Chapter 58

The Big Twist

For some reason he couldn't fathom, Adrien followed Katja's extended family from the house, and to their various cars.

Maybe it was just the military discipline in him to escort civilians to safety in what was technically a war zone.

One of the toddlers, a boy, paused and slipped his hand from his father's, and looked up at the branches of a tree in the front yard.

His father, probably Katja's age, kept moving, waving for the child to keep up; but the little guy was fixated on whatever he was looking at…

Ahh.

The shimmer. Dummy wasn't very good at hiding. Or maybe he just wanted to be seen.

The kid pointed and said something in Russian. His dad stopped and looked, squinting hard, but didn't seem to react. Probably bad eyesight.

Shaking his head, the dad scooped the kid up and threw him over his shoulder.

Up in the tree, part of the shimmer moved back and forth. Blue was waving at the boy. Adrien had to hold back his chuckle.

The big guy had sure helped him come to terms with his past. Yes, one of his kind killed his men, and he'd never forget that. But, Blue had come to save the planet, and his people had come too. And if Katja was right, it wasn't just for selfish reasons. No; they thought it was a duty to eradicate these things and prevent extinction on a universal scale. An honorable cause.

The kid waved back at Blue enthusiastically, just before the dad threw him into the car. No car seat. Katja's family really were something else. How had such a lousy group of people produced such a sensitive and sweet girl?

Must've been that MILF of a mother, Mila. Ugh, he was turning into Hornet.

Shaking his head, Adrien went back to the house to find Katja, before her parents said something to upset her further.

He found the father, Fedor, tucking Katja under the blankets of a bed, speaking to her in a low, comforting voice.

Katja's face was tear stained, and she stared directly ahead of her, ignoring him entirely.

The old lady was on the other side of the bed, placing a mug of tea on the nightstand. Her bearing radiated resentment. Was she pissed because she was waiting on Katja, or because she wasn't the center of attention? Maybe both. What a bitch. No wonder Katja was able to kill the serpent-queen – she had experience dealing with one beforehand.

Whatever. He needed to make sure Katja was settled, then he and Fedor were gonna have a talk.

Adrien felt something brush against his leg, and he looked down. Oh, it was that big cat that had come out to see Katja. He hadn't been lying to Katja when he said he didn't like cats, but this one was kind of irresistibly fluffy.

He reached down to pet it, and it looked up at him with vapid green eyes. The second before his fingers reached its head, it made a trilling noise and darted out of his reach into the room, leaping up on the bed to join Katja.

The feline stared at him from the bed, trilling tauntingly again, mashing his paws vigorously. 'Making biscuits' as Chloe called it.

Katja was drawn from her trance, grabbing the cat and pulling it to her chest. When Fedor tried to speak to her again, she turned her head away.

The old man kept attempting to engage her in conversation, until she lost patience and pushed back the blanket, ready to leave the mattress. The cat squirmed in her arm.

"Kat," Adrien said, finally stepping in. "Just take a minute before you get up. Might not be the worst idea to close your eyes for a few minutes."

"If it's such a good idea, why don't you take a nap, Adrien?" Katja muttered. "I need to…" She stopped, swallowing, and finally looked at Fedor.

"Father, I need some of your resources. Government accesses and records. Specifically, who ordered or knew about the Siberia evacuation. Immediately, please."

What? Where was she going with this? It wasn't part of the plan. She was just supposed to delete anything pertaining to the Yautja.

Oh, hell. She was going after revenge, for her men.

He knew, because he'd contemplated going after the CIA for using his men as fodder. He just didn't have the resources to pull it off.

She might.

"Why, Jekaterina?" Fedor asked.

"They killed my men," she answered simply. "They need to receive the consequences of their orders."

Fedor took a noisy breath. "Which are?"

Katja scoffed; so angrily the cat jumped away in a panic. "Father, after all you've done, you have absolutely no right to decide what's moral or not. Give me the files, and I'll never bother you again. I swear it."

At that moment, Adrien almost felt sorry for Fedor. He looked like a lost, defeated, helpless old man who had no idea what to do or say to make things right for his daughter. But then reality kicked in. This was the bastard who'd stood by and allowed his own kid to be sent in to fight the serpents, evacuation plan or not.

"What happened out there, Jekaterina?" Fedor asked. "Please, just tell me."

"Don't you already know?" Katja asked, her voice pitched with sarcasm and spite. "Didn't get your briefings yet?"

