As Max didn't seem inclined to say anything, the Colonel summoned him into the room before dismissing the meeting, advising her to gather supplies and appoint lieutenants, before leaving promptly. Nelx inclined her head towards the elder man, and prepared to leave herself, but was stopped in her tracks when the Colonel said that he had a personal favour to ask of her. Interested, Nelx looked at the man curiously, even more interested to hear his words, especially when he took her previous compliment as just that, rather than an insult. Her face however, slowly degraded into a scowl as the Colonel warned that under no circumstances was Mouse, the young Spanish girl, to remain behind, as some were likely to insist on staying behind... It seemed that the Colonel's orders were never going to end... When would she officially gain charge of the project? To make things worse, he ended on a threat that he would find her and kill her if the young girl stayed behind. Nelx struggled to hold back a sharp-edged response, and was about to speak aggressively back to the man when he shook her hand, the fake smile spreading across her face as he shook her hand. "My thanks to you, Colonel. We will miss your shining wisdom on our...journey." Nelx commented in her usual tone.
Mickey then inquired as to their plan of action, the question that Nelx had been expecting. However, she had not yet formulated a complete strategy for their exit. It seemed that now she was in it for the long run, and that she would be making the best of her new role. Adopting her Manager Nelx persona, of course with the usual tone added in, she responded, "The plan... Ahhhh yes... Well, we will need food, and a quantity of personal supplies that we can carry without too much of a problem, and I believe that a select few of us that are responsible enough to do so should carry weapons of some sort if we are unfortunate enough to come across this mysterious foe that abounds somewhere in the mirk of this winter..." Her voice trailing off slightly towards the end, Nelx had a small, but relatively significant decision to make right then. Was Mickey reliable and trustworthy? The Colonel had certainly thought enough of him to send him on a scouting mission alone... Her mind made up, Nelx spoke again in a quiet, sarcastic voice, "Mickey, as you were present to hear the Colonel's advice and guidance, I would think it best if you acted as one of my deputies. That is, if you would be willing? I need someone that I can rely on and quite possibly depend upon to support my decisions whatever the circumstances. Would you be willing?" This last question was posed with a voice that suggested that he would, or he would not be happy with the consequences... It would be plain to those gathered how Nelx's authoritative demeanor had allowed her to maintain control in her previous setting. Once Mickey had responded, Nelx continued, "I will need two more deputies. One, it seems, must be the one that we spoke of for certain reasons, and the other..." Here, she trailed off, unsure as to who would be best suited for the role. Perhaps Mickey or even Max would be able to advise...?