"Talk motherfucker," Once Owen- Sam- was shoved to the ground and tied up, Nikita violently pistol whipped him. The blow to his head shook him up, yet he never tore his eyes away from Pj. He couldn't recognize his old team with their masks on, but he noticed Max and Pj despite the baseball caps drawn low over their faces; he had seen them in their mission gear frequently after all. She wished he wouldn't stare at her, focus on her mom and that horrifying pig mask instead. Nikita out for blood alone would terrify anyone into submission. However, he seemed to be shaken just by Max and Pj. It was almost as though he wasn't expecting them, he didn't want them there. Join the club.
"I wasn't going to sell you out. You would've stayed safe," Owen made the plea to Pj. He sounded sincere. She didn't know if he meant he wasn't selling the kids out or their whole family, though. Either way, they wouldn't be safe. The Shop was still out there, of course danger was going to follow. The fact that Sam was so willing to share information with them didn't help. It made things worse really. The fight to go back home was never ending.
"You're talking to me," Nikita seethed. She blocked Sam's view of her daughter, digging the barrel of her gun against his forehead. If he attempted anything against her, Michael and Cassandra were brandishing their weapons as well. He better talk or he'd lose his life. Max and Pj were hesitant in their actions, however. Max was uncomfortable threatening someone he had grown close to. Despite the hurt he felt, there had to have been a better way to get through to Owen; he couldn't have become their enemy completely.
Pj, on the other hand, thought there was a more effective way of torture. Owen had always told them he'd rather die than give in to an opponent's beating. It was something they had to consider if they wanted to be spies as well. That could still be true for Sam. Except, Sam seemed to have been more self-involved than Owen. He might put his life on the line, but not his pride. So Pj approached her mom and lowered her pistol. Not to the ground, but to Sam's crotch; the threat worked on the manager, so why not him. He did gulp. Yet she didn't know if it was from the gun's aim, or how steely calm her voice was, "Why?"
"The money," It was so sudden, Pj wasn't sure if it had happened. Nikita shot Owen. He was already on his knees, but he collapsed in pain nonetheless and screamed. Nikita was unfazed, as were Michael and Cassandra. He deserved it. Max was shaken and had to focus himself on the mission. Sam was going to turn on them to their enemy. Their anger and hatred were valid. Squaring her shoulders, Pj took another step towards their captive. Her weapon was steady in her grasp. It was time for answers, "I remembered… who I really am… Owen was weak… and submissive."
"And Sam's a little bitch," Nikita's voice dripped acid. Pj noticed that she was holding herself back. Her mom was shaking, as if she was ready to pounce on Sam and tear him limb from limb. Shooting his groin was nothing, she would do so much worse when she had the chance. Yet they needed information. That was the important thing. Intel was going to pave their way to victory. No one could jeopardize that. It didn't matter how furious they were.
"I'm being smart… This is the only way… to get out of this war… She may have fucked with my mind… in the first place… but Amanda reminded me… what I had to do to survive… You should do the same," At the mention of Amanda's name, Michael shot Sam's shoulder. It was a gut reaction to hearing about the vile woman, which caused Sam to fall completely to the ground. He was groaning and writhing in pain, and losing a lot of blood. No one cared; Max had even stopped giving a shit about Owen.
They were all aware of Amanda's mind manipulation, and the ways she could control a person. Apparently, she had done so to Owen a long time ago. Yet somehow, she grabbed him and reversed the process. Instead of attacking the woman who had fucked with him repeatedly, however, he betrayed his team. The logic was flawed. And redemption was going to be impossible, "Shut the fuck up."
"You know… I'm right… You brought along… an extra team," Sam was having trouble talking through the pain. The words were harsh and panted. But his meaning was clear- he continued to have no idea that the masked people were his former team. Nikita went to rip off the damned pig mask, reveal just who the hell he had dared cross. However, her daughter stopped her. Pj wanted to keep him in the dark. If he knew he was facing those he had hurt so harshly, he might have become defensive and shut up. Besides, he was attempting to be open with Max and Pj, almost like he was pleading with the siblings to let it all go. They had to save themselves before it was too late.
