The last person he expected to break his dumbass out of jail was Nikita. Technically he wasn't in jail yet- he was in holding while he awaited the FBI. And technically she wasn't breaking him out- she was simply walking him through the backdoor with her fake badge. Regardless, Birkhoff didn't think the rogue would come to his rescue. She had been so pissed when he had stormed out of the safehouse. Usually, that meant she was stubborn and resolute, and she wouldn't budge for anything. If anyone would've helped him in trouble, it would've been Ryan or Michael, or maybe Alex. Nikita arriving in a cheap suit was definitely a surprise.
It was all a surprise to Nikita as well. The last thing she expected from Birkhoff's tantrum was for him to get arrested, especially when he had gotten himself in trouble by springing a trap set by the FBI. Since when had he ever been that careless with a hack. He must've been beyond upset. And she had to have been the one to push him over the edge. It wouldn't do either of them any good to wallow in their self-pity at that moment, however. While she was breaking him out, the real FBI were on their way- and worse, Division. The hellhole had received the same alert the team had. Nerd and Rogue had to leave immediately.
Nikita wished she had been given more of a notice of Birkhoff's arrest. Then, she wouldn't have to rush against time and the fear that something terrible could happen. But it took so long for the police to run the hacker's prints that eventually alerted the team to what had happened. In the meantime, they had been trying to get a location on where Roan and the courier had gone with the seventy million dollars. Alex and Michael hacked street cams with Birkhoff's setup, while Nikita did some research on her laptop in the kitchen. Eventually, Ryan joined her, nudging her uninjured shoulder, "You know. This would go a lot faster if we had help."
"Look. Birkhoff needs time to cool off. And honestly, so do I," Nikita huffed, not taking her eyes off her laptop. Her fiancé had left her alone as she stewed for a reason. Michael knew it was better to leave her alone while she was that irritated. He could approach her once she calmed a little. Ryan, on the other hand, never really learned that lesson. He always bothered Nikita about what was on her mind no matter how close she was to snapping. Maybe that was why their friendship waxed and waned more than it should have. Neither would just leave it alone.
"So what happened at the house when you got shot?" Leaning into her line of sight, Ryan wondered. Nikita hadn't let anyone help her change her bandage, despite the blood seeping through. She was sick and tired of the pain of the injury, and she was ready to just move on already. It was part of the reason why she barely talked about what had happened. Well that, and because she was still angry with Birkhoff for not shooting the gun. There was no way to know if that would've prevented her from getting shot. Yet his lack of action certainly didn't help.
"I don't know. I got trapped. He grabbed a gun. And nothing. He went all deer in the headlights on me," Giving up on researching armored delivery trucks, Nikita rushed through the list of events half-irritated and half-concerned. Underneath her bitterness, she was worried about Birkhoff. It wasn't like him to freeze. He was always talking or doing something equally annoying. He didn't get trapped in situations. After a second, he'd bounce back and find some way to be back on top again. Shadowwalker didn't let anyone get the better of him.
Yet that gun had. Something about that damn gun made him freeze on the spot and never recover. Ryan was just as concerned for Birkhoff as Nikita was. Even as a frightened hacker in Division, he never froze like that. He had also been growing into someone so much more than what Division made him. He tried to protect his friends no matter what. Multiple instances with Carla Bennet sprang to mind regarding the fact. Ryan himself froze at the thought of it. The last time Birkhoff held a gun, someone died. No wonder he couldn't shoot one again, "Yeah. I guess Birkhoff's not used to firing at people. The only time he shot at someone was…"
"Carla. Dammit," Nikita cursed. She should've thought about that. Yet it wasn't as though she and Birkhoff had talked about the death of her old friend. She had locked her feelings up over the matter, only allowing Michael to see. And Birkhoff hid away from the fact. Maybe if the rogue and the nerd had talked, things like freezing in the field wouldn't have happened. Or maybe it still would have. God, it was all such a complicated mess. Nikita certainly hadn't helped matters by screaming at an upset Birkhoff. She had really messed up.
"Got him! This time the troll was the one going over the bridge," It wasn't the time to fix anything, though, as proven by Alex's excited shout. She had found Roan on the street cameras. Michael confirmed the woman he was with was the courier, and ran facial recognition so they could have an identity. Alex continued expressing her excitement over her new hacking skills like nothing else was happening around her, "You know. This could've taken hours but it didn't, cause I checked the tollbooth cameras first. I eliminated automated booths, narrowed the timeframe knowing Roan drives like a little old lady. Why? Because I am awesome!"
"How do you know that?" Moving to join Alex and Michael, Ryan asked. He kept his determined gaze on Nikita, however, silently telling her she had to fix things with Birkhoff. She was well aware of that. So she ignored the order by focusing on Alex. In her celebratory state, she drank from an energy drink can. The rogue wasn't certain if it was an old or new drink, but that wasn't worth dwelling over. She simply had to take the can away from the young woman. They already had one over-caffeinated and prideful teammate. They didn't need another.
"Sean told me," Alex shrugged, proudly pushing away from the computer. All of her Division intel came secondhand. Sometimes it was annoying to be the last to know things. But other times, she was grateful not to have met some of the people the team talked about. Roan was definitely a part of that. Sean told her about his creepy experiences working with Percy's guard dog. She never in a million years wanted to meet that man. Just looking at a picture of him gave her chills. No wonder out of everyone in Division, Nikita feared him the most.
