Chapter 13
Expendable Assets
Unsurprisingly, Katja and her men wouldn't even look at him now. Frankly, he hadn't wanted it to come to this; and if he was being honest with himself, he probably wouldn't have left her men here to die despite his blustering. The important thing was that she didn't know that, and it had all worked out. Just not in the way he'd been hoping.
Now, he was outside with his men trying to figure out an easy way to transport Viper. Thankfully, the snow had stopped sometime last night.
Go pick up a girl, Adrien. How hard can that be? Can't be too hard, can it? Shitheels.
"APC is out of diesel, and I'm pretty sure there's not going to be any viable source around here," Scarecrow said. "We don't have the tools to siphon anything from the Russian FOB, either, even if we wanted to try it."
"Well, we can't walk him to the LZ. We'll be sitting ducks," Adrien growled.
"What's the hold up?" Katja asked bitterly, suddenly appearing. "I've got a new house to move into on the other side of the world, if you don't mind."
"Trying to figure out a way to get my man to the LZ without walking. The BTR isn't going anywhere," Adrien said, ignoring both her sarcasm and the fact she spontaneously decided to talk to him again. She nodded and walked over to an abandoned car, no bigger than a Mini Cooper.
Using her rifle, she bashed in the glass on the driver's side door. "Can you hot wire this?" she asked.
Adrien reached his arm through the window frame and unlocked the door. "Does a serpent shit in the woods?" he asked. Her brows furrowed before replying.
"I honestly don't know." She opened the door and started brushing glass chunks off the seat and onto the pavement with her gloved hand. "Do they excrete at all?"
"It's a joke, Katja. And yes, I'd assume they do if they eat," Adrien said as he bent down below the dash and grabbed an assortment of wires. He mentally crossed his fingers that the gas wasn't too old. "Thanks, by the way. This was a good idea, and it'll help Viper survive."
"Oh, go screw yourself. I'd never hold your wounded man – or any of them, actually – hostage from evac, even if you would," Katja hissed.
"I didn't want it to happen this way, truly. I thought you'd want to go when I told you the benefits package," Adrien explained as he began tapping wires together.
"I live in Russia by modest means. It's not very much, but it's where I belong. You should've known better," Katja shot back.
"Fair point. But if it makes you feel better, I doubt you'll be branded as a defector or AWOL. The old man has a lot of pull, I'm sure he'll fix this to your favor. And if you want, you can escape back to Russia once I bring you back and fulfill my end of the deal. I'll even help you find a charter."
"Who is this old man? Did he identify himself? Have you met him?" Katja asked, suddenly changing topics.
"No, and no. He called me on the way here, and called my superiors prior to that. All I know is he was high up in the Soviet government, and I think he still has a lot of pull in the Russian Federation," Adrien answered.
"What did he do in the USSR?" Katja asked.
"No idea; but if I had to guess, he was KGB. They are the only ones left from the former government with any pull in the modern one. Any of that ringing a bell?" Adrien posed, giving her a significant look. He hadn't forgotten what Scarecrow had revealed about her father. By her body language, she was perhaps thinking along the same lines that he was.
But she didn't give him anything.
That was when the car finally started up.
"Still got the touch," Adrien complimented himself.
"You were a complete child deviant, weren't you?" Katja asked.
"We've got a problem; this little clown car will only hold two people, with Viper stretched out in the backseat. Why can't you guys have bigger vehicles, like the US?" Adrien frowned.
"Seems some of us are hoofing it, then," Katja deduced, ignoring the quip.
"Looks that way," Adrien agreed.
"I'm walking, then; and so are you," Katja declared.
"Why?" Adrien asked.
"I want to be sure everyone gets an evac. Us and Viper arriving early just gives you the chance to ditch my men," Katja stated.
"I wouldn't do that, but fine. How about my guys take the car, and I'll stay with you as collateral? Plus, I'm going to be the best option if we're jumped by something, anyway," Adrien said.
"Deal," Katja agreed.
Viper was unconscious again, so it took some effort to get him down to the car, and even more work fitting his huge body into the cramped backseat without aggravating his burns. Katja even had to get her men to assist. When they eventually got him in, Adrien convened with his own men.
"Don't stop for anything. Call evac the moment you arrive. Don't wait for us, and that's a standing order," Adrien' stated.
"You got it, boss," Hornet answered, getting into the passenger seat, clearly thinking it was the driver's side.
"Be safe," Scarecrow said as he set himself behind the steering wheel. Not a moment later, the car took off.
"Shall we?" Katja motioned toward the LZ.
