Alex held his gaze for another moment, then nodded and stepped back, releasing the tension.

"Please, Alex. Sit." Viktor gestured to the leather chairs arranged in a conversational circle. "We have much to discuss. And I suspect you have questions."

Alex moved to the central chair... positioning himself naturally as the focus without having to claim it explicitly... and settled in with Enhanced grace. Coffee had already been prepared, clearly expecting this to be a substantial discussion.

The others took their positions. Viktor sat across from Alex. Damien and Dimitri flanked them. Andre and Pavel remained standing initially, professional distance but close enough to hear.

Alex took a moment, letting the silence build while he studied Viktor with Enhanced perception that seemed to look through him rather than just at him.

Viktor bore the scrutiny calmly, no discomfort, no evasion. Just patient waiting.

Finally, Alex spoke, his voice quiet but carrying weight.

"How are you all adjusting?" Alex asked, gesturing around the spacious villa that had become their sanctuary.

"Is the place to your liking? Comfortable enough?"

Damien nodded, his gaze steady but proud. "It's far better than any of us dared hope for."

"The atmosphere is different. We can finally think clearly, focus on what's next without the constant shadow of death."

Andre smiled faintly.

"The technology embedded throughout impresses me," Andre continued, his tone taking on professional appreciation.

"Secure communications, encrypted networks, surveillance systems that don't look like surveillance systems... it's clear no expense was spared. It's exactly what we need to rebuild and to prepare."

"It's a home, not just a hideout."

Viktor remained silent, letting his team speak, but Alex caught the subtle approval in his expression... pride in men who'd found their footing again.

Alex leaned back slightly, coffee cup cradled in his hands, and his lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile but held amusement beneath it.

"And Blackthorne?" Alex asked, his tone deliberately light, almost teasing. "Are you still afraid they'll come knocking? Still looking over your shoulders waiting for operatives to kick down the door?"

The room went absolutely still.

For a heartbeat, no one moved. The question hung in the air like a challenge wrapped in casual curiosity.

Viktor's eyes locked onto Alex's face, studying him with sudden intensity.

That question.

That specific wording.

'Still afraid'—as if he already knows we're not. As if he's testing whether I understand what I've become.

Viktor's tactical mind raced through implications faster than conscious thought.

'He knew. Before he walked through that door, he already knew about the breakthrough. About the Apex advancement.'

'But how?'

'I haven't demonstrated it publicly. Haven't given any sign outside these walls. I specifically ordered my team not to discuss it, even in encrypted communications. No one should know... no one could know unless...

Viktor felt realization settle over him like cold water.'

'Unless he has ways of seeing things that go beyond normal perception. Unless that question wasn't casual curiosity but confirmation of something he'd already assessed the moment he laid eyes on me.'

'That look in his eyes. That slight smile. That deliberately teasing tone.'

'He's not asking if we're afraid. He's asking if I understand what Apex Realm actually means. If I've internalized the transformation.'

If I recognize that House Blackthorne sending operatives now would be...

Viktor's lips twitched despite himself.

...suicide for them.

The silence stretched for three heartbeats.

Then Viktor laughed.

Not polite amusement or restrained chuckle, but genuine laughter... deep, resonant, carrying notes of realization mixed with something like impressed respect.

He leaned forward, meeting Alex's eyes directly, letting his understanding show.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

"No, Alex. We are not afraid." Viktor said, his Russian accent thickening slightly with emotion.

He leaned forward, and his Apex presence suddenly felt less contained... power pressing against the air itself like atmospheric pressure before a storm.

"In fact," Viktor continued, his voice dropping to something more dangerous, "I hope they send someone. I genuinely, sincerely hope that Anastasia Blackthorne decides we're worth the effort of hunting down. Because I would very much enjoy showing them some lessons."

His eyes held something cold, something that had been waiting months for opportunity.

"Especially those bastards from Shadow Unit Seven."

The name landed with weight. Damien's expression hardened. Dimitri's hands clenched briefly. Pavel's jaw tightened with old anger surfacing.

Viktor's smile turned sharp, predatory.

"We had... tensions with Unit Seven even before we discovered the laboratory. Professional rivalry, different operational philosophies, the usual inter-departmental politics that exist in any large organization."

Viktor's tone made it clear these were understatements. "Their commander, Alexei Morozov, always thought we were too soft. Too concerned with collateral damage, too worried about civilian casualties when completing missions."

He paused, and something darker entered his voice.

"When we fled with evidence of the Eighth God research, when Anastasia ordered our elimination. Alexei jumped at the chance. Came after us with enthusiasm that went beyond professional duty into personal vendetta."

