"Look. All I know for sure, is that I'm killing Percy," At some point, Michael ran a frustrated hand over his face and sighed. They hadn't gotten anywhere in trying to solve the connection between Carla and Division. Eating food and taking a second to breathe had helped. But the team was still so lost and confused. With black boxes, moles, and past experiences, their war against Division didn't require them to dig for information. They knew what they needed to know, and were able to save the day. They were bound to hit the wall eventually, though. It just couldn't come at a worse time.
"You can, now that his deadman's switch is useless," Nikita offered. One great thing to come of late was the destruction of the black boxes (except for the one Ari had). Percy could finally be killed, nothing could save him from their wrath. Thinking of shooting that fucking bastard got her to perk up. She was able to grab onto an actual idea. That deadman's switch had to have given off some kind of signal, if it had any power over Division's secret. And anything with a signal was traceable by Shadowwalker. They weren't completely hopeless, "We can reverse ping its signal, right?"
It took Michael a second, yet he soon caught onto her idea. Sean and Alex, on the other hand, needed an extra couple of steps to see the point. The two were still playing catch up in regards to the black ops groups they were fighting against. They were doing a great job of asking questions and going with the flow. However, that world of spies was so wild and complex to them. Sometimes, it was just simpler to focus on what they had to do and trust the others on the team with the rest. Michael did explain the deadman's switch to them, but it wasn't out of excitement for the idea. He had already attempted to track it, and got nowhere, "Birkhoff and I tried. We need Division servers."
"But Division wants Percy dead too," Ginning wickedly, Nikita bounced off the couch. She was determined to finally do something. Sitting around, driving herself crazy with thoughts of Carla and Percy, was going to burn her alive. She needed an action plan to follow, one that would show an end to that godawful war. Tracking Percy to kill him and to rescue her old friend seemed like the best mission. Maybe she could also get some well deserved answers.
"How are you going to contact them?" Alex followed after Nikita, ready to act as well. The more she sat around, the more nervous she became about coming back from the dead. She was prepared for it. And she was willing to do anything to kill Semak and save her mother. Except, anxiousness over everything that could go wrong was beginning to creep in. The best way to fight against it was to do something productive. Okay, talking to her team was probably the better option. But a good punch to the face was pretty sound.
"That hacker that got under Nerd's skin. What's her name? Sonya," As she hacked away at Birkhoff's computer station, Nikita ensured their line of communication was secure. They had contacted Division before, always on protected servers. That time couldn't be different. She had to remind herself to calm down and breathe. Michael moving to stand next to her helped. He might not have been a fan of involving that black ops group, but he'd support her one hundred percent. That was all she could have asked for.
Sean soon joined them by the desks, expressing his uncertainty. It was too much of a risk with both Division and Percy; something was bound to go wrong if they didn't take more time to plan. Michael only shrugged, and stated it wouldn't be that terrible with Seal support. Hazel eyes rolled, yet Sean was in. Alex tried to be in on the mission too. However, everyone argued against her. She had her own op to be concerned about. She shouldn't jeopardize that. Amanda also still thought of her as Senator Peirce's assistant. If she wanted to remain safe, it should stay that way. Alex wanted to disagree; she had to help her team. Yet Ryan entered the room, distracting them from the point, "Birkhoff's gonna kill you for touching his stuff."
"And you'll have a chance to kill Percy, when I'm right," Nikita replied, feeling more determined that she had been. She explained what he had missed and what she was currently planning. Ryan had to take a moment to adjust. Nothing he could've said would've changed her mind. Besides, Michael, Alex, and Sean were all for it. That was what they were doing, and he'd just have to go along with it.
"Everytime I leave the room, you come up with a new insane idea," Ryan sighed, but he sat down next to Nikita to see what they had. They eventually got through to Division, and laid out the idea to track Percy. Amanda went for it. Soon, the team had the bastard's location. He wasn't that far from them. But if they wanted to beat Division to Carla, they had to leave immediately. All planning had to happen as they traveled. Alex stayed at the safehouse to work with Birkhoff online, while the rest took off. Blueprints were sent to tablets, and weapons were prepared in transit. It was a terribly rushed mission. But what else were they to do.
