Author's note: Things start to get... interesting in this chapter! Lol!

Chapter 16

Under the cover of night

The evening was winding down. The rest of the day had passed uneventfully, even tediously. They had spent most of the time processing and cooking the deer. Adrien had done his best to turn it into chili.

Katja had enjoyed the fresh meat, even if Alexei had complained that it was 'gamey'. In Alexei's defense, she might have just been too hungry to notice the flavor. Plus, the chili spices had helped.

Now they were sitting in the suite's living room, putting together a puzzle Katja had found in a closet. Adrien had removed his iPhone from the faraday bag and was now simultaneously charging and blasting music through the room with the help of a wall adaptor. She wasn't sure she approved of either the noise or the song selection, but Alexei seemed to enjoy it, bobbing his head along to the beat as he tried to tell everyone where to put their puzzle pieces.

Katja knew they should be planning their next move, but she first wanted to give the men a chance to rest and recharge after that intense battle. And the passing of another comrade.

A new song began, and Adrien started laughing. "You guys are gonna love this one."

"What's so funny?" asked Katja.

Alexei tried putting a piece into the puzzle, saw it didn't fit, and tossed it back into the pile. "Don't you know the Beatles?" the scientist asked condescendingly.

"Obviously I know who they are. I just don't know many of their songs," she answered.

"Your life is sad, Jekaterina," Alexei sighed.

The vocalist began singing, and Adrien began to sing along. The song was about the USSR, and the longer Katja listened, the more she felt it had to be satire of some kind.

"Well,
The Ukraine girls really knock me out
They leave the West behind
And Moscow girls make me sing and shout

That Georgia's always on
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my mind

Oh, show me 'round your snow-peaked mountains way down south
Take me to your daddy's farm
Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out
Come and keep your comrade warm"!

Adrien ended his warbling along with the recording and, delighted with himself, looked to Katja for affirmation. She merely raised a brow at him.

"Finished?" she asked.

"Yes, for now," he answered.

"Okay. In that case, I think it's time to turn off the music and put the puzzle away. Zaitsev has yawned six times in the last ten minutes."

"Bed?" asked Alexei excitedly.

"Not for you and me," Katja told him. "You're going to take first watch."

Adrien turned off the music, appearing alarmed. "Alexei? On watch? That isn't a good idea."

"Relax, I'll be awake for his shift, too. I'll just be over in one of the bedrooms. If he hears anything, he can do his favorite thing and scream, and I'll come running." Pointing over to the end table, where Alexei's tablet was charging, Katja added, "And to make certain there are no distractions for him, I'm taking that."

"Wait, my tablet? Why?" Alexei protested.

"I'm going to read every file, everything on here that you or your lab has ever recorded about the serpents. As I learned this morning, there are still things you're not telling me. So come on, what's the password?

Adrien rolled his head in a circle, cracking his neck. "Katja. Look at it tomorrow. Just sleep. I beg you."

"I will. Later. Alexei, password?"

Scrunching up his nose, Alexei finally said, "Goldeneye, the number sixty-four, exclamation point. One word, in English. It's my favorite James Bond movie and video game."

"Thank you. Zaitsev, are you okay with taking the fold-out bed for the first few hours?" Katja asked, knowing Adrien's distaste for it.

"Yes," he replied. "It's no problem."

"All right, guard shifts will be me with Alexei, then me alone, then Zaitsev with Petrov, then Adrien. Any objections?" There wouldn't be any doubling up on beds, so she didn't have to decide that aspect.

Nobody complained, so Katja grabbed her travel toothbrush from her pack and went into the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth, she noticed how dark the circles under her eyes were. Maybe Adrien was right, and she should be sleeping… but she did want to know what was on that tablet.

Exiting the bathroom, she grabbed her Glock, the tablet, and her pack before going into one of the bedrooms. Closing the door behind her, she placed the weapon and device on the nightstand. The sounds of footsteps, and shutting and opening of the other doors, told her everyone else was getting ready to sleep as well.

Taking her hair out of its braid, Katja sat on the bed and unlaced her boots. Alexei had demanded they raise the heat, so the apartment was even warmer than yesterday. She would probably stay above the covers. Maybe later she'd even get rid of her stiff, dirty pants and read while relaxing in her shirt and underwear, once she was sure the guys were asleep, the way she did in her own place back home.

Ah, she missed Mishka on cold, cozy nights like this.

Kicking her boots away, Katja grabbed the tablet and entered the password.

Her door rattled, knob turning, and then Adrien entered. Without knocking, naturally.

