((A/N: yay! it's done! i can't believe it took me a day to do it. I thought it was gonna be longer than i thought. Just in time to relax and enjoy the upcoming TVD and Nikita. :) ))
Chapter 20: Falling Ash
Tori leaves the house to go to Birkoff's place, as Balthier and her father are doing other things. Tori arrived at the house notices Birkoff isn't home so she goes to sit at his computer roaming on the web looking for leads. She soon hears deadbolt on the door turning. She holds a snow globe waiting for him to come into the room.
"Hey Birkoff I need to use your computer is that cool? Sure Tori, thanks for asking." Birkoff mocked putting a paper bag down.
"Hey Birkoff I need to borrow a hundred grand is that cool?" She asked.
"See how easy tha…Wait a minute what?" He asked.
"We have a lead on another member of oversight." She explained looking on the computer.
"We have a lead?" He questioned her.
"A state defense member is working with oversight. Staff member willing to give us the Identity, but he needs a lot of money within twenty-four hours and so we need to borrow your jet." She explained getting out of the chair walking toward him.
"Hmmm.. No." Birkoff retorted.
"No?" She walked closer to him.
"Get used to that sound, baby because I'm not joining you on some crusade to take down oversight and you are not taking my jet anywhere." He replied.
"Right this is about you nerd." She said turning around.
"It is my life and my house. In fact you should be looking for new digs. You're lying yourself in the same exact footsteps of your parents." He said.
Michael and Balthier are in the Tahoe on the way to Birkoff's where Tori went off too. Michael is driving as the radio is on about an ice cream man went from perfectly normal to the next with a strange mood and firing shots at the senator. Balthier looks at his father, looks to be his face has been shocked from the report on the radio. So he instantly drives faster to the destination. Upon arriving at Birkoff's they both leave the SUV and storm into the house to the living room.
"Guys there is something you need to see." Michael said grabbing the remote turning on to the news.
They gather around the television watching the clip of the news.
"This is P9." Michael stated.
"No way, nobody got out alive." Birkoff said shocked.
"Apparently people said the kid just changed. They said he looked like he was in a trance." Michael explained.
"P9?" Both Balthier and Tori asked.
"A compound housed a program to breed assassins, P9." Mike said.
"That's different how division is operated?" Tori asked.
"Way more X-files, they used a super tech out version of hypnosis Nero hypnotic reprogramming. " Birkoff added.
"When they were done they put the people back into the world not knowing what happened to them. They are sleepers." Mike said.
"How do you know all of this, dad?" Tori asked.
"The compound wasn't burned down by the FBI agents. It was a division strike team." Mike uttered.
"Division was sent to clean up division after a sleeper went a wall shooting two police men." Amanda went on explaining it to Alex and her team.
"Oversight hired Joseph Mars; a brilliant nero psychologist specialized in brain waves. He was killed along with everyone else." Michael justified.
"Man I still hear the sounds of that day." Birkoff said playing the x-cam from the op Michael's voice came into the video.
"Yeah I supervised the raid from operations." He said quietly.
"What are the chances of this being P9 dad?" Tori asked.
"They said the kid was good he put down ten k for an ice cream truck does that sound like someone who is about to commit an assassin. Birkoff send the socratics to Balthier's phone it should give them an hour or two to get there. " Michael ordered.
"What about taking down oversight over something that could be a slight chance of something?" Tori asked again.
"Tori, oversight can wait this cannot." Balthier stepped in telling her. He and his father left the room.
"As much as I like to host family therapy you three need to hit craigslist. You got until the end of the week." Birkoff said leaving the room as well.
Balthier gets the compound pulling out his phone checking out the layout of the burnt down place.
"I thought this was a restricted area?" Tori muttered.
"What changed your mind?" Balthier asked.
"I thought about you alone and I didn't like it, with only the details dad has given you of this old operation.
"But you still don't believe in dad's good hunch about this?" Bal asked.
"I believe in you that your just following what dad says and in us. So what are we looking for?" tori said.
"According to dad, the original objective was to retrieve the research that Mars kept on file. Something that they failed to do in o-three." He said explaining the information.
"Probably it burnt up in the fire." She said.
"Probably…Dad said that Percy had a personal note that Mars had it all in a protected safe hidden in his office within the lot. " Bal also added.
They went on walking through the burnt compound looking around armed with flashlights only giving off through the wet and dark place. They suddenly hear a click of a gun being cocked back, they stop in their trails and slowly turning around.
"Tori." Owen hollered, initialing Bal to raise his gun point at him.
"Owen. Owen, what are you doing here?" She asked him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Owen asked.
