Chapter:17 Contracts(End)

Natalia and Mikhail exchanged glances, preparing to answer any of her questions. It was clear they understood the gravity of Anastasia's decision.

Anastasia leaned forward, her tone taking a more serious note.

"Now, about what you can offer. My source spoke highly of your skills. Let me hear it from your own mouths. What specialties do each of you bring to the table, and what can I expect from the Ivanov twins?"

"We've been fighting since we were seven years old."

Mikhail said,

"You name it, we can do it."

"From sniping..."

"to hand-to-hand..."

"to hand-to-gun combat..."

"...and everything in between."

He continued,

"We can navigate the frozen forests..."

"...the icy planes..."

"Even the deserts,"

Natalia added.

"We're the perfect soldiers for any job."

Mikhail continued,

"We're elite."

Mikhail's tone was as direct and plain as ever.

"We were the elite soldiers of the Soviet Union."

Anastasia remained silent, as if in contemplation. 

"We were the elite soldiers,"

Natalia continued, her tone was still calm, but there was something new in it.

"We were the cream of the crop, the best of the best. We weren't just VDV. We also worked for the Spetsnaz."

Anastasia's gaze remained fixed on the twins, unemotional. The longer this silence stretched on, the more tension there was in the room. Mikhail and Natalia exchanged a glance, Mikhail nodded and Natalia spoke up again.

"And not just any Spetsnaz, we worked with the ALFA."

The twins watched Anastasia's expression carefully as if waiting for her reaction to those three words.

Anastasia nodded along. "What roles did you fulfill in the army?" she asked.

"I was a Recon. and a sniper,"

Natalia replied.

"And I didn't miss."

"Most of the time I was her spotter."

Mikhail nodded toward his sister.

"Nobody sees Natalia before Natalia sees them."

Anastasia nodded again, a small smile gracing her face at their response.

"And the other times?"

Natalia rolled her eyes playfully at the question, but it was Mikhail who answered.

"Some of that time I was a sniper, too."

"We worked well as a team," Natalia interjected.

"But we also worked alone, as well."

Mikhail nodded toward his twin.

"If I knew how to get in somewhere unseen, I was in."

"And if Natalia wanted to guard something..."

Natalia finished off the thought before pointing her finger at Mikhail.

"He was also the brains behind a lot of our operations, that's why we called him 'logovo'."

Mikhail shrugged.

Natalia chimed in,

"A nickname we gave him. It means 'lair' in Russian."

Natalia looked straight at Anastasia, challenging her,

"We know how to operate in any environment. We have no fear of dying, and we're both good at surviving. So, if you want to know what to expect from us, the answer is this: The best possible results."

Anastasia seemed to take a brief moment to consider everything they told her. She leaned forward again, her tone remaining calm as she continued her line of questioning.

"Now that you have placed your 'cards' on the table, let's decide how large your paycheck would be."

"Large is an understatement,"

Natalia said, giving Anastasia a knowing look.

"Our skills are priceless."

"If you want the best, you'll have to pay for it."

Mikhail nodded in agreement with his sister.

"You can't expect elite soldiers to take a job that some random gun-toting street thug would do."

Natalia rolled her eyes good-naturedly,

"We wouldn't go near a job like that..."

"Without being well compensated."

Mikhail added.

"In fact, we don't care how much you pay us,"

Natalia replied with a sly grin, and Mikhail couldn't help but chime in.

"As long as it is equivalent to the risks you pay us to take." 

"The amount doesn't matter to us as much as what you expect from us,"

Natalia added.

"As long as our paycheck covers that, we're fine by it."

"But if it's too much time, effort, or risk for the job,"

Mikhail cut in,

"We won't take it."

Anastasia smiled as her gaze traveled back and forth between the two twins, seemingly enjoying herself as she tried to assess their worth. She placed her hands on the table and clasped them together, her eyes remaining on the two.

"You two are quite ambitious, aren't you?"

She said calmly but her smile seemed to indicate that she was quite pleased with their offer.

"So, what is your bottom line? What would you say it is that you are willing to accept?"

Natalia and Mikhail exchanged glances again, considering the question carefully.

"First, we need to know what you're expecting from us."

Natalia said.

"After all, we can't just take any mission, can we?"

Mikhail nodded in agreement.

"You tell us what kind of mission you have in mind, and we'll let you know if it's something we can do."

"And then,"

Natalia continued,

"We can negotiate the terms of our payment."

Anastasia chuckled, 

"I am afraid you don't quite understand my question. Let me simple it up for you."

Anastasia smirked, seemingly amused with the situation.

"Well, you see...it's like this..."

Anastasia paused for a brief moment before speaking again.

