"And here I thought you were only a bitch to your brother," Michael muttered in Nikita's ear as she typed furiously on her laptop. His tone was sarcastic, but there was weight to his words- weight she didn't want to explore. She shrugged off the gentle hand he had laid to her shoulder, and refocused on her task. While Alex searched for a lead on Roan and the courier he was with, Nikita researched the best ways to break in and steal from an armored transport truck. They could load up one of their cars with duffel bags full of cash, if they had enough time to offload the truck. If not, she knew a great way to set it aflame.
It all came down to timing. Hopefully, Alex could locate where the courier could've gone to transfer the bearer bonds into cash. From there, the team could track it. Well, the team minus Birkhoff. It would've been easier with the hacker's help. Yet, no one had chased after him when he had left. They thought letting him cool off alone was for the best. He'd return eventually. Nikita wished she could've been left alone as well, but Michael kept hovering. Huffing, she attempted to push him away, "Keep talking and you'll see how bitchy I can get."
"Glad to know blood loss does this to you," Creeping into her line of sight so she'd have to take her eyes off of the computer, Michael snarked. He was playing with fire by messing with her while she was so pissed off, but he could handle it. Besides, Nikita shouldn't wallow in her anger. She had to get it all off her chest before the mission; she couldn't go in frustrated or she could get hurt again. That was the last thing he'd allow to happen. She had to talk. If riling her up to make her snap was the perfect way to get her talking, then so be it.
"It shouldn't have happened," Nikita seethed. She hadn't let Michael help her change the bandage on her arm, claiming she was alright. However, he could see the stain of blood that had seeped through. It was difficult not to draw his attention to it, especially with the way she twitched her arm when pain shot through her. She had every right to be irritated that she had been shot and that she was hurting. It was a terrible injury to have. And although there wouldn't be any permanent damage, the wound would take a while to heal. She had to take it easy on that arm for a bit, something she definitely struggled with.
Her fury over being shot couldn't be directed at Birkhoff, however. It wasn't as though he was the one who shot her. Maybe he could've prevented the guard from reloading and shooting. But, to throw Nikita's own words back at her, things happened in the field they couldn't anticipate. As amazing as Birkhoff was on the computer, he was inexperienced in the field. He hadn't been able to handle the complications. Michael understood that. It was the nerd's first field mission and he stalled just like a lot of new agents. Gently, he tried to express that to Nikita, "You can't blame Birkhoff completely. He's never shot anyone before besides…"
"Ms. Bennet," Sighing, the realization sunk deeply onto Nikita's shoulders. Birkhoff had never shot anyone before besides Carla Bennet, her and her siblings' old supportive teacher. Of course he froze when he picked up the gun. The last time he shot one he accidentally killed someone his friends deeply cared about. That heartache must've been weighing heavy on his mind, not that he said anything. He should've told Nikita. Or maybe she should've talked to him about it instead of bottling everything up. Apologies forming on her lips, she glanced towards Michael for some way she could fix things. He didn't have an immediate answer.
"Got him! I checked both street cams and toll booths, knowing Roan drives like a little old lady. I tracked him straight towards the city. Boom!" Even if he did, Alex quickly interrupted the two. She excitedly celebrated her successful hacks, downing an energy drink that was next to her. Michael and Nikita could only stare at her and blink. Half of their thoughts were trying to catch up with what she just said, the other half was trying to figure out if that was a new or old can she drank out of. She only stared back, though, and shrugged, "What? Birkhoff gets to brag."
"Where exactly is he?" Shaking his head, Michael simply pushed forward with the conversation. He moved towards Alex at the desk, gently squeezing Nikita's uninjured arm as he passed. After a moment, she finished her own research, closed her laptop, and joined the others. She made certain the energy drink was out of reach as the young woman looped them into her findings. Roan had dropped the courier off at a building with the briefcases. She was doing the exchange on her own, so there was no need to worry about Percy's guard dog. That was one load off of the team's minds.
The team also didn't have to worry about secondary locations. Transport trucks were held at the building; they would take off from there. The three could meet the vehicle there and follow it until they could hijack it. Nikita was in the middle of sharing her ideas on how they could pull that off, when an urgent alert pinged through the computer. The three froze, wondering what it could possibly be. Alex pulled up the notification, and Nikita cursed as she read, "Shit. Birkhoff's been arrested. He tripped an old FBI trap."
"Where are you going?" Michael called after Nikita as she began to take off. However, she barely registered that he had asked her a question. Panic rose in her stomach, choking her throat. Sure, the police had no idea who he was, and neither would the FBI once they arrived. Birkhoff had done well in erasing his identity when he was recruited into Division. But that hellhole would've gotten the same ping the team had when the hacker's prints were run. Their enemy knew where he was and they could strike.
"To go get Birkhoff. Division got the same alert we did. If we don't grab him now, they'll kill him," After running up the stairs to grab her mission gear in her room, Nikita was breathless. She didn't think it was so much from the exertion as it was the fear. So what if she had been mad at Birkhoff right before then. That didn't mean she wanted him dead. She didn't want anyone else she cared about to die, no matter her frustrations towards them. Her heart couldn't take anymore of that pain.
