Chapter 2: Split Loyalty

The Following Afternoon:

Washington D.C, USA, Earth

01:09 P.M

Following the attack onto the safehouse, the Kremlin informed the American Government of what has occurred. President Henry Hays thanked the Russian President for the information and immediately called a close friend at the Pentagon. The one who was running Homeworld Command.

"Looks like she's available Jack," Hays spoke into the phone.

"Sir, I still think that this is a mistake," The man, on the other end, replied.

"Oh will you stop it," The President asked. "The cold war ended over twenty years ago,"

"You know me, Mr. President, I'm not exactly very trusting of others," The man replied sarcastically.

"I'm sure Mr. Woolsey will have something for me when he calls back,"

"That guy, huh," The man replied.

"Since Atlantis is safe here on Earth, Woolsey had returned to the IOA,"

"Spare me the history lesson sir, I'm aware of Woolsey's whereabouts and what Carter is having him do,"

"Well, let's hope he can convince the Lieutenant Colonel to join Stargate Command,"

"That whole Multi-National team thing sir?" The man asked.

"You bet, Jack,"

"Carter has a knack of coming up with some great ideas in the past but somehow I think she has got in over her head with this one and I'm being polite by saying that."

"She only appointed another ten teams for Stargate Command, Jack,"

"That's not what I meant, Sir," "What did you mean then, General?"

"Why a Ruski, a Spetsnaz Operator of all people,"

"Part of the agreement with General Carter's choice to accept the terms of the U.N's request was that a Russian Operative should be chosen to command the first of the ten teams."

The man on the other end sighed.

"Sometimes," He commented. "I think I've been here too long,"

"You have a point Jack, you were never this political before," Hays replied. "Besides, arguing is pointless. It's General Carter's prerogative to accept or decline the Lieutenant Colonel's enlistment, though it's really up to the person in question,"

"Just making sure sir,"

"I'll call you when Woolsey tells me of the Russian's response," Then Hays hanged up.

Moscow, Russia, Earth

01:15 P.M

Sergeant Balashov slept on his chair, formerly watching and waiting for his commander to reawaken. After returning to HQ and giving their assessment, what little there was, their superiors gave the survivors several personal days off. Sergeant Viktor Glazkov, the driver, was getting coffee from a vending machine outside of the infirmary. He returned about half an hour after he first left. After he reentered the infirmary, he awoken the Balashov and handed him a cup of coffee. After thanking Glazkov, he chugged half of the contents into his mouth and down his throat. Glazkov, wide-eyed, witnessed his teammate do this, and dropped his mouth.

"Wasn't that hot, Sergei?"

The other Sergeant took a moment before answering.

"Extremely," Balashov replied.

Glazkov shook his head at the response.

"I'd prefer Vodka in these situations…but it never hurts to stay awake." Balashov added.

Glazkov nodded, sipping his coffee as well.

The two men said nothing for nearly ten minutes, staring at their commanding officer. It wasn't until Balashov, a veteran solider who knew Alexeyeva for years, broke the ice.

"The doctors say that Natasha will be clear to leave the hospital sometime next week."

Glazkov shrugged. "I was going to ask how you were feeling,"

Balashov snorted.

"I was given a clear bill of health, despite falling nearly three stories to Earth,"

Glazkov took another sip.

"Do you remember anything?" He asked.

Balashov sat back into his seat, sighing.

"After breaching into the apartment, I remember this blue line hitting me and I felt as if I was being electrocuted,"

Glazkov raised an eyebrow.

"I nearly lost consciousness, seeing the Lieutenant Colonel being chocked to death,"

Glazkov was beginning to get uncomfortable.

"I killed the bastard and then my world went black,"

"Then you barely escaped an explosion…" Glazkov added to the Sergeant's story.

"And somehow survived a fall that surely would have killed the commander and me if it weren't for that dump."

"Deus Ex Machina, as they always say," A voice spoke.

The two men turned their attention to the bed. The words belonged to the Lieutenant Colonel, who had just awoken. Balashov and Glazkov didn't say anything as they were still stunned that their commander woke up sooner than expected. The Lieutenant Colonel chuckled, amused of her teammates' shock.