"Answer the question." Bal said with a stern voice.
"I know about this place because I was on the strike team that burnt it down. Now answer mine." Owen demanded.
"Our father was the one that coordinated the op. " Bal said.
"So you all saw the kid on the news and came to track down the survivors." Owen stated.
"There were no survivors. " Bal replied watching Owen lowering his gun.
"Owen, what survivor?" Tori asked.
"The guy that invented the program; Joseph Mars. I saved his life." Owen said tweaking out.
Alex gets more of an insight of P9 from Percy in the basement hole where he's been kept in captivity.
"Percy wanted me to extract Mars, he didn't want anyone to know. That's why everyone else had to die. Mars knew stimulating certain parts of the brain enhancing focus and senses. So Percy had him create something to give division agents an edge." Owen explained.
"The Regimen….." Bal responded, Own nodding his head.
"How low is your supply our parents recovered for you?" Tori asked him.
"It's getting low." He said.
"You want to warn us before you become the Tasmania Devil again. Our mother still gets dreams of you injuring her back in London. " Bal announced.
"I find Mars; I find my way off of it. Before the attack on the senator yesterday, I didn't know the guy was still alive. Last time I saw him he was trying to take his research with him but there was no time then." He disclosed.
They walked over to spot Owen remembered where Mars crawled to at that night opening the safe.
"Looks like Mars made the time to come back for it." Tori declared.
A man walks into the office stands in the door way.
"Dr. Mars, have you dispatched another?" The man asked.
"They're in place, just waiting for activation." Dr. Mars said.
They soon get back to the house; Birkoff is waiting for more information with Odin. Chris hands Owen a suit from their father's closet, sending him off to change in the bathroom as Bal and Tori do the same but this time them trying not to get distracted. They exited their rooms. Nikita is sitting next to Odin waiting for them. Bal and Tori come back to the computer room crossing arms, Nikita gets up fixes Bal's bowtie. Owen trails in behind them.
"Nikita, you look a little plumped there. Did Michael knock you up?" Owen jokingly asked.
"Owen I'm pregnant, also I would watch what you say. You're in a room with overprotective people would have no problem beating you to the pulp. Matter a fact; I'm sure our elite killer won't mind doing that for us." Nikita threaten him.
"Elite killer? Like Tori over there?" He asked.
"No. Tori is an Agent. Just someone we found and took in and also trained her. Unlike you she isn't on the regime everything she takes in is all natural. Raina sweetie, do you mind coming into the room?" Nikita said.
Raina steps into the room all firm arms behind her back standing still.
"This is her? She's just as scary as you." Owen exclaimed.
"That's the point. Now I'm sure you three have a mission to attend to. Ear buds com units are in the other room. Nicole is waiting for you three." She reported.
Birkoff signs to Odin what he need to hack into an save any information then he grabs his keys to his car going back to his house.
The three goes into the other room retrieving their ear buds com units. Tori gets a Bluetooth unit her hair will hide the it well. Then they get into a Kia SUV, Bal drives them to the black tie event. They get out of the SUV walking towards the building confirming their spots in the ballroom. Owen walks up beside Tori, Bal trailing behind this time on the lookout.
"You clean up nice; it's a first time I ever seen you look like a girl." Owen said.
"How would you even know that, this is the first time I ever met you." Tori said.
"Hmm the first time I seen you, you were working as a mechanic in an auto shop with Chris trying to make some money while Bal here robs banks. I've had eyes on you before I met Emily." Owen pointed out.
"Oh Owen you need to work on your complimentary skills." Tori responded back smirked a bit.
"Keep an eye out for people on cell phones and I believe that's how Mars activate his sleepers." Bal revealed. All three walking off separate directions.
Alex appears on the scene wearing a beige color dress with a wrist brace and a cane that holds a hidden weapon. She's on the prowl citing for Tori, Bal and Owen.
Just then a man attending the event hears his cell phone ringing he then picks up and talks on the phone walking towards the senator.
"A guy on his cell phone black glasses." She said into the com walking towards the guy.
The guy feels presences of someone close to him. He then looks over his shoulder looking at Tori saying….
"Do you mind." Then he walks off. .
"False alarm he's not the sleeper." She said again in her com.
The man from the lab walks pass the sleeper putting a gun package in her peruse then walking off.
Alicia's Bluetooth starts to buzz in, so she answers it. A sound wave of sounds is playing over the Bluetooth. Awaking her orders to kill someone, she then goes to her purse pulling out the gun walking towards the senator.
