"What is going on?" Alex's voice was barely recognizable. She didn't trust herself to respond to the woman- to Nikita. No one should've known who she was. She was safe, far away from her past and all that pain. But that woman recognized her. How, Alex had no idea. Okay, she had some idea. She remembered somebody grabbing her from the fire; somebody had gotten her out. But she wasn't sure if it was Nikita. She definitely wouldn't have trusted her even if it was. She had to continue to be cautious; that was how she had gotten that far.
"Honestly…" Nikita didn't seem to be certain about what was going on either. She lowered her pistol, but kept it tight in her grasp. Her partner, the nerdy man, didn't assure her; they shared a confused glance. They weren't expecting Alex. The two had no clue what to do with her. She thought she could persuade them to let her go. It was all a mistake, and no harm had been done. She could go home, have her date with Sean, and pretend that none of that had ever happened.
However, her curiosity was piqued. For some goddamn reason, she had to know what was going on. Who were those people who slipped something into a senator's drink, but rescued kids from the destruction of their entire family. What were they planning to do with her, if the woman loosened her hold and lowered her weapon. Would they set her free, explain the situation, or kill her. She doubted the last option. Or at least, she really wished it wouldn't happen. But the other two possibilities did seem more likely if she was regarding the man and woman correctly. Again, she really wished that was the case, "What do you want?"
"I just wanted intel. But now… Does Senator Pierce know who you are?" Although she was vague, Nikita was quick with a response. She appeared genuinely curious about that fact. It was as if her boss knowing Alex was an Udinov changed anything. She didn't think that it would. Madeline knew her and liked her. If she discovered she was the sole survivor of an attack, her feelings wouldn't have changed. It shouldn't have. Yet the expression on the woman's face dissuaded her. There was so much information being held from her.
Alex was going to get to the bottom of it. She did not follow that geeky man and have a gun pointed at her for nothing. Her thoughts of brushing the situation away had vanished. She was involved. Nikita obviously knew who she was, and apparently that information was important to Madeline. There were so many questions left unanswered from the night her parents were killed; she thought she was fine with that, but at the moment it became strikingly clear that wasn't true. She wanted to know why everyone she loved had died. She wanted to know why being an Udinov was so dangerous. But more importantly, she wanted to know how the two in the alley were involved. She did her best to harden her bright blue eyes into a glare, "You don't even know who I am."
"Oh, I think I do," Brown eyes coolly swept over Alex. Nikita wasn't going to back down. The menacing look she was given meant nothing to her. Alex had the feeling that the woman could kill her without much effort. In fact, she could've easily done so when she first grabbed her. Yet she didn't- yet she won't. Suddenly, she realized that she was more than likely telling the truth about saving her life. Her actions were consistently deliberate and controlled. She wouldn't have been the type to lie to get what she wanted; she could simply take it. By not hurting Alex then, the woman was proving herself. She was also confusing her even more.
"I don't think this is the place to have a stubborn contest," The nerdy man interrupted them before anything could come of their stares. Sighing, Nikita holstered her weapon and backed away from Alex. It was her chance to run; she was free to go. Instead, she continued to study the man and woman. Seriously, what kind of people were they. They weren't going to harm her despite what she knew about their plot to hurt a U.S senator. They also weren't going to delve into her past; they said their piece about saving her, and that was all. There was no need to berate her with questions of how she was there, or how she felt about the matter. She was so intrigued by the two, that she drifted towards them as they began to leave.
"Fine. You coming?" Nikita caught her almost tailing them once again. However, she made no move to stop her. She just held out her hand in invitation. The man was as bewildered as Alex was. It would be insane to go along with the strangers. She hadn't figured them out yet. She ignored her gut that was prompting her to take the invitation. She knew answers awaited her if she took Nikita's hand. But it was risky. It was stupid. And she had done enough stupid things that day. She should simply go home and have that date with Sean. That was the smart and safe thing to do.
"What?" When did Alex ever play it safe, however. She saved her own damn self from the brothel, escaping to the streets. She trusted Sean to help get her clean and find a job. She let herself become close to the Pierces regardless of her past. And she followed the geeky man who slipped something into Madeline's drink. She wasn't one to run when things got complicated. She faced the challenge head on. Then wasn't the time to just give up. She was going to have the woman tell her everything.
Nikita read her mind. She approached Alex again, but with substantially calmer movements that time. Her smile returned, small yet light. It was as though she had hoped for that outcome; she wanted Alex to go with them. That should've frightened her. But she knew, somehow, that they still weren't going to kill her or anything like that. It seemed to be a protective gesture. After all, she might have saved her once. She would easily do so time and time again, "You want answers, I want intel. Win-win."
"Are you serious?" Whereas the man's tone was accusatory, Alex's was soft. Was she finally going to know what happened to her family. Could she finally put that night behind her. Could she finally have a happily ever after unburdened by terrible memories filled with uncertainty. The only way for her to have all of that was to take Nikita's hand. She didn't trust her, not at all. But she was willing to risk it for her family.
"This is such a bad idea," Alex let Nikita drag her outside of the alley; the man followed after her, feeling the same. She had no clue the amount of trouble she might have gotten into. It was beyond reckless, and definitely half thought. She was aware of what she was doing, and all the implications of it. Yet it wasn't going to stop her. She was on a mission, one no one could direct her from. Her life was in the woman's hands. Hopefully she actually had saved her before, because she might just have to do so again.
"Yeah, tell me about it," Scoffing, Nikita muttered. A glance at the nerdy man made her roll her eyes, "You know what, don't."