Olga yelled something in Russian and raised her hand like she was going to slap Katja. Hell, no. Little old lady or no, she wasn't getting away with that.

Before Adrien could intervene, Fedor grabbed Olga's wrist and looked at her. No words, no gestures, but it was enough. Probably for the best too, because he could see Blue's targeting laser dancing around Olga through the window.

Witch was just lucky Fedor had stopped her, or Blue would've been crashing through the window to skin her. He was, after all, no doubt spying on them.

"Olga, ukhodite," Fedor said sternly, and after a moment of pouting, Olga flounced out of the room.

As she passed, Adrien grabbed her shoulder, giving a look suggesting she ever raise a hand against Katja again, he'd permanently break it.

Adrien didn't know what exactly Fedor had said to her, but at least he'd gotten rid of her. Now they could discuss things more freely.

He just wasn't sure if Katja was ready for wherever this rabbit hole ended.

Fedor slowly, arthritically, seated himself at the end of the bed and looked at Katja. "You met the monsters," he rasped.

"Pretty sure I found the office of one, yes," she hissed, folding her arms.

Looking down at the bedspread, Fedor sighed.

"The Crypt, father?" Katja asked; the single question demanding so many answers.

He didn't immediately respond, and when he did, he ignored her prompt. "I tried. Tried everything I could to reverse the order after you were recalled, to keep you home. But they… they insisted you had to be there. So, I sent him," Fedor explained, waving at Adrien.

"What does The Crypt have to do with this?" Katja asked sharply. "I don't want to listen to your excuses."

"Ahh,' Fedor said quietly. "I understand. Well, then. The Crypt. It was established–"

"Yeah, yeah," Adrien interrupted. "We know why it was there and what you used it for."

"Then what is it you seek?" Fedor asked.

Lurching forward, Katja exploded, lips drawn back in a sneer, cheeks red. "How could you do it? Any of it? The tests, the experiments… do you think you're God? Releasing those things in… live tests, when there were civilians living in the mountains?"

Fedor looked away, out of the window. He grunted. "It doesn't start that way, child. It never does. It starts with a simple order. 'Go to the Urals'. The same order you got. The same order Captain Pierce got. And then you're a guard at a facility. Then, you're filing paperwork. After that, you're a liaison between scientists and officers, and they're asking for your suggestions and input."

A small, hysterical giggle burst from Katja. Rubbing at her eyes, she laughed again. Something about it made the hairs on Adrien's neck stand on end.

"That is… that is the most passive, backwards, deflective reasoning I've ever heard. You're even explaining it in English, so Adrien can hear how you're just a goddamn innocent pawn." Drawing in a loud breath, Katja dropped her voice to a whisper. "You're so weak. It's why you failed in Siberia and the facility was shut down, and why you left your fifteen-year-old kid to raise a baby instead of standing up to your wife."

Adrien felt his brows lift. He was both impressed and delighted by her tirade. As fun as it was to watch her tear Fedor a new one, though, he knew they needed to stay on track.

"Jekaterina," Fedor began, but Katja shook her head.

"No. I'm talking." Catching Adrien's eye, she seemed to calm a little and remember why they were there. "I take it you knew about the train? You know, the one that they were going to use to experiment on my men? Did you have Alexei sent to my unit on purpose?"

"No. I don't even know who 'Alexei' is," Fedor said wearily.

Lucky him.

"The nerd who's scarfing down your food back there," Adrien chimed in. "Come on, old man. You had to have known your government's real reasons for going to Siberia for this meteor."

"Why do you think I tried to keep Jekaterina away from it?" Fedor asked rhetorically. "But no, in all honesty, I knew of no experiments. I thought the troops would be tested against the queen, and any forces from the meteor she was able to marshal. A practice run should things escalate. We have no queen at the current facility in Moscow." He hesitated. "By experiments, I assume you mean deliberate impregnation?"

Katja laughed dryly. "Don't act like you haven't ordered it yourself before."

"It did occasionally happen at the Crypt," Fedor admitted. "Though I never used my own men. Political prisoners, dissidents, when they could be spared. We were seeking–"

"How to weaponize the… Bagiennik?" Katja asked.

"Yes. Somewhat, though that was the brainchild of the KGB, not myself. I never thought it practical."

"Why?" Adrien asked. "They seem pretty effective."

