Michael was determined to prove Nikita wrong. She was probably right to call him out for his irrationality, but he knew something was wrong. Things didn't add up. It wasn't just his past with Kendrick telling him that. It was all the inconsistencies the team kept running into, the oddities. There was always more to the story in everything else they encountered, so why did that time have to be different. The former analysis had to uncover exactly what was occurring, even if his fiancée was ready to kill their best chance at an ally.
Nikita and Ryan had geared up and left for their kill mission as Michael contemplated the facts in front of him. Maybe if he just thought hard enough, looked more deeply, he'd uncover the truth. He wouldn't give up, despite what the rest of the team said or believed. He couldn't blame them too much for their decisions; they had no reason to search for the alternative. But he could help them see the light. At least, he hoped he'd be able to before it was too late.
Digging through old reports on the laptop and playing his conversations with Kendrick over and over again in his mind, Michael tried to find something he had missed. Maybe there was a phrase or a movement that could clue him in on the full truth. It was just like any other puzzle he had to solve and navigate. Except, he had the added pressure of Nikita and Ryan attempting to kill the man he thought was innocent. And, of course, the distraction of frayed emotions after a fight with his fiancée.
They had both said harsh things as the situation with Kendrick escalated, both arguing without thinking. The engaged couple had to do something to fix their mistakes; they were just too caught up in their own missions to do anything about it yet. As the hacker caught in between the two sides and operations, Birkhoff thought he should say something to ease the tension. Nikita wouldn't listen over the coms, but Michael might be willing, "Listen, Mikey. Nikki, she's… I know she's a lot, and a handful. But no matter how many times she tears your head off, or is beyond stubborn, everything she does is in an attempt to save us."
"Operation Black Sand?" Michael questioned, reading from his laptop. Birkhoff sighed. He should've expected to be ignored. The former analyst was off in his own world consumed by his own thoughts. He'd only resurface whenever he was on to something- or whenever Nikita walked into the room. Considering the latter wasn't bound to happen anytime soon, the only reason he spoke was because he thought he found something. How impactful or important that was, however, remained to be seen.
"Was that a you and Nikita against Division mission? Or just a CIA mission?" Deciding to simply go along with the blurted information, Birkhoff wondered. He had never heard of Operation Black Sand, nor had he come across it when he had the black box. However, if Michael mentioned it, then the operation bore some importance. The hacker began to believe that the analyst found a lead. Didn't Kendrick also say something about Black Sands on the phone.
"CIA. There was a combatant under duress…" As Michael recalled the operation his old CIA friend had mentioned, his thoughts stilled. There was a purpose to Kendrick's message. He wasn't just talking or being cryptic to throw the team off. He wanted Michael to understand his choices. The director was being forced to work for Percy. Hurriedly, the former analyst rushed to Birkhoff's computer. Finally, they were getting answers. He just had to connect it all, "Birkhoff, bring up the phone call with Kendrick. What was that interference?"
Birkhoff didn't need to be asked twice. He had been wondering what that awful feedback coming from Nikita's bug had been. It wasn't like her to have placed it wrong. Another frequency had to have interfered with it. There was no possible way it could've been from the cellphones. There was probably another listening device in play. However, once the hacker singled out the strange signal, he realized things were far worse than just Percy listening in on the director. He had him under a gun, "That's a killchip frequency."
Fortunately, Michael reached Nikita just in time. Right before she could pull the trigger and snipe Kendrick from her position in the bushes, Michael told her about the killchip. Things just went from a kill mission to a rescue mission. While Birkhoff attempted to figure out a way to disable the chip that was more than likely attached to the director's new pacemaker, Ryan informed their target turned victim-in-need of what was occurring. Whereas the others sprung into action quickly without hesitation, Nikita needed a second. She had been so wrong she almost killed an innocent trapped by Percy. How could she have been so stupid.
She didn't have the time to adjust her thoughts, however. Division was on the scene. Nikita and Ryan had to get Kendrick out of there, while Birkhoff and Michael discovered a way to save him. The two field agents moved the director to an abandoned subway station to keep him out of the line of fire, and to corner off their enemy. As Ryan ran off to handle Division, Nikita followed the instructions that were coming through the coms. Kendrick didn't say a word. He simply let the chaos unfold around him. Yet after a while, he finally asked, "You're Michael's fiancée? Aren't you?"
"It's that obvious?" Nikita grinned slightly. She never wore her engagement ring out into the field, for fear that it could be lost or damaged. But that definitely wasn't the only indication she was engaged. Either the way she regarded Michael over the coms, or something he had said to Kendrick, must've tipped him off to their relationship. She didn't mind, especially since she knew for certain he was part of the good guys. Also, the topic could distract him as the team disabled his killchip.
"No, it's good. He needs someone who can draw him out of his head," Kendrick chuckled. Nikita rolled her eyes, focusing instead on the killchip and his pacemaker. She didn't want to get into her and Michael at that moment. Her feelings were still raw from their argument. The two desperately had to talk, apologize, do something before they could move on. That didn't seem to deter the deputy director of the CIA, though. He kept thinking of his old friend's expression at the mention of Nikita, "Believe me, he knows you're the best thing in his world."
Her smile could've illuminated the entire abandoned underground terminal. Nikita couldn't help but beam at the thought of making her fiancé so happy, even if they were fighting at the time. It made Kendrick chuckle once more. Unfortunately, the light moment couldn't last. Ryan was struggling with the Division agents, and there was a problem with the killchip and pacemaker. The situation wasn't even remotely getting better.
