POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR SEASON 1 AND SEASON 2
Brief background to the story: Percy is in his glass box, Amanda has taken over Division, Alex is working with Division but not for Division, Michael, Nikita, Alex and Birkoff are working together and Sean is on the outskirts of working with them.
Author's note: I have recently started studdying Russian, so please excuse any mistakes in Russian pieces in this chapter, and future chapters. Reviews will be much appreciated :)
1/ Alex
The mission made me feel uneasy. It was too close to the reality of my past life and that frightened me. Despite the nature of it, it was an easy one. I was to pose as an exotic dancer in a club. The target was a man named Pablo Mierevich and he was the owner. My job was simple. Pablo enjoyed watching his girls working at the weekends, and would take centre seat in the VIP viewing area. I just had to find my way into his eye-line and lure him into one of the private rooms. There I was to kill him. Sounds easy enough and I had no doubt in my mind that I could do the simple task, but I was scared that the temptation of alcohol and drugs would rouse terrible memories that I had worked hard to burry.
"You'll be okay Alex," Sean's cool and calm voice broke into my worries. I blinked and turned my head to face him. His hands were clutching the steering wheel tightly and his gaze glued firmly on the road. He was driving me to the club where my mission would take place. I swallowed nervously and nodded in agreement.
"I'll be outside in the car and on the other end of your earpiece. If anything happens which you're not comfortable with or if things go belly-up, you say my name and I'll come and get you," he said quietly, not taking his eyes off the road. "Your, ah, uniform is in the back," he went on, glancing quickly at me. I read in his eyes and his tone that he was not best pleased about my outfit. I could pretty much guess what it consisted of. My suspicions were confirmed when I unclipped my seat belt and slid into the back of the car.
"Just like old times," I murmured unhappily as I held up the bright red bikini top. The bottoms matched in colour, but were clearly made with less material.
"Are you okay?" Sean asked, catching my eye in the rear-view mirror. I nodded and flashed him a smile.
"Sure. Could you..." before I finished my sentence, he flicked a button on the side of the steering wheel and a panel of pure black glass slid up between us, cutting me off from the front of the car.
It took me longer to shed my business dress and sensible heels than it did to fix my skimpy hookers outfit into place. I stared down at myself, a vivid flashback of when I used to work in similar outfits blurring my vision. I fastened the much too short tartan skirt into place and attempted to pull it down to cover more of my body, but the garment was designed to show more flesh than it was to hide. The last parts of my outfit were the high heeled shoes and arm band. The stilettos were made of cheap clear plastic and a shiny red heel which was almost the length of my forearm. The platform was at least two inches and matched the red of my underwear. I slid them on and buckled the simple clear strap before wriggling the flat red armband into place around my upper arm. I was unsure what this was for, but it matched the colour of the rest of the 'clothes' so I presumed it had a purpose. Then I tapped the glass and it retracted into the back of the seats as I scrambled as dignified as I could back into the passenger's seat. Sean glanced sideways at me and then did a double take, his eyes practically falling out of his head. I felt a little self-conscious under his stare and I was momentarily grateful for my small breasts and trim waist. I gently tugged my hair free of its professional bun and let the natural waves tumble freely over my shoulders. I shot Sean a nervous smile and then turned to look out of the window. We must have pulled off the highway while I was changing because we were on a quieter road heading into the city.
"I am not happy about this one bit..." Sean said after a long awkward silence.
"You said yourself that it was going to be fine," I teased.
"Alex, that was before you assumed character! You look dangerously perfect for this job..." he mumbled, taking one hand off the wheel to run it through his hair. He shook his head uncomfortably, a frown knitted into his brow and genuine concern showing in his eyes.
"Then it shouldn't take me too long to get this over with," I breathed. Sean gave a humourless laugh and shrugged out of his jacket. He handed it to me and I slid my arms into it, pulling it closed around my body and basking in the brief, warm feel of safety.