"Don't you ever knock?" she asked him, setting down the tablet and leaning back against the pillows. "You're not here to sing again, are you?"

"Why do I get a shift alone?" Adrien asked without preamble, closing the door.

"For real?" Katja knitted her brows. Was he offended, or afraid? She couldn't tell.

"Seriously," Adrien affirmed.

"I trust you on watch alone more than I even trust my own men. I mean, you can see invisible aliens. I really believe you can handle this alone," Katja explained. Did he think she was using him as bait, or something? By now, he had to know that wasn't her style.

"Hmm," he hummed in thought.

"What's the problem?" Katja asked with exasperation.

"Nothing, I can do it. Speaking from experience, it's just hard taking a shift alone when you are already sleepy. Talking to someone really helps in not nodding off," Adrien answered, clearly reminiscing about the past. She was no stranger to graveyard shift guard duty with little sleep, either.

Katja was about to speak before Adrien cut in and spoke.

"Really, I'll handle it. It's fine. Queen took some losses today, so I don't think we'll face another attack so soon."

"And the hunter?" Katja posed, wiggling her feet mindlessly, loosening the pain from her arches. At least the boots hadn't given her blisters yet. Thank goodness for high-quality footwear.

"Don't worry. Reports I've read suggest they don't attack when their 'prey' is sleeping. My men and myself weren't. Not very fair to the game I would guess," Adrien stated confidently.

"Alright," Katja said, going back to the tablet, but then noticed Adrien was still standing there.

"Something else?" she prompted.

"I was just thinking of a bedtime ritual I used to do with my wife," Adrien said with a smirk.

Several things, none of which she desired to take part in, came to mind. "I really don't want to know," Katja stated.

"No, no, not like that. When it was cold out, I'd tuck her in using the most irritating technique," Adrien corrected.

"I'm not gonna ask how, because I know what that'll entail. And I really don't need a demonstration. So, you might as well leave," Katja ordered.

"I'd basically turn her into a human burrito so she couldn't move," Adrien said, ignoring her.

"You try that with me, and I'll shoot you with a ballistic knife," Katja threatened.

He immediately forgot about whatever game he was playing. "You have one of those? Can I see?" Adrien requested. Not quite begging, but she could tell he was excited to see one.

"Ugh, if it gets you to leave me alone," Katja groaned. She dug into her pack before producing the Russian knife.

"You've been holding out on me, little lady." Adrien reached. He turned it over, tested the sharpness, and twirled it around. "How do I–?"

"Pull the safety pin, and the trigger is there," Katja answered before he could finish. Adrien took aim at a generic painting of apples on the wall and fired, hitting the middle of an apple with deadly precision.

"Remind me to raid a Russian armory before we leave here," Adrien said, handing back the knife and the fired blade with a boyish grin on his face.

"Happy?" Katja asked.

"Very," Adrien said.

"Okay. Then I'm putting the toy away now. Good night, Adrien," Katja said.

"Good night, KitKat. Don't let the bed bugs bite. And by that, I mean the serpents," Adrien said as he closed the door.

Katja shuddered. That was a real, possible threat.

Night had fallen, and based on a scan of the building, Vai'dqouulth's human quarry had indeed taken up residence for the night there once more. While it was extremely dishonorable and even illegal to hunt something during its sleep cycle, he figured since he wasn't hunting them and simply sneaking in to grab the computer, there would be no dishonor found against him. The elders, of course, would have the final say during the incident review, but he was fairly certain in his choice.

He entered the main lobby and found a bled-out deer hanging there from a rope. There was still perfectly good meat on the animal, why hadn't they finished it?

It would be some time before they would be fully asleep; no reason for him not to finish off the carcass.

Once he'd eaten his fill, he took another scan of the building. It appeared they had left a guard at the top of the stairwell, and even with the cloak active, Vai'dqouulth wasn't confident about sneaking in that way. No, he knew from his earlier scouting that there was access from the roof.

Coming around to the side of the building where he wouldn't be heard, Vai'dqouulth sunk his first set of claws into the wall. Satisfied that he hadn't made too much noise, he went again with his second set, followed by the claws in his feet.

Progress was slow, but he rationalized it really wasn't a race. He had plenty of time until dawn, and any extra time used now would just increase his odds the humans would be asleep.

Once on the roof, he checked the door for structural access. Locked. And the mechanism was internal, not external.

Of course.

He didn't have the tools nor the time to fiddle with the lock. He'd have to take the risk and enact brute force. That came with the risk they'd hear him, but he just had to hope they wouldn't.

