After the close call Pitch decided to invite Cuda to eat over at his house with him, Kathryn, and Kasa. He quickly accepted the invitation and after taking a day to rest after the encounter he showed up for lunch with his friend and his sister. Pitch set the table with his spot only having holy water placed at it. Everyone else had steak, potatoes, and asparagus on their plates including Kasa who simply ate off a plastic plate like an animal since using her thumbs was difficult at times.

  “How are you holding up after your second close encounter with a Cryptid?” Pitch asked after every sat down. Cuda swayed back and forth before shrugging. “I lost a good friend but it could have been worse. If I didn't have access to Black Eagle resources I don't think anyone would have survived. It makes me wonder how often entire camping parties get brutally murdered by a Cryptid only for everyone to be told it was a bear or mountain lion or something else mundane.”

  Pitch swished the water around in his bottle. “Unfortunately, more common than I'd like. But there's not much we can do about that. Even if Cryptids were public knowledge it wouldn't fully solve the problem. It might reduce deaths from attacks but then you'd also have to deal with the other side effects of the knowledge being public.” Cuda nodded as he started eating. Kathryn stabbed at her veggies with a fork. “Aren't you hungry at all? You haven't eaten since we fed you the death row inmates left over from Abe’s food stash at the lab.”

  Pitch wiggled a bit in his chair, clearly uncomfortable talking about his dietary requirements. “No, oddly enough I've been fine. It's been well over a month now and not even a hint of a craving. It's strange. I'm actually a bit worried.” Kathryn nodded. “I'll run a few tests later.” She then started eating her food. Kasa took a break from eating and tapped at the floor and made a series of noises. Kathryn choked a bit on her food and had to pound on her chest while she coughed. “Why would you tell me that now?!”

  Pitch tilted his head. “What did she say?” Kathryn cleared her throat a bit before talking. “Rough translation; the walls aren't soundproof.” This causes Cuda to choke a bit as well. “Seriously?! People are eating.” Pitch put his hand over his mouth to cover it. “You should have said something days ago. I could easily add soundproofing.” Kathryn eyeballs Pitch. “How can you be so casual? You know exactly what she means when she brings up soundproofing.”

  Pitch chuckled and shrugged. “I mean it's a valid complaint. I'm just trying to be as accommodating as possible to our roommate.” Kathryn pouted then returned to her meal. After everyone's finished eating, Pitch cleans off the table. Then Kathryn's phone rings. She picks it up and answers it. “Hello. … Yeah, he's right here with me, we're eating lunch with my brother. … Yeah, he is. Okay, I'll put you on speaker phone.” Kathryn tapped her phone screen before holding out her phone.

  A male voice came out of the other end, one Pitch recognized as belonging to one of the researchers at NexGen. “Okay, so I've run a number of tests on the specimen that was brought in. The white haired Wendigo. From what I can tell, it used to be a Yeti. The problem is, there aren't any Yeti anywhere close to where Wendigo are typically found. There's also a little bit of a third Cryptid that I've yet to identify. Since this is a Yeti we are talking about, it being part human does mean infection is mechanically possible. I'm just saying these two Cryptids interacting naturally is not something that happens.”

  Pitch put his hand to his chin. “So you're suggesting someone artificially created this hybrid?” There was a long pause before the person responded. “Occam's Razor. It's the easiest and therefore most likely scenario.” Pitch chugged his water real quick. “Alright, so since NexGen are the only ones with the know and resources to do something like that and there's a lab in the Green Bay area that would make the most likely scenario being the creature was made there. If there was an escape, Black Eagle would have been notified immediately like what happened here. I already talked to Jiryu and he said my call was the first.”

  Kathryn let out a loud sigh. “Conclusion, this was intentional.” She kicked in the air. “Seriously! As if the guy who ran the lab wasn't bad enough.” The voice over the phone spoke again. “I think it's because they are not the root of the problem. I feel like these kinds of people are hired intentionally. I believe the corruption goes all the way to the top. Thomas Tom Bone Marrow. He's got his fingers in both NexGen and Black Eagle. Not only that but he owns several prisons. I did a check and all the death row inmates we had in the generator storage area were from prisons owned by a subsidiary of Tomorrow Corp.”