Tori then spots out Alex from the crowd of people who is gripping her cane tightly pulling the hidden gun from it. Tori then look over to the women in the purple dress walking toward the senator with a gun in her hand.
"Women in the purple dress walking toward the senator." She said into her com.
Alex watches everything that is going on than looking over at the senator, and then she decides to jump the senator getting him out of the line of fire. Officials are wondering why the girl tackled a state senator across seeing the knocked women being obtained by three people and leaving the scene.
They go back to their SUV Bal and Owen pulls her in the back. Tori got into the driver's seat starting it up then pulling out heading the Birkoff's. They soon arrive at Birkoff's; Owen picks up the women and walks into the house following Bal and Tori. Bal goes to talk to Birkoff and Tori turns on the news. Owen places the girl on the bed nearby, standing up straight looking at Tori who is watching the television.
"So where did you get a black box? Come on Tori I'm not stupid, the things you know about P9 and the op with all those details. I was on the ground, I know half that stuff." He asked while unbuttoning the cuffs on the suit.
"My father took Percy's master drive when he escaped division." She replied.
"So they let you all peek inside it? I thought Nikita was meant to destroy all boxes and not peek inside of it."
"My father convinced my mother that this one was to be used for good." She said back with a stern look.
"Huh that is quiet interesting." He said walking off into the house.
Alicia soon wakes up holding her head. She sits up and Tori sat beside her.
"Your safe now, we had to get you away from the cops." She stated.
"Everyone with a gun and a badge in this area is looking for that girl. If they track her back here and I'm toast. " Birkoff said raising his voice at Balthier.
"We are the only ones that know she's innocent and we have to help her." Bal said.
"There is no 'We'. There are you and there is me. Now get rid of her or you and your super friends got to go." Birkoff is yelling in his panic.
Balthier is staring at Birkoff very firm and strong.
"Don't give me the goatee intimidation. Your father has the same look and I know you won't hurt me." Birkoff said.
"No but I might." He said standing him eating a bag of chips walk toward them.
"Those are mine, man." He said point at his bag of chips.
"You're kind of small and you dissolve quickly." He leaked out still eating chips.
"Whatever. Just remember you're on your own with this one." Birk muttered.
"Okay." Bal quickly replied, Owen winked at Bal smiling as Birk walks away.
Tori sits in the room with Alicia talking over about what happened when she was going to kill the senator. How she got to be a sleeper and other things. Then she gets up and goes find Bal and Owen tell them what Alicia said.
"We got to raid the clinic and grab him." Owen said firm.
"There are rehab patients in there, we need to find out how many and what kind of security Mars Is using. Mars will recognize Owen but he wouldn't recognize me." Bal said.
"Balthier my love. Jag officer yes. Junkie no." She said to him.
"Hey we've done worst in the past." He said back.
"I know that's why I'm going to do it." She said back at him again then walking away.
The next morning Tori gets some makeup making her face looks like she hasn't had any drugs in a while. She puts on an over large cut up shirt on with skinny jeans and converse shoes. Puts a ear bud com unit in she then ruffles her hair making it poof up in frizzes. They get into a black sedan car peeling out to the 'Vory Clinic' dropping Tori off at the front then they drive to the back of the building the two are sitting ducks till the moment comes. Tori steps into the building acting all tweaked out telling the secretary that she needs 'help'.
"I'm in I got ten minutes till I fill out a questionnaire." She's talking a quiet place.
"Okay do you see Mars?" Bal asked.
"No, he must be somewhere else in the clinic floors." She responded.
"Okay keeps an eye out. Tori, be careful." Bal said.
"Look how lucky you are. You got your parents that refuge you all and now your even closer to Tori because you both don't have worry havening something chasing you. That's what I still want from me and Emily. " Owen said in the back.
"Yeah I know what happened to Emily. My mom told us about it. I'm sorry. You know when things like that happened you just want disappear to the darkness. World should stop spinning but it continues to go on with you in." He said looking out to the side replying.
"Yeah and you wonder if it's a place worth living in. You and Tori are eventually going to be moving on from this life. If I had a chance to do it all over again I would. I'll just take off with Emily you know. Going away at the right moment because that's when it happens. The threat you don't see it coming." Owen said smirking.
Back at Birkoff's Alicia comes down from upstairs cleaned up. She wonders downstairs, sees Birkoff sitting at the computer watching some shows eating some pizza.
"Hungry?" Birkoff asked.
"Yes, please. I haven't eaten since yesterday." She said grabbing a slice of piece and walking toward him they kept up a well-being conversation about computers and other stuff.
Nathan walks into the jail cell were Alex has been detained Wear a suit, by the following incident trying to save the senator.
