Birkhoff knew he had fucked up the instant Nikita got shot. Well, he knew a little before then when the money disappeared. But he didn't know the extent at which he had screwed everything up until one of their own was laying on the ground, bleeding out and groaning in pain. He was smart enough to have seen the con coming. He was just so stupidly wrapped up in his own possessions to see the doublecross. He should've been paying attention. Then his friend wouldn't have gotten shot. Or, at least, then he could've defended her with the gun in his hand. That was where he had failed the most. He could've saved her, but he didn't.
Everything was fine before then. As fine as it usually was for the team, anyway. They had infiltrated the Swiss bank with Alexandra Udinov at the helm. For someone who didn't want to be doing what she was doing, she was exceptional at playing the rich spoiled heiress. Sure, it was a caricature of who she really was (and she might've gotten too much of her fake attitude from girly teen movies). But she had captivated the bank manager's attention and provided a thorough distraction. That was all the team needed. She did great. Despite being thrown late into the game, she was becoming a remarkable agent.
The rest of the team wasn't so bad either. Nikita. Michael, and Ryan stormed the bank guns at the ready (loaded with blanks) and disguises and fake accents set. While they held the place up and attempted to rob it, Alex plugged Birkhoff's device into the computer allowing him to do the real work. The hack wasn't necessarily difficult, yet it was time consuming. There was a lot of information to cull through and data to sort. But eventually the nerd obtained what he needed. It wasn't exactly Percy's money, but it was a trail to where it was. From there, the team could do what they did best.
It was a great little victory for them to have. After the hell and back they had been through with Brandt, and before that with Amanda and Ari, it felt amazing to be making moves against Percy. They could finally deal some real damage to Division. The lightness of the fact caused Michael and Nikita to shamelessly flirt with one another as they walked away from the Swiss bank while the cops swarmed in. Both Ryan and Alex were glad they took different directions on their way to rendezvous at the airport. It might have been more for cover sake than anything else. Yet they did not want to subject themselves to the engaged couple's banter.
Fortunately, it wasn't for long and the team soon rejoined their hacker at the safehouse. Percy's money had been tracked to a banker and money launderer that worked exclusively with high value clients. He had possibly pooled all of his money into one secure location so he could withdraw it in cash and keep it all with him. That way, the team couldn't steal it and destroy him as Nikita threatened they would. There was a slim opportunity for the rogues to make their move. However, just like the Swiss bank, the banker's system was unable to be hacked from the outside. They had to find yet another way in.
Nikita's solution was to pretend to be customers. It worked for the bank, so why not the banker. The problem was, to be a client they had to be prepared to drop twenty million dollars. Alex could get that for them (God knew she had more than enough money) just not in time. For security sake, her funds were scattered around in different forms. To get twenty million in time to meet the banker before Percy did would've been impossible. However, Birkhoff didn't face the same roadblocks when it came to his money. He could supply millions like that.
He just didn't want to. Ever since he had escaped Division and joined the others, Birkhoff had been the unofficial financier for the band of rebels. He was getting sick of it. All the money he had earned as Shadowwalker was supposed to be for his eventual retirement, if the goddamn war with Division ever ended. But he wouldn't be able to have a nice retirement if the rest of his money went to a seedy banker. As much as the nerd wanted to take out Percy, he didn't want to lose his money to make that happen. The team simply had to find another way. He was out.
If only it was that easy. Nikita had a nasty habit of being able to make a person do what she wanted. She was way too good at those stupid motivational speeches. She also knew how to play Birkhoff- just dangle his pride in front of him. They'd get his money back, plus Percy's millions, and potentially a few others'. Besides, didn't he want to bankroll a revolution. That was his chance. Dammit, she made good points. Fine. But he was going out in the field as well. Not in the van as Ryan suggested, but actually in the field with his money. It was the only way to ensure its safety. Who cared if the team liked it or not.
They didn't. Yet he wouldn't budge. Nikita was the first to agree, stating she'd be with Birkhoff as a bodyguard. Considering he had picked up some hacking skills from the nerd and his time at the CIA, Michael settled on being the computer support for the mission. He'd need Alex's help to type a couple of things (his prosthetic still not handy when it came to keyboards) but she had to learn how to hack anyway, so that worked. All that was left was Ryan. Sighing, he agreed to sit and monitor from the car, and provide backup as needed. With that, the roles were set and a plan was put into place. It was time to roll out.
Things in the car were going well. Ryan had a clear view of the banker's property, and could hear everything through the coms. And Michael had his tablet set up to receive the banker's network once Birkhoff sent it to him. In the meantime, he showed Alex some ways to work around a computer. She had picked up the basics from Nikita, but the rogue mostly taught her how to fight and how to spy. The young woman had become increasingly great at that, so it was time to learn computers. The former analyst wasn't an expert, yet he knew enough to get her started. He also had some tricks to help her dig through information quickly.