  Pitch groaned. “The fact someone else has made the connection that Tomorrow Corp is a potential problem makes our concerns more valid. Welcome to the resistance random researcher, we're trying to figure out what Marrow is up to and stop him. We however have a lot on our plate so we haven't made much progress.” The person on the other end started objecting. “Oh nonononono. I'm not getting mixed up in anything. I'm just passing along info and returning to keeping my head down. I've simply come to like how Doctor Smith runs the lab and would rather not adjust to someone new. Anyway, I've got to go.” The person then hung up.

  Pitch let out another groan. “I swear it's one thing after another. I was hoping to set up a special date night since I haven't been needed at work lately.” Then Pitch’s phone goes off. “I'm going to guess I spoke too soon.” Pitch picked up the phone. “Hey Jiryu, what's the monster of the week this time?” There was a pause as Ishwada talked, Pitch's phone wasn't on speaker so only Pitch could hear what he was saying. “I've got a bit of a crisis on my hands, Pitch. You know how Wendigos sometimes hunt in packs? Yeah well, that female we captured seems to have been part of one. All just like her.”

  Pitch blinked a few times. “That's not good, especially considering the possibility that these hybrids were created intentionally. Yeti are similar to Sasquatch and are protected under the non-human citizen agreement making the move highly illegal.” Ishwada sighed. “Unfortunately coming after the NexGen in Green Bay would just get me some researcher and not be the smoking gun I need to go after Marrow.” Pitch nodded. “Not to mention that we suspect he's a Doppelganger meaning if we went after him with a good reason and he escaped he could simply put himself right back into his old position with a new face.”

  Ishwada groaned. “I don't understand what his motivation is. If it's to create a new weapon the Wendigo is an extremely bad choice because you can't control or command it easily. It would be like trying to train lions as attack dogs. They don't take orders, the best you could do is trick them into attacking your target.” Pitch rocked back and forth on his feet. “What if he's trying to force a situation that results in Cryptids becoming public knowledge?” Ishwada took a moment to respond. “That would be insane if he is in fact a Doppelganger. It would negatively affect him personally.”

  Pitch moved to and sat down on the couch. “That does seem strange. I mean why would a Doppelganger act in a way that puts his kind at risk? Most Doppelgangers go out of their way to ensure the secret is maintained, going as far as having people in Black Eagle. It's basic understanding that public knowledge would put them at risk because humans aren't exactly the best at dealing with things like that.” Ishwada sighed. “I don't know, but I'd like your help capturing the rest of the pack.” Pitch shook his head. “You know I'm not great at capturing. I'm a lot better at… disposal.”

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  Ishwada groaned. “Well I've got to give you something to do. You've been off for a while.” Pitch groaned. “So it's less that you need me and more you need to justify my presence.” Ishwada confirmed and Pitch requested location details via text before hanging up. “Looks like it's back in the saddle again. Love you Kat.” He got up, kissed her on the forehead, and headed out for work. Pitch tapped on his steering wheel repeatedly as he drove. “(I wonder how many people at Black Eagle know about my true form since I'm fairly sure the big boss Hawkes knows.)”

  Pitch arrived at the perimeter the team set up in the woods, Jeeps and Humvees placed to surround the pack of Yeti Wendigos. Once parked he got out and located Ishwada and Anderson. “Alright, I'm here. What's the plan?” Ishwada gestured to Pitch. “Since you're the only one here that's immune to the Wendigo virus, I was hoping you'd take point.” Pitch sighed. “And you want them alive? That's a bit of an ask. I'm usually more of a “this thing needs to die” type. I mean I can soften them up so you guys can get them. The actual capture will be up to your team.”