"We're almost there," he said, nodding his head towards the GPS which was now flashing at our proximity to the club. He coughed to clear his throat and then the man sat beside me was the strategic Sean I had first met in Division. "That little band around your arm is just large enough to conceal your weapon. It is also the trademark band of a 'Minx' dancer and all of Mierevich's dancers will be wearing one. This is what will get you in and allow you to pass for a new recruit," he said quietly.
"How will this conceal my gun?" I asked, fingering the flimsy material which encircled my arm.
"It won't" Sean said.
I didn't understand, but before I could ask, the GPS told us that we had reached our destination. The woman's robotic voice told Sean to make a left, and we turned down a side alley. Even from within the car I could hear the loud unmistakable sound of dance music blasting from the club. Sean followed the sign for 'Employee Parking' and pulled into a small overgrown parking lot. There were several cars already taking up the few spaces, and Sean parked furthest from the club's entrance. He cut the engine and turned his body to face me. He fished in his pocket for the earpieces and handed one to me before fixing his into his ear. I did the same with my own and checked in the small car mirror that it was concealed well enough while Sean got out of the car and came around to my side. Before I could get myself out, he threw open my door and grabbed my arm. His grip was a little tight.
"This," he said, holding up a small vial in front of my face, "is your weapon."
"So no gun?" I asked, my heart sinking.
"No gun," Sean confirmed at a whisper, helping me out of the car. His grip loosened on my arm, and I stumbled in the heels which were larger than I was used to. He reached out to steady me, and his hands lingered on my shoulders. Our eyes met and I felt a warm sensation run through my body and rise to my cheeks. Very slowly, Sean slipped his fingers under the collar of his jacket draped around me and pushed it off my shoulders. He continued to slide it down my arms and eventually, with our eyes still locked, it dropped to the floor, leaving me in fewer clothes than I was comfortable with. Sean ran his hands slowly back up my arms and my bare skin tingled beneath his touch. Taking a step closer he touched the band around my arm and pulled it gently away. Without breaking eye contact he slid the small vial and my lenses into a tiny pocket I hadn't noticed before and then let the elastic snap back against my skin. The sheathed needle now lay flat against my arm beneath the band, tucked neatly away and out of sight. When Sean finally stepped away from me and his touch evaporated, my hand went to where his had been. Laying my palm flat over the red material, I could just about feel the vial under there.
"When you're alone, get about this close," Sean said, demonstrating by stepping closer once again, "and take out the needle. Then pierce him here if possible," he went on, placing two fingertips lightly on my throat, just below the hollow of my ear. I fought the urge to close my eyes under his gentle touch. "This will paralyse him the fastest, a quick burst into his blood stream. If his throat isn't easily accessible, go for the upper arm, or upper thigh. Avoid the stomach," he finished. I nodded nervously and Sean smiled at me while he fiddled with his iPhone. There was a short high pitched beeping sound in my ear which signalled the connection between our earpieces had been established.
"Testing, can you hear me, over?" he grinned playfully.
"Affirmative. Ready for action. Over and out," I couldn't help but match his smile.
"Right, get in there, get Mierevich alone, inject the poison and get the hell out of there. Confirm as soon as and I'll be on my guard at all times. Remember, as soon as you need me…" his words hung in the air with the lack of a finishing sentence. I knew he had my back, and I hoped I wouldn't need him to save my ass. With that said, Sean bent to pick up his jacket and folded it neatly before placing it on my seat. He then stalked around the front of the car and folded himself inside. The sound of his door slamming shut was my signal to move and so I stepped unsteadily towards the employee entrance to the club. There was a flashing neon sign above the steel door which read 'Minx' in large bright letters. Classy, I thought sarcastically.
"There's a code box," I whispered to myself as I approached the door, aiming the statement at Sean.
"59687," his reply came after just a moment's hesitation and I punched in the numbers as he read them.
"You guys take care of everything, huh," I grinned as the reassuring click granted me entrance.
"People like Mierevich should keep their security safer," Sean said and I could hear the smile in his voice.