Shrugging, Fedor said, "Perhaps in the short term. Say you did either control the queen, or manage to replicate her method of communication, and wanted to invade a neighboring country. For oil, food, whatever the prize. Yes, you would win. Eventually. But they are far more destructive than any human military. What good is capturing a large farmland, if the crops are all unusable? Why overtake a factory, if it leaves behind equipment damaged by acid blood? Or an oil refinery, grown over with that disgusting mess they use to build nests? No, they are far too destructive to be used as an army. Weyland, in their short-sightedness, do not yet understand this in their search for quick profit."

"Sherman's March to the Sea," Adrien muttered to himself. "Except it's shooting yourself in the foot, instead of the enemy."

"Precisely. I could only see the Bagiennik being useful as single, pre-programmed assassins. And even then…"

Suddenly, Adrien noticed Katja's expression in the corner of his eye. Focused, intent, and cold. "And that's why you thought the hunters were the better target. The better option for your shock troops. Right, father?"

Fedor looked at her with uncertainty, seemingly unnerved by her prescience. "Y… yes, Jekaterina. How…"

"Like I said, I saw your files. You were obsessed," Katja said flatly.

Adrien didn't know how a few folders and files amounted to 'obsessed'; but then again, she probably knew her father better than he did.

Fedor's eyes narrowed, so slightly, Adrien wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't specifically looked. Seemed Katja was right again.

"Were you really so arrogant, father, to believe you could control a hunter enough to make it follow your orders?"

"No. I never believed I could," he replied simply.

Adrien, hearing the slight emphasis on the word 'I', caught his breath. That was an… interesting slip. Unless it wasn't a slip at all.

"Is that why you planned to… to… create hybrids?"

Fedor scratched at the back of his hand. A tell? "That idea was short lived and conceived chiefly to convince the KGB I had long-term ideas for the hunter issue. I never really believed such a thing was possible; their biology is distinctly different, from my understanding. And if you saw that, I assume you saw the proof of concept with the gorillas failed."

Adrien had asked himself the same questions when he read about project Goliath. He personally wasn't so sure humans and hunters weren't compatible given what he knew of Blue's culture. His personal opinion was he didn't think the big guy would bother pursuing Katja if they couldn't produce something together.

"Even if that's true, what kind of person even thinks up something like that in the first place?" Katja shook her head, and her voice lowered to something near a whisper. "I'll never see you the same way I did before."

"I see." Fedor shifted on the bed, and Adrien could almost hear the gears in the old man's head grinding as he tried to think of a way to turn the conversation around. "Jekaterina, you must realize. I only did the things I did to protect the people of Russia. You've clearly seen firsthand what those creatures can do. What the queen can do."

"Yes," Katja said simply. "Which is why I killed her. I didn't try to subdue her for any further tests or weaponization. And you should've thought of more people other than Russians."

"You…" Fedor looked to Adrien, astonished, for confirmation.

Adrien refused to give him the slightest hint. As far as he was concerned, Fedor could stew about the mess he'd long ago created in Siberia for a while longer.

Rubbing at his eyes, taking all the information in, Fedor eventually returned his gaze to his daughter. "I believe you."

In a very teenagerly way, Katja rolled her eyes. "Congratulations."

"Why did you come here, Jekaterina?" Fedor asked next. "If it is an apology you seek… there are not enough words in any language. Even combined. But I will try."

Turning her upper body, Katja took the tea Olga had left from the bedside. She held it in her hands, but did not drink, merely spinning the cup as she appeared to think. "No, not an apology. You're right. It wouldn't be enough, even if I believed it. I came here for–"

"Erasing certain data," Adrien interrupted before Katja could demand her hit list again. "You have access to the governmental databases, right?"

Fedor rose from the bed. "Yes, I do. What are you erasing?"

"Let us worry about that," Adrien spoke curtly.

"Hmm. You do realize if it's tracked back to me, I will be imprisoned."

"No, you'll be shot for treason; same as me, if I'm caught wiping CIA databases in America," Adrien corrected.

Fedor's eyes slit again. "You are going back to America to purge data… I can only assume it's of any extraterrestrial life."

It was at this time, Adrien decided he needed a private moment with Katja's father. "Why don't we let the girl rest while you and I have a little chat?"

Adrien dragged Fedor from the bedroom before Katja could protest or try to follow. "Where's your computer?" he demanded.

"In my study," Fedor replied, gesturing down a hall. "That way."

"Alexei!" Adrien barked, stalking towards the living room in the likely event Alexei would choose to ignore him.