  Ishwada nodded and gestured into the area of forest they had surrounded. “Yep, that's fine. Just keep them off our guys and we'll do the rest.” Pitch started walking deeper into the woods, making sure to make as little sound as possible. He knew that his true form would make less sound but was maintaining his cover under the assumption Hawkes didn't out him. After a bit of walking he reached a clearing where a group of five Yeti Wendigos were all huddled in a circle and eating the insides of a large buck together.

  Pitch held his position for a moment. “(They should have detected me already. If not through other means than the sense of another Cryptid approaching should have tipped them off.)” He carefully moved a bit closer, and even though he didn't make any sounds one of the Cryptids looked at him. It tilted its head back and forth as it observed Pitch before making a set of growly throat sounds as if it had something stuck in there. Then it made what sounded like words. “Huh- huh- Huhn- gry. Hungry. Hungry?” The second time the creature managed the full word it tilted its head to one side and added an infection at the end as if asking a question.

  Pitch put his hand out. “No, I'm good.” “(It just occurred to me that even if Wendigos had the intelligence to cook food they'd still eat it raw because of their insane metabolism. Raw meat takes longer to digest.)” “Despite being part human, this is the first time I've had a Wendigo talk to me.” Pitch thought about the file on Wendigos and how there have been reports of some being able to talk. Across both variations of the Cryptid it happens. However, they normally are only capable of simple sentences. The creature gestured to its pack. “Family.” It then gestured to Pitch. “You, not always like this. Us, not always like this. Try best, avoid making trouble.”

  Pitch put his hand over his mouth and rubbed on it as he considered his options. At the very least the one talking to him was aware and in control enough to want to actively avoid creating problems. Based on the slightly larger body it was likely the leader or eldest. What most would call the Alpha despite it being proven that's not even how wolf pack social structures actually work. Pitch sighed as he punched the bridge of his nose. “This complicates things. The Wendigo virus isn't something we can ignore but taking you into custody might not be the best idea for you because there are many at NexGen who'd ignore your ability to talk and treat you as less than an animal. Kathryn being in charge isn't enough to guarantee you won't be harmed and I hate making promises unless I'm confident I can keep them.”

  Pitch made a mental note to himself. “(I should definitely consider that when I word my proposal.)” The leader of the small Cryptid group nodded in understanding. Then they looked Pitch right in the eyes. “Cure?” Pitch shook his head. “There's been efforts, but because the Wendigo viruses aren't like normal viruses there hasn't been much progress. Not for lack of effort from what I hear.” They nodded again before looking back at the corpse. “So hungry. Always hungry. Hard to think.” It then looks back at Pitch with drool dripping from its maw. “Sorry… I'm so sorry.”

  Pitch cursed under his breath. “Fuck.” Just before the monster suddenly lunged at him. Pitch formed a bone armor over his arm that the Wendigo bit down on, Pitch then swan his arm using the monster to knock back the other monsters who started charging at him. “God damn it, I should have known it was going too well.” Pitch looked around to see if the Black Eagle soldiers had closed in to hit the monsters with tranquilizers and nets but didn't see anyone. “The hell?” A thought dawned on him, they didn't give him any equipment outside what he already had on him. No higher end gun, no Faraday, no tranquilizers.

  Pitch had only three anti-Cryptid tools on his person. A Watt Pistol, some Edison bulbs, and several bottles of high grade distilled holy water. Pitch tossed an Edison bulb into the group as it was getting up while the leader biting his arm but down harder. The bone armor cracking under the mighty deer-like jaw. Despite looking like the jaw of a deer, the thing had the bite strength and teeth of a crocodile. Pitch grumbled in frustration, the Edison bulb would only buy him a little time and he only had a small handful. “I guess I'll just hold out till backup comes in.”

  Pitch swung the one on his arm into a tree to get it to let go of his arm before gaining some distance and tossing more Edison bulbs. It didn't take long to turn out and the Watt Pistol wouldn't be enough to hold off a whole squad. Even if he overloaded it to explode it would simply be a bigger version of the Edison and gain him a little more time. Back up hadn't arrived yet despite the fact it definitely should have. “(Did something happen to them? We're there more of these than we thought someplace else? Was this intentional? Sending me out with no gear and telling me to take them in alive knowing it wouldn't be possible.)”

