Traveling back to the safehouse was both numb and hectic. The team ignored the mess- Division could deal with the shitstorm they caused. Their primary concern was getting out of there, mending Nikita's gunshot wound, and salvaging what was left of their mission. Shockingly, the gunshot was the least of their worries. The bullet was removed, and her arm was stitched and bandaged without problem. The blood loss was concerning, but it wasn't as terrible as losing all their money. That was felt more by Birkhoff than by the others. Michael remained by his fiancée's side, gently ensuring the bandage held firmly in place, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, Babe. I'm fine," Sighing, Nikita assured for what felt like the thousandth time. She tenderly stroked his cheek as if to prove she was still sitting right in front of him. The gesture was mostly to calm Michael, but she had to admit she needed the comfort as well. She didn't care about the pain shooting up her bicep; she had had worse. It was how scared and worried and angry her fiancé was at the sight of her injury that frightened her. He had seen her torn up before, but not like that. The fact seemed to rattle him like no other. She couldn't stand that. She didn't want him to feel so helpless.
"Don't scare me like that, okay," Yet it was too late for that, the hollow words he uttered expressed as much. Michael blamed himself. He believed because he couldn't provide backup in time, she had gotten shot. Nikita tried to persuade him that that wasn't true. There was nothing he could've done. Birkhoff, on the other hand… except she kept that thought to herself. She couldn't get angry at the nerd then; her fiancé needed her attention. The way his prosthetic twitched at his side, she knew he felt as though it was useless and in the way again. He was usually fine with it. But moments like that one his frustrations at his disadvantage were palpable.
"Noted. I won't get shot before telling you first," Nikita attempted to lighten the mood between them with a snarky remark and a sly grin. It landed completely flat. Michael stared blankly at her. He was aware that their war with Division brought risks. He had seen enough fighting and the devastation it created through the Navy and the CIA. Of course his fiancée wouldn't be immune to the danger. Except, he hoped she could. After everything, he hoped she would be the safest among them. The gunshot was just further evidence of how untrue that was. Her attitude melted, and she pulled him in closer into her arms, "I really am okay."
"Dammit! Fuck!" Birkhoff's sudden shout and slam on the computer startled not only Michael and Nikita, but also Alex and Ryan. The activities of the rest of the safehouse were snapped back to the engaged couple's attention. As they were concerned with her injury, the others were attempting to find where the nerd's money had gone. Twenty million couldn't have just vanished in thin air. It had to have been somewhere. In an increasingly digital world, that somewhere had to have been online. At least the hacker desperately hoped it was.
"Did you find anything?" Trying to be hopeful as well, Ryan wondered. He and Alex were doing their best with the search and hack, yet they couldn't keep up with Birkhoff. If there was anything to find, he would've dug it up. All eyes turned to him, expecting any kind of news or lead they could follow. Surely, they could get back the money and stop Percy as they had originally planned. That was just a momentary setback. They could be back out there soon, giving Percy the hell he deserved.
"If I had, would I have cursed?" Birkhoff shut that thought process down with a sharp shove away from his desk, however. He got nothing from his hacks. He was able to grab the banker's laptop before they left the scene, allowing him to use his network for the search. Yet all he got was nothing. There was once seventy million dollars spread across multiple accounts, but it had been cleared out when Roan pulled into the scene. Birkhoff was able to guess that the banker had been running some sort of scam, and Percy caught him in the act. The nerd shouldn't have fallen victim to that. He was Shadowwalker, after all.
He had pulled numerous stunts like that back in his wild hacker days. It was how he made all of his money. He distracted some rich douche with one thing, as he walked out his money with another. The banker did the same thing to the team, and Birkhoff simply sat there and let it happen- just as he sat there and let Nikita get shot. He shook that thought away. He could control getting his money back. Reversing time so he could help his friend, however… well it was easier to hack. Though, Alex didn't have any good news, "There's nothing. We were cleaned out."
"We? We? I was cleaned out. It was my money," So what if he was taking the loss of his money hard. It was his twenty million dollars. Birkhoff could be as cranky and desperate about it as he wanted. The team couldn't judge him for it. They understood what it meant to him. But they also understood that they had to keep moving forward. There were more concerning things to worry about than just his money. Percy had his money as well. And if they didn't take it away from him, who knew what he would do with it.
"We'll get it back. It's all in bearer bonds right now, which are illegal in the United States. Percy has to convert it into cash to use it," Nikita stated matter of factly. The team still had their mission to focus on. Without Oversight or any government support, Division's funding only came from Percy's own money. He wouldn't be able to run a mission or utilize the plutonium he had gathered without it. That had to be the only thing on the team's mind. It was their chance to cripple their enemy financially and make a monumental strike in the war. They desperately needed something to put them ahead of their fight for once.
"But that amount of cash won't be in an easy to steal briefcase. He's gotta move it in trucks at least," Beginning to pace, Michael built off of Nikita's statement. Seventy million in cash was a huge load to transport. If Percy was bringing his money to the most secure vault he knew (obviously Division) so that the rogues couldn't steal it, then there were going to be some armored trucks traveling down the highway towards rural New Jersey. Although Percy's overall endgame was unpredictable, his paranoia was simple to peg down. The team could possibly use that to tear him apart.
"Then we hijack it," Nikita was already on that train of thought as she paced the safehouse as well. If there was a truck full of Percy's money out there, then the team would steal it. Their plan could be that basic, like the stunt they pulled at the Swiss bank. Alex was ready to jump on that operation as she jotted down ideas of how they could pull it off. Michael had to contemplate it first, wondering how they would offload a truck full of that much cash. Birkhoff was just desperate that it really could work out.