The kid's back was to him, and he was in the middle of what was probably his eighth pastry. "Uh?" he garbled, turning when he heard Adrien's steps.

"Listen up. Fedor here is going to give you his laptop, login credentials, and passwords. You're gonna go into the government records database and give us a back door into it for later data purging. Understand?"

As predicted, Alexei began arguing, waving his sticky, sugary hands around.

"He says it would be impossible to do that from a laptop without being traced. He'd need to be on a secured computer in the building where they actually keep these records," said Fedor.

Adrien shook his head. What a crock of shit. Kid hacked a drone on nothing more than a tablet. "Too bad. That isn't happening. You're more proficient than anyone else here, so you're gonna have to figure it out. Remember, your life literally depends on it. And it's not me you need to be afraid of this time."

Licking his fingers, Alexei groaned.

"He says to show him the laptop," Fedor said. After a pause, he added, "You'd still need to wipe backup servers and destroy hard copies."

"Better figure something out, Russian, because you've just been pulled into a dangerous conspiracy and there is no backing out without death. Your death, my death, your daughter's death; need I go on?"

"No," Fedor answered.

Once they had Alexei set up for his task, they sent him off to the kitchen to work. Adrien closed the study door and folded his arms, staring down Fedor.

The old man had already seated himself, appearing cool and composed. Typical ex-KGB stuff, no doubt. Truly, Adrien was terrified of the man. The KGB was not to be trifled with. He'd rather face down another hunter than threaten this guy, as he was about to do now.

"What is it you needed to say to me without my daughter present?" Fedor asked.

Adrien paced before Fedor's chair, wondering where and how to start. "I want to know about Katja. What is so important about her that the Russian government insisted she had to go to Siberia? I'm sure that in normal circumstances, they would agree to do a solid for a former KGB agent who asked a small favor, and kept her home. Easy enough to find a replacement for her for one operation. Who is she? What is she?"

Fedor calmly placed his hands in his lap. "Why don't I get us some tea, and we will discuss it?"

Slimeball was trying to take over the interrogation. "No, thanks. Talk."

"Very well," Fedor placated. "You must understand though, I had no knowledge of the information I am about to impart. I only found out years later. By then… it was too late."

"What information? Quit stalling."

Knowing he'd reached the moment he'd been trying to avoid, Fedor lifted his chin, as though about to give a presentation or briefing.

"As we discussed before, the Soviet Union was quite interested in the Bagiennik. When I became facility director at the Crypt, however, I saw the hunters as the chief asset. Yet, though we had the Bagiennik in excess, we were unable to capture a single hunter, dead or alive. We had to settle for the few survivor's accounts from their appearances, which were few and far between."

"I believe the hunters knew of the Crypt, and its purpose; because occasionally they would show up in the area, murder a few of our guards, and disappear again. On the rare occasions we would do outdoor testing with the Bagiennik, a hunter was not far behind."

"I was fascinated by these creatures. Perhaps because of their secretive nature; I don't care for unsolved mysteries. But I also admired their lethality. It is rare to find the perfect blend of instinct and planning, but the hunters use both."

Fedor paused, looking at Adrien curiously. "I know your past. I know you defeated one. I know what it cost you. Surely you can understand why I both feared and admired them. They posed both the biggest threat and greatest potential ally that a human military force could have."

Adrien felt the beginnings of a headache. "You didn't want them as allies. What makes you think they'd give a rat's ass about fighting your wars for you? Even for the thrill of the hunt? No, you'd have had to have full control."

"Just so," Fedor agreed. "The issue was, we had nothing to leverage that control. That is where I was lost in my efforts. If it could be done, Russia would be unstoppable. But we were making no progress. The harder we pushed, the more soldiers were killed, and the fewer advancements and understanding of the hunters we obtained. I knew that in a competition of strength versus strength, humans would lose every time."

"So, I asked myself, how do we win? My predecessors had failed to answer this question, and I don't believe they even wanted to. He thought the solution was with the Bagiennik. I, on the other hand, was determined to pursue the hunters."

"Boy, this guy sure likes talking about himself," thought Adrien.

"I began to consult doctors, along with my scientists. One doctor in particular, Dr. Jäger, was certain the answer lies in psychology. He was… experimenting all the way back in World War II, for Germany – until he was captured by our forces – trying to find the correct balance of traits to make an ideal leader. Why battle the body, he asked, when you can battle the mind? I ridiculed the idea at first, naturally."

