Captain Masha Alekseev was a Soviet submarine captain who had two different encounters with Terminators.
History[]
Prisoner of War[]
In 1944, Masha Alekseev was a Soviet soldier and prisoner of war held at Stalag I-A in Poland. One day, a Nazi officer entered his barracks and ordered him to come along. Confused but compliant, Alekseev followed the man behind a shed, where the officer suddenly began to strangle him, coldly stating that calculations predicted Alekseev might pose a threat in the future.[1]
Before Alekseev was killed, a suspicious guard intervened, aiming his pistol at the officer and ordering him to release Alekseev. The officer complied, only to immediately reveal his true nature, crushing the guard’s weapon and snapping his neck with ease. Amid the chaos, Alekseev managed to flee.[1]
Though the Nazi soldiers eventually succeeded in destroying the Terminator, Alekseev’s immediate fate after this first encounter with Skynet’s time-traveling assassins remains unknown. At some point after the war, Alekseev married one Amy Sexton and had three children: Penny, Maria, and Francis.[2]
Whiskey Dark[]
In 1961, Captain Alekseev commanded the Whiskey-class submarine S-353 on a classified mission. His crew largely consisted of new recruits who were unfamiliar with him and didn't fully trust his leadership. During the mission, he picked up a KGB courier named Volkov, who was operating from Gdansk and was heading toward St. Petersburg. Alekseev was dissatisfied with the mission, as its objectives were unclear, and Volkov's presence undermined his authority with the inexperienced crew.[3]
While traveling through the Baltic Sea, the submarine came under attack from depth charges that Alekseev found unusual; they were unlike any American or British weaponry he had encountered before. He ordered one of his men, Dimitri, to maintain their course. Then, noticing Volkov on the bridge, Alekseev requested him to leave, feeling uneasy about the man’s cold demeanor. Volkov retorted that Alekseev should keep his opinions about the KGB to himself and focus on completing the mission.[3]
Later, Volkov caught Alekseev writing in his diary. The KGB agent decided to share details about the mission with him, hoping to foster some openness. He revealed the cargo they were transporting, a Terminator CPU that needed to reach Russia safely, without question. He also warned Alekseev that he suspected there was a spy on board who intended to destroy the cargo.[3]
As the attacks on the submarine continued, the depth charges seemed to come from nowhere, and no hostile vessels were detected on sonar. While looking through the periscope, a charge struck the submarine, injuring Alekseev. Dimitri assisted him and informed Volkov that Alekseev might be hurt, prompting Volkov to request a change of course. Alekseev, insisting that he was fine and growing irritated with Dimitri, refused, stating he had strict orders to follow. Volkov argued that there was a cloaked enemy ship and that they would eventually be hit. He accused Alekseev of being the spy and, in turn, relieved him of his command, ordering the course change.—only to be suddenly brutally stabbed to death by a crewman.[3]
Alekseev, shocked, held Volkov's body and ordered the crewman to stand down while the rest of the bridge crew held the attacker at gunpoint. The crewman accused Volkov of having been the actual spy, but Alekseev wouldn't have it. Suddenly, the crewman started killing several bridge members. A bullet to the face revealed its true nature: it was a Terminator. The machine declared that S-353 would maintain its course, or everyone on board would be terminated. The Terminator searched Volkov's body but did not find the CPU. It announced that it would begin exploring the submarine, warning Alekseev against any attempts to change course. Once it left the bridge and sealed the door behind it, Alekseev informed the crew that there was an enemy infiltrator on board. He quietly revealed that he had the CPU, having taken it from Volkov's body.[3]
Dimitri confessed that Volkov was not actually KGB but a member of a secret group sent to retrieve the CPU. He then revealed that he was also part of this group, showing Alekseev a barcode tattooed on his arm. Alekseev accused him of being a traitor, but Dimitri defended himself, claiming that they were trying to prevent an impending nuclear war. Before Alekseev could respond, the submarine was struck by a critical explosion. The vessel was now lost, but Dimitri urged Alekseev to let him send out a message so that the CPU might one day be recovered. Angered at the machine that had destroyed his ship, Alekseev reluctantly agreed.[3]
The captain presumably died alongside the rest of his crew.