Alex refused to take her eyes off of Sean. She was terrified that the second she did, he'd slip away from her. The rational part of her knew that wasn't possible. No internal organs had been damaged, the bullet was successfully removed, and he was safely on the mend. As long as he rested and allowed the time it'd take for his body to heal, he would be perfectly alright. It would all be okay. However, her mind continued to play the sight of him covered in blood over and over again. She couldn't shake that terrible moment of fear where she thought he'd be gone forever. It was like a nightmare come true. He could've so easily been another lost loved one.
"He's going to need someone to watch after him," Softly, Nikita snapped Alex back to the present. She had hooked Sean up to a saline I-V so they wouldn't have to worry about him dehydrating along with everything else. After the doctors removed the bullet, the team immediately brought the Seal back to the beach house. It was far safer for him there than to remain in Germany. They grabbed medical supplies as they left, and set him up in the livingroom so eyes could be on him at all times. He had stayed unconscious the entire time, which made it all difficult. But the team could relax then. The worst was over- at least regarding Sean.
"That means your head has to be clear," Nikita clarified when she didn't get an immediate response. Alex had understandably been withdrawn and lost in her own head after the shooting. She needed the time to push past the fear of nearly losing someone she loved. That was alright during the initial panic; her team had her back. But it was time for her to refocus. The anxiety of the moment couldn't continue to overwhelm her. It was past, things were alright, other problems (like Sean's recovery) deserved their attention.
"I'm okay. I can do it," With a determined nod, Alex agreed. She knew she had to snap out of it. It was fine that she was still anxious- still afraid that Sean might slip away. But he needed her to be there for him as he healed, like he had been there for her. She had to be strong for the both of them until he recovered. Nikita smiled softly at the young woman, and gave her hand a quick reassuring squeeze. Alex was grateful for it. She smiled in return before placing all of her attention on Sean. Her gaze would remain locked on him for as long as possible.
Ensuring the two would be alright, Nikita attempted not to express her exhaustion. There was something so draining about an injured teammate. Maybe it was the hecticness of trying to find adequate medical care as rogues. Maybe it was the fear and adrenaline that ate away at them. Or maybe it was the fact that they all faced their loved ones' mortality. But Nikita had to shake those thoughts away. It wasn't about her or her feelings. Alex and Sean were the ones who had to process everything. She just had to tune in on what Ryan was saying in the other room, "Percy has the materials to make a nuke. We need to bring someone else in on this."
"Someone like who? The CIA?" Birkhoff stated everybody's question for them. Who exactly could the team tell about Division and the nuclear material their bastard leader obtained. With Oversight and their corrupt connections gone, there was a chance the rogues could gain some traction in garnering support and allies. Was it even possible with the way their war was going. They weren't believed in the past; Michael's history with the CIA was the shining example of that. Could they really trust that time was any different.
"Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I know someone that can help us," Absentmindedly, Michael nodded. It might have been a longshot months ago. Yet considering the recent loss of key political figures and some current events, the existence of a secret unit of the government would be believed. At least by the person he was thinking of. Moving towards the computers, the former analyst ignored his team's confusion. He was certain he could clear it all up soon.
"You gonna share a name, or are you gonna go crazed analyst on me again?" Nikita rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. It was a serious conversation. The team's future decisions were going to leave a major impact on what came next. But she couldn't help the joke. She could easily blame her frayed emotions from the blown op, Sean's injury, and Alex's panic. However, it did get the others to crack small smiles as well.
"Morgan Kendrick. We worked together on countless missions. And, he's the only one who believed me about Division," As he pulled up Kendrick's CIA file (or at least the file they could get access to without completely probing into their system) Michael finally answered. Morgan Kendrick had been a stalwart presence in the agency for the analyst. He helped him transition from the Navy, believed him whenever he had insane intel, and he was a good friend. If anyone would be able to help the team of rogues, it'd be him. He also had the resources and pull to do something about Division, which was an added bonus.
"Didn't trusting someone at the CIA about Division get you burned?" Her voice quieting into concern, Nikita mentioned. One of the reasons hers and Michael's original warpath of her being a mole inside the hellhole failed was because he trusted someone he shouldn't have. Someone at the CIA gave him up to Division after a foreign operation involving the Navy Seals became an unmitigated disaster. They still didn't know who that someone was. It could've been Kendrick. They had witnessed friends attempting to kill friends before.
Although Nikita's concern was valid, Michael didn't believe Kendrick was the rat. Word could've gotten to the former director that had been in Oversight's pocket. Or, the two Division plants could've heard something. The CIA had many leaks, as terrible as that was to think about. However, his friend wasn't one of them. He was a good man, with great values. He wouldn't sell out anyone for anything, "It wasn't Kendrick. It couldn't have been. I've saved his ass too many times for him to turn on me like that."
"I saved Birkhoff's ass and he still tried to kill me," Nikita blurted. It wasn't as though she didn't believe Michael. His instincts were solid, and he was usually more right than wrong. She just didn't trust Kendrick. She wasn't exactly sure why. It was simply a feeling. Something didn't seem right about that man. Maybe if she read his file, she'd feel differently. Her quick judgements were often more harsh than necessary. And if Michael really believed he was good, then he was. She just couldn't shake the feeling that Kendrick was dirty.
"You duct taped me to playground equipment," Birkhoff wasn't entirely certain whose side he was on. Nikita was right to be hesitant about involving Kendrick. But Michael was right that someone in the CIA could really help them with the whole nuke situation. Whichever way things went for the team, the nerd would be prepared to meet it. They always came up with something and rolled with the punches. In the meantime, though, Birkhoff would simply stir the pot. It could get someone to start thinking. Or, like with Ryan, it could make them laugh.