"Cult stuff," Adrien dismissed, though he was beginning to be alarmed. What did all this have to do with Katja?

"No. No, not quite. He needed a subject with charisma, yes, but more natural empathy. Someone who not only understood the thoughts and needs of each individual under their command, but who could use that information to tailor training, discipline, and motivation to get unprecedented performance and loyalty from each soldier. Dying for a person is always more powerful than dying for a flag."

"Control, not command," Adrien thought aloud.

"Indeed. But forced control breaks down, and eventually leads to rebellion. This was something else. Neither the subject nor the followers would know what was happening. It was the perfect design, and I believed the program could be used to sway the hunters, if done correctly. We just… couldn't find the subject with the desired personality traits."

Adrien perked up. He had a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach where this was going. It was him who hadn't been prepared where this rabbit hole went. What the hell had they done?

"It was after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Mila, Je–"

"Katja's birth mother, I know." Adrien cut him off, impatient to get to what he suspected the crux of this story was going to be.

"Yes. Mila's great-aunt showed up to my doorstep with Jekaterina. Mila had… died. By a hit and run driver," Fedor actually choked on the words a little.

Former KGB woman mowed down by a vehicle? Adrien could put two and two together. "You pronounced 'assassinated' wrong. Why'd they do it?"

"Mila was… one of the first people considered as a subject. She had scored off the charts in both empathy and intelligence in university, and so was sent to the Crypt. However, she was considered too old for conditioning. Dr. Jäger wanted to work with pre-pubescent subjects."

Adrien felt his mouth grimace. Sick bastards…

"Years later, when they learned Mila had given birth… I fear they murdered her to have an unattached subject who was genetically very likely to have traits they wanted. What they didn't expect was Jekaterina being brought to me, not an orphanage. I had something on everyone in the government. They dared not cross me," Fedor explained.

"Where does the brother come in?" Adrien demanded. Fedor was silent, as expected. Adrien knew he was digging in a wound, but he had to if he wanted to live.

"…I can only assume you mean Karik. To my continued shame, I wanted nothing to do with Jekaterina when she first arrived. It was he who took her in. It was he who raised her. It was he… who enrolled her in a military school, not knowing her tutor would be Dr. Jäger," Fedor finally laid out what Adrien had suspected all along.

"Jesus Christ…" Adrien shook his head.

"Yes, Dr. Jäger groomed her without anyone's knowledge while still giving her the highest education. He had finally found his star pupil," Fedor announced grimly. "Even to this day, she only understood him to be an education counselor, of sorts."

"Go on," Adrien prompted.

"What she lacked in physical ability, she more than made up for in commanding and strategic planning. Roscosmos ensured she was moved through the ranks quickly, though she could more than stand on her own merits," Fedor said with pride.

"Karik worked with her on combat effectiveness, training her with outside sources, polishing skills, and even advising her on how to lead. He reached Major before his untimely death in Syria," Fedor added the last part as more of an afterthought.

Major… a dangerous rank to achieve; though he suspected Karik didn't go up against alien hunters. Unlike…

"What was the plan here? I get it, she was made into an effective leader through psychological conditioning and unintentional manipulation. How could Jäger be certain it would work on aliens?" Adrien demanded, cutting that last thought off.

"They are sentient. They are like us, operating on emotion with instinct," Fedor shrugged.

"You can't know that. They are aliens, they don't have to play by our established rules and understandings of the universe," he stressed. The level of pomp and assumption was ridiculous. Assumptions, as his drill sergeant used to say, makes an ass out of 'u' and 'i'.

"If they can create a civilization and invent interstellar travel, then it's fair to come to these conclusions, Captain," Fedor weaved his fingers together contemplatively. "Even animals have emotions."

What an arrogant bastard, even if he was right. Blue had displayed emotions, yes. Never oozing them, sure, but he did seem to feel. Did have opinions. And did have a lot of pride.

"Fine, go on," Adrien waved.

"I haven't been heavily involved in these projects with my old age, Captain Pierce. But I can only infer the plan never changed from its inception. The subject–"

"You show some respect. That's your daughter, not a science experiment," Adrien lashed out.

Fedor took a breath and began again. "The subject – in this case, my own daughter Jekaterina – was to be put in the path of a hunter. Her unconscious training would take control when the time came, and she would manipulate it to her will without it ever truly knowing. Just as she does to those under her command. From there, she would bring the asset back to us."