"It's not a one-time gig that I am offering you, it's a permanent 'job' if you call it that. I pay you a salary, of a sum on which we would negotiate, and you stick around, doing the task you are supposed to do. Be it smuggling, killing, threatening, or simply selling dope on the street."

Natalie and Mikhail stared at Anastasia. Their faces showed a mixture of surprise, confusion, and disbelief as they did.

"Permanent employment?"

Natalie eventually said.

"In this organization?"

Mikhail said.

"In Roanapur?"

"Yes, you heard me correctly,"

Anastasia replied.

Natalia and Mikhail traded glances again. They looked back at Anastasia as she patiently waited for their response.

"We didn't expect that,"

Mikhail spoke first, his tone cautious.

"How much exactly do you need us to do in order to justify what we are being paid?"

Natalia chimed in, her tone was still friendly.

"We're not criminals, you know. There are certain things we just won't do."

Anastasia, however, was not interested in entertaining these two and wanted to move the subject along faster.

"That depends on the task you would be assigned to complete, and, well, we are more of a company-structured organization rather than a one-time employer."

Natalia and Mikhail, once again, looked at each other, this time in confusion.

"If I'm understanding this correctly, you want us to join the organization?"

Mikhail asked.

"Full-time?"

Natalia followed.

"Not just for one job, but for all your future needs."

Natalia asked.

"We have to be getting this wrong."

Mikhail finally spoke up again.

"Are you actually asking us to become members of this organization?"

Now Anastasia was simply getting more and more annoyed form their one-after-other talking style.

"Yes, now hurry up and decide on what you want as a monthly paycheck."

The twins were silent again. They seemed to be in a state of shock as they tried to digest the information.

Finally, Mikhail spoke again.

"Is...is this a joke?"

He said with a tone of disbelief as if he simply couldn't believe what they were hearing.

Anastasia rolled her eyes, annoyed at their hesitation.

"This isn't a game,"

she said sternly.

"Now, hurry up and make a decision."

"But...but we've never worked with criminals,"

Natalia said nervously. She looked quite cute with that nervous look on her face. 

Anastasia shook her head to clean out such distracting thought but it was a bad idea and she felt as though someone just poked her head with a burning poker,

"Considering your resume, many would disagree with you."

Anastasia grunted before continuing,

"So, let's see here... one of you is a sniper and a protection specialist while the other is an intelligence officer and a think tank. How does twenty Grands a month sound to you lot?"

"Sounds a bit low,"

Mikhail said cautiously.

"Perhaps you could double it."

The twins did not seem intimidated by Anastasia's strong personality at all. The more she glared at them, the more confident they grew.

"And we won't start until next month,"

Natalie added.

"So how about you just double it to forty grand and consider it a sign-on bonus."

As their eyes remained glued to Anastasia, with a silent and stoney face, glared at the duo. In fact, it was the concussion, not their offer that made her glare.

"Fifty grand a month,"

Anastasia said in a tone of finality,

"Twenty-five each, with an additional monetary reward on special assignments, and your term starts this instant."

The twins were in awe.

"That's fifty thousand a month,"

Natalia said, her surprise clearly visible.

"We..."

Mikhail started.

"We could accept those terms,"

He said, his tone was more calm than his sister's, as if having finally absorbed all the information.

"But,"

Natalia said,

"We want more than just those monetary rewards. Especially, we would like to see more benefits offered."

Anastasia's cold expression remained unchanged as she took a pause to listen to the twins' offer.

"In addition to our monthly pay, we want a vehicle, and we want to know the names of everyone else in our team or organization."

Anastasia narrowed her eyes in disbelief. However, Mikhail was not quite done yet.

"We also need to know about the chain of command, our superiors, and what we can expect from our organization."

"Also, we would like to clarify something,"

Natalia added.

"We understand that we're the ones approaching the organization here, but..."

The twins gave each other a look before Natalie continued.

"Just because we're members of the organization, doesn't mean you're free to use us, as you please."

Anastasia said with a slight smile.

"Do you have any other requirements?"

Natalia and Mikhail looked at each other, and then back at Anastasia. 

Natalia cleared her throat.

"As members of the organization,"

She paused.

"We require an accommodation."

"...with a separate bed for the two of us."

Natalia said with a cheeky smile. 

Anastasia looked at the two twins for a longer while, taking this latest demand in. 

"So... fifty grand, an additional payment on each 'special' mission, a car, introduction to the rest of the members, and accommodation. Is that it or am I missing something?"

A pause followed. 

"It's just that,"

"We would also like to receive a 10% wage increase once every..."

Natalia paused.

"Once every two... three years,"

She spoke calmly as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Silence ensued again. Mikhail and Anastasia were both silent, contemplating the requests with a serious look on their faces. 

Anastasia looked at the twins with a blank and neutral expression.

"I..."