With a firm but feathery pull, the door broke off its hinges, and Vai'dqouulth set it aside quietly. He followed a short access staircase down to a narrow hallway, and at the other end of the hallway was the stairwell he had decided not to use.

He could see the guard clearly now, and not only was he asleep, but it was also the weakling male he was searching for! Paya, bless him for this luck! Cloaked, he made his way to the small human, who was lightly snoring. Now, where was the computer device?

After a thorough visual search, Vai'dqouulth concluded the device was not with its presumed owner, which begged the question: where the hell was it?

Then, the noise of a door opening had him springing into the shadows.

The veteran came out with a focus-beam illuminating device in hand. He shined it around the hallway, rubbing his eyes before retreating into the residency.

Vai'dqouulth' heard a door closing inside the residency, and it didn't take long before he heard running water. Twice, but different noises. The veteran then emerged again, leaving the entrance door propped open, and headed over to the sleeping male. He put his foot under a rung and tipped the chair, waking the other human.

"Wake up, dumbass," the larger male ordered.

"What? What's going on? I wasn't asleep! Leave me alone, you pig!" whined the weakling in the Russian language. Thankfully, Vai'dqouulth's helmet translator was still working, though the small male was not currently saying anything of importance.

"You know, it seems like you haven't figured this out yet, so let me repeat myself. I neither speak nor understand Russian… dumbass," the veteran hissed, and the smaller male cowered a bit.

Was 'Dumbass' the smaller male's name? Unlikely. Not only was it an English word, but by Vai'dqouulth's grasp of the language, it didn't seem like a name one should take pride in. Perhaps it was a cultural nuance he just didn't understand.

"So, in conclusion, Alexei, I don't know what you are saying, and I don't really care either. You are supposed to be keeping watch with Katja," the veteran said. So, Alexei was the likely name of the small one. Dumbass was just an insult, as he first suspected.

"I am keeping watch with her! She's right in there, and she's gonna hear you abusing me. Then she'll come kick your ass like you deserve," said Alexei, gesturing to another part of the dwelling vaguely. "She'll break another plate over your inflated head."

That explained the broken dish when he was here last time. Apparently, human females could put human males in their place, despite the size difference. How very Yautja-like of them.

"What's wrong? Missing your computer toy so you can continue not keeping watch?" the veteran questioned; though to Vai'dqouulth, it seemed more like a statement. However, the mention of the computer caught his attention.

Through the open entrance door and with help from his infrared vision, Vai'dqouulth watched the veteran go to the inner door Alexei had pointed to. The human opened it before disappearing for a moment. When he reappeared, Vai'dqouulth made sure to listen carefully.

"She's asleep," said the veteran.

Alexei appeared fearful at the revelation. "Well, wake her up! I can't do this alone."

"Yeah, yeah, I think I see what you're getting at. But I'm not waking her, and neither are you. You're just gonna have to suck it up and ride out your shift alone. She hasn't slept well since we met, and she needs to. Get it?" the veteran threatened, pointing his rather dull claw at the male.

Alexei looked like he wanted to argue, but dropped his head submissively and nodded.

"Good, now I–" the veteran began before stopping.

Vai'dqouulth perked up, ready for combat. The human panned his light source around the hall, the beam landing on him a few times; but it seemed the light was still too dim for the distortion of his cloak to be picked up.

Vai'dqouulth watched as the smaller male jumped up and hid behind the bigger male, like a pup, before tugging at his clothing a moment later.

"Nothing, I guess. Must be a little more tired and paranoid then I thought, is all," the veteran said before rubbing his eyes.

"Night Alexei. The other guys should be up shortly to relieve you," the veteran advised before returning to the dwelling for good.

Vai'dqouulth let out a silent exhale of relief. He wasn't too good at human phrases, since they often translated literally for him; but he felt this one was appropriate: He had dodged a bullet regarding that situation. Not that he lacked the skill to kill them, but that it would be dishonorable to do so. Not to mention, he didn't know where the device was, and combat may result in its destruction.

Plus, they may still have their uses beyond the computer.

The smaller male sat down again, grumbling in Russian once more, and began fiddling with a strange cube filled with smaller cubes of different colors. A toy, perhaps? Either way, his attention was diverted, giving Vai'dqouulth a moment to think.

So, this 'Alexei' didn't have the computer. Someone else did. Given that the veteran checked in another room after speaking about said device, Vai'dqouulth decided that was the next best place to search.

Cracking the door, he kept his vision trained on the small guard male. It was clear he was totally oblivious to a door opening without any visible force present to do it. Good. He was, as the veteran said, a dumbass; but it worked in his favor, so he didn't care.