Damien spoke up, his tactical mind evident in how he framed it: "They weren't trying to capture us for interrogation or recover the evidence for controlled destruction. They wanted us dead. Specifically, painfully dead. Messages sent through mutual contacts made that abundantly clear."

"That evil bastard took advantage of the situation," Viktor continued, and genuine anger bled through his controlled composure.

"Used Anastasia's orders as excuse to settle old grudges, to prove his unit was superior, to eliminate rivals while having official sanction to do so. It wasn't about protecting House Blackthorne's secrets. It was about humiliation and dominance."

He looked directly at Alex, and his smile was absolutely feral.

"So yes. If Unit Seven comes here? If Alexei and his men track us to this villa?" Viktor's voice dropped to something that resonated with Apex power.

"I will show them exactly what happens when you hunt someone who is beyond your reach. I will make them understand that the power differential between him and me isn't just numbers on a scale... it's the difference between wolves and sheep."

The room felt charged, dangerous, like violence was pressing against invisible barriers waiting for excuse to manifest.

Alex studied Viktor for a long moment, the confidence that wasn't bravado, the certainty that came from understanding exactly what his new capabilities meant, the cold calculation beneath the emotional anger.

He's right to be confident, Alex thought. Apex Realm against Enhanced operatives? It wouldn't even be a fight. It would be a demonstration.

But something else caught Alex's attention... the way Viktor's gaze held his, assessing, recognizing something.

Alex's lips curved into an amused smile, and he chuckled softly.

"You're quite excited about the prospect, aren't you?" He said, his tone carrying lightness that cut through the dangerous atmosphere Viktor had built.

"Seems like the medicine didn't just heal you, Viktor. It gave you something to look forward to."

Viktor's predatory expression softened slightly, the feral edge giving way to something more human... acknowledgment mixed with rueful amusement.

"You're not wrong," Viktor admitted, his Russian accent still thick with emotion.

"Your elixir didn't just heal. It transformed." His Russian accent grew more pronounced with emotion.

"Purged every toxin, repaired damage I didn't know existed, rebuilt me from cellular level up. It found every flaw, every limitation, and corrected them."

Viktor sat back down, his eyes holding Alex's with intensity that was almost overwhelming.

"I have no reason to hide anything from you," He said, voice dropping to something quieter but no less intense. "I've ascended into Apex Realm."

The words settled over the room like a physical weight.

Alex met Viktor's gaze, not surprised in the slightest... just quietly, steadily pleased.

"You gave me what most Enhanced practitioners spend lifetimes chasing and never achieve," Viktor continued, profound gratitude making his voice rough.

He turned then, his gaze sweeping across his team—Damien, Dimitri, Andre, Pavel—each man who'd stood with him through hell and come out the other side.

When he spoke again, his voice carried weight that made the air itself feel heavier.

"Amd from now on, we are ready to fight for you at any moment."

Not a question. Not an offer.

A vow.

Damien nodded first, his expression resolute. "Without hesitation."

Dimitri's massive frame straightened, his deep voice carrying absolute certainty. "Anytime. Anywhere."

Andre adjusted his glasses, his analytical mind replaced by simple conviction. "You have our blades, Mr. Hale."

Pavel stepped forward slightly, the youngest but no less committed. "Our lives if you need them."

Viktor's gaze returned to Alex, and something profound passed between them... understanding that transcended contract or obligation.

"That's our oath," Viktor said quietly. "Not because we must. Because we choose to."

Alex leaned back in his chair, letting the weight of their oaths settle over the room like a physical presence.

The silence stretched for a long moment... comfortable, charged with understanding.

Then his lips curved into a slight smile, and he set down his coffee cup with deliberate precision.

"Since you're all being so emotional," Alex said, his tone carrying dry amusement that cut through the gravity, "let me answer a few of your questions and suspicions too."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across each of them with deliberate weight.

"After all... we can't build a genuine partnership without being crystal clear with each other, can we?"

The words landed like a promise and an invitation in equal measure.

Viktor's eyes sharpened immediately, tactical mind engaging. The others shifted subtly... attention focusing completely on Alex with sudden intensity.

Alex held Viktor's gaze, his Enhanced perception reading every micro-expression, every subtle shift in posture that revealed curiosity barely restrained beneath professional composure.

"You've been wondering," Alex continued, his voice quiet but carrying authority, "about where the elixir came from. About what resources I actually have access to. About whether I'm connected to House Blackwood in the way you initially assumed."

He paused, letting that acknowledgment hang in the air.

"And you're right to wonder. Because the truth is..." Alex's smile widened slightly, taking on an edge that made him look almost dangerous despite the power differential in the room.

"I'm not what any of you think I am."

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