Once I was inside my stomach did an uncomfortable flip and loud club music filled my ear. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to hear Sean over the noise. The door I had just come through led into a corridor which went both ways. I was unsure of my next move and thankful of Sean's voice in my ear.
"I have the floor plan. Go left; it leads to the prep room."
I did as I was told and tottered left down the tiled hallway. The music playing out in the club seemed to be playing from speakers in the corridor too. I found the prep room and pushed open the saloon-style doors, entering a room which was much like a cloak room and bathroom combined.
"Put your eyes in," Sean said and I slid out the velvet pouch he had stored in the band pocket. I took out the contact cams and carefully slipped them onto my eyes after checking there was no one around. I blinked to clear my vision.
"And we have eyes on the ground," Sean laughed gently in my ear. I couldn't help but smile, "Now get out there and get dancing," he said, less happily. My smile dropped from my lips and I turned to leave. Suddenly, two skinny dancers burst through the swinging doors, laughing loudly and stumbling slightly. They spotted me standing awkwardly and their laughter subsided.
"I didn't know a new girl was starting today, did you Ginger?" the first girl said to the other. She had long platinum blonde hair and contrasting dark skin with a smile which spelled trouble. Her eyes were heavily made up with thick black eyeliner and a row of small plastic diamonds glued above her eyebrows. Her lips were painted with silver lipstick. Her bikini matched the colour.
"I was hired yesterday," I replied, keeping my voice civil. I wasn't here to make friends and these girls were wasting my time. I didn't want to be here any longer than I had to be.
"Here that, Ginger, Pab's found a new play thing already," sniggered the blonde, "you don't last as the favourite long round here," she hissed at me.
"Shut up Silver," snapped the other girl. This girl had a bob of shocking ginger hair and matching orange lipstick. My guess was that this place was colour coordinated. Ginger also had the plastic gems stuck to her face, just beneath her eyes, and these matched the colour of her lips and underwear.
"Way it works around here looks like you already been told, is that head girls have the colours, and the others wear black. You work your way up to head dancer round here, so you must be a favourite already. You a transfer, Red, traitor from another club?" asked Silver, genuine interest laced with her threatening protectiveness.
"Something like that," I hissed back, my tone matching hers.
"You can dance with us then, see what you made of girl," Ginger cut in, stepping towards me and taking a strand of my hair between her orange finger nails.
"You need to get a move on, you can't wait for these girls," Sean whispered in my ear.
"I have strict orders to move straight to Pab's box," I smiled sweetly at Silver as she seemed to be the top dog around here. I wondered where Gold was…
"We're on our break, head down and turn right. There's stairs and you go up. First door you come to be head VIP box," Ginger said coldly letting go of my hair and strutting towards one of the bags hanging from a peg. She fished out a box of cigarettes and beckoned for Silver to join her. The silver bikini clad dancer stepped around me and followed her co-worker outside. Once they were gone, I rushed out of the doors and followed their directions.
I pushed the heavy door open and I was met with loud music and flashing lights. The room was small but a flood of commotion, with girls dancing on podiums and around poles. The walls were draped with curtains which gave the space an almost cosy feel. Men were seated at tables and at the bar, and dolled up waitresses in short uniforms strutted between tables taking orders and distributing drinks. It wasn't hard to spot Mierevich who sat on a tall golden throne like chair on a raised platform. Two men in black suits and dark shades stood either side of him. The typical security attire.
"Are you seeing this, the scumbag is actually on a throne," I spat, fixing my eyes on my target so Sean would also be able to see.
"I would have expected nothing less," his amused voice sounded in my ear, "Now you need to get up on that private podium where he can see you. From the floor plan I'm looking at, it looks as if the platforms are connected to one another so you can start on one end and make your way to the other," he continued and I heard the tapping of a keyboard from his end of the line.
"Got it," I breathed in comprehension.
"His body guards will literally shadow his every move. Once you get him alone, I'll create a diversion for them. Then you'll have as much time as I can give you. Make it quick, Alex," his words concealed a hidden meaning, but I shook the thought from my head and made my first step into the club.