"We'd thought you were…" Balashov was cut off.

"Were what?" Alexeyeva asked, grinning. "That I was in a coma?"

"To be honest, yes," Glazkov added.

"Guess I'm a little bit too tough for being killed in an explosion,"

"Or falling a long way down," Balashov added.

The Lieutenant Colonel sat back into her pillow, sighing. She wiped the smile off her face before giving grave news, tears forming in her eyes.

"Vitsin and Banin didn't make it…"

The other two looked away in sorrow.

"They were already dead before the bomb detonated…so…"

"We still lost two good men," Balashov, grumbled, somewhat bitter at his CO.

"And worse still," Glazkov added. "The files that we were tasked to get were not on either of you,"

Balashov shot a look at his commander, whom was too, wide eyed.

"Shit," The trio knew that they failed and lost their men for nothing.

"I'm going back and meet with the Colonel and try to assess our situation," Glazkov said, pointing his left thumb behind him.

"That won't be necessary, Sergeant Glazkov," A voice behind them spoke.

Everyone looked back to find their commanding officer, Colonel Ivan Yermakov, approaching the three soldiers. Behind him was another man, older, bald, in a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase.

"In fact," The Colonel said. "I need you and Sergeant Balashov to leave, please,"

"Understood, Colonel," Glazkov said, saluting.

Balashov, too nodded and saluted before leaving. Once the room was cleared, aside from the Colonels and the man, Colonel Yermakov cleared his throat.

"Lieutenant Colonel Alexeyeva, this is Richard Woolsey," He introduced the two.

"How do you do, sir," Alexeyeva asked in English.

The other man smiled.

"For someone in my position, very well, thank you,"

"It turns out that Mr. Woolsey here has come here after that…operation from last night."

The man named Woolsey nodded.

"It turns out that you and your team stumbled upon something that both the Russian and U.S government were after for almost a year," He explained.

The Lieutenant Colonel shook her head before looking away, sensing that there was more to this than what it appeared.

"So," She began. "Are you here to congratulate me?"

"If you'd like," Woolsey paused.

"The real reason why Richard Woolsey is here is because you're being reassigned." The Colonel said, revealing the man's true purpose.

At that moment, Alexeyeva, in that sudden rage, rushed off her bed, yanked out the IV lines out of her arms. Despite a surge of pain in her left side and right arm broken, she managed to stomp her way towards the man in uniform.

"What the hell are you saying, Colonel?" She asked him, pointing her left index finger at his chest.

"That because I screwed up, you are handing me over to American authorities?"

"Calm down, Natasha," Yermakov replied, swapping the finger away. "You are not under arrest, you're being reassigned, that's all I can say to you right now,"

The Lieutenant Colonel then directed her attention to the other man.

"Why are you here then, Mr. Woolsey," She asked. "Why do you want me?"

"There really isn't anyone else." Woolsey replied.

"Sure there is, you have…"

The woman nearly collapsed onto the floor before the Colonel helped her back onto her bed.

"You should rest now, Lieutenant Colonel, you've earned it."

Alexeyeva sighed and lay back down, feeling betrayed, abandoned even, to be simply handed over to someone else like a play-thing. She gave off a death glare at the man in the suit.

"I will NOT work for the Americans," She spat at him.

"You won't be…you'll be representing the Russian Federation while working for a multi-national group,"

"Do they hunt terrorists and protect civilians?" Alexeyeva asked. "Because that's what we do in this country."

Woolsey half-smiled.

"Not exactly." He replied.

"And when do I have to leave for this…multi-national unit?" Alexeyeva asked.

"In a few days, we need you in America as quickly as possible but you can fully recover when you arrive there."

"Why the rush?" The woman asked.

"Political reasons," Yermakov replied. "It's been getting hellish recently,"

Then the two men began to leave.

"Lieutenant Colonel," Woolsey began, looking over his shoulder.

Alexeyeva looked back at him from her bed.

"I can see how you feel about all this, so consider this as a promotion," He added.

Then the two men were gone.

The Lieutenant Colonel had no idea what she just agreed to do, reluctantly of course. Still though, even after five months, she still had not regretted anything.