"Tell me this isn't going to go to shit," Nikita's whispered breath misted in the air. She, Michael, and Ryan were staking out the Gates House, trying to determine the best point of entry. They were also waiting for confirmation that Sean, Alex, and Birkhoff took Clean Sweep offline. The three agents couldn't rush into the house with the threat on Division still looming; they had to play it safe. Nikita was worried they wouldn't have that luxury, however. There were so many unknown variables. Two, specifically, were concerning her the most. Sean didn't have her complete trust. And the thought of Alex's lack of skills putting her in Amanda's line of fire was terrifying.
"This isn't going to go to shit," Smirking, Michael attempted to settle Nikita's nerves. He had the same concerns. Although he believed Sean would do anything to keep Alex safe (he had noticed the charged glances they shared), he didn't completely trust him. Sure, he'd save his mother. But what would stop him from turning on the rogues when it was all over. Alex could convince him otherwise; Michael had a surprising amount of trust in her. She was just so inexperienced. He didn't even want to think about what could happen to her. Both he and Nikita needed to relax. Stressing over things they couldn't control would destroy them. The best way to survive was to look to their bright future, "We're saving innocent lives. And we can get a pardon out of this."
That was one of Michael's goals in rescuing Oversight from the Guardians. He hoped the team could finally take down Division, and be granted immunity for all they had done. Nikita was with him on the Division part. They would destroy that fucking black ops group if it was the last thing they did. However, she believed the pardons were a fantasy. It was like promising they would gain everything they had ever lost to that war- to that hellhole. It wasn't going to happen. Yet, she'd support her fiancé's dream. After all, he always supported her crazy ideas, "Get married. White picket fence. And a dog."
"And super annoying neighbors," Michael finished their little saying. It was something they had created one night when they couldn't sleep. The nightmares had become too much, and they were left holding each other for comfort. A promise of what their future could bring stumbled past their lips as a result. They would achieve that happily ever after they were fighting so hard for. They could finally have peace and normalcy, live the perfect dream. The thought saw them through dark, despairing moments. It was a beam of hope that had the power to expel anxious demons.
Taking a steadying breath, Michael and Nikita shared a small smile and moved to join Ryan on the other side of the Gates House. They had managed to isolate the area to just them outside, and only the Guardians and Oversight members inside. All seemed quiet for the moment. Senator Pierce had left her phone line open, allowing them to hear everything that was occurring. It still wasn't enough for the three agents to rush in, however. They had to sit and wait, and control the area as best as they could. The time was at least allowing them to formulate a solid plan of attack. The three were certain that once Clean Sweep was taken out of the equation, they could save the day with limited damage.
That was, until an SUV pulled up to the scene. They were aware that the Guardians had secured the release of Percy as part of their demands. How they knew how and when to enact an escape plan for their leader, however, was a mystery. Michael was convinced that he had managed to send out some sort of communication; it didn't have to be an exact exchange, it could've been a contingency message that was sent out. Nikita didn't think that was too far fetched. He had that damn thing around his heart that stopped them from killing him, or else the black boxes would've been revealed to the world. Birkhoff agreed that any electronic ping could've set off the Guardians. They'd probably just have to drill Sean more about the events that had happened in Division while they were gone.
The Seal had been too preoccupied with Alex and protecting his mother to have shared much. No one could really blame him for that, however. Alex joining their team was a complicated mess. Everything was simply happening too fast to really let it settle in. Hopefully, after they saved Oversight, it would all fall into place. Michael was already on that train of thought. Nikita and Ryan had to move past their pessimism when it came to Division; it couldn't have that much power over them. Yet as Percy climbed out of the SUV, covered in specks of blood and sans the agents that were supposed to be guarding him, they knew their mission was far from simple. It was a long way until the end.
Sean was trying his best to adjust. He didn't like taking Alex down to Division with him. It was dangerous, and reckless, and it had the potential of failing so drastically no one would be able to recover. He couldn't stand having her life be at such a risk. It wasn't as though she hadn't nearly died before, though. Her story, although she told it to him as they traveled to the underground hellhole, wasn't settling in his mind. He couldn't process it. Nikita had saved her from an Oversight sanctioned Division hit against her family. She was trafficked to the states before she escaped and he eventually found her on the streets. He thought he knew the rest of the story from there. But he had no idea.
Alex was remarkable. She ran into Nikita and Birkhoff, and instead of hiding, she faced them head on. That turned out to become the greatest thing she had ever done. She finally learned the truth about her family, about why they died, and who did it. Well, why her father had died. Apparently, the man who wanted the Udinov's destroyed ant Zetrov all to himself, saved her mother. Alex had tried to rescue her with Nikita's help. But then Gogol and Semak knew she was alive and had to hunt her down, again. She was the one to tell him not to dwell on that. They had to stop the threat on even more innocents. And afterwards, they would destroy all the evil in the world. It was the right thing to do.
He had always known how strong Alex was. But she had become God-like from the tale she told him. Sean thought he'd surely crumble if he had to experience what she had. She had only come out alive and full of heart for others, however. Awesome didn't even begin to cover it. Horrifying also didn't begin to cover what Oversight, Division, and Gogol were all capable of. It was sickening and wrong, and he was even more pissed at himself for blindly following orders. Then was the perfect time to atone for those sins. If only he wasn't so anxious as he brought Alex to Amanda's office. Their idea had a slim chance of actually working. He didn't want to consider all of the consequences, "Tell me this is a good idea."
"This is a great idea," Alex bit back her fear with a fake smirk. Nikita and Michael both told her that her anxiety could serve her on the mission. She could be more vigilant; it would also serve her cover of being an innocent dragged into something way over her head. Except, was that really a cover. She constantly felt as though that crusade was too much for her to handle. She kept pushing forward, hoping to find some footing. However, there never seemed to be a break. Her new team tried to encourage her with advice and training and comforting words. It just felt like she was being dragged underwater.