I realised Sean was right when I clambered onto the first podium. There was a narrow catwalk which connected each dancing platform, allowing the girls to swap places and move between the small clusters of men stood and sat watching. The first platform was a circular dance floor with no pole or chair and I managed to step quickly past it while two other bikini clad dancers took the stage. The second was empty of girls, so I soon became the centre of attention for that podium. Four or five men gathered to watch the way I moved around the pole and one even hooked a hundred dollar bill into my skirt as I moved.
"These men are not short of cash," I whispered while I was facing away, my hair concealing as much of my face as I could manage.
"They're pigs," hissed Sean angrily, "move on."
I stepped carefully across the catwalk towards the head stage. Two girls were already positioned around the pole, but as I approached, one broke away and took my place on the single podium. The girl left behind was tall and slim and had short curly dyed pink hair. She flashed me a dazzling smile and spun elaborately up the pole, her legs higher than her head. I stood amazed for a long moment as I watched her take both hands away, and clung on by her knees which knotted around the pole. She met Mierevich's eyes, winked, took hold of her anchor above her head and slowly straddled her legs downwards so she was back on her feet. I realised I was stood staring and took hold of the pole and moved my body slightly. If that's what it took to be a head dancer, I wasn't cut out for the job. Shortly after Pink's fancy move, she sauntered away from the podium and I was left alone to twist and move around the pole. I gritted my teeth and moved my body with the rhythm of the music, hating how it felt to be watched so intently by Mierevich and his men. I was surprised how much I could remember from being forced to dance for money, and at how flexible my body still was.
"Red!" called Mierevich from his seat. My eyes snapped towards him and he was beckoning me with his hand.
"That didn't take long. Get moving," Sean breathed in my ear as I moved towards the stand.
Mierevich put his hand up as I approached, signalling for me to stop in my tracks. I was about two paces away from the chair and I could see that on each finger of the hand he held his drink in was a thick gold ring. One of them, I noticed, stretched across three of his fingers and I hated to think of the damage it could do when connected with flesh. I shook the thought from my mind and cocked my hip to one side in an attempt at sexy.
"You I do not recognise," he slurred, a thick Russian accent weighing on his words.
"I am new here," I called over the much too loud music.
"Did I hire you?" he asked, a frown furrowing his brow.
"Net, ya nanyatykh vashe malʹchikov," I replied, my birth language rolling off my tongue with ease. I flashed Mierevich a winning smile and stole a look at his body guards. There was no hint of understanding in their faces. Or at least from what I could see of their faces. I had just told Mierevich that his bodyguards had hired me to dance for him.
"Good call," Sean whispered in my ear.
"Vy govorite Rossii?" he replied, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
"Yes I speak Russian," I smiled, stepping closer.
"Turn around," he indicated for me to do so with his finger. I did as I was told. He then crooked his finger in a 'come hither' gesture and I stepped between his legs. As soon as I was within reaching distance he slid his hands around my waist and pulled me into his lap. "Dance," he commanded, leaning back and settling his eyes on my breasts. I squirmed mentally and began to move like I had been trained to all those years ago against my will. I moved my body the way I knew men liked to see. It didn't take long for Mierevich to push me aside and get to his feet. He took my hand and leaned in close.
"YA khochu vzyatʹ tebya v komnate," he whispered in my ear, telling me and Sean that he wanted to take me to a private room. He then drew away and said in English, "I want to see you really move," and then began to lead me away from his throne and down the stairs towards a door on the other side of the room. I glanced over my shoulder to see that his two body guards were following in a swift and elegant fashion. One of them was muttering into a walkie-talkie and the other was scanning the room for potential threats. How ironic, I thought to myself as I allowed Mierevich to lead me through the door and into another bare corridor. This time, when the door closed behind us, there was silence.
"Follow me," he instructed as he pulled me towards another hallway. This one had several coloured doors leading off it and I didn't want to think about what was going on behind each one. Mierevich strode past them until he reached the end of the hallway and came to a large blood-red door. I swallowed nervously at the ominous colour and stood close by as Mierevich unlocked it and then stood aside for me to enter.