What an absolute crock of horseshit. There was no way that would ever work, she'd be killed before she could even interact with it. Pseudo-science from ex-nazi scientists completely off their rockers at its best.

"Well, it clearly didn't work," Adrien shot at him.

"Didn't it? You're here - are you not, Captain? She brought you, a foreign invader, to me. I know she brought the alien hunter, as I saw the targeting designator on Olga back in the bedroom. Neither of you put up a fight, you just… willingly followed her here. I think the programming is working exactly as intended," Fedor reasoned.

Adrien actually clammed up and thought about that. What had he been thinking, really? Letting Katja take him and Blue to her father? A very powerful man in Russia? Who could've pressed a panic button of some kind, or phoned in the incident?

Had… had he really been manipulated? Had Blue? Looking past Fedor and out the window, he could see the distorted 'air' of Blue's cloak. The alien had heard everything – and continued to hear, no question. What he would do with this information, Adrien couldn't guess.

And he stood no chance of saving Katja from him.

"See, now you are considering the facts. Think of your time out in Siberia. Did you ever go against your instincts because she asked you to? With no reward prospect other than she would be pleased? What greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause, Captain Pierce?" Fedor posed.

The interrogation was now going against Adrien. Yes, he had caved to her many times against his better judgement. Gone out of his way, even risking his life to get her medicine. Was that his choice, or was it her directing him, even when she physically couldn't? Was he just a drone obeying a queen?

Everything was in doubt now. This was social engineering, but… worse somehow. Weaponized and focused to a degree never before seen.

"What would have happened if she brought an alien hunter to Roscosmos?" Adrien asked a different question, one that didn't make him feel so violated.

"They would have placed them both in adjacent holding cells and ran… tests… until they could exploit a weakness that forced the hunter to obey their whims," Fedor answered with a small bit of regret in his voice.

"That's your daughter…" Adrien stated again, getting the implication. They'd torture Katja to get the hunter to obey if they had to. Maybe they'd even reward him by allowing visits to her cell.

Katja was hunter bait, a lure. And from his position, very effective bait. Certainly explained a lot of why she got Blue under her thumb so easily. Why she was able to convince Blue's government. Why she got him under her thumb. But it all seemed so science-fiction, superhero even, and hard to reconcile. Soviet sleeper cells, femme fatales… stuff of old spy movies, not reality.

"And that's why I called your boss to trade. I did not want that fate for her. Bagiennik samples for her relocation away from Russia, where they cannot reach her," Fedor finished. "She has been an innocent pawn in my games for much too long."

"That was stupid. Those Bagiennik will destroy us," Adrien shook his head, thoroughly tired of this man.

"Which is why I have undercover agents in the United States. One phone call and I could have lab samples destroyed and cover it up as a mass shooting, or workplace fire," Fedor said easily. "I do know how… what is the American phrase? …to cover all my bases."

This man… was next level evil.

"Do you love Katja?" Adrien demanded.

"Do you?" countered the old man.

"You tell me, since I've apparently been manipulated. I wouldn't even know if I did," Adrien snarled back. Fedor was cool as ever, but Adrien believed he had struck a nerve.

"Yes; yes, I do love her. More than she would ever believe. And much more so, now that I am older and… Well, I have many misgivings where Jekaterina is concerned." Fedor clenched his teeth. "Which is why she must never know of any of this. If she understood how she affects people, she would never have contact with another sentient being for the rest of her life. She'd refuse. Maybe even take her own life."

Fedor heaved a weary sigh. "Ironically, it's part of why she was perfect for the program. She is… a good person."

"Unlike her father," Adrien said.

Pausing, Fedor eventually said, "Indeed." Making a humming noise, he leaned back in his chair. "So, I ask you this, American. Knowing what you now know of Jekaterina, knowing what fate awaits her if she stays in Russia – will you take her back to the United States with you?" Suddenly gripping the arms of the chair, Fedor leaned forward intently. "You did not save the lives of your men in Afghanistan. But you can still save her."

What a manipulative bastard, bringing his history into this. "It's not about what I want," Adrien said. "It's about whether I can get her to go with me when she has other plans."

"What plans?"

"You heard her. She wants to take out Russian leadership, and she's planning on doing it herself. With or without your inside information, I'd guess."

Fedor shook his head. "No, you must dissuade her. Tell her it's a lost cause, that she'll be killed. Encourage her to go to America with you."

