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Hi everyone! Okay so I know just posted the Clara Diaries but me and my friend (the same friend helping me with that story) came up with this idea and we just had to write it down. We are so so excited for you guys to read this. Oh and before you do read this the first part is gonna be a little like Season 3 Episode 6: Sideswipe but then after that it's totally different, trust me. Alright I don't want to give anything way so, sit back, relax and enjoy the very first chapter of Smoke & Mirrors.
Chapter 1: Pins and Needles
"So am I clear? Do you understand what you must do?" Amanda asked the man sitting across from her scrutinizing his every move.
He looked at her tenatively. "Don't you think-"
Amanda narrowed her eyes. "I thought you wanted to help him?"
He nodded. "I do but-"
"Do you? Do you really? Because it sounds me like you rather leave him there. We've discussed this, it's not safe for him to be with them. Is that what you want?" Amanda asked her tone venomous.
His eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, of course not. I'll do it. I'll help you."
Amanda smirked. "Good, but first we must test your loyalty." Her cell phone beeped and she took it of her pocket. As she checked her message a wide grin formed on her face. "And I know exactly how you can do that."
"How?"
"I'll explain later." Amanda replied the devious grin never leaving her face. "But let's just say we're going to be paying a little visit to some…..old friends." She laughed. "Won't they be excited."
Michael walked into the training room where Alex was busy hitting a punching bag. He noticed there was something off about her. Her punches were too hard, too angry…too unfocused and if she wasn't careful she could hurt her arm again. Michael had an idea of what could be making her act this way but he hoped for her sake and Nikita's that he was wrong. Michael frowned as he watched Alex suddenly hit the punching bag wrong and let out a scream of pain.
"Better watch that arm; it's not a hundred percent yet." He said as he walked over to her.
"Yeah, yeah you don't need to lecture me like you're my father or something." Alex retorted, eyes focusing on the punching bag as she continued to hit it. "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine." Alex didn't say anything so he changed the subject. "Have you heard from Sean?"
Alex stopped hitting the bag and glared at him. "Michael, do you really want to talk to me about boys?"
"No," He said after a moment of thought.
"I'm just anxious to get out there, that's all. Any updates on Amanda?" Alex asked him while she began to hit the punching bag again only to stop short when she hurt her arm once more.
"Yes, I just briefed with Ryan. Birkhoff thinks we have a lead on Ari and with Cyrus' help we're gonna use him to get to Amanda."
Alex nodded. "Great, when are we leaving?"
Michael gave her a worried look. "Don't get too anxious…jet leaves in twenty." He gave her one last look and turned away, walking out of the room. Alex stopped hitting the bag and watched him walk away. Frustrated and upset, Alex held her arm close to her body as it throbbed from all the pain. It was all too much to handle. She turned around and walked straight toward her gym bag that laid next to her. Alex knew exactly what she was looking for, she grabbed a blue pill bottle labeled Sobelex and instantly popped one of the pills in her mouth trying to push away the guilt she felt every time she took one.
As Michael and Nikita began to settle down in the cabin of the plane to go over the con ops again, Alex found herself staring out the small window overlooking the city. Her mind began to drift off. Maybe it was a side effect from all the pills she took, but Alex found herself thinking about the time she went on a walk with Sean in the very park the plane had just flown across. Her head began to swirl and suddenly the memories of the last time she had seen Sean raced across mind.
"I love you Alex, but if that's not enough of a reason for you to leave, then I have no reason to stay"
'How could Sean do this to me?' Alex thought to herself. Whatever she did, no matter how many pills she took, Alex couldn't get rid of the emotional pain her heart felt after Sean left her without a single warning or time for her to think about the ultimatum he had just given her. Alex knew she was becoming an addict again but didn't want to admit it. After all Nikita went through with her, and on top of all the things going on with Amanda, the mole and the dirty thirty, Alex felt like her relapse was nothing she couldn't handle on her own. 'Nikita doesn't need to know everything going on in my life', Alex thought. Before she knew it, the plane had arrived in Saint Lucia and Michael was calling her.
"Alex? Alex! We're here. It's time to go... is everything okay?" Michael asked with a worried expression on his face.
"Yeah, I...I was just going over the con ops in my head." Alex replied, hoping Michael would stop hovering over her like an overprotective parent.
Just then Nikita butted in "Here we go! Are you ready Alex?"
"You have no idea!" Alex replied with a smile on her face.
Everyone was positioned as planned. Nikita and Cyrus were posing as a couple sitting at a table by the bar overlooking the beach, while Michael and Alex hid inside of the building overlooking them. Alex watched the two with binoculars while Michael had a sniper rifle out and ready in case something would go wrong.