Having their parents home with them was the only way they were going to save themselves, however. Pj pulled herself away from Sam, taking Max with her. They would let Michael, Cassandra, and Nikita continue the interrogation. He shouldn't feel a sense of comfort. If he wanted the peace of mind of the siblings, he had to face their parents first. Roughly, Michael picked him up and slammed him into a pile of junk. His scream of anguish was covered by Nikita's pistol slamming into his mouth. Cassandra stood by, weapon raised to kill him if he didn't cooperate. As Michael dug his gun into Sam's wounded shoulder, Nikita kicked him in his bloody groin, "You're nothing. Now talk."
Sam did his best to answer them. His words continued to be broken, but he was managing to grit them out. The intel he was going to sell was only about their operating habits and plans. He wasn't going to give up personal details. They were unsure whether or not to believe him. Yet their anger wasn't going to allow them to be rational anyway. They would keep violently drawing information out of him until they were satisfied. Who knew when they would be satisfied, however. James' voice coming through Pj's com did eventually make her pull her attention away. The Pierces must've gotten something from the buyer, "Hey. It's just us."
"What's wrong?" Pj had to stop herself from rushing off to meet him. James had his family with him; if he was in trouble, he would have them to help. Although she felt the constant desire to, she didn't need to always protect him. The fact that they were speaking privately on the coms worried her, though. It wasn't normal for them to do so. Something had to have been wrong.
"It's too easy," James expressed what that was simply. Pj nearly laughed. Nothing about their op was easy. Going through so many emotions on so little sleep took a lot out of her. There was even a part of her that was suffering at seeing Owen tortured. She was so goddamn tired. She was beyond ecstatic to have her parents back, she really was. But she just wanted to go home. She didn't think she could fight any longer. None of that was easy.
"I wanna know your definition of hard," Pj teased instead. She wasn't going to open up about all of that in the middle of a junkyard while her parents were torturing a man; there was a time and a place for that. Hopefully, her mom and dad would wrap her in their arms and everything would be alright. They could talk and hug without the fear of someone violently interrupting them. They could be a family again. They just had to get through the mission.
And James had to get through the slight innuendo Pj dropped on the word 'hard'. He coughed and spluttered, trying to keep his head straight. He wasn't sure if she had meant it or not. Knowing her, however, she probably did it to lighten the tension. That idea backfired. At least for him and the blush creeping up on his cheeks, "No. I mean, the buyer gave up easily. At least compared to the manager."
"A trap?" Pj snapped her focus back to Sam. He was pale, shaky, and sweaty, yet Nikita kicked him in the crotch again. He yelped and huffed out something else important. Pain was motivating him well; she wouldn't necessarily say it was simple and planned. However, James' intuition wasn't one to be wrong. He had found her while she was rogue, after all. Something suspicious could possibly be occurring. James reminded her that the Shop knew their moms had raided the underground fighting ring. They could've been expecting Alex and Nikita to shake them down, so they led the two to the junkyard. With that idea in mind, Pj definitely saw the suspicion, "And the manager thought I was Nikita… I would've stayed safe how?"
"What?" Her sudden question confused Sam. He had assumed she was done interrogating him, yet she was stomping back towards him, livid. Pj pushed aside Cassandra, Michael, and Nikita, leaving the beaten man to herself. He was relieved for half a second; the torture must've been over. However, Pj surprised him. She surprised everyone. Her knife was in her hand in an instant, and she jammed it into the gunshot wound on Sam's shoulder. He howled in pain, but she ignored him. She slashed at the muscles and tendons, until his arm was nearly amputated. Michael had to pull his daughter off of the man for fear that she would go too far. They needed him alive. And they needed him sane.
"Is this a trap for Nikita?" Pj fought against her dad, biting and snarling. Sam couldn't argue against her. He weakly nodded and mumbled something about how the payout and the chance to finally escape the war was too great. But what was the point, to his knowledge she hadn't even shown up. He also let them know that he didn't want the kids to get hurt. It wasn't about them, only the original team. Michael let go of his daughter, menacingly stalking towards the traitor. Nikita beat him to it; she gave in to her urge to tear him to shreds. While Max hurriedly informed the others about the revelation, the longtime rogue nearly beat her former partner to death.
Michael and Pj made no move to stop Nikita. Her actions were sound. Eventually, Cassandra had to be the one to get her to cease. She convinced her that leaving him a failure to the Shop would be the better punishment. Slowly, Nikita left Sam to his cruel fate; he had to suffer for his sins. As the 'A team' was starting to consider their escape, frantic nerd voices came through the coms. All three Birkhoffs had discovered something, "Uh, guys. There's some bogeys on your six. The cavalry is coming."