She began but was cut off by Natalia,

"We need access to your arsenal. We want to check out all your weapons."

The two looked at Anastasia, waiting in anticipation for her response.

"So, fifty grand, an additional payment on 'special' missions, a car, introduction, accommodation, 10% wage increase every three years, and access to the arsenal. Is THAT finally it?"

With a deep sigh, Anastasia spoke.

"The answer is yes."

She looked at the twins and, with a firm yet fair expression, added,

"But I have my own demands as well,"

"Let me hear it."

Natalia said,

"This one is for Mikhail,"

She turned to look at the brother,

"Contact your former comrades, and see how many of them are looking for work. For every VDV member you recruit, you get an additional five hundred bucks and a thousand for each ALFA, to your salary until that member remains in the organization."

"Five hundred dollars?"

Mikhail seemed surprised.

"And a thousand for an ALFA?"

He paused in consideration, then turned to Anastasia.

"I'd say that's reasonable. I can make a few phone calls and see what I can do. But,"

Anastasia raised an eyebrow in exasperation,

"How long will you give me to do this?"

He looked to h/er for an answer.

"Hmm, let's say... fifty VDV and ten Spetsnaz for now."

"And if we succeed in completing this task?"

Natalia asked with a tone that suggested, "when" as opposed to the "if" she was saying.

Anastasia nodded along but wanted to know how serious the twins actually were.

"We are expected to bring you fifty soldiers and ten of our previous elite forces comrades to become full-fledged members of this organization?"

"Of course, my two dear employees,"

Anastasia nodded,

"And you must ensure that your soldiers remain loyal to the organization. That is, to you specifically. They are your soldiers for as long as they remain with you."

Mikhail and Natasha bowed in acknowledgment,

"If you succeed. I will increase your pay accordingly,"

Anastasia continued without skipping a beat,

"Your VDV soldiers will receive a pay of Seven thousand US dollars a month, and your ALFA soldiers will receive fifteen thousand US dollars per month."

"Perfect,"

Mikhail responded enthusiastically,

The twins looked at each other and knew that they had made the correct decision. This was a chance for them to not only re-connect with their former comrades but also reap the benefits that were afforded to them.

Anastasia was pleased. She knew that she could count on the twins to do her bidding and do it well. She nodded in acknowledgment and then turned to address her employees again.

"This organization pays handsomely to ensure loyalty. And if anyone steps out of line, well, it's your job to make sure it doesn't happen again."

She inclined her head towards the twins who nodded enthusiastically,

"As for my second demand, it is more about your role in the organization rather than a demand really,"

"We are listening,"

Natalia spoke for both of them. She looked at her brother who seemed intrigued but cautious. He wanted to hear what the next demand would be.

"Natalia is going to be a part of my personal security team, while you, Mikhail, would be my right-hand man."

The twins let out a few snickers. They looked at each other and, with a hint of mischief in their eyes, nodded. They knew that this was coming but weren't offended in the least.

"You think us trustworthy enough to be in your inner circle, do you?"

Natalia asked, raising an eyebrow as she gave Anastasia a once-over.

"You must trust us very much,"

Mikhail added,

"Because, after all, you don't know us very well."

Anastasia smirked,

"Well, that's a conclusion I drew from all the information on you two that I had,"

Over at the counter of the empty bar, Ming shivered slightly before downing another glass of rum.

"Ah, so you did your homework, did you?"

Natalia raised an eyebrow while Mikhail couldn't help but smile.

They both understood what their new boss was insinuating.

"If you knew so much, then you must have known that we always complete assignments,"

Mikhail added,

"For that reason alone, you shouldn't have any doubt that we'll do as you say."

Anastasia tilted her head back in her seat.

"You two seem quite confident. I like that."

She took a quick sip from her glass of vodka and smiled,

"Also, I might try and get into your pants,"

She motioned towards Natalia who stared at her,

"So try not to kill me when I do that."

Mikhail and Natalia let out a few chuckles. They looked at each other but this time it was for a completely different reason. They both knew what Anastasia was insinuating.

This was one thing that they had not expected from their new boss.

"My dear boss,"

Natalia said, smiling at Anastasia.

"Your charm will certainly win me over, but my brother is far more stubborn than me."

Anastasia chuckled again before looking at Natalia.

"Be that as it may, I have no interest in him anyway."

"That's good to hear,"

Natalia replied, smiling at Anastasia.

Anastasia nodded before taking another sip from her glass of vodka and looked at Natalia.

"As your boss, I believe it's only fair for me to warn you about my advances beforehand."

Anastasia smiled at Natalia once again.

Mikhail seemed to enjoy seeing the two women interact with one another. What would happen between them, only time would tell. However, he was sure about one thing.

'It would be interesting to watch.'