"I hate this. I know it was my idea, but I still hate it," Steadying herself before she burst into the bank like she owned the place, Alex muttered into her com. While the team had been playing soccer on the beach (well, Michael and Nikita played as Sean and Alex simply kicked the ball around, and Birkhoff stood in the makeshift goal unenthusiastically attempting to block the former soccer players' shots) Shadownet got a ping on Percy's banking information. It led to one of those Swiss banks that couldn't be hacked from the outside. So, a mission was put into place to steal all the information they could.
Naturally, it was Nikita's idea to distract the bank from a heist on the computer with a fake armed robbery. Birkhoff had a device that, once attached to the hardware, would allow him to hack into their system. Someone just had to plant it, and all the hard work would be done. It'd be helpful if the manager accessed the software first, so Alex suggested she'd be a fake banker in order to plant the device. All eyes would be on Alexandra Udinov the second she entered the establishment. And of course, any good manager would try to sway the heiress to bank exclusively with them. She didn't like that she had to play some sort of stereotype of who she was as a cover, but whatever helped to take down Percy had to have been worth it.
Sean assisted the team in planning for the mission, however, he couldn't jet off and participate with them. Cleaning their mother's house wasn't the only task he and his sisters had to perform since her death. There was paperwork and legal things to attend to. They were also still grieving and trying to mourn. After he practically abandoned Jill and Sandy at the funeral to hunt down Brandt and rescue Nikita, he owed it to them to be there then. The team had no problem with him leaving; they were completely behind the idea. He deserved to take a break and heal. As did his rogue sister, but she wasn't afforded the same luxury.
She claimed she was fine with it, though. Nikita was ready and willing to put action to her earlier threat and attack Percy. Going after his money was simply the best way to fuck with him. Besides, if he didn't have any more money, then he couldn't obtain the rest of the material needed for a nuclear bomb- because what else would a maniacal bastard like Percy do with plutonium. The team had to stop whatever he was scheming. Nothing like what happened to the CIA with the sarin gas could happen again. Which was why as the team rolled out to rob a bank, Ryan stayed at his safehouse pouring over data.
Although he hadn't made any progress, the team pulled off a successful heist. Nikita and Michael were in and out as the 'robbers', unnoticed by the police. Birkhoff was able to obtain the intel they needed. And Alex managed to keep the tie between Alexandra Udinov and the band of rebels a secret (she also showed how easily she could slip between her spylife and her heiress title). It was a great op, causing Nikita to soon joke, "You know, if this whole saving the world from evil masterminds doesn't work out, I think we have a real future in armed robbery."
"Does that mean we can rob a bank with actual money next time?" Michael wasn't entirely sure how sarcastic he was being. He mostly replied to Nikita's quip about what their lives outside of a war with Division might look like. It wasn't a serious suggestion; it couldn't have been, since the bank they had robbed held information not cash. However, they were really good at heist type missions. It was part of the reason the two were partnered a lot in Division. They could steal and con like no other. So why not lend their talents to future ventures.
"Oh. You can be Robin Hood, I'll take the money, we give it to the poor," Despite her teasing tone, Nikita was becoming more and more serious about the idea. It was dangerous to put too much hope into the future. If the team had learned anything in their crusade, it was that things could change drastically, so don't expect anything. But why shouldn't she make concrete plans for the future. The thought of returning home one day to her sisters was great, yet she wanted more to look forward to- some sort of goal to make the future real and obtainable.
"Okay. But for the record, I'll never wear tights," Pulling Nikita tighter against his side, Michael flashed her his trademark smirk. Whatever she wanted to do with their future together was beyond okay with him. He'd do anything, as long as he got to remain by her side. She beamed and laughed at the sentiment. It made him laugh along with her. It also got Alex to turn off her com. She was on her way to meet the two at the airport, anyway; she didn't have to keep subjecting herself to their weird flirting, even if it was cute in its own way.
