"Nikita, are you okay? You good to go?" Michael asked for the umpteenth time. He, Nikita, and Alex had arrived at the docks a while ago. They settled into their positions, waiting for the bastards to arrive. Alex and Michael hid amongst the Interpol agents and SWAT team situated around the container they were certain the bastards would swarm. The organization wasn't too interested in seeing what First Choice was smuggling. Their plans were to stop the criminals, then confiscate the illegal material. That was where the team stepped in. They were going to destroy the supply line, and trace the destruction to its point of origin. Hopefully, that would be one of the last few steps they had to take in order to burn their enemies. If only some of them could focus on the right things.
"I'm great, Michael. How's your knife handling? Gonna get one upped again?" Nikita bit into her coms from her position on top of one of the containers. She followed the order to only provide sniper support from across the dock; however, that didn't mean she wasn't going to taunt her husband for constantly checking in on her. They were all going to be fine, as long as they didn't let their anxieties control them. She probably could've assured Michael in a nicer way. But muttering something she had made fun of him for in the past worked just as well. He sighed, and did his best to shove away the other overprotective thoughts in his head.
"You brought that on yourself," Holding back laughter, Alex snarked. The team's coms were connected to Interpol's, so they couldn't be distracted by their own conversations. They had to be able to hear what was occurring around them. Even if they were simply sitting and waiting, they couldn't be caught by surprise. Taking time to dig into one another, though, just slipped out of them. When it came down to it, they could multitask. And as long as some of them were laughing, then they could all breathe a little easier. They were going to need that once they started chasing down targets.
"We got eyes on the situation?" Despite his huff, Michael couldn't help but crack a small smile. The team truly was something to behold on a mission. Between kicking ass, watching out for one another, and being assholes over the coms, they really were unstoppable. Or, they were simply unwaveringly lucky and annoying. He decided to focus on the positives. That had been difficult for him in the past. Yet with his wife's support (sarcastic or otherwise) he had gotten to a place where he could see the best possible outcome. He simply had to settle his nerves.
"Bastards rolling up now. But we're still trying to locate which container's theirs," Birkhoff supplied the information he gathered from his satellite view. There were a couple security cameras in the area, but they weren't quite operational; which was probably why the bastards chose that area of the dock. Their agents could navigate the maze of containers unnoticed, taking their shipment and making a run for it. What was a tool for them, could also be a weapon for their enemies, however. Interpol could be completely unnoticed until the bastards arrived at their container. The element of surprise definitely belonged to the international police.
At least, if they managed to interpret their intel on First Choice correctly. Interpol was certain the bastards' smuggling shipment was held in container D-38. Alex and Michael were in agreement with that, piggybacking off the information. Yet Birkhoff's comment gave them pause. Hacking from the safehouse while the others were stuck in the field usually gave him better access to new intel. He obviously knew something they didn't. Calling for the nerd's attention, Nikita was a little worried to find out what it was, "Isn't Interpol at the right one?"
"They are. Well, kind of. They have multiple containers for multiple things," His response lacked any of his lovely sarcasm, proving Birkhoff was intently focused on discovering what was hidden from the team. It was something that popped up as Sonya continued to mine through the flashdrive they had stolen. Apparently, the bastards had three smuggling shipments arrive, not just the one. They planned to split into groups and unload the containers to consolidate resources. It was smart planning, but it caused the team to have to change up their play. Sighs of frustration echoed through the coms.
"Of course they fucking do," Mumbling, Alex quickly thought of the ways they could navigate the new information. The most obvious choice was to split up. One of them would remain with Interpol, while the other two followed the bastards. Michael voiced that Nikita be the one to stay. Since they were already on the ground, he and Alex could chase their targets. Only because he had phrased it in such a logical way did Nikita agree. It seemed as though the married couple had moved past their need to argue over each other's safety- much to the relief of the whole team. They could move on without much hassle.
They still had to wait for Birkhoff's direction, however. The bastards were on the scene, but they were preparing to haul out their shipments. Although that gave the hacker some time to figure out where they were headed, the agents were left anxiously waiting. Tipping off Interpol would show their hand, and they couldn't afford to blow their covers just yet. The team had to keep playing the slow spy game. Fortunately for Nikita, she had a call coming in to distract her. She knew who it was, having expected it, and she answered immediately, "Hey, Cyrus. Can't talk long. You got anything for me?"
"I got a meeting. Though, I have to say, the steps I had to go through just to potentially see the guy were too much even for me," Cyrus was his usual cheery self as he replied. Despite having to put a little too much work in acquiring a meeting with the leader of a mercenary group, it was worth it to see Nikita's plan come to fruition. He might have had his own agenda from time to time, yet he owed a lot to the team. He'd do anything they asked of him. Taking out dirty dealing criminals was simply a bonus.
"Yeah that sounds about right. Thanks," Nikita tried to sound more appreciative towards Cyrus than annoyed at the bastards. She wasn't certain if it worked, but he gave her a parting laugh as he hung up. The team was informed of that update, and though they were grateful for the movement, they were still waiting for the nerd's information. Maybe Michael and Alex could split from Interpol then. Yet with the maze of containers awaiting them that wouldn't have been wise. They could lose more time that way than just by waiting. It became clear how little they had improved their patience over the years, but they didn't care. It wasn't as if they could work on it then.
"Bastards just split up. One group is headed where Mikey and Princess are. Another's headed towards Nikki. And the third just went off course," Confident in his ability to track the bastards through his limited viewpoint, Birkhoff had returned to the teasing nicknames. Although he earned eyerolls, no one snarked back. It was possible that he or Sonya could study the enemy agents' movements and formulate a possibility of where they were heading. If so, then they'd need complete focus. Besides, the others had their attention pulled elsewhere. They had to adjust how they were going to stop the bastards for the umpteenth time.
