Birkhoff's information led Michael and Nikita to an apartment complex across town. As the two geared up, the hacker called to confirm if Martin's girlfriend was home. She was, which allowed the agents to head over and question her about their Dirty Thirty member. They weren't certain what they would ask to ensure she didn't think anything too suspicious was going on. But, they could figure it out on the spot. With Martin targeting the CIA agents stationed in Hong Kong, Michael and Nikita didn't have all the time in the world to question the girlfriend. If she thought things were strange, then so be it.
As they reached her apartment, however, the agents were the ones left believing things were strange. Despite Birkhoff's confirmation that the girlfriend was home, there was no answer. There were no sounds coming from the apartment at all. Guns drawn, the two agents dared to enter. The first thing they noticed was the open window. Then, the dead body on the bed. Michael rushed towards the dead woman while Nikita made a beeline for the window. The body was still warm, her neck freshly broken; yet, the police were already gathering outside. Michael cursed, "He killed his girlfriend just to set us up. What kind of sick bastard…"
"He just slipped out the window. We can still get him," The situation was an easy conclusion to come to. When Birkhoff called, it must've tipped Martin off to their presence. The fake delivery bit to see if a target was home wasn't all too original. Instead of escaping quietly, however, Martin decided to have the Hong Kong police chase down the agents. That would provide him the perfect cover, even if he had to kill his girlfriend. The thought made Nikita sick. It actually made her sick. She had to cough to make the bile in her stomach settle. She also moved as far from the dead body as she could. Then wasn't the time for her to be nauseous.
"No. You go. If I take the fall, the police won't call a manhunt. That should give you a better chance to get Martin," Trying to think of the best possible solution, Michael regretfully decided they had to split up. He knew that was always the worst outcome on missions, but they didn't have any other choice. The police complicated things. If they were hunting down the agents while they hunted down Martin, more innocents could be lost. The poor woman was enough of an awful casualty. There couldn't be any more.
"Michael, no," Although Nikita agreed that a police manhunt in a foreign country would make their spiraling out of control mission so much worse, she didn't want to leave her husband. She knew Michael could hold his own against the Hong Kong police, but what if Martin came after him while he was locked up. The former analyst didn't have the same training. He could get hurt- or worse. As if he could read her mind, Michael began to shake his head. He instantly tried to calm Nikita's anxiety. None of that was going to happen. He would be perfectly fine.
"Nikita, yes. You get Martin, and Wolf Team will break me out. We've faced worse situations," Gently cupping her cheeks so that she'd look at him, Michael assured that everything would be alright. He would be safe until Alex and Sean secured his release. And, in the meantime, Nikita would kick Martin's ass. He had complete faith that they could still successfully finish the operation, even if the cops were closing in and his wife was unsure. Her anxiety was something he could fix immediately, at least. He kissed her sweetly, whispering against her lips, "I will see you at the extract point. I promise."
Nikita didn't have time to argue. The police were about to burst down the door to the apartment, and Michael was placing his com in her hand and pushing her towards the open window. She gave her husband one last look before she readied her weapon and followed after Martin. He was waiting for her as she raced across the rooftop. They traded bullets and taunts while he made his way to an awaiting car. She couldn't stop him. The best she could do was chase after, drop from the roof, and plant Michael's com on the vehicle. That should've been enough for the hackers to track Martin for her, "Ops, Nikita. I have Martin tagged."
"Following now. Wolf Team should be arriving at the hotel soon," Birkhoff answered back in her com. He was so focused on tracking Martin and figuring out how to help Michael, that he couldn't make a quip about Alex's name for hers and Sean's team. Even if he did, Nikita wasn't listening. Her drop and roll made her feel queasy. The smells in the alley full of dumpsters didn't help. She coughed again and held her stomach, fighting against the nausea. What was with her lately if such normal things in her life affected her so greatly. Suddenly, she remembered her earlier fear. And she remembered what she put in her husband's pocket.
"Oh, fuck. This is going to be bad," Nikita spared a glance at the apartment complex she had escaped from. The police were going to find a pregnancy test in Michael's pocket. That would definitely give them a motive to attribute to the murder. If they thought he murdered his possibly pregnant girlfriend, it was going to be so much harder to break him out. Nikita did her best to shove those thoughts aside. It wasn't going to do Michael any good if she began to panic. She just had to return to the hotel and meet up with Wolf Team.
Fortunately, Nikita didn't have to wait long for backup. She vomited, though. But that seemed to finally settle her nerves and nausea. She was able to sit still as she drank water and as Wolf Team made their grand entrance. Alex, Sean, and the Alpha team agents they had absorbed into their group entered the hotel like they owned the place. They marched right up to Michael's and Nikita's suite and set-up shop. Alex gave Nikita a comforting hug the instant she saw her. She knew she'd be a wreck if she got separated from Sean on a mission, especially if they were promised an extended stay in a beautiful city, "Sorry your second honeymoon got ruined."
"Is this Alex or Alexandra?" Studying the fashion choices Alex decided to waltz into the hotel wearing, Nikita deflected. She just got her mind straight after panicking over her husband. She didn't need to spiral again. Focusing on the mission- or on teasing her friends- should've been enough to help her move forward. Besides, she was interested to know if Alex was going to play into her rich heiress side to get whatever she wanted. It got her past the hotel staff without question. Alexandra Udinov could slip past the Hong Kong police in the same fashion.