"They sent you with a get out of jail free card?" Alex asked thinking it was Sean.
"I want to know what you were thinking going on a non-active op. " He replied and Alex turns her head looking at him.
"Nathan. What are you doing here?" Alex asked.
"Well yesterday after your incident I was promoted to agent and I'm here to back you back to division." He said.
"Why are you helping Nikita and now Division?" She asked
"I don't have a choice in either and we aren't talking it anymore so let's go now." He ordered. Alex gets up all hippy and hoppy out of the jail cell and to the car.
Tori wonder the halls of the clinic looking for pieces of the program. She opens a door a room of a long hall way leading to another door. As she walks in the hall way she looks side to side of each room, with a person lying in chair with headphones on their heads. Then she reaches the door walks through it then keeps searching for Mars. Into another room that looks to be an operation room, she quickly goes to the computer and searches for the information.
"Balthier I think I got it." She said into the com and someone walks through the door.
"Excuse me, what are you doing?" Mars asked.
"Um mmm your receptionist sent me over here, saying the interview rooms are back here…." She lied quickly.
"You came in for treatment?" He asked.
"Um yeah my friend told me you got her clean like in a month so I thought that was awesome" she said.
"Yes that's one word for it." He replied.
"Okay I guess I'll wait for you outside." She said started to walk toward the door then got stopped.
"Actually you can answer some questions right here. You see all the interview rooms are up in the front. Lucy wouldn't have sent you back here. So the first thing I really want to ask, 'Why are you really here?'" He said as men came through the door holding sub machine guns. Next moment two more men force her on the chair behind her.
"Who are you working with?" Mars asked.
"I told you I'm here alone." She said back.
Balthier sitting in the car hearing this through his ear bud then pulls out his gun putting the clip in and cocking it back.
"Wait, wait, wait… we have no idea where she is and how many guys were dealing with. We'll be going in blind." Owen told Balthier.
"Okay maybe we don't have too…" Bal thinks and phones Birkoff.
Birkoff's phone goes off, he looks at it sees its Balthier calling him.
"Look it's them, maybe they got something for you." Birkoff said.
"Birkoff I need you to hack into 'Vory's' security camera the works." Bal asked.
"I'm sorry did you say 'you need me to?'" Birk asked.
"Mars grabbed Tori." Bal hissed on the phone.
"Okay alright, give me two minutes." Birkoff said siting up and they both hang up.
"What's going on?" Alicia asked.
"Everything is cool. I just have to save their asses…. Again…" He said cracking his knuckles and hacking into the system.
"Wow. I bet you could give 'shadow walker' a run for his money." She stated.
"Did you just say 'shadow walker'?" He asked.
"Yeah he's done the most in genius hacks in the life's decade. What you never heard of him?" She said.
"No.. I know him. Dudes a legend you know his targets are shady wall street guys." He said because he knows he is the 'Shadow Walker'.
"Hmm I did not know that." She said watching him.
"Yep, he's kind of 'Robin Hood'." He said.
Balthier and Owen walk across the street. Owen was trailing behind him fiddling with the assault rifle gun in his bag.
"Where the hell did you get that from?" Bal asked.
"You only know the worst of me." Owen said.
"Look all I know that gun cost at least ten k and last I checked you were unemployed." Bal said getting to a door thinking its a good way in and then he's pulling out his gun from his back.
"Yeah well a lot of people are willing to pay for my skill set." He said standing next to him.
"Yeah, like who?" Bal said waiting for Birkoff to say something.
"Best entry is the south east corner." Birkoff said.
"You think we can kick it in?" Bal asked Owen.
"On my count… one… two…. three." He said as they kick in the door sounding off the alarm.
The alarms are buzzing.
"Go check it out." A guy said who seems to be the leader.
Three men leave the room to check out who are the intruders of the clinic.
"So if your only here for P9 then there could be only one person that would of sent you. Percy." He said smiling.
"No, no, I don't know what you're talking about." Tori said shaking her head.
"Please I worked for division for six years, I know division personnel when you all have that same look." He said back.
"There are people looking for me they'll wonder where I am and they'll come looking for me." She said being pushed back down on the chair.
"Oh I'm sure they will. That's why these Venezuelan gentlemen are here. There were quite a few Venezuelan people in the original P9 program, before the governments incinerate it." Mars said.
"Okay you might want to stay on the right…..maybe not.." Birkoff said.
"Talk to me Birkoff." Bal said.
"Three of them dead ahead." Birkoff replied.