"Hold on. Think and breathe. We have time before Division can even roll out. Come up with a plan first," Whereas Alex stayed by the desk, getting them any information she could on Birkhoff's arrest, Michael chased after Nikita. He stopped her from marching to their bedroom, hands gently yet sternly holding onto her waist. He wanted to rush off and save their friend as well. But they had to think first. Going in without a plan might lead them into more trouble. They had to be rational. They had to be calm.
"Okay. Okay. I got one," Slowly nodding, Nikita thought she had a plan. It was going to involve more improvisation than Michael would've liked, yet it could work. She had a fake FBI badge somewhere in her mission bag, and she had a cheap suit she disliked that'd work as a disguise. Beating the real FBI to the police station would be a hassle without a hacker, but maybe Alex could handle that. However, Alex and Michael couldn't follow Nikita to grab Birkhoff. Their assistance had to remain remote, as she needed the two to stay on Percy's money. Besides, it'd be easier to sneak in if it was only her.
"What do we do?" Alex hadn't quite caught up with Nikita's thoughts, yet Michael had. He protested silently. He didn't want to have to leave her side again. Although he knew she could take care of herself, he was afraid she was going to get hurt again. The past few missions they had been separated on she had gotten shot and kidnapped and suffocated. Each time she managed to escape and survive. But what if that was the one time she didn't, and he was halfway across town when it happened. Nikita gave Michael a look to calm his anxiety and to stop any argument. She was going by herself, and she would be alright.
"Follow the money. I can grab Birkhoff and then we'll meet you guys," Rushing to her bedroom, Nikita ordered. There was no room for disagreement. Michael and Alex shared an eyeroll, then hurried to start their simultaneous missions. In record time, the three were geared up and ready to go. Michael gave Nikita a quick kiss before they separated, the gaze he shared with her intense. Reassuringly, she caressed his cheek. Alex gave them as long of a moment as she could before she snapped them back to attention. They had to leave immediately.
Nikita could've gotten caught speeding, especially at the speed she was going. Yet she didn't care. She had to get to Birkhoff before Division or the FBI. It was the only thing on her mind. She wasn't concerned how the hacker managed to get arrested, or what he was possibly thinking. That didn't matter. She had to save her friend. Taking deep breaths, she was able to finally settle herself enough to talk her way past the police officers. Yet that was the easy part. She still had to uncuff a morose Birkhoff and bolt out of there, "What are you doing here?"
"Saving you, dumbass," Jostling him to his feet, Nikita put all of her urgency into her voice. Birkhoff just glanced at her, wondering why she would save him after everything that had happened. She rolled her eyes. He seriously thought she would leave him to the wolves. He was her teammate- her friend. Even if she wanted to kill him herself, she wouldn't let Division get their claws back into him. They seriously had to talk. But after they escaped. Police chatter nearby informed them that visitors had arrived to collect a prisoner. The rogues' time was up.
"Division or real FBI?" Birkhoff asked as Nikita snuck him down the back stairs. He didn't wonder where Alex or Michael could've been. His best guess was that they continued to follow Percy's money, while the rogue broke from the ranks to rescue him. Another pang of guilt shot through him. He kept fucking up. He screwed up over and over again, and for what- some sense of pride. That was ridiculous. There were far more important things than the money he had earned by being the illusive and powerful Shadowwalker. His team was an example of that. Yet, his thoughts were cut short when he and Nikita stumbled across dead police officers.
"Division. Definitely Division," Turning to run away, Nikita pushed Birkhoff ahead of her. They barely avoided the bullets that started to ring out. Division was on the scene, and they were determined not to let the rogues get away. Who cared if police officers were killed in the process, they'd clean it up later. Their enemies' deaths were the priority. Unfortunately, Nikita and Birkhoff knew how to fight back, especially when backed into a corner. They dodged bullets, ripped away weapons, bashed in heads, and evaded authorities. Yet it wasn't quite enough.
As Nikita struggled with a Division agent that just wouldn't go down, Birkhoff managed to rush into the room with a gun in his hand. His friend probably didn't need as much help that time with her assailant, however, he wasn't going to let her get hurt once more. He had the power to do something, so he had to. He wasn't going to fuck up again. The trigger was easy to pull. The agent went down, but he kept on shooting him. Even when the clip was empty, Birkhoff just kept pulling the trigger. It wasn't until Nikita gently lowered his arm and whispered softly in his ear did he stop, "Hey. It's okay. Come on."
Birkhoff dropped the gun, and the two sprinted out of the station. Neither of them slowed until they were in the car and far enough away that Division couldn't chase them. Their breaths were barely caught before they alerted Michael and Alex through coms that they were free. There wasn't time for celebration, however. Apparently there was a diversion, and Alex and Michael lost the truck full of money. It was just one problem after the next. Except, they had Birkhoff back. The team was complete again. They could solve all their problems. But, as Nikita glanced at the somber nerd, she knew they weren't out of the woods yet. They were far from it.