Nikita

[NIKITA]

Carrie looked at the Colonel, and she didn't need him to say anything before she knew he was already disapproving her reasons in his head. This man knew her too well, but he couldn't really do anything to her since she was here for official purposes.

"Colonel, I believe that I am not in the right state to lead my team into a mission; that is also why I came home after the last mission. My brother needs me, and I'm afraid I will be a liability to the team. I need to sort things, and I can't do that when I'm a squadron leader.

"I might lead my men to their deaths, which will not be right. I understand that Commander Xi's task force is personal and somewhat related to what I'm aiming at, so please allow me to join in it," Carrie explained most civilly, making the Colonel just shake his head.

The two of them would truly make all his hair disappear. What the hell was he supposed to do with them other than listen to them since they were the best he ever had?

"Commander Xi," the Colonel said to Qiao.

"Yes, sir"

"Do you think you can work with Commander Tabakov? Two Commanders on one team is unheard of, especially since you all are used to having your squadrons, and you will be facing too many risks. Are you sure that is something you both want to engage in?" the cologne asked.

What he had said was right through. Two people who had been too used to being leaders now coming together? Who the hell would be their leader? And who would solve their messes? Because they were both bound to be in some mess along the way.

And what if they had disagreements? Would they fight it out or try talking to each other? It didn't help that they had already signed the papers that allowed them to be the officers of the conglomerate.

These two were hell personified, and anyone who knew them knew that putting them together was a mistake, but what else could be done? This was a personal mission, one whose chief was Nikita.

So technically, their aims had somewhat been balanced out by Nikita, but would the good doctor really do his job in this madness?

"Yes, sir," the duo responded, making the Colonel facepalm.

Clearly, there was nothing that the Colonel could tell them that they didn't know about already.

They were mentally prepared for the strains that would come with their new job, and also, if the Colonel allowed Carrie into Qiao's task force, it would be the best thing for them. But then again, it all depended on whether the Colonel had woken up in a good mood today.

"Alright. Remember that the operation is off the books, which means that one wrong move and everything goes down the drain," the Colonel reminded them. It had been better for the operation to be off the books so the military couldn't be compromised.

It would be easier for them to be disclaimed as soldiers of the Russian army than have the government demand explanations from Colonel Dmytri as to why his younglings had gone rogue.

It was a risk they all had to agree with; otherwise, they would be on the following military transport to Afghanistan, and it wasn't a pretty sight there. They all knew it given they had visited it once in a while and even fought their arms there too.

"Yes, sir. This is a personal mission that may compromise us at some point. There are higher chances of that happening, especially now that the world already knows that we are military soldiers. It may be hard coming clean without compromising our positions.

"Can we request for indefinite leave, sir, so that in case we are compromised, it will be easy to handle us?" Qiao asked as Carrie just nodded. On the other hand, the Colonel was about to pick up his favorite whip and beat the two Commanders to submission, not that they would try fighting him anyway.

"Are you two crazy? Two of my best squadron leaders asking for indefinite leave to the same day? I presume this is about the young Pavlenko, no?" the Colonel asked. His veins seemed to want to pop from the pressure the Colonel was applying on them.

Maybe it would be better if the Colonel relaxed, but no one was going to tell him that, not even the ever so confident Ekarolina Seagal Tabakov.

"I am not at liberty to share the information, sir," Qiao said with his arms behind him.

They had been standing here for a while and were beginning to get tired, especially with their mission yesterday. But then again, they were soldiers at the end of the day, and they had been trained to persevere in worse situations than this. So this was bȧrėly childsplay to them, right?

"Alright then. I am only letting you off because you two are the best, be careful out there, alright?" the Colonel said. He was clearly sad because of what was happening, but he knew the Commanders were right.

There was a lot at stake, and he couldn't keep them in the military and on missions when they were distracted that would make them liabilities, and one way or the other, he would be forced to eliminate them, and he didn't want even to have to do that. Not to his most trusted team members.

"Yes, sir."

"And Commanders, you have eighteen months. If all of this is not over by that time, you will have no option but to let it all go. I don't care what happens then. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Aright, you're dismissed," the Colonel said as the two Commanders saluted him and left the office. To them, the worst was over, and they were finally free to do whatever they wanted for Nikita without the law coming in between.

They would get answers for Nikita, and they would have the resources at the same time. The papers they would sign later on would free them and make sure they were still under the protection of the Russian army.

It was simple really, even though their mission was personal, they would help the government identify the spots where the illegal viruses were sold and help close off the dens for these dangerous biohazards.

"Now the real work begins," Carrie said as they got to Qiao's house.