"So, how many guys does the general usually roll with?" Nikita asked quietly turning to Cyrus.
"Three, four, five guys since they got the sideswipe." He answered. "Shouldn't be too much trouble once they see how relaxed I am chilling with my lady." He placed his hand over hers and began to stroke it. "We got a couple minutes to kill….at least."
Nikita gave him a look and placed her hand on top of his. Smiling as she pressed down on a hidden button in her hand, a mild shock ran up Cyrus' body as he jolted he quickly took his hand away from hers.
"Was that necessary?" Cyrus asked re-situating himself.
She smiled. "For Michael it was. He's got your head in a rifle scope right now."
Hell yea I do! Michael thought as he aimed the rifle at his head. "Easy there Romeo, can you believe this guy?"
"I've got two suits taking positions on the roof top of the pavilion, Trig must be close." Alex said. "They're packing side arms, maybe a sub gun. I don't know if they have vests but maybe we should switch to ap rounds."
Michael looked at her. "Alex, we knew they would be packing. We're not here to start a fight" He paused a minute then added. "Something wrong?"
"Just keep to your target." Alex replied her eyes not moving from the men.
"You know you've been on edge since we left the plane." Michael commented giving her a worried look. "You want to talk about it? Maybe I could-"
"What? Save me?" Alex finished, removing the binoculars from her face.
"Help." Michael replied softly.
"Why do guys always need to fix, or save, or help?" Alex asked hurt in her tone. Michael continued to give her a concerned look. Something was definitely wrong; he just wished he knew what.
"Look," Cyrus began. "I have no trouble with you getting Amanda or whatever you want….as long as I get what I want."
"And what do you want?" Nikita asked.
"After we get the sideswipe and we get Ari's location." He looked at her. "You let me vanish."
"Give me one good reason." She replied.
He smirked. "Because you owe me."
Nikita laughed and turned to him. "Oh this should be good. How do I owe you Cyrus?"
"You think you're the only person who can track someone through their weapons?" He replied turning to her. Her face remained expressionless. "When you went rogue and declared war on Percy you didn't just pick up a twelve gage from Big 5, that Beretta ARX with AKI scope and modified stock for your petite frame," He glanced at Nikita again but she was looking the other way trying to figure out how he knew all this. "I tracked that particular cocktail through the back channels design to make it untraceable and it led me to…your fabulous loft in Chelsea. Nice pad by the way, favorite lair of yours by far."
"That ARX I got from Travis in June 2010." Nikita replied looking at him. "You're telling me you knew where I was the whole time?"
"The dealer's name was Trevor, it was July and I'm telling you I knew where you were the whole time and I never told a soul." Cyrus told her.
"Why?" Nikita whispered. A waiter walked by and set down their drinks. Cyrus looked down at his drink and saw the word "upstairs" written on a napkin underneath it then leaned back.
"It's go time." He said taking a sip from the glass and getting up. Nikita watched him go with a mixture of confusion and worry etched on her face.
Nikita watched as two guards searched her and Cyrus for concealed weapons. They knew the protocol. Cyrus' clients weren't messing around. Nikita knew Michael and Alex would have her back if anything went wrong.
"Now, now boys no need to be paranoid." Cyrus said. "We're buying goodies today not wearing them."
"He's clean." said one of the guards. Nikita watched the two men nod at each other before stepping aside to reveal a new man walking towards them. This must be Cyrus' client, Nikita thought to herself, he's the one selling us the sideswipe.
"So, how's that Rhino working out for you?" Cyrus asked as the man stood in front of him.
"Oh, I love it." He said pulling out the gun. "I plan to order a few more from you." He kissed it then pointed it at Cyrus. "Make my day." The two laughed causing Nikita to roll her eyes and look away.
Cyrus turned to her. "Baby you gotta try this out. I'm gonna get you one."
"Oh I'm good, I don't like guns." She replied.
"This one you're gonna love, trust me." He winked at her.
"Let's get down to business." The man said. "We never fully settled on a price." Cyrus took out a pen and grabbed some napkins on the table. Nikita watched him closely as he wrote on one napkin and then strangely stuff it in his pocket. Cyrus then continued to write on a new napkin and hand it over to the client.
The man smiled. "I think that's fair." One of the guards brought over a black case and walked away. The man opened it revealing the sideswipe.
"Nice, mind if I try it?" Cyrus asked.
"Don't have a missile for you to jam but go ahead." He said. Cyrus took out the sideswipe and pressed a few buttons causing the tv behind them to static.
