"Okay, we're at the compound," Michael muttered into his com. There hadn't been a lot of communication between the Alpha team and Ops. Michael simply reported their movements from the airfield to Kosta Bechiraj's compound. There wasn't anything else to discuss besides a plan and any updates on Nikita's situation. Silence for the latter was a relief. Nothing had happened to her yet (or at least nothing they knew about); she could still be okay. Silence for the former, however, was stressful. They still had no plan of attack. The team was going to rush into an armed compound with nothing. They'd lose more people than they'd save.
"You told me to make a plan," Ryan quickly assured that he had thought of something while the Alpha team flew to Kosovo. He had called the President's defense secretary, Danforth, to get in front of the mess with Bechiraj. He spun some story about what Division did when the borders closed, and asked what they should do. Danforth later called back with a mission. It wasn't ideal, but Division didn't really have any other choices. If they wanted to stay alive, they had to do what the CIA had failed the year before. They had to kill Bechiraj, "I need you to kill Kosta Bechiraj. This order has been sanctioned by the President."
"Hey. I thought Division didn't do kill missions anymore," Alex wasn't arguing with the plan, but neither was she agreeing with it. Kosta Bechiraj did have to die. He was an evil corrupt man, who should've died on that CIA mission. He couldn't be allowed to run his country into the ground and hurt millions more people. That being said, Division agents didn't have to be the ones to kill him. They weren't the government's weapon to be used and abused anymore. They weren't taking money for kill jobs, and they certainly weren't taking directions from potentially corrupt people. They were strictly on clean up duty, then they were free.
"Consider this the last one. Good luck," Signing off, Ryan tried to promise there would be no more kill missions. However, they weren't even supposed to be on that one. Division had sworn that they weren't going to kill for the government when they agreed to clean up and shut down the hellhole. They'd handle in-house problems, and that was it. Unfortunately, the only way they could survive the latest mess they were in was by following the President's kill order. If a politician like Bechiraj lived, hell would rain down on Division in every possible way. To save themselves, they had to do just that one thing.
Out in the field, the Alpha team could argue against the order. They simply saw it as their best chance to survive and went to work. Coms with Ops were left on as they discussed a plan of attack. Everyone was going to know everything. There was no room for mistakes or ignorance, especially since the Alpha team needed to split up. The agents would take out the guards across the property, while Alex went after Bechiraj, and Michael saved Nikita. Ensuring everything was set, the team readied their weapons and crept up on the property. Michael put it all in motion as he informed Ops, "Okay, we're in position."
"From what we heard on the com, they're holding them in the dead pet tiger's cage. It's behind the house in the old stables. Once you start moving, there's no cover between you and the house," Birkhoff informed Michael. He had had the blueprints of Bechiraj's compound for days. Nikita had used them to help plan her mission. Although that was a bust, Birkhoff at least knew which features were best and worst for the agents. The worst by far was the lack of cover. There were too many open fields where they could get hurt. They needed to stay alert at all times.
"Okay. You guys keep the guards busy on this side of the house. And that'll be your position once they take care of the guards," Indicating where each agent would sprint off to, Michael instructed. He was met with nods of determination. They were ready to attack. He double checked with Alex before giving the greenlight, however. She had the toughest job; he wanted to make certain she was ready. Her smirk as she nodded told him everything he needed to know. It was showtime, "Go! Go, go, go! This is our shot."
As he broke for the stables, Michael ignored the sounds in his com and the action around him. His only focus was Nikita and the armed guards that stood in his way. There were fewer than he would've thought; they must've been distracted by all the other commotion around the compound. He wouldn't complain about that, however. He could take out the ones hindering him with ease. Well, slight ease. His prosthetic took damage as he caught a knife. Although he was soon able to take out his assailant, the prosthetic continued to twitch and groan. That was definitely going to be a recurring problem. But it was a problem he'd focus on later.
Commotion was coming from inside the stables. Above the gunshots, Michael heard a bang and then what sounded like fighting. He wanted to assume that it was Nikita taking care of the guards. She wasn't one to play the damsel in distress. She could take care of herself. Yet her fiancé would make absolutely certain that she stayed safe. He burst into the stables without hesitation, and saw her standing at the broken door of the tiger's cage. The entire side of her face was covered in cuts and bruises. Although it frightened him, Michael didn't let it slow him down. He rushed right up to Nikita, so relieved she was okay, "Hey…"
"Michael? What are you doing here?" Nikita blurted. She couldn't help it. She was not expecting her fiancé to burst through the stable doors and rescue her. She had thought she was alone. Her com had been turned off; it had been knocked out of her ear as she was dragged into the house. No one could've known she was in danger. They just knew she had been stupid. Time spent locked in a tiger's cage had helped her realize that. But she had a way to make up for it. She had found a way to help the team and make everyone happy.
"To save you. What do you think?" Michael blurted in response. He wasn't irritated that she didn't know why he was there. He was pissed that he could've led her to believe otherwise. Of course he would storm into parts unknown to save his fiancée, whether he knew she was in danger or not. Honestly, he should've rushed after her the second he knew she was in Kosovo. Nikita had never once stood down or listened to an order. He shouldn't have commanded her to come back when he realized she was alone; he should've rushed right to her side. Actually, he should've noticed she was missing far sooner. But that was a whole separate issue.
"What's the plan?" Whereas Heidecker was focused on Michael's damaged prosthetic, and tried to engage in a conversation about it, Nikita asked about an escape plan. The most she and Heidecker had was causing an explosion that'd break them out of their cage and distract the guards. Although that got them out of the stables, Nikita didn't know where to go from there. She was so glad Michael was by her side- for multiple reasons. He was always better at exfil plans than her; she ran too much on improvisation. After all, the gunshots she had heard probably came from Division agents. He had brought a full rescue team with him to save her.