"Your hawks are being called to another carcass, work fast, I don't know how much time I can buy," Sean hissed in my ear and I heard some low voices in the corridor outside the room.
"There's a security breech on the north entrance." One voice muttered.
"We're on the case, sir." The other said.
I took this opportunity to glance quickly around me. The walls were a deep red colour to match the door and my outfit and I couldn't help but wonder what happened to the last Red that the club owned. There was a long comfortable looking loveseat stretched across one wall and a round glass coffee table in the centre of the small room. There were no windows.
I heard two sets of footsteps leading away from us and then Mierevich stepped inside and shut the door. I forced a smile onto my lips and watched as he removed his jacket. I spotted the silver gleam of a gun tucked into his belt and held my breath as he removed it and set it on the table. I then moved to wrap my arms around his shoulders. He backed me up to the sofa and flipped us around so he was sat and I was straddling his lap. I felt his arms go tightly around my waist and he attempted to crush his lips on mine, but I moved my head away and he found my cheek instead. This didn't seem to bother him and he trailed forceful kisses down my jaw to my neck. I felt sick to the stomach and my heart beat fast beneath my ribs. While he was busy trying to find his way into my bra, I moved my hands to the arm band and wriggled my fingers inside. I grasped the safe plastic case of the needle and pulled it out, ready to strike, when his head snapped up and his arm darted out. He grabbed my wrist roughly and for one long agonising moment we both stared at it, willing the other to make the next move. I couldn't take it any longer and tried to jab him in the throat with my free arm, but he used my weight against me and I punched the back of the couch instead. There was a scrabble and then the needle was knocked clean out of my hand. It went skidding across the floor and hit the far wall. Mierevich made a frustrated sound and grasped me by the hips, shoving me onto the tiles. I scrambled onto my hands and knees and attempted to crawl to where the needle had landed, but Mierevich was quick and on his feet. His boot connected with my stomach and I rolled onto my side, coughing and winded. The air was knocked out of my lungs and for a second I thought I was going to die. While I was fighting for my breath, I watched as Mierevich walked calmly to the wall and crushed the tiny vial of poison under his foot.
"Who do you work for?!" he yelled, striding towards me and grabbing a fistful of my hair. By this time I had won my breath back and my strength returned. I swung my fist at his stomach and he went stumbling backwards. I got to my feet and lunged at him, but this time he was prepared, and in my stupid heels I managed to barely miss being hit. He came at me then and used a powerful kick to knock me backwards. I staggered, but gained my balance and dealt several swift blows to his head and face, drawing blood from his nose.
"What's going on?" Sean was shouting desperately in my ear, but I didn't have an opportunity to answer. Just as I thought I was going to deal the winning blow, he ducked down and swiped my legs from under me with his own. I tripped backwards and went sprawling towards the floor. Only, there was something there to break my fall, and I went crashing through the glass table.
Everything hurt. Glass pierced my body and I screamed in pain as my head connected with the floor, with a sickening crack. I gasped loudly and fought to keep a hold on the world as it threatened to vanish from beneath my feet. Then I noticed the gun which had dropped to the floor in the fall. I rolled onto my stomach and dragged myself to my knees as fast as I could, scrambling for a hold on the weapon with my bloody hands. I grasped the handle and flicked the safety off, preparing to fire.
"I have his gun!" I yelled to Sean, not bothering to conceal the fact I wasn't working alone. Mierevich, who had also lost his balance when taking my legs from underneath me, was now slowly rising to his feet with his hands above his head in surrender.
"Are you hurt?" Sean asked, panic clear in his voice.
"I have his gun, Sean!" I cried, exasperated at his priorities.
"Kill the target," he 0rdered, and I could here he was running towards the building.
"There's no silencer!" I exclaimed, checking the barrel of the gun quickly to confirm my statement.
"Just do it!" he yelled.
But before I could pull the trigger, the door slammed open behind me and somebody hit me hard in the back of the head.
Then everything went black.