There was another human on some sort of temporary sleeping pallet in the central room, heavily unconscious based on the noises and dribbling saliva from the mouth, but he wasn't the veteran.

Slipping past him, Vai'dqouulth entered another room and closed the door quietly, uncloaking himself. Why did it smell vaguely familiar in here? When he turned, the sight that greeted him was unexpected and explained his previous question, making him splay his mandibles silently in surprise.

It was the female, the little doe, sleeping in no more than what he would describe as a langot without the slack piece worn on her bottom half, and a green covering that somewhat sheltered her arms just past the shoulders, then down past her navel on her top. No longer did she have a braid, either; her head protrusions were spread wildly all across the sleeping pallet.

Given how warm the room was – not that he was complaining – that would explain why she was wearing so little, and not under her pelts for warmth. Frankly, he never understood why the human species felt the need to wear so many clothes. It seemed like they would be so restrictive in battle. Of course, they didn't have a tough hide like Yautja did, so that could be why.

After all, the slang for humans by his kind was 'soft meats', and that term application wasn't without reason.

The word on the chest covering said 'Spetsnaz' by his mask's translation of Russian. There was no definition of the word itself, however, his mask hadn't been learning and updating without the ship-to-wrist gauntlet connection. The langot was pink and had a design of animated furry beasts on it. It looked like some of the jungle felines he had hunted on this planet, but much less fierce.

Relative to his species, her legs and arms, though muscular, appeared so scrawny, like twigs. It was a wonder the human race had survived this long. Of course, the Yautja had overseen them for a long time, so that probably helped their survival rate – as well as becoming top of the food chain on this planet.

Then he noticed her arms were wrapped around the computer device.

He grumbled. Of course she would be holding it tight in her sleep.

What had the veteran said? She was tired, and hadn't slept enough? Maybe she was in a near coma-like state, and he could just slide it out of her grasp.

Reaching out, he grabbed the device and tried to pull it out of her grip. All that did was prompt her to squeeze it tighter and roll from her back to her side, facing away from him.

Vai'dqouulth growled lowly in annoyance, but took a deep breath to relax. He was a master hunter, having stalked many creatures for days just waiting for the perfect kill without their knowledge until it was too late. He could have some patience to carefully relieve this item from a sleeping human female without waking her.

With her back side exposed to him though, he became curious about one thing. Her head. Specifically, the follicles, whatever they were, protruding from her head. Were they a sensitive organ, like the ones from his head? Did their length make her more attractive to the opposite sex, like his did? He, like many others, had only ever hunted the males; and their head protrusions were often short or nonexistent.

Plus, they were always dead, which made it less interesting. Live specimens were much more interesting to observe.

He had to touch it. He may never have this opportunity again. Reaching carefully, he raked his hand and claws through it. Oh, it was hairs. Dead skin cells. Though it must have had some feeling to it, as the female made a noise. It sounded positive, like a hum, but he didn't know for certain. Many creatures did like to be touched, after all; and he found he liked how it felt. Very smooth.

Hopefully he hadn't violated or done some sort of ritual to her with unknown meaning to him – not that she would know in her unconscious state. But honor was always at the forefront of his mind, prey species or not. A teaching ingrained by his bearer, to always respect what you hunt, even if the species is inferior.

Curiosity satisfied; he got back to his original task. Now the problem was she was facing the wall, and there really wasn't much room for him to maneuver between said wall and the nest. So, he got on the sleeping pallet with her. Very carefully.

It was thankfully sized for two humans, so any disturbances of his weight on it were minimized a little bit.

Reaching over her, he tried to slide the device out of her hands once more. The unexpected result was the female turning over on her back once more, mumbling something about 'Adrien' and 'swearing to her god', but when she saw him, her eyes got wide, and looked right at him.

For a moment, nothing happened. They both just stared at each other in disbelief. Vai'dqouulth decided to break the trance and spoke to her in his language.

"Greetings, human female. I require that primitive computer device in your hands. Surrender it to me and I will be on my way. No harm need come to you by my hand."

He knew that she would only hear clicks, growls, chirps, trills, barks, and the like, which might make her feel even more intimidated; but he hoped she could make out the word 'human' from his mouth. It wasn't all that different between their languages if spoken slowly. That, combined with the fact he was not attacking her, would perhaps keep her from panicking.

It did not work. Based on her chest beginning to heave, he knew she was about to alert the others; so, he straddled her and clamped a hand over her mouth. She only managed to get a yelping noise out.

