Everything started off well for New Division's first operation. A plan was created, and agents and equipment were sent to Hong Kong. While hackers searched for where Martin (their Dirty Thirty) was hiding out, the agents would be ready to gear up and stop him. Hopefully, that could all happen before he killed any more CIA agents. Nothing exciting had occurred on the way to Hong Kong. Michael and Nikita traveled safely, with Alex and Sean's Wolf Team on the following flight. Martin was completely off the radar, which at least gave the agents time to settle. Once in her hotel suite, Nikita definitely enjoyed that, "Wow. This I could get used to."
"May have to. Extended stay, huh?" Michael did everything he could to control the emotion in his voice. He quickly hid Nikita's engagement ring in his pocket, and pretended like his focus was solely on their weapons. Fortunately, she was so enamored with the gorgeous view outside their large windows to notice him. Since it would take some time for Division to track down Martin, the agents could take a moment to relax and finalize their plans. They would be ready to go once their Dirty Thirty was found. That was what Ryan had in mind, at least. Ensuring the engagement ring was well hidden in his pocket, Michael had other ideas.
"Well. Birkhoff will be doing his sweep of the street cams, and that'll take at least a couple days so…" Nikita had her own plans as well. She was alone in a spectacular hotel suite with her boyfriend. Well, technically, for the sake of the mission, he was her husband. The thought sent a thrill of excitement through her. Even if it was only pretend, thinking about being married to Michael made her giddy. She had to saunter up to him, pull him close, and push at his jacket, "I was thinking. Maybe you should take your jacket off, Mister. Stay a while."
"They got the air blasting in here, don't they?" Chuckling awkwardly, Michael fought to keep his jacket on. He was well aware of what Nikita was thinking. The way her brown eyes swept over him was all too telling about her desires. However, as much as he wanted to delve into that desire with her, he didn't want her discovering the ring in his pocket. With how careless she was with clothing when she only had one thing in mind, the ring would no doubt tumble loose. He couldn't lose it. Nor could his (Alex's and Sean's really) proposal plan be ruined.
"I'll keep you warm," Oblivious to his sudden nervousness, Nikita pulled Michael flush against her by the waistband of his pants. Who cared about the temperature in the room; who even cared about their mission. The only thing that should matter was how close they were. She was going to take full advantage of her free time with her boyfriend. Neither the op nor Division existed. Her hands excitedly slid from his waistband to his warm side. She began to tug at his jacket once more. Smiling brightly, her lips ghosted over his.
"Whoa. Whoa. Hi. Okay," Michael pulled sharply away from Nikita. There was no way he could win the argument of keeping his jacket on. Her excitement and the way his body was reacting to it only assured that they would both end up naked. He had to control the situation by removing his jacket himself and gently placing it on a nearby chair. The engagement ring should be safe far out of her reach- as should the surprise of the proposal. He didn't want that to be ruined for her. She wanted a normal life. So why not start with a normal (ish) marriage proposal.
Cautiously watching her boyfriend jump around, Nikita wasn't sure if she should feel offended or not. Probably not, since Michael did move back to her after tossing aside his jacket. He actually moved closer than he had been, as if to make up for his actions. Something was definitely going on with him. From the instant they had walked into the suite, he had been nervous and awkward. Actually, the more she thought about it, he had also been nervous on the plane and as they checked into the hotel. There was something he wasn't telling her, and it worried her, "Are you okay? Cause you seem a little jumpy."
"No," Michael shook his head. Even he knew it was unconvincing. He fought the need to look back at his jacket to see if the ring was still there. Of course it was still there. It would be there until he slipped it onto her finger later that day. Glancing towards the window, he wished sunset would arrive sooner. He didn't have to propose to Nikita by the fountain exactly at twilight. But he knew it would be more romantic if he did, and she deserved every ounce of romance he could give her. He wanted to give her the perfect moment.