"We've got a chopper to catch…"
Vai'dqouulth felt like he had made a big circle. He was back at the desolate human village. The humans must've come back for the other warriors who were held up in the tall building.
He snorted at the structure. His kind had taught humans how to build, and yet they still insisted on box buildings. Yautja preferred pyramid-shaped structures.
Removing his mask, the hunter began sniffing the air. Biomasks tended to filter everything, making the old ways of tracking difficult. He followed the scents up to the top of the building. He was starting to think this was a communal residential dwelling. His planet had those too; as did the clan ships.
Once on the top level, the scents got stronger. It was harder to pick out the individual smells of each male; but the female's was easy enough, since it was both distinct and singular. Therefore, he honed in on that one.
Based on the mess in the room, he deduced they had stayed the night. Probably much more comfortable than his own accommodations. And they had eaten – even though some of the food was on the floor, along with a broken dish of some kind.
Not willing to pass on the opportunity, Vai'dqouulth ate the remnants as fast as possible. He wasn't sure what he ate, but it was greasy and tasty; so much so, he licked his tusks clean of any residual flavor. He hoped it wouldn't make him sick; though he was pretty sure, if memory served, that whatever humans ate, he could eat too.
Vai'dqouulth followed the female's scent back down to the outside. From there, it led off to the East by Earth standards. Another pair of vehicle tracks, and the smell of 'gasoline' as they called it, also went that direction. Safe to assume both ended at the same destination – whatever that was.
That's when a new smell hit him. The parasites. He followed the odor around the building, and it seemed to climb high. They had scouted the humans last night. But why? Why not just attack them while they were at their weakest?
The computer forgotten for the moment, Vai'dqouulth climbed back up the building, taking more notes this time. The humans had sealed themselves off, leaving only the stairs: one way in, one way out. Very smart. The serpents, in a brute force attack, would have eventually succeeded; but the numbers would've been catastrophic for them. No, the queen wanted the humans in a more vulnerable position.
Intelligent, but not improbably so.
He came back down and focused on the parasite smell. It also followed the female smell, and the vehicle tracks. It wasn't hard to come to the conclusion that the parasite was going to ambush the humans.
Vai'dqouulth knew he had to hurry. The portable computer was currently his only hope off this planet. It was also the only hope humanity had against extinction. The longer the parasites ran free, building their forces, the bolder the queen would get with her expansion.
Alexei's sudden sneezing just about scared the living daylights out of the group. They all turned to glare at him, but he was too self-absorbed to notice.
Katja also took notice that Adrien had been non-verbally exiled to the back of the pack. He deserved it, though; she maintained that. That and the twelve and a half kilograms of extra weight he had insisted on bringing. Why he thought to bring Viper's machine gun in addition to his own rifle and other gear when they were leaving soon was beyond her. But if he wanted to cause himself more pain, Katja wouldn't stop him.
"What are you going to do in America?" Preobrazhensky finally asked Katja the first question everyone had been avoiding.
"Hopefully nothing. Adrien brought up a good point earlier. I may still be able to get back without a tarnished record," Katja replied.
"What do you mean?" Petrov asked, sounding both uncertain and hopeful.
"He only needs to bring me back, apparently. Says his responsibility for me ends there. He also said that since this 'old guy' thought me valuable enough to get to America, maybe he would ensure I wasn't disavowed by my own country," Katja explained. Then again, if somebody powerful had taken the trouble to force her to go to America…well, maybe they didn't want her back.
But, it was better to keep her men's spirits up.
"So, there's hope. Assuming the world isn't overrun with these things," Zaitsev said excitedly.
"Things can always go wrong, so I don't want anyone to get their hopes up; but yes, I may be back in short order," Katja smiled.
"We still have to evac alive," Adrien cut in from the back. They had been speaking in Russian, and Scarecrow was gone, so presumably he was guessing what they were talking about. Maybe he had seen all the smiles. Nevertheless, Katja had no qualms arguing back.
"A good leader gives positive reinforcement, Adrien. You'd do well to remember that."
He just gave her a snort.
"I think you're being foolish, Jekaterina," Alexei piped up.
"Why's that, Alexei?" Katja asked.
"I have dreamed of going to America. But it's so expensive, and not as easy as you'd think to get approved," Alexei grumbled. Katja felt kind of bad; he clearly wanted to go so badly, and here she was, spitting on a free pass.
"What's the first thing you'd do there?" Katja asked.
"I'd go to Disney World. Hot sunny Florida, opposite of Siberia. American culture everywhere. And delicious food," Alexei declared. He was daydreaming so hard; he ran right smack into a tree.
