The fallout of the end of a war was more than the team could imagine. In their defense, they hadn't expected the Marines or the President to have gotten involved. They expected Division to disappear silently into the night, the same way it had begun. But since when did they get everything they wished for. Percy and Roan were dead. The threat of nuclear war was gone. All that was left was the used, abused, and abandoned agents inside Division. The rogues were willing to let them go. They could run off and fade away just as the team would. It was just the government that had other ideas.
Total destruction of Division had to occur; it couldn't end with Percy. Everything about the hellhole was dangerous. It shouldn't be left standing. The Vice President argued that point mercilessly, yet Nikita fought back. The agents were just like the rogues. Given a chance, they wouldn't cause mayhem and destruction. They all wanted peace. They all deserved a chance at life. So, Nikita continued to fight the government for them. They shouldn't pay for others' mistakes- a fact she told them as she returned to hell, "I told the Vice President I can negotiate a peaceful surrender of all personnel. She believed me, but I think we all know better than that."
Murmurs spread throughout Ops. Michael glanced at Nikita in concern, and she nodded slightly. Despite the end of Percy and the nuclear threat, the Marines were still going to kill them. Since Division didn't exist, the agents' and rogues' deaths would be meaningless. They would just be one more problem the government could sweep under the rug. But they couldn't let that happen. The forgotten had to make themselves known, "You are not invisible. You exist. And if they want to get to you, they're gonna have to go through me first."
Besides Michael, no one knew how to react to Nikita's promise at first. Whereas her partner readily joined her by her side, the agents in Ops glanced at one another warily. It wasn't until Sonya stood with Michael and Nikita that the others followed. It was about time the victims of Division worked together to get what they deserved. They were going to take back the power that was robbed from them. So, together they met Ryan as he came down the elevator. He took in the tired yet serious group in front of him, and sighed, "Let's talk."
Immediately, Nikita pushed for absolution. The agents had been punished enough. With the destruction of Division, freedom for all had to follow. She didn't care if the President wasn't willing to give them all golden parachutes. The rogues had been offered pardons before. Then should've been their moment to receive them. Except, as Michael mentioned, the government's problem didn't just extend to the bunker. There were Division agents all over the world to deal with. Granting every one of them absolution would be difficult. They had to be realistic. Which was why Ryan proposed, "The ideal unit to control the fallout of Division is Division itself."
While Ryan and Michael began to argue the logistics of taking over Division- at least enough to clean it up and shut it down for good- Nikita checked out. Both had solid points. Michael was right in saying that the rogues should be done with Division. They should be allowed to leave. And Ryan was right to be concerned about the resulting danger shutting down the place created. The team was the best equipped to handle that. It just wasn't a decision to make lightly. So, Nikita escaped topside to get some fresh air- try to think. Her boyfriend met her in the field what felt like hours later, "Division is in good hands with Ryan, Nikita. We can go."
"Where?" Nikita was almost too afraid to ask. She knew what Michael was going to say; she just didn't want to hear it yet. She felt like she was falling deeper and deeper into a hole, digging herself new ground to fall into. Every chance she got at escaping Division, she simply got dragged back in for more. But the latest attempt, she designed the ending herself. She had decided to stay. She chose to keep fighting. Was there something wrong with her. She'd rather fight than run off into the sunset. No normal person would settle for that option.
"Home," Softly, Michael wrapped his arms around Nikita. Her stiff muscles relaxed in his gentle hold. She could simply melt right there. Her boyfriend could just hold her, and she could forget everything. She wanted to forget everything. Division should be a distant memory. The future on the horizon she had stared fixedly at should be her salvation. Yet none of her wishes had ever made her situation any easier. She had to do the right thing, no matter what it cost her, "Remember, you did say that."
"I said it. But I can't go back home yet, Michael. Not without a pardon. Not while the rest of our team and these people are here. I mean, I grew up here. I learned right from wrong here. I fell in love here. Those people down there, they deserve a chance and you know we can give that to them," Nikita turned in Michael's arms to look at him as she explained. It was a harsh decision to make, yet she didn't feel entirely guilty about it. She couldn't simply run away. She couldn't return to her family if she was still considered a criminal- if she was still considered dead. And she couldn't leave her friends and the agents behind. What was all that fighting for if she did.
"You think I'm crazy, right?" Almost afraid to glance at Michael, Nikita picked at the soft cotton that stretched across his chest. She kept talking about home, and being with her family again. Yet she was choosing to stay just a little while longer. Instantly, her boyfriend shook his head. He got her to look at him before he kissed her sweetly. He didn't think she was crazy. She was just thinking with her heart, proving once again how much stronger than him she was. She wanted everyone's happiness to be secure and real. How could he fault her for that. He could only kiss her some more, and follow her to the ends of the Earth.
Whereas the battleworn couple were having their moment near the barn, Birkhoff finally returned to Division. Michael and Ryan had given him an all-clear, and had asked for him to join them. Well, they demanded more than they asked. He didn't mind, however. Percy was dead, and so was Division. Whatever help they needed in shutting the hellhole down, he'd do so with pleasure. After all, walking back into the bunker meant he got to see Sonya in person for the first time. And God was he stunned. He nearly missed what she said to him, "I need to hunt down those trackers, but I'm not sure the servers are capable. I thought you could reconfigure them."