"Yeah. Little bit," Chuckling, Nikita negated. Michael stammered through an excuse that didn't make much sense. He couldn't explain away his behavior, nor could he actually form full sentences. She grew even more concerned. That wasn't like him. He was usually calm and collected. If he was worked up, then his anxiety and fear were astronomically bad. Gently, she cupped his chin so he would look at her. His green eyes bore into her like she was his lifeline. She smiled softly, and tenderly stroked his cheek, "Hey. Is it the mission? Cause you know, there's always going to be another mission. Might as well enjoy it."
She was right. The two would be jumping from mission to mission for a while, at least until the Dirty Thirty were dealt with and Division was finally over. Michael and Nikita couldn't waste time waiting for normal or for the perfect moment. They had to live their lives. Whatever plans they had could be amended to fit their craziness. They just had to dive right in. He had to make the leap, "You're right. There is always going to be another mission. Our lives may be mission to mission for a while, right? So it would be pointless to wait until things were normal."
"I hate waiting," Smiling wryly, Nikita whipped off Michael's unclasped belt. He had to take a second to register what she was doing. He was so caught in his own thoughts, he nearly missed the kiss she placed on his lips. Yet the second she wrapped her arms around his neck, his thoughts were wiped away. He placed his hands on her waist, and returned her passionate kiss. Together, they stumbled towards the bed. She untucked his shirt, and he bunched up the hem of her dress. Their lips never left one another's. They continued to kiss feverishly, until she pushed him on top of the mattress and straddled his hips, "Man cannot survive on mission alone."
Michael couldn't argue against that, especially not with Nikita's hips moving sensually over his. Making out and undressing could take priority. Engagements and missions could definitely wait. She made quick work of his buttons while he unzipped her dress. Their hands touched and caressed every expanse of skin they could. Their lips remained locked in fiery kisses. Just as he began to unhook her bra, however, she pulled away. Her eyes were alight with a different type of energy. He couldn't understand it, "Wait. Wait. Ryan said that Martin was on extended assignment for six years. Six years? So was the guy a monk? I don't think so."
As Nikita leapt out of bed and grabbed her burner cell to call Birkhoff, Michael stared at her dumbfounded. It wasn't until he realized what had happened that he laughed. Of course she would crack where Martin was while they were making out. If they couldn't keep their hands off one another while on extended assignment, then their Dirty Thirty had to have had a special someone too. After taunting Birkhoff about Sonya, Nikita was able to get that special someone's address. She and Michael redressed, geared up, and chased down the lead. Once they arrived at the girlfriend's apartment, however, all they were met with was a dead body, "She's still warm."
"Someone escaped out the back window. Egress to the roof," Gun drawn, Michael examined the room for any other dangers. There weren't any. Martin's girlfriend was dead, and he was long gone. He must've killed her, then escaped out the window towards the roof. It explained why the door was unlocked and why the window was still wide open. He didn't plan to kill her. It simply happened. The fact made the situation all the more worse for Michael. There was no sense in the killing. It was just a horrible atrocity- another loss of innocence.
"Why kill her? She's not a threat," Nikita echoed Michael's thoughts. The two only wanted to talk to Martin's girlfriend. Questioning her could lead them to wherever Martin liked to hide out. They didn't think he would actually be in the apartment. And they didn't think their presence would lead to her death. The agents couldn't be too surprised, however. Martin had killed a CIA agent in front of his son, and was targeting more operatives. Nothing could deter him from his mission, not even a woman he might've loved.
Police sirens blared outside the open window, ripping the two agents from their thoughts. Michael and Nikita glanced at one another in panic. He studied the scene outside, and sure enough, the police were entering the apartment complex they were in. Martin must've called the cops after snapping his girlfriend's neck. He created the perfect diversion to keep the New Division off of his tail; he sacrificed a woman for his own needs. Quickly, Michael rushed to the door and locked it. That should buy them a little time. Yet with the cops involved, all of their plans went out the window, "No. But we are."
