It wasn't all bad, being on the run. There were definitely challenges to overcome, but Michael and Nikita had one another to rely on. They gathered resources, ensured contacts, and drew out plans. They also trained. She was far more experienced than he was, but he had some skills as a former Naval officer and CIA agent. He was also a great student; he was far better than her sarcasm and defiance. Sparring together really was a bright spot to their days, especially when things became all too daunting. And things were at times. They were left wondering if they were doing the right thing- if raging a war was the best course of action.
Nikita struggled the most with that. She knew burning Division to the ground was a necessity. However, she thought it should only be her fight. Michael shouldn't have been dragged into it. He deserved better, to have a life free of all that shit. He assured her that he was with her one hundred percent, nothing could take him away from her. And he reminded her of all the great things she had done despite Division. She had saved him, countless times. She had also saved so many others, like Ryan and Alexandra.
They had a contact (a retired CIA asset named Henry) who was able to discreetly track anyone down for them for a price. They swore to keep him in mind for later, but Michael had him track down Alexandra. He wanted to prove to Nikita that she wasn't the monster she thought she was. She never said as much to him, always plastering on a smile and throwing out a quip when things were serious. But he knew she continued to feel guilty. So he showed her how much she had changed other's lives for the better. Not only his, but also Alexandra's (who was alive and working in DC). She was much more than what Division forced her to be.
And the two of them were going to use that to destroy the hellhole. Nikita and Michael had made great progress with their initial countermissions, but then it was time for their frontal assault. They laid low for a while after faking their deaths, waiting for the heat to die off and taking their time to get everything they needed. Soon enough, however, they were ready to enact their plan. Luckily, they had Ryan and a Shellbox inside to assist them. They had their mole and their resources; they were ready for anything.
Most of their schemes (that Michael was excellent at creating) revolved around Nikita. She had the skills they needed out in the field. He was simply her partner in their makeshift ops center, providing support- which she desperately needed after dealing with Gary, visiting his false grave, and kidnapping Birkhoff. But they saved the day, they were successful. Percy was shaken as well. It meant they were on the right track. Division was finally going to fall.
It was a lot of hard work, but Michael, Nikita, and Ryan were a formidable team. Ryan would feed the rogues the intel, Michael would make a plan, and Nikita would execute it. Mission after mission was ruined. It wasn't perfect, though. Everything appeared difficult and too much at times. Yet the three had one another to support and care for them. They tried to find times to celebrate their victories and take a moment to breathe. Their war would break them otherwise. They needed to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Despite saving journalists, foreign dignitaries, a former Guardian turned rogue, innocent people, human trafficking victims, and a recruit that was going to be killed by the very organization that promised to save her, things went bad fast. Nikita had to be captured to keep Ryan as her mole a secret. But in her escape, he became even more of a suspect. Owen was going through Regiment withdrawals; he couldn't live without the pills Division forced upon him when he was their Guardian. Gogol became aware of their activities, and decided to be a pain in the ass. And then there was Kasim Tariq, the man who had killed Michael's wife and daughter.
He and Nikita had a chance to kill Kasim once. However, she stopped him. She thought she was going to lose him. They got into a massive argument, lasting for days. They eventually saw each other's side of the story, and the emotions they were experiencing. Yet it continued to be a sore subject. The couple had other things to focus on, though, so they put all their efforts into that. They helped those they could, and continued giving Percy hell. The problem with pissing that man off, however, was that he was maniacal and vindictive. He caught onto their plans, and was all too willing to use that to his advantage.
First, Michael and Nikita had another chance at Kasim. They thought they could kill him that time without any harm. The two managed to put a bullet in his head. But they were shaken and enraged. Kasim was Division. He was supposed to have killed Michael with that bomb; Elizabeth and Hayley were only collateral damage. Just as Michael supported Nikita, she cared for him. She helped him overcome his rage over the new information and settled him. She wouldn't let him go on some suicide run at Percy. Although they were ready for blood, they had to continue to be cautious. With her by his side, he was able to breathe and see that. He could keep his head straight.