Having Sean by her side helped keep her afloat. Alex couldn't stop herself from wondering what was going to happen once they stopped Clean Sweep, however. Would he stick by her side, or would he disappear on her just like everyone else she knew and loved. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of loving her best friend. The strong feeling came so suddenly and overwhelmingly, she couldn't push it aside. Yet she had to in order to survive the mission. Sean quickly gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before leading her to Amanda's office. The small gesture got her to focus and breathe. They could do it.
"This is Senator Pierce's assistant, Alex Jones. She was asked to tag along with me to see what we could do here," Sean tried not to let Amanda hear the uncertain waver in his voice. Alex was holding herself so well, he could copy that strength. He certainly needed her at the moment. Especially as Amanda regarded the two cautiously. Of course she knew of the situation at hand. She probably also knew the lengths Oversight would go to save themselves and their assets.
"I see Oversight is just trusting everyone now," However, Amanda had her reservations. Alex was unknown to her, and her appearance was definitely at a terrible time. The young woman did everything she could to not be discovered by that piercing gaze. Nikita's, Michael's, Ryan's, and even Birkhoff's advice was racing through her mind. It felt like a miracle when they got away with it. Amanda could only shrug and mutter what could easily be described as a curse, "The influence of Nikita."
Whereas Amanda told Sean to check with the bombsquad on diffusing a nasty device, she thought Alex would be better suited for a mole hunt. Someone had to have been helping Percy, and since she was the unassuming new visitor she could move around more freely. Sean didn't like the idea of separating. Alex didn't either, but it was their best chance of sticking to their cover. Besides, the two of them could sneak around Division easier if they split up. If they really wanted to save everyone, they had to be willing to suffer the difficult decisions.
Walking around Division filled Alex with dread. She felt as though, in another life, she could've been those hollowed out agents she passed. They were so young, and so abused; they basically were her. Amanda was right about them not paying attention to her, yet the few glances spared her way were unsettling. For a brief second, she thought she was back in the brothel. People were used against their will, the threat of death weighing heavily over them. She took in a sharp breath to soothe herself. She had to just put one foot in front of the other. Nikita and Birkhoff had given her directions and instructions to follow. Thinking over those could get her to focus. She had a task at hand. Get that done, and she could leave that hellhole. She could control that much.
God was Division creepy, though. There was a hum that burned into Alex's mind, and forced her to be on high alert. She thought every agents' eyes were on her, but it couldn't have been more than three. One was a computer tech she swore had to have been the one Birkhoff ranted a little too much about. The others belonged to a young man with bushy hair, and an even younger woman with a judgmental glare. She had to get away from them. She had to stay on mission. Fortunately, she was soon rushing down the hallway that would lead her to that grate Nikita informed her of. From there, she could climb in and get to the control panel allowing Birkhoff to work his magic. They were almost there.
Except for Sean's shouts over the coms. He had found Percy's mole; it was Roan. He was saying that mostly for Nikita's, Michael's and Ryan's benefit. The three agents needed to know exactly what they were up against. But it also caused Alex to sprint to her destination. She prayed to whoever was listening that Sean would be alright. She had no doubt he would, but being in that hellhole was almost like experiencing a horror movie. One terrible thing happened after the next. No amount of calming breaths could ease their racing hearts.
"I got it! I got it," Soon, Alex shouted. She plugged in Birkhoff's magic phone, letting him get to work on ending Clean Sweep. Sean quickly escaped from Roan shortly after. If Division was the horror movie, then they were definitely the survivors that fought back with everything they had. The ragtag team didn't really need a metaphor to see as much. Over the coms they congratulated the success and focused on their next action- escaping and living for another day.
"That's great kid. Don't get cocky," Nikita really said it the best as she fired off a few rounds at Gogol agents. They had arrived shortly after Percy ordered the Guardians to kill all of Oversight but Senator Pierce. He wanted to get under their skin, and it worked. But Ari's determination in tracking the Guardian they ran into in France ruined his moment. The Gates House had become a battle zone, with the devil himself caught in the crosshairs. There were no black boxes he could hide behind then. He had to suffer the consequences of his own shortsightedness.
Everything was too chaotic to really know what was happening, however. Michael and Ryan got separated from Nikita. They were attempting to fight Gogol and Guardians, while also trying to save Senator Pierce. It was a mess. Nikita eventually made it into the house to free the corrupt woman. Clean Sweep was neutralized, there was no more threat on the innocents. Except for Percy, Amanda, Ari, and Madeline of course. Percy had escaped with the Guardians utilizing Roan's help. Amanda was stuck in Division. Ari was in Russia. But Madeline was right in front of the rogue. She could end it all then, destroy the evil. Alex came to mind, however, halting her actions. The young woman despised Oversight as well, but Senator Peirce was her best friend's (potential boyfriend really) mother. The rogue couldn't sever that connection.
"Nice to finally meet you. 'm Nikita. Your son, Sean, sent me," Instead of following her instincts, she saved the senator as promised. Michael and Ryan were able to take out the rest of Gogol and join Nikita. They reported their success to the team, taking a look at the damage around them. The mess hadn't gotten any better, but it was something Madeline would have to clean. She agreed as a thank you for all they had done.
That wasn't enough, however. That wasn't nearly enough. They team deserved so much for what they had done. They were the ones fighting and saving everyone. It wasn't just about that moment but all those moments. Ryan sternly voiced as much. No more running around hoping for a future. They were going to have one, "Now we get what we deserve."