Everyone began chuckling as a dazed Alexei straightened and cleaned his glasses. "What's the first thing you'd do after settling in Captain? Assuming you had no choice," Zaitsev asked.
"Currently, I don't have a choice, Zaitsev," Katja answered.
"You know what I mean…" He trailed off, clearly embarrassed. Katja sighed and thought about it.
The honest truth was, if she really had no way home, she would probably get married and start a family. She'd always wanted kids, even if the army doctor had said... well, there was always adoption, anyway. Though after the mess that had happened with Alexander, she had resigned herself to the fact that her busy lifestyle probably would get in the way of ever achieving that. She barely got off base or away from her unit; how was she supposed to find a date? Or at least, one that wouldn't get her fired. "I don't know. I honestly don't know much about America outside its military," Katja answered vaguely. The men seemed dissatisfied with the answer. "Maybe I'd go to Disney World, too. Warm climate is sounding pretty good right about now," Katja tried to offer. That got some agreeable chuckles.
"Stay frosty," Adrien scolded. What did he have to be so bitter about? He was the one making her do something she didn't want to do. Maybe he didn't like being the bad guy. Typical American ego. Always having to be the hero.
She noticed Alexei was on his tablet just then. What was he possibly doing with it out here? "Alexei, what are you doing?" Katja asked, falling into lockstep with him. "How does that thing even have a battery charge left?"
"I charged it last night at the apartment, duuuuuh. I've been periodically taking notes on the alien species. So, basically, I've been doing my job," Alexei answered. The boy was lazy when it came to surviving, but apparently was loyal about his job. Either that, or he really did have a commitment to science.
"Excuse me for sounding dismissive of your efforts, but why even bother? Surely at this point, your bosses would understand why you weren't working, given the circumstances," Katja pointed out.
"Actually, it's the exact opposite. They somewhat predicted this would happen," Alexei answered nonchalantly.
Katja felt a coldness settle in her stomach before speaking. "What? They knew this was going to happen? Explain."
"Yes. Why do you think Spetsnaz was called in? Why do you think I was assigned to your unit?" Alexei answered as if it were obvious.
"I thought it was a punishment." Katja mumbled. "That is… Sorry."
"No, they put me with you because your unit performed the best out of the other scouted units," Alexei blinked a few times, as if surprised that she hadn't already picked up on what he was telling her.
"Wait, we were scouted?" Katja demanded. This was new information he hadn't shared at the house, or at any number of other points where he could have told her.
"Well, of course. They needed a field test, after all. And what better way than an unpreventable containment effort?" Alexei explained.
"Field test? For what?" Katja pushed. She wished this kid would just lay it all out.
"To see if modern military tactics could stand up against these creatures. I don't think they were counting on the hunters coming, however," Alexei answered. Katja felt sick. They had been used as lab rats this whole time. Why was she feeling loyal to Russia, again?
"I thought you had come to that conclusion already. You are a very good detective. Like Batman," Alexei said apologetically. She looked at him with a grimace.
"I don't think they counted on the base being that ineffective, though, either. After all, they had plenty of research data from the Soviet era," Alexei tried to reason.
"Soviet era? Exactly how many of these things have been in Russia before?" Katja finally lifted her arm, halting the entire group. Back at the cabin, Alexei had mentioned a handful of 'encounters' between the government and the serpents; but he'd made it sound like isolated incidents.
"Oh, hundreds. Records indicate they came in on the first Tunguska meteor, back in the early nineteen-hundreds. It was a joint government research effort under the watchful eye of the KGB. They had a captured queen at one point, but it broke quarantine, and the site was cut off and abandoned to avoid a containment breach," Alexei explained. "They assumed that this meteor would also be carrying the creatures."
Where was all this information coming from? Why hadn't he mentioned it earlier? That's when Katja realized she needed to be asking the right questions.
First though, she explained to everyone what Alexei just told her. At the mention of KGB, she and Adrien made eye contact. Now came the tricky part; because they were under the gun to reach extraction.
"Alexei, if they knew about all this, what was the protocol if we failed to stop them?" Katja posed to him very carefully.
"Something called 'HAMMERDOWN'. All I know is, if radio silence persists for a period of time, the military would wall off this part of Siberia in a containment attempt," Alexei explained, and she relayed this to Adrien.
The American Captain didn't look the least bit surprised about any of it, however. Had she more time, she'd interrogate him further; but they had to leave. Maybe she could convince Adrien to take Alexei to America, too. He did, after all, want to go; and she wanted answers on just what had happened and was going to happen in her home country.
