"If you're looking for Matthews, he went that way," An agent told Vasquez as she was about to poke her head in the storage room she and Sam usually convened in. Although she was grateful for the heads up, she was really starting to hate that everyone thought the two were hooking up. She used to think it was a solid cover for their mole activities. But it got so old so fast. She'd rather be dating, fake or otherwise, anyone besides Sam. He grated her nerves like nobody else. And at times, she felt as though she was pulling all the weight on their side of the war with the bastards. She didn't want to be associated with him any longer. They had to end their fight soon, just so she could get away from him.
She soon located Sam in an isolated room across headquarters. He had wanted to meet with her for a reason- probably a new development from the team- yet she really didn't care at the moment. Vasquez was sick of the amused glances she was given whenever they left a room together. She couldn't say anything in contradiction for fear of their cover being blown. But other agents assuming such a disgusting thing about her needed to be stopped. Storming in and sharply closing the door behind her, she was ready to complain about their cover. She wanted to rant about how pretending to date him was absolutely vile. Unfortunately, Vasquez didn't have the opportunity to vent it all out. Sam wasn't alone in the room. He appeared to have been interrogating someone, prompting her to ask, "What are you doing?"
"Nikita here worked with Ari when he had the black box. And so had our fearless leader," That was all Sam explained. Vasquez hadn't been able to go over the latest dead drop from the team yet. She was busy preparing for an op, leaving her partner to gather all the information. Maybe they should've waited until she was available to help him. She stared at him, not able to catch up. What the hell was he even talking about. Nikita never worked with Gogol, unlike Sam. Vasquez's confusion was thankfully cleared up by her partner nodding to the man he had cornered in the room. Apparently, his name was also Nikita. The team was certainly going to have fun with that.
"Oh that's not confusing. Okay. What's this have to do with anything?" Shaking her head, she pressed forward. It might take her some time to adjust to the Russian Nikita in front of her, but that wasn't the pressing matter. Vasquez wanted to know how Gogol and Ari played into everything currently. Sure, some of the bastards were former Gogol agents. But that had just as much relevance as some of them being former Division. Unless, of course, the team found something on their raid. If that was the case, she needed Sam to tell her immediately. They couldn't waste their time with Russian Nikita; they had to keep planning and acting.
"The regiment is back in play," But Sam continued on as though he was making perfect sense. At least he wasn't sharing too much with Russian Nikita in the room with them; he had enough sense to keep their covers intact. Yet Vasquez couldn't stop staring at him in confusion. She even shared a puzzled glance with the man her partner was attempting to interrogate. First Ari, then whatever the hell the regiment was. Sam seriously had to stop and talk with Vasquez. Obviously diving head first into their next move had been a terrible idea.
It seemed to be something Russian Nikita had tried to voice. Although he was operating on even less information than Vasquez, he was aware enough to know how strange the moment was. He shifted to brush past Sam and escape out of the room he was dragged in, yet the bigger man wouldn't let him pass. He shoved him back against a wall and glared. Vasquez should've probably moved to help. But in her game of mental catch up, she could only sit back and watch. Russian Nikita grew increasingly frustrated at the situation, snapping, "Man, I told you. I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah. I don't either," Before Sam could yell or tear the man a new one, Vasquez voiced. Surprisingly, that got her partner to settle. He released his fierce hold on Russian Nikita, and began to think. She was impressed with his actions. She didn't think Sam had that ability. A thought pulled at her mind that he had begun to listen more and more with her around; she had an effect on him. Except, she quickly forced it away. That more than likely came from the snarks and rumors that followed her after they met together. God, the other agents had to stop believing they were a couple.
"There are rumors going around that whoever's in charge is taking the same drugs Division Guardians used to take. If that's the case, then he's not stable. And I don't want to work with another psycho," Sam was careful in selecting his words. Not only did he have to inform Vasquez of the Guardian equipment and regiment pills the team found on their raid, he also had to keep Russian Nikita in the dark. All the time they had been forced to spend together turned out to be more of a blessing than a curse. His partner was able to catch up with whatever he was planning. She didn't appear pleased with the idea, but she did go along with it, matching the glare he leveled on the man he was interrogating.
"Sounds like a Division problem, not Gogol," Russian Nikita spat. Despite working for the same organization then, there was still a divide between former Gogol and Division agents. That was part of the reason Sam was brought into the fold by the higher ups. Having worked for both black ops groups, he could bridge the rift between them and help them all be a cohesive unit. That was easier said than done. Old animosities ran high throughout the bastards. The team might not have to destroy the place, after all; the agents might just burn their own selves down.
"Why were we enemies with Gogol again? Weren't they just us but Russian?" Once again, Vasquez interrupted before Sam could attack Russian Nikita. He backed off, and let her take over the interrogation. She ignored more of those thoughts about him acting different around her, and concentrated on the man pressed against the wall. Gogol and Division agents weren't that different. They had all been used and abused by leaders wanting nothing but power. They were possibly only pitted against one another because Percy and Ari couldn't stand competition. Oversight and their perverted sense of patriotism probably played into that as well. But years have passed since then. The agents should move on together.