"I mean, I'd like to; but I'm not sure she'd listen to me. She's been grieving the loss of her men very hard. I'm not sure that right now she even cares about her own life."

Fedor stood, looking stunned. "Then we must find a way to get her to America. We must. Figure something out, Captain; or I will have no compunctions about handing you over to the Kremlin."

Curious he didn't mention Blue. "Let's take a walk," Adrien stated nonchalantly.

"In this temperature? At my age?" Fedor scoffed. In response, Adrien just gave a cool spec ops stare.

"Very well; I will get my coat," the old man said.

Adrien heard sudden barking, which meant Katja's mother had let the dogs inside.

Soon, the pathetic, sausage-y excuses for canines were all over him; but Adrien seamlessly stepped over them, following Fedor. His goal.

This was a two-fold plan. One, Blue would likely not follow and that would let him question Fedor deeper. Two, if he came back and Katja was still alive, it meant… well, a lot of things.

After all, Adrien was staking a lot in what he believed Blue would choose despite this newfound knowledge…

Vai'dqouulth watched Adrien leave with his Earth mate's sire. He didn't pursue them. He didn't need to. The information revealed was enough, leaving him conflicted.

Katja was a weapon, trained to manipulate Yautja into capture. It would be ridiculous if not for the fact he had quite literally just walked into what could have been a trap.

She had been completely invisible to his intuition, blinding him while he contemplated the prospects of her skill and status.

He had been beaten; and the insult was, she hadn't done anything to him physically to win. She had simply interacted with him, breaking down barriers until she owned him, not the other way around as first assumed.

Vai'dqouulth would call it betrayal, but Katja herself didn't know. She had been misled as much as him and Adrien.

"Humans are deceptive and cunning," his bearer's words echoed in his mind, bringing new meaning to the phrase.

Dropping from the tree, he took steps toward the room where Katja was resting. Even the canines – if that was what they truly were – now indoors, did not detect him. He slipped a blade under the transparent portal and lifted it from the outside before stepping into the dwelling, sealing the portal behind him.

Katja was unconscious again. Her sleep cycles were becoming longer and more frequent. Bhahraadn had said a virus would be settling in before long to deliver her upgraded immune system defenses; that was perhaps the reason why.

With Katja on the bed was a feline companion, which had much the same pattern and colors as him. It stretched a clawed paw out his way before settling back asleep. Completely aware, but unafraid of his presence. He much preferred this creature to the canines already.

Disabling her translator remotely, he grabbed Katja's hair, stroking it between the pads of his fingers. It reminded him of that night in the communal dwelling.

"I should end your existence. But you do not even know what you are…" Vai'dqouulth stated in his language.

Really, he should tell the clan and Yautja Prime exactly what was going on. Weapons formed specifically against his species could not be allowed, regardless of if they worked or not.

His wrist blades were aimed at her chest now. Switching vision modes, he found one that showed her organs and adjusted the angle to be over her heart.

A simple motion and the blades would shoot out of the bracer and into the vital organ, ending her life without pain or suffering. Then, he would take her skull and hang it in solitude. Not as a glorious trophy, but as a solemn reminder of this absolute lapse.

Vai'dqouulth wondered if he was really about to end the life of a clan member. The creature he had decided to devote his life to.

Katja began stirring, a moan indicating she was about to wake, and he quickly purred to put her under again. The act caused an ache he never before experienced, but he didn't want her lucid for this either. Maybe it was more for his benefit.

He was weak.

It felt dishonorable. Katja had no weapons, was in no condition to defend herself, and was certainly less skilled. Worse still, she had no knowledge and would not understand why he had to kill her. But the laws would be on his side regardless.

If he woke her and explained why she needed to be killed, Katja would agree without a doubt and submit to the fate without a fight. It enraged and burned him further. She should fight to survive! As she always had done. But no, she'd look at him and smile while he took her head.

He raised his arm back as if to commit to the kill, but his other hand went to her identity tags around his neck. Stroking them absently, he reassured himself he was making the right choice…

And as is tradition, the predator is defeated. Not by traps or weapons, but by manipulation.

Our longest running setup finally reaches its payoff! We know some of you are probably rolling your eyes (and that's fair), but we did base this off of actually Russian programs. As an example, here is an article: .

We hope if you read back through, you'll be able to pick up on the subtle moments where Katja exercises this 'ability' on those around her.

But the real question is, "Do you feel manipulated, dear reader?"