Katja then made a point to pull Petrov ahead of the group with her, and out of earshot of the others. "What do you make of it?" she asked.
"That no government can be trusted? That we are on our side?" Petrov answered humorlessly.
"I'm serious, here," Katja interjected.
"So am I. Captain, I am a loyal Russian. But what do you think they'd do with these things? Weapons research is the only application I see at this point. I don't think any government should have these creatures. American, Russian, or otherwise," her lieutenant stated.
It was a good point. She had assumed, maybe naively, that telling her government would result in a military strike against the serpents to wipe them all out, and stop the spread. But maybe all that would happen is she'd end up back in Siberia, probably a prison, as another test subject. If she had to guess, something similar would happen if she or Adrien told the United States government, too.
"Perhaps we are doing the wrong thing, evacuating," Petrov voiced aloud.
"What do you mean?" Katja asked him to clarify.
"Maybe we should be staying here and trying to kill the queen. At least we could slow the great expansion. Then maybe, I don't know, find a way to eradicate the rest. I don't have faith that the governments will do it. And not because they can't; but because they don't want to," Petrov shrugged.
Again, a good argument. It wasn't like only two governments would want these things. If anyone caught wind of it, they'd want it. Governments, terrorists, black markets… corporations… anyone who could make a profit.
"That goes for the hunter, too," Petrov suddenly cut into her thoughts.
"I'm sorry, what?" Katja shook her head clear.
"I'm just guessing. Maybe the American can confirm, since he seems to be the expert, but I'm assuming the hunter has extremely advanced technology. Humanity is not ready for that. Last thing we need is alien super-weapons falling into government hands and tipping the scales radically, for any side," Petrov said. "During the Cold War, we managed to avoid both nuking each other, and World War Three. Do today's leaders really have the same restraint? Add China to the mix – they're right next door to this whole thing – and who knows what could happen?"
"What do you suggest for that?" Katja asked, deciding to pick his brain. People always joked about the army being the stupidest branch, but Petrov was one of the most insightful people she knew.
"Not sure, Ma'am. I'm not a negotiator or a diplomat. Ask nicely for him to leave? That it's in everyone's best interests?" Petrov laughed.
"Maksim, I know the American has been less than truthful on things, but I really believe he wasn't lying when he said these things hunt humans – and probably by extension, other alien sentient species – just for fun. I don't think asking nicely is an option," Katja chuckled at his joke.
"I know, I think I believe him on that too. I'll let you know if I come up with a better idea," Petrov agreed.
"Since we're on the subject, do you think Adrien is right?" Katja asked while she fiddled with her braid.
"I never think the American is right. But what, specifically, are we talking about?" Petrov questioned back.
"That the hunter was coming after me, and not Alexei," Katja clarified uncomfortably. Never in her life had she been the center of as much attention as she was now.
Petrov seemed to take her seriously, though, head tilted as he thought. At last, he said, "It was definitely going after the kid at first. No question about that. But, thinking back, the American was also correct when he said it held off when it saw you. It's probably the only reason the two of you survived that encounter."
"Why would it do that?"
"Don't know, Captain. Maybe their culture has an issue with killing women. I can only speculate."
"Adrien never mentioned that. He seemed just as confused as we are. Anyway, how do we even know they can tell the differences between the human sexes?"
That made Petrov smile. "They've achieved space travel. Give them a little credit. Plus, even human hunters need to know how to identify male and female animals."
Ok, that was true. And she'd been able to discern that the hunter was male.
"Then… I'm stumped."
"Look, frankly, I don't really care why, Ma'am. I'm just glad he did hesitate. What does it matter?"
Katja hesitated before responding. He no doubt would think she was gullible, even insane, if she told him what was really on her mind. If she could talk to that thing, just get it to listen for a moment, maybe they could ask it for help, the same way it had apparently helped the civilians at the FOB. Perhaps it could be convinced to take out the Queen with them, if it truly hated the serpents as much as Adrien claimed. But first they'd need it to stop attacking for two seconds. And they were about to evacuate the Urals. Thinking about it, the plan sounded ridiculous, even to her. "I guess it doesn't. We're leaving within ten or twenty minutes, anyway."
Petrov glanced at her, doubtful of her sudden reticence, but didn't push the matter. "Speaking of. I never got a chance to tell you back at the apartment, but… I'm really going to miss you, Captain. A lot. Won't be the same back at base without you around."
Katja looked down past her gun at the ground, unexpectedly feeling… bashful? Good grief. The mountain air must be getting to her. "I'm gonna miss you, too, Maksim," she admitted. "But maybe… maybe my 'benefactor' can actually get me back into the country. Obviously, there's no guarantee I'll get my old job back, but we might at least see each other again."