"Then I'm not doing it," Nikita just couldn't help but continue the tease. And Michael just couldn't help but sigh and agree that fine, he would wear tights. Once their soft laughter subsided, the two checked in on Birkhoff's progress. The nerd had largely been able to ignore the couple as he worked on locating Percy's money. He had moved all of it from his different accounts, gathering it in one location. He was probably hoping to liquidate his cash with Nikita's threat hanging in the air. That worked perfectly for the team. They would have a much easier time acquiring all his assets and using them for their own means. The bastard would be left with nothing as they burned him to the ground.
As seemingly simplistic as robbing the Swiss bank was, stealing Percy's money would be a bit trickier. First, where it was located was once again unable to be hacked from the outside. Second, his money was being held by a personal banker and money launderer to the stars. There was no way they could gain access to the banker unless they were potential customers. And to be a potential customer, they'd need millions upon millions of dollars. It was a bear of a mission even for the team to initiate. They'd have to scramble for the funds and for a meeting before Percy withdrew everything. The team had to do it, however. They had to take out their enemy no matter the cost, "If we're going to steal Percy's money, we'll need twenty million dollars."
"Twenty million? No way. That's all I have. Why can't Princess over there do it?" Birkhoff stared at Nikita in disbelief. He was all for ending Percy and Division, don't get him wrong. But twenty million dollars was literally all the money he had. It was what he was going to retire off of as soon as their stupid crusade was over. He couldn't give it all up on one mission. Besides, hadn't he been the team's financier for long enough. Alex had billions of dollars to her name since the whole Zetrov thing had been dealt with. She should've been the one to risk it all, not him. But Nikita was stubbornly set in her ways, as per goddamn usual.
"I can try. But I might not get the money in time," Although Alex attempted to help Birkhoff out, she only bolstered the rogue's point even more. Because of the sheer quantity of her money, it was scattered everywhere. From various banks, to trusts, to shares, to diamonds, the young woman didn't have easy access to a lot of her funds. The team didn't have time to wait for her to gather what they needed. The nerd was their only viable option, as much as he despised the thought. No one was a fan of using him like that either, but what else were they supposed to do. Percy couldn't keep running around unchecked.
"Birkhoff, we'll get it back. Plus Percy's. Come on, haven't you always wanted to bankroll a revolution?" The sweet way Nikita batted her eyelashes might've worked on Michael, but it definitely wouldn't work on Birkhoff. He wasn't going to give in to her that easily. Though, adding Percy's money to his own would be nice. And he was all about revolutions and rebellions and all that. Dammit. Alright. But if he was going to bait his money, then he was going to be out in the field. Nikita, Michael, and Alex didn't like the suggestion, yet the nerd wouldn't back down. He wanted his own eyes on his money.
There was no use in arguing with him- they didn't have the time. So, Birkhoff would attend the meeting with the banker with Nikita as his bodyguard, while Alex hacked and Michael provided support from the car. It wasn't their typical set-up, but they'd manage. Or at least they'd try to. The rogue and the nerd were certainly having some interesting moments. He wasn't that experienced out in the field, and she didn't like losing that much control. They had to get over it however, for the sake of themselves, their team, and their mission.
Meanwhile, in the car, Michael and Alex were having their own experience. He started asking her questions about why she chose to stay rogue instead of returning to her former life. She had had the chance to, so why didn't she jump at it. The young woman found the whole thing odd, accusing the agent of interrogating her. She had already told Nikita why she was staying anyway. Why did she have to explain herself further to Michael. He cleared that up for Alex as he dropped out of nowhere, "Couldn't help but notice you and Sean have gotten close."
"Oh. It is an interrogation. I don't know why you're asking me about Sean. Usually, it's Nikita prying into my personal life," Rolling her eyes, Alex huffed. Her best friend had always been a bit too nosey when it came to her love life. The rest of the team typically backed off from the subject, which balanced out Nikita's prying. Michael did talk to her about some stuff here and there, yet he mostly left the boy talk to his girlfriend. For him to bring up Sean all of a sudden wasn't normal. Sharply, Alex turned to face him. No way was that conversation his idea. Nikita made Michael say it, "She asked you to spy for her."