"Window?" Nikita didn't wait for an answer. If everything else was flying out the window, then so could they. She wasn't sure where the roof led, but they could circle back to their vehicle. Or ditch it completely as they made their way back to the hotel. Her mind was racing with the new ways they had to change their schemes. They'd have to go back to tracking Martin via street cameras, but at least they could start around the apartment. How they were going to catch him when there were police to worry about as well, though, that was up to debate.
"No. It's no good," Shaking his head, Michael stopped her. The window would've been a perfect way to escape under any other circumstances. However, the police complicated matters. There was a dead body with no one to pin the murder on. Martin probably gave a description of the two agents chasing him to the cops. The authorities knew they were looking for someone in the vicinity. If Michael and Nikita completely ran from the scene, it would only cause more trouble. They had to find some other way.
"It worked for Martin," Arguing, Nikita tried to make a break for the window again. They didn't have time to hash all of that out. She and Michael had to leave immediately. They could evade the Hong Kong police by running through the rooftops. And once they made it back to their hotel, it'd be like reaching homebase- they'd be safe. Their cover names weren't connected to the dead woman in any way. They could continue chasing Martin in the shadows. The two simply had to be more careful.
"That's what he wants. That's what he's counting on. If we run, there's a city wide manhunt. Puts the heat on us, makes it harder to track him," Michael was certain he was beginning to understand how Martin thought. He put the agents through the worst possible outcome in order to draw the heat off himself. It was something Michael could've seen himself doing when he was running missions for Division. Being on the other side of it definitely sucked. It caused the panic to rise and the ability to make decisions crash to the ground.
The overwhelming sound of the Hong Kong police thundering up the stairs stole Nikita's argument from her lungs. Even if she could come up with a better plan, it would be of no use. They were out of time. She'd have to rely on whatever Michael was thinking. She trusted him to get them out of the situation. But given how rushed his thoughts had to have been, she wasn't going to like whatever he said. She'd just have to shut up and go along with it, "So what's our alt? We get caught?"
"No. You take the window, and I get caught," Michael decided easily. It wasn't simply because he didn't have the luxury of crafting an elaborate escape plan; it was also the best option they could take. Splitting up was always terrible, no matter the situation. But, the two consistently made it work. They were a great team for the things they did together and apart. Nikita didn't want to believe that at the moment, however. She shook her head vehemently. He moved closer to her, hoping to quell her anxieties, "Look. HKPD will think they have their man- case closed. Which leaves you free to hunt down Martin."
"Michael, no," So what if she sounded desperate. Nikita didn't want Michael gone from her side. Sure they could succeed apart, and they always found a way back to each other. But terrible things tended to happen whenever they were separated. She didn't want their mission to spiral into any more chaos. They were supposed to be on a new path with New Division. Drama wasn't supposed to follow them any longer. She definitely wouldn't be able to swallow the pain that'd follow the drama, not when their lives were starting to get back on track.
"Nikita, yes. Look, it's just the locals. It's Bolivia all over again. Remember? Which means you can break me out, easy. But after you bag that son of a bitch," More certainty was in his voice than what he truly felt. Yet Michael choked back his own anxiety. It would all work out. He knew it. Wolf Team was on their way, and they had the full backing of Division. The two weren't alone. They could pull off their crazy schemes. Nikita just had to be reassured. So, he kissed her lovingly. When she let out a held in breath, he made a promise he swore to keep, "Hey. I will see you at the extract. I promise."
Nikita couldn't say anything else. The Hong Kong police were banging on the door. Michael stayed as calm as possible. He passed her his com and his gun, then pushed her towards the window. She didn't take her eyes off him until the last possible second. When she finally turned away, she leapt out the window and sprinted across the rooftop. Martin was her sole target. He was going to pay for what he had done. Although she was a part of a New Division and had new objectives, Nikita wasn't finished making vile men pay for their actions.