"Yeah, your mysterious 'benefactor'. The high-level Soviet employee. Could it be your father?" Petrov asked, squinting against the rising sun.
"I really have no idea who else it could be," Katja said reluctantly. "I just don't understand why he'd go to all the trouble." Unless he just wanted to finally get rid of her, for good.
"Maybe he knows about the serpents. Maybe he wanted to keep you safe, protect you. You know, get you out of here. Did you tell him where you were going?"
She had, Katja recalled with surprise. "I guess I did. But he's never been worried about my safety before." Before Karik, anyway. Maybe this was more about the loss of her brother than her.
Stopping in his tracks, Petrov looked at her intently. "Is it so hard for you to believe that he loves you?"
Katja couldn't hold his gaze. He didn't understand. Clearly his parents were wonderful, or he wouldn't spend every spare moment on their care. "I don't know."
The only thing she was sure of was that none of this fit the M.O. of the father she knew.
Adrien took in the LZ. It seemed like just yesterday they had landed here. The clown car was in sight and empty, save for the three radios Adrien's men had left behind; so presumably, they'd evacuated. Three less people to worry about, anyway.
"Hunter 3-2, this Viking 6-1. We are at the LZ with VIP, awaiting extraction," Adrien broadcasted to the submarine.
He never did get an alien sample; he'd been too busy trying to stay alive. Regardless, he'd fulfill one part of the objective now, and then rearm and go back in for one. How delightful. Maybe he'd just let Katja's Soviet friend deliver a serpent, instead. It sure would be easier.
"Hunter 3-2, this Viking 6-1. We are at the LZ with the VIP, awaiting extraction," Adrien repeated when he didn't get a reply.
"How long to exfil?" Katja asked.
"I figure a half-hour or more for them to get here. Half-hour back. Ten minutes to get in the sub, and however long 'til we reach Alaska. That is, if these submarine jocks would pick up," Adrien answered.
"Do they usually take this long to reply?" Katja prodded. Her arms were tightly wrapped around herself, trying to ward off the chill, as she let her rifle rest on its sling across her chest.
"They probably all took a coffee break at the same time," Adrien dismissed. "Don't worry, princess; we'll get your chariot here before the ball."
Katja only grunted. But it didn't conceal the concern on her face.
"Hunter 3-2, get off your ass and pick up," Adrien ordered. Suddenly, they heard a screech far in the distance. Katja immediately picked up her gun, and the others froze and stared in the direction of the noise.
"What the hell was that?" Zaitsev asked. Nobody replied. They all knew the answer.
Adrien pulled his binoculars out and scanned the area. Their terrain was mostly flat, with large hills on either side of them.
"I can't see anything. Is someone willing to climb the radio tower there and glass for hostiles?" Adrien requested.
"I'll go," Preobrazhensky volunteered. Katja had mentioned he was the squad sniper, so it made sense to Adrien.
"Thank you. Before you go, grab those radios from the car," Katja instructed him. "Take one for yourself, then give one to Zaitsev and one to Petrov, so we can keep in contact. I'll listen to Adrien's. And for god's sake, be careful climbing that thing."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Katja gave Preobrazhensky an encouraging thump on the shoulder to send him on his way, and when he was gone, she stepped closer to Adrien. "What are you thinking?" she asked him worriedly.
"I'm thinking we were tracked," Adrien answered distractedly as he fiddled with the radio, trying to figure out if it was broken. He had to get them extracted before those things overran their position.
"No kidding; what was your first clue?" she yelped. "I heard scratching at the windows as I was falling asleep last night! I thought it was the snow driven by the wind! It must have been them."
Feeling a bit more frantic now, Adrien said, "They must've been reconning us, waiting until we were in a less defensible position."
"You know, this is the second time we've talked about them using advanced tactics, and it's really not making me confident that they'd just stupid hive animals!"
"Well, ask Alexei, not me! He's the expert!" Adrien shouted. In the corner of his vision, he saw her looking dubiously over the valley surrounding them.
"This is bad. We're in a trough. We need to fortify our position! They are going to be right on top of us. Soon," she stated.
"What do you suggest?" Adrien demanded.
"You keep trying to raise your people. The rest of us are going to dig a trench. Move that car over here, and we'll use it as a machine gun perch," Katja ordered, loudly enough for her own men to hear.
Petrov and Zaitsev wasted no time grabbing their entrenching tools and began digging a short trench. Adrien kept trying to raise his people.
He knew no matter what, the fight of their lives was coming.