But Ryan couldn't. The fact that Division would make a play at a serviceman when they claimed to be in the nation's best interest infuriated him. He knew the black ops group was corrupt, but that was next level; the killing of innocents was nothing to them. He wanted them to burn immediately. The agent started to make mistakes in his rage- that was Percy's second advantage. Birkhoff ended up discovering the Shellbox. The nerd was then used to lay a trap for Ryan to pass along to Michael and Nikita, something called Operation Sparrow. Ryan was so desperate for a lead against Division, he relayed the intel without a second thought. And because they trusted him, Michael and Nikita followed his every word.
Owen was off tracking down the other black boxes and a way off the Regiment, so he was safe from the shit show that occurred. To sum it up, another death was faked, the CIA was barely saved, covers were blown, a safehouse was destroyed, and they had to go on the run. At least the team had a decrypted black box, and each other. However, Nikita, Michael, and Ryan were heading off once again into the unknown. They were so torn and tattered, they weren't sure how they were going to make it out okay.
They decided to take some time, correct the sins on the black box before making another direct assault on Division. During that time, Michael and Nikita grew closer- if that was even possible for them. The couple had always felt strongly for one another, but after running missions together it was different. They could anticipate each other's moves, read their mind, and knew instantly when they needed comfort and support. Being boyfriend and girlfriend was one thing. Being a handler and a mole was another. But being partners in crime and in life was something so rare and beautiful it could only be theirs.
It wasn't all bad, delving into the black box and putting right into the world. They got money and resources when they could, and they found places they could lay low at easily. They even got Birkhoff to join them, though he continued to tease them and give them shit. They had one another to see them through. And their team was even better then, since they were all together. Nikita had Ryan out in the field with her, while Birkhoff provided tech support and Michael ran the mission. That was all that mattered when it seemed too terrible to go on, which it became again. Because of course it did.
Through the black box, Ryan discovered his brother was killed during a Division mission to steal weapons from the Army. Nikita's old partner, Kelly, was working for Gogol and tried to kill them. A new hacker at Division was giving Birkhoff a run for his money. Amanda took over from Percy. Oversight and their lapdog Sean were on their asses. They had almost died from missiles, bullets, car bombs, and drone strikes. But worst of all, Ryan ended up leaving for London.
Nikita blamed herself for it, though Michael argued that it was his choice. After correcting the shit Division had done in Belarus, Nikita and Ryan met Cassandra, a honeytrap mission from Ryan's Division days. They also met her son Max. Michael was the one to put two and two together, as was Nikita once she talked to Max. But they didn't tell Ryan until after whatever the fuck went down with Nikita's fake biological father. The agent was Max's father. Understandably, he was shaken up over it. Not so understandably, Nikita decided he shouldn't risk his life anymore.
They had lost so much, all of them. No more unnecessary risks. Nikita wasn't going to let Ryan die when he had so much to live for, which led to her going on a dangerous mission alone. Fortunately, Michael was able to chase after her and provide support. But that didn't stop the huge argument that took place in their temporary safehouse. Ryan and Michael couldn't lose Nikita just as much as she couldn't lose them. It wasn't just her; they were a team.
Although Michael moved past the fight (after soothing words and holds were exchanged with Nikita), her relationship with Ryan was strained once again. So when he had the chance to stay behind with his son, she made him take it. He didn't argue that time. Their team was back down to three, and Nikita was beyond exhausted with all of that shit. They had a lead on Oversight, and she was going to take it no matter what. Michael was hesitant, but she had Birkhoff in her corner. They were going to take the opportunity to break that fucking group.
It required them to go after Senator Madeline Pierce; that was the only name they had gotten from another member, but they could use it to their advantage. Birkhoff would flirt with her assistant, slip a tracking bug into her coffee, and follow her to her Oversight meeting. Nikita assured Michael it was a recon mission only. She was going to identify the others, then leave. He made her promise that was all. He had enough of recklessness. It might have served them in the past, yet the threat was bigger then. He needed her to stay safe.
Everything was going great with the plan, except somehow the assistant knew Birkhoff slipped something into her drink. For some reason, she ended up following him (probably to confront him and call the cops). The nerd spotted the tail quickly, calling Nikita to come intercept. The assistant might have been Division. Or Gogol. She was much more confusing, however. She was someone Nikita thought was far away from all of that. Someone who was supposed to have stayed safe. Alexandra Udinov.
It wasn't all bad, taking down Oversight. It just hurt like hell.