"Sure. Let me show you how it's done," Feeling as though he was in a trance, Birkhoff moved towards Sonya. The beauty he saw on the computer screen didn't compare to the beauty standing right in front of him. Maybe it was just the exhilaration of ending a war that filled him with such powerful emotions. But that couldn't be completely right. The rival hacker was a gigantic part of that as well. No one else challenged him like she had. No one else made him feel a spark of life as they taunted one another. He had to be near her. He also had to thank her for helping his team when he couldn't. She didn't have to. Yet he was so glad she did.
"They sustained a lot of damage with the gunfire…" Sonya continued her statement, unsure of what the look in Birkhoff's eyes meant. Until he kissed her. Although he interrupted her, she found herself kissing him back. The rest of Division melted away, including a shocked and exasperated Ryan at watching another couple make out in front of him. Both nerds smiled into the affection. Their grins never faded, even as they parted. He looked at her adoringly, and she chuckled, "You know how Division feels about fraternization."
"Division's dead, baby," Birkhoff practically bragged. The team had won. They got to have everything they wished for. And at that moment, he wanted to keep Sonya wrapped tightly in his arms. However, she pulled away from him, her expression shifting into concern. Forcing his attention to part from her for once, the nerd finally took in the space around him. The agents and techs in Ops were still active, and Ryan was in deep conversation with one of the guards. Things didn't seem to be shutting down at all. What was going on, "Isn't it?"
Alex couldn't answer Birkhoff even if she wanted to. Not only did she have no idea what was happening with Division, she didn't know where she was. The last thing she remembered was Sean being stabbed and hit in the head, her arm being broken, her and Roan being electrocuted, and her partner saving her just in time. Roan was dead, and the threat was finally over. So where the hell had she regained consciousness. Her groggy eyes scanned around the blurry room until they settled on Sean. She sighed in relief at the familiar and comforting sight. Voice raw and shaky, she demanded, "Where am I?"
"Closest hospital that won't ask questions," Sean wasn't sure if he was smiling at the strange fact that they were able to use Division's medical, or at knowing that Alex was alright. It was probably a mix of both. He had remained by her side since she had passed out in his arms. He carried her somewhere safe, he sat with her while the doctors mended her arm (mostly so they could stitch his stab wound as well) and he waited patiently for her to wake. A part of him rationalized that it was so she didn't wake in Division alone and afraid. Yet deep down he knew he couldn't leave her. She had watched him when he had been shot. The favor had to be returned.
"Division," The room she was in and the chair she was seated in came back to her. Alex recognized the walls around her, and the sterile smell of Medical. For a brief moment, she panicked at the fact. Something was always wrong if she was inside Division. Except, Sean seemed relaxed and chaos wasn't unfolding around her. She was just there to get better, to utilize the resources the team could obtain. Medical was far better equipped than their safehouse. Also, no one would dare ask her how she was injured so severely.
"Hey, uh, speaking of questions. There's, uh, a certain question that I… well you passed out. There was a lot going on… Um. Maybe I…" He couldn't respond no matter how hard he tried. It would've been easy to blame his concussion. Sean wasn't able to speak. There was nothing distracting him or Alex. There was nothing imminent they had to focus on instead. He could repeat the question he kept asking her, even when she passed out after the electric shock she had received. Yet, for some reason, the words caught in his throat. She glanced at him with those captivating blue eyes of hers, and he froze.
"Alex. Sean," Before the words could finally stumble out, his sister interrupted him. Sean was half-relieved, half-annoyed. He wanted to ask Alex out; he wanted his intentions to be clear. But he knew he should find a better time, preferably a moment when he could think straight. Nikita rushed to join the two in Medical, her eyes frantically checking them over to see if they were alright. She hadn't heard much after Roan's death. Dealing with the government had taken precedence. But that had to be moved to the backburner; she couldn't care about it anymore. Her brother and best friend were a priority as well, "How're you feeling?"
"Getting there," Sean muttered. He was still a bit annoyed at constantly being interrupted. Again, some of that could possibly be blamed on the concussion. Yet he did just want to talk to Alex. Nikita glanced at him in confusion. She studied him to ensure he was okay, then she spotted his injured leg. Concern erupted out of her, and he immediately lost his irritation. He quickly assured her that he was fine. She didn't believe him until he pulled her into a hug. That shocked her enough to relax. The siblings were okay, as was the rest of the team- the rest of the family. With everything that was still going on, that was what was most important.
Squeezing his sister just a bit more, Sean soon left her and Alex to talk. He wanted to catch up with Michael, Ryan, and Birkhoff anyway. He had to know how it went with the Marines and if there was any next move. As he exited Medical, Nikita sighed. Alex pushed herself up on the cot as best as she could and stared at her best friend. Whereas she and Sean had expressed how fine they were, Nikita hadn't talked about herself. It was as though she was almost afraid to. But the young woman would force the rogue to, just as she had done to her thousands of times before, "Hey. Are you okay? What happened?"
"A lot," Nikita rolled her eyes and scoffed. She had to catch Alex up on what happened. Michael and Ryan were probably informing Sean at that moment- God, she didn't want to face her brother when he discovered she was staying. She shook that thought away to focus on the young woman. Alex deserved answers. She also deserved a choice. Her family had been avenged; she didn't need to stay and fight anymore. It would be alright if she heard everything, then decided to leave. Her life was worth living, "Do you remember what I said, when I decided I was going to let you infiltrate Division?"
"Here we go?" Alex was confused, yet the determination in Nikita's eyes captivated her.
"Here we go again," Nodding, Nikita answered. The war was finished, but not the team.