To her credit, she didn't hesitate for even a moment and grabbed for the weapon laying on the box surface next to the bed that he hadn't originally noticed.

His other hand clamped on her wrist, specifically a nerve so she couldn't curl her fingers on the firing mechanism. It may have been pointed away from him, but she could still alert her companions by firing it.

"Drop it," he ordered in his language. He knew she didn't understand, but hopefully the growl would be enough to 'encourage' her. He tightened his hold on her wrist, causing her soft meat face to scrunch up in pain.

She did eventually yield and drop the weapon, and he in turn loosened his grip before he reduced her wrist bones to powder. Why make it easier for the hard meats to kill or impregnate another host?

"Good female," he purred like she was a pet. "Now, the device–" he began before a knock at the door interrupted him.

"Katja? It's Adrien. Are you awake?" a human called. He found he recognized the voice. It was, of course, the veteran asking for her. And apparently the veteran had a name. Adrien. Likely the same Adrien she had mumbled about. The female, it seemed, was called Katja.

"Shit," he whispered to himself. They would be suspicious if she didn't answer, but he didn't trust her to not 'rat him out', as the human term went.

He let go of her wrist and pointed at the door, then slowly lifted his hand from her mouth, but moved his thumb's claw to a vital vein on her neck. Not to kill, but to encourage through implication. "Yes, Adrien?" the female asked. He had to give her composure credit. It was very convincing. Most humans he'd encountered previously would be wailing or begging for mercy by this point.

"Alexei said he heard you make a noise and came to wake me. You ok? Can I come in?" Adrien requested.

"Now he knocks…" he heard her mumble very quietly.

Vai'dqouulth looked at her and she at him before he shook his head. It was a good thing Yautja and humans shared some mannerisms universally.

"Don't come in, please. I'm less than decent."

The Yautja dug the claw in ever so slightly just to remind her who was in charge and to not try anything to alert her companions. She winced a little. "I'm fine, though, just a bad dream," the human Katja finished in a very neutral tone, never breaking eye contact with Vai'dqouulth.

"Oh, ok, are you sure?" the one called Adrien asked.

"Yes, go back to bed," Katja ordered.

"Alright, good night." Adrien responded.

The female didn't bother replying. And based on the footsteps moving away from the door, the male had fallen for her little act deception. This was why humans were worthy of hunting. What they lacked in physical prowess, they made up for with cunning and deception.

He was about to go back to the device when the footsteps came back, and there was another knock at the door.

"Katja, answer me this. Do you like Alexei?" the human Adrien asked.

Vai'dqouulth found that to be a strange question. It was obviously a control question, because the male was suspicious. He looked down at the female, Katja.

"Answer," Vai'dqouulth ordered as quietly as possible in his language, pointing to the portal for emphasis as well.

"I really like Alexei," Katja answered, "because he's so humble."

The footsteps moved away from the door, and Vai'dqouulth exhaled in relief once more. He did find it odd her answer was not acknowledged, however.

A moment later he heard fast footsteps, and the door was crashed into, causing the hinges to break and the door to smash open. It was the veteran. Adrien.

"What in the name of God–?" Adrien questioned aloud, though Vai'dqouulth had trouble interpreting the phrase. Based on his facial look, Vai'dqouulth deduced he was confused about something. Two other human males entered the room, both armed and looking equally alarmed, or startled.

While they were distracted, Vai'dqouulth grabbed the female and held her close to him. His wristblades shot out, and he pressed them to her throat, the guthooks of the blades digging into her neck. Normally taking a hostage was a dishonorable battle technique. But this was now a self-defense scenario, and the rules of honor were a little less straightforward.

He hadn't actively been hunting them, true, but he had provoked them into a fight while they were in their sleep cycle. To him, it seemed honorable to try and deescalate the situation rather than commit wanton slaughter. Especially on something he hadn't intended to hunt tonight.

After all, he had the female, and she had the computer. He could simply take her to the roof, relieve her of the device and escape. No blood had to be spilled in a dishonorable manner.

Besides, they may still have their uses beyond the computer, as he'd previously noted.

"Back up!" Vai'dqouulth barked out the order at them.

"Easy…" the human Adrien tried to deescalate. Despite the language barrier, as Vai'dqouulth moved forward, they backed out of the room, giving him the space he had requested.

In the hallway, the weakling pup, Alexei, fell over in his chair at the sight of them all. "Oh, god!" he cried, whimpering. "Please don't kill me."

Everyone, human and Yautja alike, ignored him.

Vai'dqouulth began backing up the short set of stairs to the roof, the armed human males in tow, neither opponent lowering their weapons. It seemed the weakling would not be joining them. He had a mix of opinions about that.