Michael was able to solidify an action plan based on blueprints and the exact location of Percy's deadman's switch. He'd stay back in the van to coordinate the strike and watch out for Division, as Nikita, Ryan, and Sean infiltrated the warehouse. Although they didn't have their usual time to think and prepare, what they had wasn't too terrible. It'd get them through the mission and the day at least.
When everything was said and done, it wasn't their best op. But it also wasn't their worst. Percy wasn't dead, unfortunately. He and Roan had managed to escape during the gunfire. And Carla was alive, though she received a blow to the head. Nikita and Ryan were able to get her out of there while Sean covered them. Other than the head injury, they escaped the warehouse unscathed. Michael tore off in the van, shaking their Division tail and returning them safely to the beach house.
The four of them stumbled in with an unconscious Carla, feeling as though too much had happened in too short of time. At least Alex was able to help them settle and relax after the bordering on reckless mission. She and Sean went to deal with the equipment and ditch the vehicle they had used. Michael watched after Carla, in case her head injury was more severe than it appeared. And Ryan and Nikita collapsed on a couch, trying to breathe. They weren't out of the woods yet. There was still so much to do and so many answers to receive. But for the moment, they had to relax. And they had to celebrate their victories, "Not that insane of an idea."
"I was due for a good one," Rolling her brown eyes, Nikita nudged Ryan for his comment. They might not have gotten everything they wanted, but they did save an innocent. Or who they assumed as innocent. She was so tired of thinking the worst of Carla's connection to Division. She might have known who Amanda and Percy were, but that didn't mean she was evil too. There had to have been a great explanation for all of it. Nikita would know the truth soon enough. For the time being, she could turn her mind off.
Ryan moved closer to her, aiming to nudge her back. Instead, Nikita laid her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on top of hers in return. The two friends took a second to pull from one another's strength. It didn't matter that their relationship was strained; the partners would always come when the other called. It was just a hellish couple of months- a couple of years really. There were some bright spots, though. The team had done amazing things in their war. Nikita had been at the helm for the majority of them. Ryan had to remind her of that, "Alex was pretty great."
"London wasn't," Retaliating, Nikita sighed. Leaving him wasn't only her fault. He had also stayed. Ryan admitted his own guilt in the matter, trying to think of some way to fix it. Most of their problems boiled down to their lack of communication. They were excellent as agents out in the field. They could also cheer each other up when they were feeling down. But other than that, they were terrible at talking. Their friendship just didn't seem to be able to get past that point. Emotions were the one thing they couldn't discuss, "What happened to us, Fletch?"
Once upon a time, Nikita and Ryan were inseparable. It wasn't wise for the agent and handler to have been that close inside Division, but they worked so well together it was more or less overlooked. Then he told her of his brother, and closed himself off to anymore hurt. She pushed him away as well, and thus began the cycle of rebuilding their friendship only to destroy it again. What the hell was wrong with them. They put a stop to other atrocious things. Why not that one. But Ryan could only shrug, "Too much hurt in our past."
"So? Let's focus on the present. Work through all that," Nikita argued. She had seen Michael and Alex process their pain and move forward. The two still wanted their revenge, yet it wasn't the only thing they were fighting for. Maybe it was because they had gone to actual therapists besides Amanda. They were given the tools to learn how to move forwards. She and Ryan could take their advice and soldier on also. Dwelling in the past and wallowing in hurt was never going to do them any good. There had to have been more to life than that.
"Bunch of damaged idiots," Ryan chuckled. Nikita tried to roll her eyes again, but ended up laughing along with him. Capable agents, yes- the two were that without a doubt. But sure of their thoughts and feelings, not so much. They had their team to help them, however. Their friends were great at supporting them where they struggled. The two were there for them as well. They all complemented one another well; it was like they were some kind of hodgepodge family.
"We make it work," Nikita smiled. Alex and Sean rejoined her and Ryan in the room. And Michael helped his fiancée to her feet as Carla began to stir. Nothing had been resolved in their war. But at least they were no longer fighting amongst themselves. They had the present and future to focus on. They'd see each other through, and help them achieve everything they ever wanted. The team- the family- made it work for them.