  Pitch started to run in the direction he came here from, hoping that if a trap wasn't set then at least the Black Eagle would still be in position. He had to occasionally turn around and take pot shots or swing back his arm to punch the monster to keep them off him. It felt like it took longer running than it did when he was slowly and cautiously walking but after a while finally Faraday nets were fired at the hybrids followed by tranquilizers. Pitch huffed even though he didn't need to breathe, if for no other reason than to keep up appearances. “What… the hell. I thought I was going in to distract them while you set up before going in.”

  One of the men walked forward with an Ohm Scatter-shot pointed right at him. “Quit your complaining. It's not like you were in any real danger. You're immune to the virus somehow so the worst that could happen is death and dismemberment. And at the end of the day I'm more than willing to sacrifice a freak like you.” Pitch groaned. “Man, I can't believe you just said that in front of several Doppelgangers, Succubi, and… wait, where are Ishwada and Anderson?” The helmeted man chuckled. “They were called to another mission.” He looked over to the other soldiers. “Send these things to the facility in Green Bay.”

  Pitch moved between the group and the hybrids. “You'll be taking them to New Arkham or not at all.” The man charged up the Ohm Scatter-shot. “What are you going to do about it? Fight us? Kill us? Eat us?” Pitch scoffed. “Nah, I wouldn't eat you.” He pointed at the man. “You'd give me indigestion with all that bad attitude. Besides, I'm fairly sure the Cryptids in your squad won't just stand by as you mistreat a Cryptid, even if I'm not the same type as them. After all, the Holocaust may have started with the Jews but they were far from alone in their suffering. I suggest you lower your weapon and follow directions like a good little soldier.”

  The man looked around to see more than half of the squad didn't have their weapons up. It was just him and a few more. He lowered his gun and spoke with frustration. “Fine, have it your way freak. Take the things to New Arkham.” The squad started loading up the hybrids into containment cars while Pitch pretended to catch his breath. One of the female soldiers gave him a pat on the back. “You may have done some questionable things, horrible things even. But you’ve saved a few of us more than once. So even if you killed a whole platoon like he said I believe there was more to it then that.”

  Pitch pointed to the temporary commander. “He told you I killed a whole platoon?” The woman nodded. Pitch put his hand on his chin. “(But how would he know? I left no survivors and only really told Ishwada, Kathryn, and I think Anderson at some point.)” he growled slightly. “I guess things aren't going to be easier any time soon.” The woman patted his shoulder a few more times. “Yeah, it never does. There'll always be people like that I think. They're even worse with more exotic and rare Cryptid civilians like us.” Pitch gave her a perplexed look that promoted her to explain. “I'm a pixie.”

  Pitch blinked a few times. “Aren't pixies like… really small?” The woman laughs. “I mean we can be. Pixie is a fairly loose term. It's almost like saying dragon, or fish.” Pitch nodded. “Or tree. Alright, thanks for sticking up for me. I'm going to go home.” She gripped his shoulder tighter for a moment. “Be careful out there.” Pitch pulled her hand off him with a small smile. “Don't worry about me, I can handle myself.” He then started walking away, aiming for his jeep. Once in it he starts driving home, leaving the Black Eagle soldiers behind to finish cleaning up without him. He tried calling Ishwada with no answer.

  Pitch let out a number of sounds of frustration as he drove home, trying to call Anderson as well with no reply from him either. He made the long drive home and parked his car, still slightly heated from the day’s events. He entered the home to see all the lights were off indicating Kathryn was likely at work in bed. Kasa seemed to be asleep as well since no one greeted him when he entered. He plopped face down into the bed with a loud sigh and laid there awake for several hours. Eventually when the sun started to shine he got up and started doing house chores.