Now outside, he backed himself to the edge of the building, still holding the half-dressed female.

"Zaitsev, flank right, Petrov, left," Adrien ordered. Vai'dqouulth watched as the two humans made a half circle to either of his sides. Most likely to have other firing angles for their weapons. These creatures were no prey items, that was certain. His two plasmacasters tracked the ones to his left and right. The center male, Adrien, he focused on himself.

"If you're gonna hunt humans, you ought to know we hunt in packs," Adrien taunted.

"I'm well aware, soft meat," Vai'dqouulth responded in his language. He needed to end this in some way before they decided to do something idiotic. Looking down, he found the portable computer was no longer in the female's hands. She must've dropped it when he scooped her up so violently. Damn.

It was odd to him she hadn't made a single noise during all of this. He would have assumed she'd passed out, but the tenseness of her body told him she was still conscious. But she hadn't even struggled. Perhaps she trusted the males, and didn't want to jeopardize them by thrashing around or making noise. If true, it was smart on her part.

Then, he noticed she was shivering. Since she hadn't been shaking with fear earlier, he could only assume it was due to the outdoor temperature. So, that's why they usually wore all the coverings. Humans weren't any more tolerant to cold than his kind was. He felt like a bad blood, making her suffer. Yautja may be vicious hunters, but they didn't believe in torturing their prey… Generally.

What to do, then? She would likely not survive long if he took her with him. Not to mention, escaping with her just added complication to the task. That left the option of just releasing her, because he certainly wasn't going to kill her in a dishonorable manner.

"Why don't we put the lady down and talk about this, man to alien?" Adrien interrupted his thoughts with a suggestion that sounded more like an order. Vai'dqouulth chuffed in amusement.

"Not likely," he said even though he knew the human couldn't understand him.

"C'mon, let her go. She was sleeping and was unarmed. No sport in that, right?" Adrien tried to coax him. Though the statement was very true, and he hadn't intended it to turn out this way, there was no way he was letting her go when they were still a threat.

Wait, how would this human know what was sporting to a Yautja? He growled and pulled the human female closer in a defensive manner.

Adrien was at a loss as to what to do. Everything he knew about the hunters was clearly out the window. They didn't take hostages. They didn't attack unarmed prey. They didn't attack when their prey slept. And finally they didn't bed their prey. And yet, here he was, and all of those items listed had or nearly had happened.

Was that why Katja was still alive? Speaking of, she didn't look so good. It was much too cold for the amount of apparel she had on. Or didn't have on, depending on one's viewpoint. If he didn't make a move, the girl would be dead one way or another.

Not to mention, Petrov was looking extremely strained. Adrien didn't know if he'd try something stupid, but this was the guy who had charged him unarmed yesterday to protect Katja. He wasn't sure he trusted Petrov to keep his cool much longer.

Thinking fast, he made a plan. A crazy one, but a plan nevertheless. After all, the limited documented history with these things had shown it worked once before. "Zaitsev, Petrov, listen to me very carefully. Get down on your knees and drop your weapons. Very slowly," Adrien ordered as he began to lower himself and place his rifle on the roof.

"American, are you out of your mind?!" Petrov demanded.

"Just do it. That's an order. And calm down," Adrien said collectedly, now crouched and weaponless.

"Listen to him, Petrov," Katja said before being slightly choked by the blade.

"Sir?" Zaitsev asked Petrov nervously.

"You heard our Captain. Listen to the American," Petrov stated, not taking his eyes off Katja.

Vai'dqouulth couldn't believe it. The males were submitting! Just who was this female that they'd be willing to die for her without a fight? Did he have royalty in his arms? She wasn't pregnant, he knew that much; so, it wasn't as though one of the males was trying to preserve his offspring. Whatever it was, he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass by.

He dropped the female Katja and stepped off the building, cloaking at the same time. The moment he hit the ground; he took off running.

The moment the hunter released Katja, Adrien performed a tuck and roll, grabbing his rifle and coming to the edge of the building, screaming; "Secure her!" to the other two in the process.

He fired blindly where he thought he saw the creature. The lack of glowstick green blood or a body suggested he didn't hit anything. "Goddammit!" Adrien yelled. He could take off after it, but he had already lost the trail. It was just too dark, and he hadn't taken the time to grab his night vision goggles. Instead, he returned to Katja, who was being checked over by Petrov and Zaitsev.

"How is she?" Adrien asked.

"Cold, but she'll live. No permanent damage," Zaitsev answered for all of them.