"Looks like we gotta talk to Sean more," Michael commented, trying to break up whatever tenseness was occurring between Nikita and Ryan. The agent kept staring at the rogue as he attempted to get her to do something. She was very good at ignoring him. Her fiancé wanted to ask what was going on, yet decided against it. He'd be roped in eventually, or he'd just pry it out of his fiancée. Those two fought over something regularly. Ryan's quest for justice and Nikita's stubbornness always fought for control. More often than not, though, they bowed out for something more important.
"What's that?" The alert Alex noticed on the computer was definitely something more important. Michael pulled it up, and instantly the team's gears shifted focus. Birkhoff had been arrested for his hacks. There was no time to question how that actually happened. They had to grab him from the police department before the FBI could take custody. Nikita immediately rushed off to do just that, dropping her hunt for Percy's money. Who cared about stopping Division and ending their war if they weren't all together to celebrate their freedom.
Although Ryan did agree with that sentiment, he wasn't going to completely dump a mission to seriously cripple Percy. They couldn't sacrifice their major blow against Division. They would rescue Birkhoff- that was a given. Yet just not at that moment. Nikita continued to not listen to her former handler. She was off and running, grabbing her gear and preparing to storm a police station. Michael had to chase after her in order to calm her down. If she was determined to break apart from the team and save Birkhoff, she had to think first. It wasn't the time for improvisation. She had to be prepared.
Despite Nikita's protests that Division would've gotten the same alert they had about Birkhoff, and that they'd be on their way to kill him, Michael made her think. They had more time than Division. And he wasn't going to allow her to be reckless. He had been scared that he was going to lose her too much lately. He couldn't be frightened anymore. Maybe that was selfish of him, yet he didn't care. He needed his fiancée as safe as possible. Having a plan before breaking out Birkhoff would help keep her alive.
Soon, Nikita had an idea of what to do. Before she could run off again, however, Alex wondered where the rest of them fit into the plan. The rogue shrugged. They didn't. The others would stay on Percy's money as she grabbed Birkhoff. Ryan wanted to argue, but Michael cut him off. He actually agreed with Nikita. Stealing from an armored truck would take at least three people. Besides, it'd be easier if she was the only one sneaking into a police station. One black badge could get a lot further than two. It wasn't the best, yet the team had to go along with it.
They at least ensured everything was as solid as it could be before they took off. Michael kissed Nikita as they separated. It was a bit desperate, but he didn't care. She didn't either. Alex grabbed a laptop to see if she could continue hacking in the car, and Ryan doubled up on his weapons. The team couldn't fail that time. No one argued. Speeding off into their different directions, their coms were secured. However, Nikita would turn hers on once Birkhoff was safe. That way, she could focus on his dumbass instead of the rest of her spiraling team, "Come on. Let's get out of here before someone far worse than me shows up."
"Too late," Birkhoff stumbled back the second he and Nikita entered the stairwell. That was as far as she had managed to drag him. None of her smooth talking could get them past the dead policemen laying across the steps. Above them hovered Division agents with their weapons drawn. The rogue and the nerd barely spared a glance before they took off sprinting. No surprise that their fairly easy going operation was quickly ruined by the black ops group. Hopefully, they could completely escape before their lives were ruined.
Managing to grab a gun from one of the enemy agents, Nikita was at least prepared to take on the rest. Birkhoff had to continue to rely on her for support. If he had a weapon, it wasn't as though he could fire it. He proved that much to himself. As the two hid around a corner, he couldn't help but glance at her guiltily. It wasn't the time to feel sorrowful. They had to focus on surviving. Yet he couldn't take his mind off of it. The whole situation was because of his actions. He shouldn't have let it happen, "Look, Nikki. I'm sorry about…"
"I can take a bullet. It's the suit I'm pissed about," Flashing a smirk, Nikita interrupted. They could talk later, and she'd take some of the blame for what had happened. But for the moment, they had to remain on mission. Birkhoff found himself chuckling in response and nodding in agreement. Together, the two burst from their hiding spot. They got separated as they attacked Division agents, yet they could handle themselves. Birkhoff surprised himself with how well he did in the fight. He didn't even need a gun. He just used what was around him, like he had seen Nikita do countless times before.
Whereas the nerd had escaped the agents that had followed him, Nikita continued to struggle. She took one out. The other just wouldn't go down. If she could simply reach for a weapon, she'd win the fight. That wasn't so easy, however. Birkhoff ran in on the struggle, and instantly tried to think of any way to help. The only solution was to grab the gun on the ground. He didn't allow himself to think that time. He wouldn't let himself freeze. He aimed the weapon at the agent, and pulled the trigger.
"It's okay. It's okay. Let's go," Birkhoff would've kept pulling the trigger over and over and over again had Nikita not gently grabbed his arm. That was enough. They had to go. The nerd dropped the gun. He and the rogue sprinted towards her awaiting car. It wasn't until they were far enough away from the disaster that they dared to catch their breath. The two couldn't rest just yet, Alex, Michael, and Ryan needed their help. But they had their small second to breathe and glance over at one another gratefully. There were still more things to do and say, but that was enough for the moment- it was enough.