"Look. We were never allowed to peak inside the box," Sighing, Russian Nikita confessed. He might have been with Ari and Amanda when they were on the run with the black box, but he didn't know anything. He never really cared to know anything. The reason he had joined First Choice was the same reason he had followed his old Gogol boss- it was all about the money. Whatever Amanda and Ari told him, he followed. His life had always been simpler that way. There was no pain when there were no questions asked.
"But since when have we ever done what we're told," Vasquez was quick to assume not everyone thought the same as him. Russian Nikita was as passive as a subordinate could get for a team of spies- drastically unlike the other Nikita. However, there had to be rebels amongst Gogol's ranks. No one could've been that loyal. Even the ones who had followed Ari after Zetrov disbanded its security force had to have broken a rule or two. It was human nature to buck against authority. No matter how convicted one was to a cause, there had to be some revolt. Hadn't Vasquez seen that enough in Division. Every single one of them had broken a rule at some point. If they really weren't that different from Gogol, then the same could be said of them.
Glancing between a glaring Sam and a gentle Vasquez, Russian Nikita tried to think. He was still confused. But he knew he wouldn't be able to leave that room until he answered them. Besides, the comment about the leader of First Choice maybe being psychotic unsettled him. No amount of money could convince him to work for any more crazy people- spending time with Amanda all those years ago taught him that much. He could simply mention the person that most matched Vasquez's and Sam's descriptions and return to his own sense of normalcy. There was no harm in that, "If anyone were to turn against Ari like that, it'd be Iosef."
"You got a last name?" Sam demanded. A Russian named Iosef wasn't anything to go off of. They needed a lot more information before they approached the rest of the team with what they had. Yet all Russian Nikita could do was shrug. He was really proving how alike Division and Gogol were. Identities were hidden above all else. You could watch someone's back on numerous missions and trust them to do the same without ever knowing anything about their past. Sighing, Sam finally softened his gaze. They weren't going to get much else out of Russian Nikita. It wasn't that strong of a lead to go off of anyway, "Whatever. Just get out of here."
Russian Nikita fled instantly. No doubt he'd tell other agents how weird the encounter with Sam and Vasquez was. But they hadn't let anything slip about their mole activities. If they had, however, it didn't seem as though the man they interrogated was smart enough to figure it out. He never learned how to ask the right questions, or to think anything was more than its surface level weirdness. Neither Vasquez nor Sam could blame him for that. They had been the same before their eyes had been opened to seek the truth. Since they had, she had become far more confident. And much more willing to see a lighter side to things, at least enough to tease, "See how much farther you get when you actually think and be nice."
"You sound like Nikita… Not him, the other one. The one who dragged us into this war," Eventually realizing how confusing having two sources named Nikita would be, Sam amended his statement. Vasquez's techniques, plans, and taunts all seemed to stem from the team's influence. She was so serious in joining their plight, that she tried to be a goddamn hero just like them. Although he meant to insult her for it, she laughed at his fumble. His annoyance suddenly disappeared at the sound. His heart skipped a beat in a way it hadn't in over a decade. Immediately, he fought that feeling away. He couldn't dwell on that then- or possibly ever.
"Oh that's gonna be so much fun," All Vasquez could think about was intentionally messing with Sam over the whole Russian Nikita and teammate Nikita thing. Division had avoided the problem of having multiple agents with the same name by referring to some by their surname- which was how she went from Maria Vasquez to simply Vasquez. It might've been annoying at first, yet she appreciated the lack of confusion. Then, however, she intended to annoy her partner as much as possible with the puzzling two Nikitas. It'd be payback for all the times she had to get him on task.
Sam rolled his eyes and huffed. However, a small smile began to pull at his lips. He didn't force it away- he kind of didn't want to. Instead, he hid it as he moved past Vasquez. He had to inform her of the other things the team had uncovered. And they had to initiate another phase of their operation. Her idea to draw out the leader was still in effect. The fact that he was possibly hooked on the regiment and was probably former Gogol were simply clues to what the team was up against. They needed something truly solid to take the bastards down once and for all, "Cyrus has a meeting with the leader soon. I'll ask him to check for signs of regiment withdrawal, and confirm his name."
"How's it feel using your head?" Vasquez didn't let the tease drop as the two exited the room together. She smirked up at him, daring him to say anything contradictory. He could only stare, however. The intense silence forced her smugness to crumble and fall at her feet. Neither knew how long they stood like that. But a cough from a passing bastard snapped them out of it. Irritation quickly washed over Vasquez. She glowered at Sam for a moment, then stomped off in a completely different direction. She just needed to get away from him. Maybe then her problems (not revolving around the war with First Choice) would disappear.