Gun fire goes off, Bal and Owen on either side taking them out. It seems to be quiet so they get ready to move. Bal hears a gun being cocked back right behind him. He steady's getting up slowly, and then disarms the guy from the gun. Owen knocks out the guy with his assault rifle. Tori fights the Doctor and the fourth Venezuelan men, she grabs the nearby gun and kills the guy with three shots. She sighs then sits up as Owen and Balthier barge in pointing their guns at Dr. Mars.
"I want everything on the regimen, every piece of research." Owen demand motioning him to the computer.
The doctor gets on the computer logging onto some program and a wave of sound streams out.
"TURN IT OFF! HEY! TURN IT OFF!" Owen yelled.
Both Tori and Bal goes out to the hall to the activated sleepers are wondering. At Birkoff's the sound pours out of his speakers activating Alicia.
"Man, are you seeing this…?" He asked Alicia turns around and she knocks him out with snow globe.
Alicia leaves place with a rifle loaded and one of Birkoff's cars. Birkoff wakes up in fifteen minute grabs his keys to his blue Lamborghini follows Alicia's tail with the gps programmed in the car. Back at the clinic one of the sleepers run towards Owen, he clothes lines him. Another grabs a gun and tires to shoot himself, Bal fights him and the trigger is pulled it kills Dr. Mars., Balthier elbows the sleeper knocking him out. Balthier's phone goes off and he answers it.
"Birkoff." He said.
"It's Alicia she heard the tones from clinic and got on zombafied she grabbed a gun and took off. I'm tailing her right now but I'm not sure where she's headed." Birkoff said over the phone in his car.
"She's on her original mission." Bal exclaimed.
"So stupid I should have remembered the tones. She doesn't deserve to go out like this Bal." Birkoff said with sadness.
"You still didn't get what you needed." Tori said to Owen.
"I still got help, those files got to be anywhere in this clinic." He said with hope.
"Alicia has been retriggered. Take a guess where she's headed." Bal said.
"St. Joseph's Hospital that's where the senator will be, Balthier the place would be crawling with security she'll get herself killed." Tori uttered in a whisper tone.
"Or Birkoff he's right behind her." Bal said.
"You guys go ahead, I'll stay here. I know a little something about cleaning up crime scenes." Owen told them.
"We need to create an international incident. " Bal said eyeing the Venezuelans.
"Well that goes without saying." Owen replied with a smirk.
Bal and Tori leaves the clinic to the sedan driving off to the hospital. Then a call from Birkoff comes through. Tori and Birkoff are talking on the phone and it seems that Alicia isn't going after the senator. Her real target is the 'Judge Kathy Bridges'. I find out the address then they speed off faster to the location. Alicia is already at the house pointing the gun straight ahead of her and she starts firing again toward the house. Birkoff cuts his engine and tries to talk her out of it. She didn't want to listen to him anymore so she starting firing at him. Birk runs and jumps over on the other side of his car staying down. Balthier is getting closer to the location, so Tori slipped to the backseat. Bal sees her in view he fishtails the car as Tori whips out of the door standing up as Alicia tries to fix the jam on the gun. Tori then kicked the gun out of her hands and grabbed a hold of her arm and then elbowed her as well knocking her out too. Tori picked up Alicia's upper body shuffles her into the backseat of the car.
"You guys sure took your sweet time." Birkoff said coming out from behind his shot up Lamborghini.
"Birkoff… If you want to be the caused for the car ride home… shut up." She threatens him.
Birkoff stayed quiet and got into his car and drove home behind the two meeting Owen there too. The incidents already hit the news and Birkoff sat in his chair relaxing. Owen walks in the room.
"Hey, computer guy." Owen said not know his name.
"It's Birkoff. Seymour Birkoff." Birkoff said with an annoyed tone.
"Right Seymour Birkoff. Tori said that her mother said that you know where the last three remaining black boxes are at." Owen asked.
"I did know before Percy scattered the guardians to random places of the wind. Johannesburg, Tokyo and Rio." Birkoff said.
"Is that where your headed next? Sounds nice." Tori said smiling at Balthier.
"Yeah." Bal retorted.
"First things first, it has all the information on the regimen. I pulled this off of Mars' computer. It also includes a way to chemically detox . Its …ahh the answers I been looking for. I'm going to be leaving soon." Owen announced smiling.
"Good luck." Bal stepped forward holding out his hand to shake then follows Birkoff.
Tori and Owen says their goodbyes. She'll pass on the word her parents that Owen has found a way to get off the drugs.
((A/N: wow thats long 16 pages and 5,309 words. Damn my head fingers hurt now. time to rest. hehe XD ))