You want to get out of here? You want Viper to live?"

The men nodded.

"Then shut up and be ready. Nobody has to get hurt if we do this right."

And a Praetorian makes an appearance - nicknamed Spot as an homage to Grid from AVP