"We get anything?" Alex deflected as well. Although it was her idea, using Alexandra Udinov as a cover was weird. It didn't matter how many times she did it to be the perfect distraction for the team. It felt as though she was splitting herself in two- the heiress side of her, and the agent side of her. Maybe she was overthinking it. She could find a happy medium between the two. But that'd have to wait until later. She shouldn't be having an identity crisis while a Dirty Thirty was loose and Michael was in trouble. The situation wasn't about her.
"Tracking Martin led nowhere. But, he's meeting with an agent down by the docks," Sean replied immediately. Following Martin's vehicle had been a deadend, but Birkhoff managed to track him to another meeting with a CIA agent. It involved classic cars being shipped to the docks. Nikita, and Alpha support, should have no trouble finding and stopping Martin. Meanwhile, Sean and Alex could focus on Michael. Someone had to save his ass while his wife kicked ass, "You can intercept Martin there while we break your deadbeat husband out of jail."
"I love married life. It's so exciting," Nikita's snark was a slim cover for her nerves. But it worked for the moment. She felt the urge to twist her wedding ring, yet it wasn't on her finger. She had packed it away before going to Martin's girlfriend's apartment. It was a habit she had formed with her engagement ring. She didn't want it lost or damaged on a mission. However, she could use the comfort the jewelry brought. No doubt it'd help her stay focused. She wouldn't be so worried about Michael if she had a piece of him with her. He was in good hands with Sean and Alex, though. She didn't have to worry about him as she made Martin pay.
Michael was fine in the interrogation room he was dragged into. He just wished he had packed away his wedding ring like his wife had. It wasn't a concern of his until then. The police detective interrogating him kept staring at the ring. Michael attempted not to react. In his best Mandarin (it still wasn't as great as Nikita's) he asked for a lawyer. The detective ignored him. He placed the passport he had pulled from the agent's pocket on the table. But the real damning evidence was the other thing he pulled from his jacket, "She was your girlfriend, wasn't she? She told you she was pregnant, so you killed her- the evidence of your affair hidden from your wife."
"She's… she's what…" Michael shot upright in his chair, voice tight. He wanted to claim that he had no idea what the police detective was talking about. Yet the positive pregnancy test in the evidence bag he placed on the counter was fairly damning. That must've been what the cops pulled out of his jacket pocket when they arrested him. Placing the test in his pocket must've been what Nikita was doing with his jacket in the hotel room. Michael couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He had to compose himself, not give anything away to the Hong Kong police. But his ears were ringing, and his heart was racing. Despite his shock, he nearly beamed in joy.
"I advise my client against speaking," Sean burst into the interrogation room with perfect timing. If it wasn't for his distraction, Michael would've revealed way too much to the Hong Kong police. It wouldn't have been completely his fault if he did. He couldn't control his thoughts or emotions. Nikita was pregnant. His wife was pregnant. He had no clue where she got a pregnancy test, when she took it, why she hid it inside the box in his pocket without saying a word, and how he didn't notice any of that. However, none of that mattered at the moment. He was stuck with the police while his pregnant wife was in the field.
"And who are you?" Leaping to his feet, the detective tried to block Sean from entering the room. Under normal circumstances, Michael would commend the man for doing his job so well. But he had to get out of that interrogation room. He had to get to Nikita, wherever she was. The Seal was his only chance of achieving both of those things. He didn't know who else was with him, or if his wife was nearby. Yet, again, what he didn't know wasn't important. He didn't even care about Martin anymore. Far more pressing matters were on his mind.
"I'm from the embassy. I represent a small firm, about six partners," Brushing past the detective like he was the least of his concerns, Sean held his hand out to Michael. The agent was well aware that the Seal was trying to convey every bit of information he could to him. He passed off a new com in their handshake, after all. Michael hurriedly placed it in his ear. The knowledge that there were six other agents with Sean was important to know; there were enough agents to break him out of jail and stop Martin. Except, he only wanted to know if he could contact Nikita through the com. He had no such luck. She had hers turned off.
"I'd like to speak with my attorney," Serious and harsh, Michael repeated his words from earlier. He had given up on playing it cool. He needed the detective to leave immediately, so Sean could tell him everything. The Seal helped to emphasize the agent's word by sternly crossing his arms. They were going to win that battle, whether the police liked it or not. The detective didn't. He glared as he grabbed the evidence off the table and barked out orders in Mandarin. Sean and Michael ignored him.
Though, Sean did pay attention to the evidence bag as it was grabbed off the table. He was mostly staring at Michael's confiscated passport, trying to solve how they could get him a new one before they left. Then, his eyes drifted to the strange object next to it. He was only afforded a brief glance. Except, he could've sworn it was a pregnancy test. That didn't make sense. Why would Michael have that on a mission. Could he have picked it up at the girlfriend's apartment. Or was something else going on that even the agent had no idea about, "Was that…"
"Where's Nikita?" Michael was still trying to control his voice. He couldn't let anyone else know what was occurring. Not until he completely figured it out himself. And not until he talked to Nikita first. Their anxieties didn't need to be passed to the rest of the team. Their first mission with New Division was spiraling dangerously out of control. It was one shocking twist after the next. Hopefully, the team could get it under control before things became too disastrous. Knowing their track record, however, that might be impossible. They were in for more hell.