"Oh come on. He is her brother," They were also spies, but Michael didn't have to make that point as well. Nikita had asked him to talk to Alex while they sat and waited in the car. She hadn't been able to get anything out of Sean regarding the budding relationship and stolen glances that were occurring between him and Alex. It was a little frustrating, and she was beyond curious to know what was happening between her brother and best friend. Even Michael could tell it was more than just friendship or a crush. He wanted to know what their deal was too.
"Well. When you report back to Nikita, you can let her know there is nothing going on between me and her brother," Alex sighed hotly, refocusing on the tablet she was supposed to keep track of the money on. She wasn't entirely sure why she had gotten so irritated all of a sudden. It had nothing to do with Michael's and Nikita's prying. She knew they only did that because they cared- she also did the same to them, so she couldn't say anything on the contrary. Maybe what she said irritated her. There was nothing happening between her and Sean despite everything. Though, that couldn't have been that frustrating.
Or was it. Alex wasn't sure what she was thinking or feeling anymore. It was a huge complicated mess she couldn't piece together. Honestly, should she even try to work through that. It seemed like too much work that might not even be worth it in the end. Wasn't stuff like that supposed to be easy. Wasn't she supposed to know how both of them felt and thought. And wasn't talking supposed to be the easiest thing in the world. God, nothing made sense. She was fairly certain she was going insane. Michael caught all of those thoughts crossing her expression, growing concerned. His voice was soft as he said, "What? I promise to leave it out of the report."
"I look at what you guys have and… I don't know. I don't know if I'll ever be able to find that. I'm not even sure it's worth it," Quietly, Alex admitted. Michael and Nikita were definitely the couple to look up to. Her mother had cheated on her father, and couples in stories and movies were completely fictional. She had nothing else to turn to but them, not that it was a terrible thing- they had gone through so much together, and still loved each other like crazy. Alex didn't think she could have the same kind of relationship. And if she did, it might not even work out. Why put her heart out into the unknown if there was a high chance of it being broken.
"Hey. It's worth it," Michael was beyond sincere as he comforted Alex. After everything he and Nikita had been through, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that having her in his life was worth it. No risk, no reward- and the reward was perfect. Unfortunately, the two had to stop talking about the subject. Roan was spotted driving up to the banker's house. Percy was collecting his money; the team had to complete their mission immediately. They attempted to do so, yet they ran into a major problem. The money was gone. Percy's, Birkhoff's, everything had disappeared. They had been played.
The nerd should've seen it coming, but there was no use in shifting blame. The team had to get the money back. No such luck. In fact, the banker's bodyguards decided to fire upon Nikita and Birkhoff. Michael and Alex were targets as well once they involved themselves in the fray. It was a madhouse of flying bullets and glass. The rogue did her best, but without a weapon she was eventually cornered. At least Birkhoff was able to grab a dropped gun. He could shoot the man reloading his weapon and approaching Nikita. He paused, however. His hand shook, and his stance wavered. The mission had gone to shit around them, yet he froze. Voice desperate, she tried to snap him out of it, "Shoot him. Birkhoff, shoot him!"
Birkhoff couldn't. He couldn't pull the fucking trigger even though he wanted to. He should've been able to. The bodyguard was going to kill Nikita. He should've shot him. Instead, the rogue had to save herself. She threw the first thing she could grab at her assailant. Luckily for her, it was a letter opener. It struck the bodyguard right in the eye, but not before he was able to squeeze off a couple of rounds. Bullets went everywhere, one of them embedding itself into Nikita's arm. She stifled a shout of pain as her body collapsed in on itself. Birkhoff rushed to her to stop the bleeding, overwhelming guilt washing over him. The mission was blown, the money was gone, and his friend was shot all because of him. It was all his fault.