At the safehouse, Birkhoff and Michael were doing everything they could to help. There was only so much they could do from miles away, though. Their hands were tied, and the hacker had already made a huge risk in opening an unsecure channel for Nikita. The op was about to jump from bad to worse- everyone could sense it. Except, it was Alex that realized it. She heard the warning chirp from one of the computers before anyone else. It pulled her away from Sean's side, "What the hell is that?"
"Division. Fuck," Birkhoff cursed at the team's bad luck. Crossing the perimeter towards the safehouse was a horde or Division agents. They must've traced the channel the hacker had opened. That was certainly a moment for Alex and Sean to join in on. The couple had mostly talked amongst themselves in an effort to ensure he rested. They discussed a potential date they could go on once things settled and he had fully healed. But before they could draw any conclusions, they were drawn back into the team's disaster.
"The plan to fight them off?" Grabbing a loaded shotgun and cocking it, Sean was ready to defend the safehouse. He could barely stand, but what did that matter- he could still shoot a gun, after all. Alex wasn't for that idea. Fighting off well-trained and armed black ops mercenaries was a terrible plan, especially in their state. The team was only going to end up more injured, or worse.
"We can't handle that many, not with your injury and our disadvantages," Siding with Alex, Michael argued. Not only did the Seal's gunshot wound hold them back, but so did their combined lack of experience. Michael, Birkhoff, and Alex were trained and had been in the field, but not like Sean or the Division agents. The former analyst was also counting his prosthetic amongst the list of disadvantages. He couldn't move like he should've with the damn thing.
Alex frantically attempted to find a way out of the situation. The team couldn't be sitting ducks, trapped by Division while Nikita and Ryan were fighting to save themselves and Kendrick. There had to be another way; they had proved time and time again that there always was. Her gaze eventually landed on a table piled with some of the equipment they had been cleaning and cataloging. Amidst the many weapons were bricks of C-4. Although the idea that struck Alex wasn't any smarter than fighting Division, it was better for their lives, "Why don't we just blow the safehouse?"
"You and Nikita get more alike everyday," Michael muttered, but he didn't argue against Alex. He had the team gather every weapon, equipment, food, and clothes they could as he set the charges to blow once Division stepped through the door. The plan wasn't nearly as thought out as it should've, but they didn't have the time to hash out the details. They also didn't have the time to inform Ryan and Nikita of what was occurring. It was a rushed job they desperately hoped would turn out in their favor.
The team at least had another safehouse to hide out in. They had ensured they had a backup, just in case. At the time, it seemed like a paranoid decision. It turned out, they were able to predict the future. As the beach house exploded in flames with Division agents and a lot of left behind equipment inside, Michael, Birkhoff, Alex, and Sean sped away in a car. They had what they needed, their enemy lost, and, most importantly, they had one another. That was enough to rationalize their choice to destroy their home. It was also enough for Sean and Alex to kiss in celebration- much to Birkhoff's and Michael's awkwardness in the front seat.
Eventually, Nikita called, separating the couple and refocusing the team on all the things they had to do next. She informed them of hers and Ryan's success, and that Kendrick would soon be alright. In return, Michael told her about the beach house. The two field agents grumbled about the change and the loss of such an amazing place, but they soon joined the others at the new location. Kendrick even tagged along, mostly so they could plan for what was next. He did help set things up for the team, though. Which allowed Nikita to corner Michael in the bedroom they were claiming as theirs, "Go ahead. Say it."
"I'm good," Flashing his trademark smirk, Michael replied. Before Nikita could even roll her eyes, he removed something from his pocket, thoroughly distracting her. As they were gathering necessities from the beach house, he ensured he grabbed his fiancée's engagement ring. It shouldn't have gotten lost to the flames. The promise for more than just the spylife he had given her years ago needed to be preserved. He would never dare give up that future with her. It was like the team's hope. If it vanished, they perished.
"Alright, then I'll say it. You told me so. My first instinct was to take Kendrick out. It appears that my default setting is attack," As her fiancé slipped the ring back on her finger, Nikita admitted. She drifted closer to Michael, accepting the warmth he gave her. Facing danger and death was certainly a way to make them easily apologize to one another. She wished she was better at handling arguments, so that it didn't have to come to such harsh measures. Yet, as she said, her default setting was anger.
"That is the correct setting for a kickass warrior," Placing his hand on the small of her back, Michael pulled Nikita flush against him. He didn't care that much about their fight at the moment. Sure, they still had to talk and work on changing things for the future. But they were together again after a tough day. That was all that mattered to him. He was able to hold his fiancée and smile. It was his own kind of perfect.
As much as she wanted to relax in her fiancé's hold, and simply breathe and not think, she couldn't. Nikita had to make up for what she had said and done. It wasn't that easily forgiven. She almost killed an innocent man because she wouldn't listen or think past her own pain. Michael had been right the entire time, while she had been so stupid and stubborn, "Michael, I'm serious. You were smart. You used your head. I was…"
"Using your heart. Which got you further than anyone else in this fight," Kissing her gently, Michael reminded her. Her heart was the reason they were all there. Nikita was the reason Sean and Alex were currently sitting so close on the couch, they were annoying. She was the reason Birkhoff and Ryan were currently teasing each other. And she was the reason Kendrick was alive, sharing intel with them. If it weren't for her, even Michael wouldn't have been there. She was their hero, their guiding light. "You remember when it was just you and me working out of our apartments? Well you made sure we had a much more successful operation."
"Whatever you do, please don't call it operations," Nikita shook her head. She'd accept his praise, but only if it didn't involve the word Division liked to throw around. Michael had no problem in amending his statement. He tried 'logistics', but when that was shut down for something homier, he settled on 'Homequarters'. She beamed as a result. Home. That was where the team was. They somehow managed to survive together and find a home amidst the chaos.