"To get you out of here. I've got a car half a mile up the road," Despite the thousands of questions Michael had for Nikita, he started to lead her out of the stables. They could have a real conversation once they were out of danger. And once they were out of Heidecker's earshot. The man might've saved his fiancée's life, but Michael still didn't trust him. No one who had willingly worked with Percy was worth his trust, no matter what they did. He had to wait to demand real information from Nikita and return his own- that included what Division was also doing on Bechiraj's compound.
"We won't make it on foot. I saw more guards on the other side of the house," Stopping Michael in his tracks, Nikita put a wrinkle in his plans. Although there was a battle happening on their side of the house, the guards on the other side wouldn't move from their position. They were ordered to stay, no matter what. Bechiraj was insane and paranoid, yet it was a smart tactic. He could always be protected, and he could always catch who came after him. The agents needed another exfil. Nikita refused to spend another twelve hours in a tiger's cage.
"Ops, I've got Nikita and a passenger. We'll get another ride," Agreeing to follow Nikita's lead, Michael informed Ops of the change in plans. Thankfully, it didn't affect everything else on the compound. The Alpha team was taking care of the guards, and Alex was on her way to Bechiraj. Michael handed Nikita a new com so she could hear everything that was occurring. From then on, she should know everything they did. Hopefully that way, her rogue actions could stay at a minimum.
Running through the gunfire, Michael, Nikita, and Heidecker made their way across the compound. Nikita knew an opening in the perimeter that'd lead the three to safety. With the guards distracted by the Alpha team, the way should be even clearer. They simply had to get there first. The hail of bullets was difficult for the agents to run through, let alone Heidecker. They were struggling to cut through the wide open areas without being caught. Fortunately, a huge distraction was coming their way. As Alex followed Birkhoff's instructions and made her attack run, the guards would converge on her, "Alex, target is on the south side of the building."
"Cover story?" Nikita easily guessed. There was no way Division's rescue mission was in accordance with Ryan's 'no footprints' rule. They were far too loud and far too messy. And after Nikita's attack on the Deputy Prime Minister, they had to do something to contain the fallout. Completing the CIA's botched mission seemed like the best option. It'd certainly deal with Bechiraj. No one would go after them, and there'd be no political backlash. The corrupt, criminal bastard also deserved to die, so it was a win-win. Division would make it out of there just fine.
"Yeah, cover story," Michael flashed Nikita a quick look. Again, he'd tell her everything later. She seemed okay with it at the moment. She wasn't really in a position to form opinions or make arguments about what was occurring. Since she had led Division to that moment, she had to accept everything that was happening as a result. Later, when she began to atone for her stupid actions, she might have to say something about the cover story. Hopefully, it wasn't anything too bad. Based on Michael's look, though, it was more than just a kill mission.
With Alpha team support, Alex snuck through the house until she found Bechiraj and another man locked safely in a room. She didn't know if the other man was a guard, an assistant, some fellow politician. She simply used the fact that he was there to her advantage. Quickly, she killed Bechiraj and the other man. She didn't try to think too much about it. She did her job, then set the stage. Her gun was placed in the other man's grip, and she positioned the bodies to face each other. It wasn't as great as what a cleaner could do. But it was as good as what she had done in Belarus, "Ops, target is eliminated. It'll look like his own guy shot him."
"Copy that. Alpha team, disengage. Rendezvous with Alex and follow exfil route as planned," Ryan soon called off the Alpha team. There was no need to keep fighting the guards. As long as they could escape the compound safely, it would all be over. At least, Ryan desperately hoped so. Investigators needed to believe their cover story. Nothing could fall on Division. Every single bit of them had to be deleted. Turning to Birkhoff on his computer, Ryan attempted to assure himself that that was possible, "Did you erase the security footage?"
"Like we were never there," Proudly, Birkhoff confirmed. Their last kill mission- and it really had to be their last- was a success. They saved one of their own. They didn't lose an agent. Their target was down. A great cover story was in place. No one would know they had ever been there. And the President would be happy. Hopefully her happiness led to good things, not bad; she wouldn't like what they did in Kosovo so much that they received more kill missions. The team was always dealing with enough.
For instance, no one was out of the woods just yet. An alert soon came through on Birkhoff's computer warning of more trouble. There were many reasons Ryan wanted them to stay quiet on missions. Yes, so Division didn't burn. But also so no one around knew what they were doing. All those gunshots had drawn unwanted attention from neighbors. The Alpha team was about to have more company, "Mikey, local police got a call about all the noise. They're coming to crash the party. You need to stay off the main roads."
"Alright. Alex, take the team to the extraction point. We'll find another way," Michael made sure Alex got everyone else out safe. The agents would be alright on the route they took. As long as they kept going and didn't circle back for them, they'd be alright. Michael, Nikita, and Heidecker would just have to keep finding their own way. They stumbled upon a car they could steal. However, once they hoped in, they had no way to go. There was no way they could make it past the cops to the airfield. They were stuck. Gripping the steering wheel, Michael desperately looked around for any way out, "We gotta get going."
"I have a plane," Heidecker offered from the backseat. Michael and Nikita shared a brief look, then Michael took off towards the direction Heidecker pointed him to. Despite their lack of trust, the agents had nowhere else to turn. They had had worse plans of escape. And they had also had worse transportation. The agents could hitch a ride with Heidecker. Besides, after all their efforts to save him, he'd bring them home safe and sound. It was all about deals with him. And the one Nikita had struck with him, had him fascinated enough to keep the two alive.