Is this destiny?

For the mission, their team split into three.

Aiden, Kolya, Jasha, and Mila formed two teams that were advancing into their target building, and Maksim was on his own, in his role to direct and observe.

Their mission was to retrieve the contents of the safe that is somewhere in the two-story building.

Aiden and Kolya took the main entrance, while Jasha and Mila circled to the back. Maksim stayed in front of the main entry, observing their progress from the tablet. There are cameras everywhere, and Maksim has access to the live feed. 

Each of them got an earpiece so that they can communicate.

Aiden was frustrated that before the mission began, Maksim called the other three members for a one-on-one talk. Maksim skipped Aiden like he is picking on him, and Maksim didn't even try to hide that.

"With your results, pretty boy, I want to see what you can do without specific instructions…", Maksim said with a wicked smile on his face.

Aiden was worried that Maksim is sabotaging him, but then he brushed off that useless worry because he does not have to whom to complain.

Sarah's message through Eve-lens, 'Watch your back, love. Everyone is an enemy. I am watching you', improved Aiden's mood.

Aiden remembered that when Mila returned after her chat with Maksim, Kolya was next and Mila looked at Aiden smugly.

"If you are nice to me, I will tell you what Maksim said…", Mila said with a big smile on her face.

"No thanks. I am not that desperate.", Aiden brushed her off.

Mila sulked and refused to talk to Aiden.

'Well, at least one good thing came out of it. I won't need to worry about Mila…', Aiden thought.

When Kolya refused to disclose what Maksim said, Aiden thought that Maksim is sharing something specific with each of them, but then Maksim said that he will not talk to Aiden and Aiden understood that he is being singled out.

Back to the present…

There are multiple cameras, and that will be enough to prove that Aiden can hold his own no matter what schemes Maksim has on his mind.

Aiden would be concerned about his safety if not for the clause that the whole team needs to complete the mission, or everyone will fail. This alone will make sure others don't band against him or at least not to hurt him seriously.

Maksim told them that somewhere in the building there is an object that they need to retrieve, inside a safe.

"There might be traps and enemy units. Proceed with caution and return with the contents of the safe. You have two hours."

Those are the only instructions that Aiden heard. Well, he worked with less.

Aiden was frustrated by Maksim's behavior. What kind of team leader shows favoritism (or lack of it) so openly? But Aiden didn't let it get to him. With Eve-lens, finding a safe and cracking it open should not be a problem. Actually, opening it might be an issue, but Aiden will worry about it once he reaches there. If Sarah is by his side, Aiden would handle the traps and she would deal with the safe. The two of them are an awesome team.

Aiden and Kolya proceeded slowly into the building that greeted them with darkness. The long hallway ended with closed doors, and there were a number of rooms on each side, some with doors and some without.

The windows in the rooms were nearly completely blocked with boards, leaving only scarce rays of light in, and some of the walls between rooms were partially caved in.

They got into the first room on the right and observed it.

Kolya reached for the light switch and flicked it, but it did nothing. Either the electricity is cut off, or the bulbs are busted (or missing).

"Get down!", Aiden hissed at Kolya.

Kolya snorted. "Why are you hiding and whispering? There is no one here."

"Just because you don't see the danger, it does not mean it's not there."

Kolya was irritated as Aiden rubbed him the wrong way from the start when Kolya guessed that in this challenge they might need to torture prisoners, and Aiden dismissed it.

Kolya walked to the middle of the room, put his arms akimbo, and observed the space with his chin raised defiantly.

Aiden realized that Kolya will not listen to him, and he will be unreasonable only to spite Aiden. Aiden has no idea what Maksim told Kolya before this event started, but it was obvious that Kolya's ego kicked in and he wanted to prove that he is the better one between him and Aiden.

Aiden felt a headache coming. It's a long time since he had to work with someone who is so reckless.

"You know that you are jeopardizing everything?", Aiden asked. "After all the effort to reach here, you are throwing it away. I thought you are smarter than that."

Kolya snorted. "Don't act like you know everything. What are you afraid of?"

Kolya moved toward the half-collapsed wall and pushed it with his hand. "Do you think that this will collapse?" He stomped twice hard on the floor. "Or that things will pop from the floor?" He raised his leg one more time, and stomped again…

"Ahhh!", Kolya screamed when his leg went through the floor and he saw blood.

"Stupid.", Aiden grumbled and went to help Kolya get his leg unstuck.

"You are lucky that it's not deeper. Only your skin is gone…", Aiden said while inspecting Kolya's injury.

Aiden checked the floor which collapsed and saw that in the area where Kolya broke the floor is only a layer of parquet, without a supporting structure below it. "You were lucky that you broke the edge. If you were one step further, your whole body would fall in… and this looks more than three meters deep."

Kolya lowered his head and didn't respond. He knows that Aiden is right, but he was not willing to admit it. How can he admit that his bruised ego caused him to act irrationally and to get hurt?

Aiden lifted the jacket of Kolya's uniform up, before instructing: "Remove your t-shirt."

"Why?"

"So that I can wrap this. Or do you plan to bleed out before we finish the mission?"

Kolya frowned, but he did as Aiden told him.

Aiden tapped his earpiece, to contact Mila and Jasha. "Beware of the flooring. Some areas are not supported from below."

"Got it.", Jasha responded.

Once Aiden finished tying Kolya's leg, he peeked inside the hole in the floor.

"There is a basement. And I bet that our goal is there.", Aiden said.

Of course, Aiden knew that there is a basement due to Eve-lens, and he also saw further ahead on the basement level reinforced walls that were brimming with electrical wiring, but he can't disclose that without coming up with some reasonable explanation.

Aiden tapped his earpiece again so that he can share with other team members: "Look for stairs or some other way to reach the basement."

Aiden was pleasantly surprised that Kolya waited for Aiden to move first.

'If I knew that it will take an injury to make him obedient, I would break his arm from the start.', Aiden thought as he moved to the next room.

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