"And if we can't?" Ryan was the only one to hold back. The team should've known by then that not everything was as simple and easy and basic as it seemed. There were always catches and stipulations and moments where the rug got pulled out from under them. It might've been pessimistic to think that way, yet they had to consider the worst case scenario as well. Planning for both might save their asses, and not just in the present. The team kept being blindsided by things they never thought of. Maybe if they thought steps ahead that time, they could be in control of the playing field.
Nikita stopped pacing to consider Ryan's point. If they couldn't steal the seventy million, then what. A fairly easy solution sprang to mind, yet she was hesitant to voice it. Birkhoff wouldn't like it. He had already lost all his money once. Was it fair to make him lose it again. Pain seized her bicep, and rational thought was shoved aside. She refused to take pain pills- it didn't matter how long she had been sober- causing discomfort to constantly shoot through her. It irritated her, especially since her injury shouldn't have happened, "Then we destroy it."
"Destroy? No. No way!" Springing to his feet, Birkhoff immediately rebuked the idea. He had always known Nikita was insane and far too focused on destroying Division, but that crossed a line. She was dead set on getting what she wanted no matter what burned in the process. His money and what he wanted meant absolutely nothing to her. It was all about her goals. Even Ryan, Alex, and Michael were surprised by her answer, but they didn't say anything. Although crazy, she was right. It was the only solution.
"Percy can't have his money," Nikita shrugged. Her stitches pulled at the movement, but she ignored it. She stood her ground on the decision. It was unfortunate that Birkhoff had to sacrifice so much, yet they had to think of the bigger picture. Besides, they all had to sacrifice something for their crusade. It was simply how those things went. Once they reached their happily ever after, they could gain it all back like some kind of reward for all that they had done. As proven to them before, not everything was permanent.
"So I can't either?" Yet Birkhoff wouldn't move off the subject. A part of him knew he should just let it go. But he couldn't. He wasn't entirely certain why. Maybe it had to do with his pride. How could the great Shadowwalker have been duped like that. However, not even he was that arrogant. It had to have been something else that made him so clingy to his money. It could have originated from the same wounded feelings at seeing blood starting to seep through Nikita's bandage. He was filled with lividity, grief, shock and horror all directed at himself. None of that would've even been happening if it weren't for him.
"Why are we even worried about this? I have money. I can bankroll us," Alex snapped Birkhoff from his thoughts. He didn't have to worry about his money or any other funds the team might need. The young heiress could step in as financier. She had to rearrange her money and loop it through backchannel systems so it couldn't be traced to the band of rebels, but otherwise it should've been no problem for her to pay for all of their expenses. Stealing the seventy million dollars was the ideal. But if they couldn't, it was no big deal.
"It'll be alright, Birkhoff," Far more sympathetic than Nikita, Ryan assured. The team had been in worse situations, ones where there was no clear solution. However, they weren't in a bind that time. They could have a successful operation whether they hijacked the transport truck or destroyed it. Either solution hurt Percy, so therefore it was a win for the team. And they wouldn't have to sacrifice too much, not with a princess among their ranks. It might affect Birkhoff greatly, but the team overall would be alright. And wasn't that what mattered most.
Except, Birkhoff couldn't stop staring at the bandage on his friend's bicep. Anger rolled through him in waves, causing him to not think straight. He noticed the same effect on Nikita as throbs of pain coursed through her. Both of them were going to explode. It was only a matter of who went for the throat first. Not nearly as stubborn as the rogue, the nerd snapped, "Yeah. For now. But what about when this war magically ends like Miss. Bossypants over there says it will? What am I supposed to do without my money then?"
"Oh my God! You stole it in the past, you can steal it again, dumbass," Even she didn't know if she reacted to being called bossy or just in general. It really wasn't important why, though. Nikita threw Birkhoff's anxiety in his face, fed up with his whining. Money shouldn't have been a problem for such an infamous hacker like him. He'd be fine in the future. He could return to his comfortable life of sitting behind a computer, duping hapless people on the internet, just like he wanted. God knew he was useless in the field.
"Whoa. Okay. Why don't we take a step back and relax. We should think first before making any decisions," Michael gently pulled Nikita away from Birkhoff's desk before some of her thoughts tumbled past her lips. She hadn't even noticed she had stalked so close to the nerd, towering over him in intimidation. Maybe it was a blessing her fiancé was able to read her thoughts and intentions. The team didn't need an all out brawl on top of everything else. They were supposed to be working together, not tearing each other apart after all. That was easier said than done for Michael, Alex, and Ryan, though.
"No. Nikita's right for once. While you destroy millions of dollars, I'll be earning back what you lost," Gathering his stuff Birkhoff, prepared to leave the team behind. Again, a part of him knew staying would help them gain the cash instead of lose it. But he didn't want to think. He wanted to be angry at Nikita and at how things were unfolding. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair. And he was allowed to feel things other than heroism. God, did they have to be so right and just all the time. Couldn't they be selfish every once and a while.
"Have fun," Apparently Nikita didn't think so as she snidely bid the hacker farewell. Michael continued to hold her back, yet her words had done enough. Birkhoff stormed out of the safehouse, promising to have way more fun than those assholes. No one chased after him. He was given his moment to cool off at a coffee shop in the city. Although he appreciated the moment to relax, he continued to be just so damn livid and frustrated. What had occurred wasn't right, and he shouldn't have been the only one trying to fix it. Unfortunately, those concerns suddenly didn't matter as cops arrived to take him away.
His anger had made him sloppy. He wasn't careful with his hack. Birkhoff was so busy raging at Nikita to anybody that'd listen, that he didn't carefully watch what he was doing. He tripped an FBI trigger, and it was all over for him. How could he have been so stupid two instances in a row. How could he have set himself up so badly twice. He had definitely been focused on the wrong things. And he had to pay the price.