"Hey, you can ask me! I'm right here – hey!" Katja protested as Petrov scooped her up and lifted her from her seated position on the icy roof surface. Probably smart. Adrien didn't want her to walk barefoot across that huge, cold roof all the way to the access door, either.

"Maksim, put me down! I can walk! You put me down!"

"Captain," said Petrov calmly, "shut up. Now. You told me to follow the American's orders, he told me to secure you, I'm securing you."

Katja's jaw worked, but no noise came out as she looked at him in disbelief. Finally, with a huff, she put her arms around his neck resignedly so he could carry her more easily. "Insubordinate jackass," she said through chattering teeth. "Don't think you aren't going to hear more about this from me later."

Well, at least she could coherently complain. She couldn't be too bad off. "C'mon kiddo, let's go get you warm. I'll make you some hot chocolate," Adrien said, trailing after them. He had a packet in his bag. Just in case.

Petrov and Zaitsev were currently trying to figure out how to permanently seal that roof access door off, per Adrien's orders. Alexei had the menial task of blocking the lobby stairwell with chairs, tables, and whatever other crap he could find. Course, he had to whine about it first.

Katja was sitting in front of the portable heater in all her clothes, and a blanket draped over her while the hot chocolate heated up.

"You need a shower. You smell like him now," Adrien commented. Katja looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"I smell like him?" she questioned.

"It's not a superpower or anything. Every living creature has its own distinct smell. Even people," Adrien shrugged. He poured her a cup of the hot cocoa, and handed it over. She continued to look at him funny, but went to take a drink.

"Plus, he smells like wet lizard," Adrien commented as soon as she had a mouthful. It had the desired effect as she laughed, hot cocoa shooting out of her nose.

"Ow! That was hot, you ass!" Katja stated, desperately trying to clean herself up.

"I'm glad to see you're taking nearly being accosted by an alien so well," Adrien chuckled. "I guess we have our answer as to whether he was after you or Alexei. Didn't know they were interested in other species in, errm, that way. Seems like it would be on par with bestiality."

"Wait, bestiality for him? That's a little insulting to me, don't you think?" Katja exclaimed indignantly.

"You know what I meant…" Adrien huffed.

"Well, anyway, I'm certain he wasn't here for that," Katja argued.

What other possible reason was there? He himself had tried to deduce another motive with no success. That being said, this wasn't fitting their MO either.

Her voice faded when they heard a thundering roar from far off. The hunter was clearly throwing a temper tantrum. Adrien had to laugh. Someone was having a bad night.

"Whatever helps you cope. But that sounds like an individual with some serious 'frustration', if you get my meaning." Adrien shrugged again. "And he did give you a hickey," he added, tapping the developing bruise on her neck.

It was a joke, of course; Katja had described in detail how the hunter had pressed a claw to her throat and crushed her wrist. All the same, he still couldn't come up with another motive.

"Adrien, it's not like that. Trust me, I think I can tell when a man, er, male, is interested in me," Katja said wryly.

"Right. Like how you've noticed Petrov's been in love with you for like the last ten years?" Adrien shot back with a snort. "Sure."

Her hand tightened on the mug's handle. "Oh, please. Who told you that? He's not– That's… a huge exaggeration."

"I rest my case," said Adrien.

"Never mind, we're talking about the alien. He was speaking. Trying to communicate something to me," she continued, lost in her own deductive thoughts.

"How can you be so sure?" Adrien asked, genuinely intrigued. Katja was smart; if she said it was trying to speak to her, he'd believe it.

"I picked up one word. 'Ooman'. If it had just been unintelligible noises, I wouldn't be making this argument," she insisted. Adrien gave her a skeptical look and spoke to her dismissively.

"Maybe he was just trying his hand at dirty talk."

"Ok fine, you are the expert. Why am I not dead? Why did he coach me to answer you?" Katja posed, exasperated.

"Ok, you got me there. This one has been acting completely out of the norm. Like it has brain damage, or something," Adrien admitted.

Katja went to open her mouth again, but Adrien stopped her, seeing as her drink was gone. It wouldn't be long now.

"How was the cocoa?"

She looked down at the cup with a smile. "It was fine. My brother used to make it for me. His was better."

"Well, mine was made from water and a packet," Adrien said. "That might be why." Katja hadn't mentioned a brother before, nor had she spoken with such affection when she'd described her other family members. Adrien wondered if there was a story there.

"We can talk more in the morning; for now, you need sleep to heal. It's a miracle your left wrist isn't completely shattered. Good thing you're a righty when you shoot. Until proven otherwise, I maintain this was a late-night booty call," Adrien stated. Dear God, Hornet had been right. What was the world coming to?