"Signals blocked." Michael said.
Alex looked down at her phone. "So is Cyrus' tracker."
"That's not good." Michael replied putting down his gun. Alex ran out of the building, with Michael following her.
Cyrus places the still active sideswipe back in it's case and looks up at the man.
"All good?" his client asked.
"One problem." Cyrus said closing the case and picking it up.
Nikita glances in his direction as Cyrus points to her.
"She's an Interpol agent. I'm under duress and this meeting is about to get busted. Right now."
Nikita's eyes widened. "Son of a-"
"Take her!" The man yells. A group of guards form and surround Nikita as she tries to fight them off. One man grabs her from behind. Nikita quickly kicks one of the men in the neck while trying to shake off the man behind her. Nikita witnesses Cyrus yelling "No!" at the man pointing his gun at him. Cyrus grabs the gun from his client's hands and hit him in the head with the briefcase containing the sideswipe. Nikita watches as Cyrus runs towards the wall dividing the bar and the beach.
"Good luck." He said waving the gun at Nikita before jumping over it. Angry, Nikita head butts the man holding her from behind and run to the ledge determined to catch up to Cyrus. But before she could reach the ledge, another guard manages to grab her arm pulling her back. Grabbing his tie, Nikita shoves him forward punching him in the face before turning him around in a chokehold with his own tie. Just then another guard runs toward her. Thinking quickly, Nikita grabs a glass bottle from the table next to her and smashes it in the man's face. He falls back just as Michael and Alex arrive to help Nikita. The two began attacking the rest of the men while Nikita throws the last guard in her way on a table. Finally having a clear path, Nikita runs to the ledge, tosses off her shoes and jumped over the wall.
Meanwhile, Alex pins a man to a table and begins to repeatedly punching him the face. Michael had just thrown a guy to the floor and looked over at her. He saw the guard she was attacking had already been knocked out but Alex would not stop her repeated blows to the poor man's face.
"He's down!" Michael yelled looking at her a mix of confusion and worry on his face. Alex didn't answer or listen to Michael. She was too enveloped with rage to stop herself. "What the hell are you-" Michael cut himself off and ran to Alex, attempting to pull her off of the man. Alex screamed trying to get him to let go of her, she had such an intense need to let out all her built up anger.
"Come on!" Michael yelled pulling on Alex harder as she continued to struggle underneath his arms. "Come on!" Alex couldn't stop herself. With one last strong pull, Michael successfully manages to lift the unstable girl to her feet as her tries to lead her towards the ledge to jump after Nikita.
Unfortunately by the time Nikita had gotten to where Cyrus was he was already gone. The only trace of him was the Rhino gun sticking out of the sand. Nikita grabs it just as Michael and Alex run up to her.
"He has the sideswipe." Michael huffed looking at Nikita.
Nikita looked down at the gun. "And we don't have him."
Amanda looked at her laptop with a wide grin on her face. She had just gotten some new information from her mole. Amanda quickly typed back the next set of instructions. Nikita needs to be taught a new lesson, she thought to herself, I have the perfect one in mind. Once she had finished instructing her mole of the new assignment, Amanda sat back in her chair and pulled out her cell phone to check on the weather in Hawaii.
At that moment Anne walked into the room. "is everything clear?"
Amanda smirked. "Yes…everything is perfectly clear inside division." Not even a chance of rain, Amanda joked to herself.
Nikita, Michael and Alex had just returned from the disastrous mission in Saint Lucia. Cyrus was gone and he had the sideswipe. The team stepped out of the car upon arriving in Division with mixed expressions on their faces. They couldn't believe Cyrus had tricked them. He could be anywhere now. They were just about to head to the elevator when it opened up revealing a worried yet annoyed Birkhoff.
"What the hell happened?" Birkhoff asked looking between the three
"Cyrus got away, we should have never trusted him!" Alex replied angrily before walking into the elevator. Nikita and Michael glanced at each other worriedly.
"What's her problem?" Birkhoff said watching as the elevator door closed.
Michael sighed. "I think I may have an idea….I'll go talk to her."
Nikita shook her head. "Maybe I should do it. We haven't really had a chance to-"
But before Nikita could finish her sentence, Sonya came rushing in the room. "I found Amanda!"
Gasp! Who was Amanda talking to in the beginning? What is she planning? And double gasp! Sonya found her! But is it that a good thing? Or bad thing? Looks like you'll have to wait and see ;) Anyways, please review and tell me what you guys think! Oh and thanks for reading :)
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