"Nikita, I appreciate your concern. But the CIA is not like Division. Not everyone is corrupt," Ignoring Birkhoff and Ryan, Michael continued. Sure, the rogues ran into more corrupt government officials than they should've. But that came with the type of war they were fighting; it was sort of in the same territory as a black ops group. Not everyone was evil or had a secret agenda. There were great, wonderful people in the world, if you didn't look at your surroundings through a jaded lens.
"The former director was in Oversight's pocket. He tried to kill us in Chile. And then the next director almost accidentally killed his own men when he wouldn't believe us about the sarin gas," Though, Nikita had her reasons to be jaded and untrustworthy. Save for the people around her, she had never been given a reason to trust others, especially when it came to those in power. In her experience, that power was only used to control and hurt. No one helped others out of the goodness of their heart; they always wanted something.
Michael couldn't argue against the facts Nikita stated, nor against how she felt. He knew what she had been through, and he understood why she was so guarded. Yet the team couldn't afford to keep things to themselves anymore. The war had gotten disastrously out of their hands. Before he could find a way to get that through Nikita's stubbornness, Ryan gave the analyst an opportunity to explain himself completely. If they knew everything, they'd be more likely to agree, "Essentially, what makes Kendrick different?"
The answer was easy and obvious to Michael. He just needed a moment to collect his thoughts. Even after all those years, it still took a few calming breaths for him to talk about it. Nikita knew what he was thinking instantly. Kendrick was a far more personal subject than she had thought. Of course he would see him as a worthy ally. His help had been monumental before, "He's the reason I didn't just give up after Hayley and Elizabeth."
Silence washed over the team. No one could say anything. Michael had his reasons to bring in Kendrick, and they were beyond valid. Maybe it would all work out. The rogues could finally stop Division with the help they'd receive. It was a thought that gave them renewed energy. And it made Nikita decide to fight her gut feeling of mistrust and check out the file Michael had pulled up. She could move past her initial judgement for her fiancé. However, the second she saw Kendrick's picture, she was back to hating the man. Her reservations had been correct. He wasn't what he seemed, "He's also the one who sold you out."
"You don't know that," Quickly, Michael shot the statement down. He assumed his fiancée was blinded by her mistrust and paranoia again. Nikita had claimed once that she believed in him and that was all she needed to back his plays. So why couldn't she continue to support him then. What could've possibly been so different about Kendrick. Was it the fact that he had been burned by the CIA. If so, she had nothing to worry about then. He was alive and well. And Kendrick wasn't at fault.
"I know that I saw him talking to Percy at one of those stupid government functions he paraded female recruits at. Kendrick is in Percy's pocket. He helped try to kill you, and if we turn to him he's going to finish the job," Nikita argued. Ryan and Birkhoff continued their silence, yet they did glance between the engaged couple awkwardly. Glares were held between them that neither would break, whether it be because they were both right or their own stubbornness. Either way, the others didn't dare interrupt or add their own thoughts.
"Talking to someone doesn't mean you're dirty. And if we don't take this nuke concern to somebody, the world could end. We don't have the resources to stop Percy anymore. But the government can," Michael and Nikita had stomped incredibly close to one another as they argued. Their memories, stories, and feelings were completely contradictory, and they were unwilling to see the other's side. That wasn't a first for their fights.
"The government created it in the first place. We don't have anyone to trust but ourselves," It was starting to feel like a circular argument. Nikita made her point to be guarded, while Michael made his point about being open. They were at a stalemate and only intervention or a Hail Mary would break them apart. Considering Birkhoff and Ryan backed off and Alex and Sean were preoccupied with something else, the engaged couple were on their own.
"You trusted me. I was CIA," Hopefully, they didn't end up hurting one another. Michael tried to hand out an olive branch. Nikita had trusted him with everything all those years ago, despite his job at the CIA and the risk to their lives. Of course situations had occurred over the years that obviously changed her mind about things. But their current circumstances couldn't be that different. Division was doing horrific things to innocents, it had too much power to be stopped by the rogues' limited resources, and the world was in danger. That should've been enough to bring in help. And if not, they did all agree they had to change up their game.
Her fiancé always made great points that couldn't be argued against. However, Nikita wasn't willing to give up. They had almost lost Sean that morning, and by extension Alex. The team couldn't be thinking about major changes that might harm them. They were constantly hurting. They deserved a reprieve. Bringing in the CIA, an agency with a history of burning them, wasn't the solution. Besides, she hadn't trusted them in the past. She trusted Michael, who was nowhere near the same, "That was different."
"Why? Cause you say so, or cause we're sleeping together?" Michael crossed a line and he knew it the instant he spoke. He was just so done with the conversation. The frustration in not moving anywhere in the argument made him snap. He wanted his fiancée to agree with him, or at least see his perspective. Why did she have to be so stubborn. And why was it that everything she said went. They were a team. What he said mattered as well. Nikita wasn't the boss; they all worked together. He should be able to share his ideas as well.
"Fine! Do whatever the fuck you want! Risk all our lives. I hope it's worth it," Perhaps she was overreacting. Yet Nikita was done with the whole risking her team and her heart thing. She didn't want to be a part of it anymore, and she had hoped Michael would have agreed. And if not him, then Ryan or Birkhoff would've said something. Except, she was alone with her thoughts. That only made her angrier.
"Trusting someone is," When Nikita stormed off, Michael just had to call after her. Both, no doubt, were going to pay for their comments later. Both also had to talk later. But for the moment, the two could be consumed by their stubbornness and try to move forward without one another. Nikita attempted to devise a new way to attack Division, while Michael got Birkhoff and Ryan to help him convince Kendrick to be their ally. It wasn't their best move, but they'd manage. Maybe it was a good thing Sean remained unconscious and Alex was glued to his side. The two didn't have to be involved in any further drama. The team couldn't stay away from it.