"I'm not going to be able to sleep after that," Katja answered, ignoring the last part.

"Oh, I know. You're worse than Mackenzie at two years old. And she was the expert at not sleeping. That's why I slipped a Valium tablet into your cocoa. You're gonna feel like melted butter in a moment." Adrien answered.

"You roofied me? Dick move." Katja slurred, her eyelids already looking heavy.

"Agreed. But your body will thank me later," Adrien nodded, a bit of guilt hitting him. Katja stopped fighting.

"Well played," she said before resting her head on the table.

Well, it was time to put her in bed. Then an evil thought came to his mind.

He was going to 'tuck her in'.

Once she was in the bed and entrenched to his liking, he went to find Petrov.

The man was staring at the boarded kitchen window, hands gripping the edge of the counter. When he saw Adrien, he said, "So, American; you're the expert on those things. What was that about? You said they wanted to kill us, not… whatever the hell it was doing to her in there."

"I've been talking it over with Katja, and I've got nothing," said Adrien. "She insists it was only trying to communicate with her."

"And what do you think?" asked Petrov.

He was about to give his real thoughts, but thought better of it.

"If it was, then it's something I've never seen or read about. Those cows you used to butcher; did you try to get them to talk to you while you were slaughtering them?"

"Uh, no."

"Then why would they try that for us?" Adrien asked rhetorically. "No, this is something new."

Or maybe not entirely new… If Antarctica was anything to go by. No reason to get into that, though. Adrien maintained that situation was a one-off, and you couldn't work with these things. Bringing it up would just create confusion all around. Not to mention, this was an entirely different situation.

Admittedly, he had been dodging the subject of Bouvetøyen island with Katja for that very reason. He didn't trust her and her idealism not to try and 'make friends', as it were.

Like she had with him instead of just pulling the trigger when they first met.

Petrov exhaled and nodded.

"I need a favor," Adrien said next. "If you don't mind staying awake longer."

"What is it?"

"Don't judge, but I drugged Katja to get her to rest–"

"You did what?"

"I said don't judge! You know how hard it is to get her to sleep!" Adrien protested.

"That's… that's a fair point," Petrov conceded, though his scowl didn't soften.

"Anyway, there's nothing we can do to change it now. She's in the bedroom on the left. I was hoping you'd look after her tonight, in case her 'gentle-alien-man' caller decides to make another overture. Can you handle that?" Adrien requested, using air quotes on the word gentle-alien-man.

Petrov looked at Adrien distastefully. "I will. For her, not for you."

That sounded a lot like 'Because I want to, not because you told me to'. Whatever. Adrien stood to leave.

"American…" Petrov began.

The marine turned to look at him.

"The alien hunter you encountered… How did you fight and kill it?" Petrov asked. When and how had he found out about that?

"You don't fight them," Adrien laughed bitterly. Like just anyone could just do this superhero bullshit of killing what was, without question, a physically superior species.

"I burned the forest down around it after everyone else in my unit was dead. Scorched earth policy. Literally. Even then, I lost the straight up fight," the American Captain stated, very deadpan.

"You're saying there's no way to stop this thing?" Petrov asked him to clarify.

"No. Not really."

Vai'dqouulth paced back and forth angrily. Not once in all his hunts on Earth had he ever had this much trouble with human prey.

Being of elite rank, he was no young blood when it came to his abilities; yet at every turn, this group could counter him. Almost clairvoyantly, it seemed.

He released a frustrated roar. An idiotic move that would compromise his location, but did it ever feel good to let it out.

At first, he had thought Paya blessed him with luck in the dwelling; now he had different thoughts. "Goddess of life, you are a whore," he said aloud. It was almost like the gods were punishing him for something.

He stopped.

Maybe the gods were punishing him for that dishonorable kill of the human female last time he was here. Maybe this was his purgatory.

It seemed as though every time he looked at the damn doe in the group, he was reminded of his failures and dishonor. The two females had looked nothing alike, but it was hard not to interchange them.

If he was being honest, it was why he was holding back and why he probably kept failing. It was a stumbling block for him, without question. But he just couldn't bring himself to let his past go. Whether the creature was beneath him or not. Honor was what mattered.

Shaking his head, he refocused. Yautja were creatures of action; deep thinking and reflection were only going to slow him down, and the planet as well as its population couldn't afford that.

He needed to kill something and refocus. From there, he would plan again.

Perhaps it was time to kill them and take what he needed.