"Got 'em," Nikita and Michael echoed one another. The group nearing her appeared to have been the smallest one. She could remain in her sniper's position and take them out no problem once they reached her area; she was quick enough to knock them down without them even noticing, after all. With the majority of the bastards approaching their original destination where Interpol was waiting, the most experienced agent should stay behind to help. Again, rationality and positivity was helping him settle with the decision. They were moving along the right course of action.
"B, lead me to the third group," Which left Alex to chase after the remaining bastards. Demanding Birkhoff, she broke off from the others. He was going to make a cutting mark in reply about how busy he was, yet Sonya nodded in agreement. She could handle the containers while he tracked the targets. The agent needed someone watching after her anyway. And with only one of her and two hackers, Birkhoff could abandon what he was doing to help her. He sighed, but he did as the two women said.
Carrying their equipment made the bastards slow. It wasn't as though they were expecting danger. To them, it was any other smuggling shipment they had to offload. That helped Alex catch up to the third group and hopefully cut them off from their container; they couldn't reach it before she was in the area. The pace also allowed Nikita to spot the small group in her sights. She couldn't shoot yet- that would've blown everything. Yet she could watch their every move, adjusting her position here and there. Sonya eventually shouting in triumph helped her solidify a location, though, "Got it! I know where they're headed. C-12 and E-47."
"Do you know what's in them?" Alex quietly wondered, cutting around corners to get to container C-12 first. She'd love to get the drop on the bastards before they even knew what hit them, like they had done to her months ago. Not only would it be a nice moment of revenge, but it'd also stop them from alerting the others. The last thing the team needed was a chaotic mission. The more they controlled their pieces, the better. If the bastards came away from the op confused and scrambling, then the team had reached the best possible outcome. They needed them to panic. It caused mistakes that would lead to their destruction.
"Shipping manifests are forged," Sonya could tell that easily. How it got past whoever was in charge of the dock was beyond her. Well, if she put some thought into it, bribery was more than likely involved. She jotted the possibility down as something they could explore later. Interrogating the businessmen who made deals with First Choice gave them some clues to their business. Maybe the bribery could as well. Or, they could hand it off to Interpol to deal with. The team had much bigger things to focus on than that.
"Just let them open it up. Lull them into a false sense of security, then get the drop on 'em," With a shrug, Nikita suggested. They wouldn't allow them to offload the shipment, but they could at least let the bastards open the lock. It would save time trying to break in. And if there were any added security measures (which there more than likely were) then the team wouldn't be affected by it. Their window to take out the bastards would shorten, but with the agents separated it shouldn't be that big of a deal. They could handle it.
"What if there's weapons?" Michael pointed out a potential setback. If the bastards were smuggling weapons, and they were allowed to open the container before the team attacked, then the bastards would be at an advantage. Even a fast and steady sniper could be hit with whatever their enemies had in store. Although he was searching for positivity, safety still had to be key. Changing plans at an instant didn't mean they had to sacrifice thinking things through. They could be both smart and improvisational.
"Then we gotta be quick," Nikita was serious in her short reply. They'd give the bastards the chance to disengage the security measures on the containers and that would be all. After that, it was ass kicking time. Michael and Alex agreed to the strategy, and just in time. The groups of mercenary agents had reached their destinations and were preparing to grab their shipments. Interpol, with Michael among them, readied to attack. Alex and Nikita came out of the shadows.
Credit had to be given to the bastards for synchronizing opening their containers. When the agents raided their mission, they couldn't call for backup as they were all caught under fire. Surprise worked the most in Alex's favor. She fought against her group almost effortlessly, shooting and punching them into submission. Once the last man was down, she was able to throw open the container doors. She wasn't certain what kind of smuggling she had been expecting, but what she saw was bewildering. Exploring the contents, she informed her team, "C-12 is secured. But, uh, these are weird looking drugs. And some pretty intense equipment."
The others were a little too busy to respond right away. Nikita was able to take out her targets, her position shielding her from their returning bullets. The problem came in abandoning her position to secure container E-47. Birkhoff warned that some bastards were escaping from the firefight with Interpol. She could get caught awkwardly climbing down from her perch with a hefty rifle. Although she managed it, she had to ditch the weapon to make a mad dash for her target. A bastard caught up to her, yet she shot him with her pistol before he could do anything about it. Reaching her destination, she threw open the doors. She almost whistled at the impressive sight. But Alex's intel about strange objects kind of stole her thunder, "I was gonna brag about the amount of counterfeit bills I found. But Alex takes the cake."
"Let's bag it up and blow it before Interpol finishes the scene," He sounded a tad strained, yet Michael was still able to command. Even with some bastards running, he and Interpol managed to take them out with their guns and handcuffs. That shipping container held some tame smuggled items- stolen and illegal pieces of jewelry and art the bastards were probably going to fence. It wasn't nearly as exciting as what Alex and Nikita found. Which was why the team was going to let Interpol confiscate those items while they handled the rest. No doubt First Choice cared more about money and drugs than paintings.
"And hope the leader freaks enough he makes a mistake," Striking a match, Nikita tossed it onto the stacks of counterfeit bills. She had grabbed a few to study, but they didn't need the money. Destroying the cash was going to freak out the leader, which was way more beneficial. Alex, on the other hand, was taking as much as she could. The strange drugs and equipment could give them the last few puzzle pieces they needed to end First Choice. The team was taking their final steps in that war. A few more victories and it could all be over. At least they hoped.