Alex was grateful to learn a new skill. Hearing the perspective of a former analyst and intelligence officer, other than soldiers and spies, was also a nice change of pace. She and Michael talked as they worked on hacking- Ryan chiming in here and there. A future wedding with Nikita was mentioned, as well as a growing relationship with Sean. Michael wondered why Alex didn't take her inheritance and run off to live a normal life with the Seal. She told him the same thing she told Nikita and her mother: she found her purpose in fighting bad guys. She had the power to help others, of course she was going to save the day.
After the things she had experienced and learned, she couldn't go back to being a normal person. Alex was so far past normal at that point. There was also no way Sean would give up being a Seal- he was a hero, after all. Staying in the fight with the rogues was the right thing to do. She couldn't leave her team because her revenge was over. Michael didn't leave the fight after Kasim was killed. And Nikita hadn't backed down after she had run away from Division with her fiancé. Each of them were deeply embedded in the war. There were more people like them to save. None of them, including Alex, could give that up.
While meaningful conversations and revelations were occurring in the car, out in the field Birkhoff and Nikita were miserable. The nerd didn't want to give up his money, and the rogue didn't want to give up control. Both were losing their individual battles, however. Most of that was expressed with glares they shot the other's way whenever the banker wasn't looking. The mission wouldn't be a success if they kept acting like children, but they couldn't help it. Neither really wanted to be doing what they were doing. It was just to stop Percy.
So much of what they were doing recently was to burn Division. The rest of the team's enemies had fallen away. The hellhole and that rat bastard who ran it were the only things left standing. They were willing to do anything to finally knock them down. War always required a sacrifice. As long as it wasn't their teammates'- or anyone else they cared about- lives, they should've been fine with whatever they had to lose. Money and control over a mission should've been nothing. Birkhoff and Nikita had to get over themselves and focus.
At least the two were able to when the banker left the room. They crowded around his computer to find Percy's money and earn back the nerd's. It should've been a simple task. When the banker transferred Birkhoff's funds, Michael and Alex should've been able to track it. However, the two claimed nothing appeared on the tablet. That wasn't right. Quickly, Nikita checked to see if the computer was even connected. It wasn't. Nothing got transferred, and nothing was saved. The team got ripped off. They were conned.
Whereas Nikita, Michael, and Alex attempted to figure out how that was possible, Birkhoff went to accost the banker for the theft. A bodyguard stopped him from doing so, however. The nerd wasn't going to let it go, so he shoved the armed guard. And that was when things took a turn for the worst. Not only did the banker steal from the team, but Division was on sight. Ryan spotted Roan and an unknown agent confronting the banker before shooting him. It was around the same time as Birkhoff's aggressive shove, which led to hell breaking loose.
Bullets went flying. Ryan, Michael, and Alex leapt from the car with their own guns to end the assault. However, Nikita and Birkhoff had their weapons taken away upon entering the mansion. They were defenseless against the bodyguards. The two ducked and hid, hoping for a break in the onslaught so they could fight back. The rogue was already formulating a plan while she waited behind the couch. She couldn't rely too much on backup- who knew when the other three would arrive. Yet it was comforting to know they were coming; it gave her courage.
She leapt from behind the couch once the bullets stopped. She had managed to take out one bodyguard before the shooting began. So it was only her and the man reloading his weapon. Nikita had to stop him before that could happen. Or Birkhoff could. He had picked up the fallen guard's weapon. He could shoot the assailant and the two rogues could escape and join their team outside. Despite her shouts- her commands- the nerd didn't pull the trigger. He couldn't. He stood rooted in his spot, shaking and trembling. Her order to shoot meant nothing. His finger wouldn't pull the trigger. He was frozen.
Voices through the coms claimed the guards outside were taken care of, and Michael, Ryan, and Alex were coming inside. But Birkhoff and Nikita couldn't wait that long. The nerd had to shoot the guard then. Except, he continued to not move. The rogue had to take it upon herself to save them. Luckily, a letter opener was within reach. She was able to grab it and throw it at her assailant's eye. It struck true. But before he collapsed to the ground, he managed to squeeze off a couple rounds. Whereas Birkhoff was able to duck in time, Nikita couldn't. Her arm caught a bullet and she collapsed.
Hurriedly, Birkhoff dropped the gun and rushed to her side. He applied pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. How he was aware enough to do that, but not shoot the guard was beyond him. He shouldn't have been thinking of that then. Nikita needed help. Yet he couldn't help but berate himself. His thoughts finally returned after slipping away when he held the pistol, and he was frantic, angry, in shock. What the fuck had happened. The money was gone. His friend was hurt. And he let it happen. He didn't do anything to stop it. If he wasn't beating himself up for that already, Michael's tone sure did, "Birkhoff, what happened? Birkhoff!"
"The gun went off. Nikki took down the target, but the gun went off. I couldn't stop it," Letting Michael push him aside so he could tend to his fiancée, Birkhoff muttered. He glanced towards Ryan and Alex as they followed the former analyst into the room. Maybe they had answers, or solutions, or anything to make him not feel so horrible. But they were just as clueless and shocked. Everything had slipped out from beneath their feet. It didn't make sense. They got played. And Nikita paid the price.