What was he doing there. How could she ask him what he was doing there. Shouldn't it have been obvious. Michael had traveled across the world for her. He had to save her; though, Nikita seemed to have had a handle on that front. She had already taken care of the guards. She had a weapon in hand. And she was prepared to escape with Heidecker in tow. The only problem seemed to be that, while the two had been kept in the tiger cage, they had no idea what was occurring outside the stable. That could've explained why Nikita looked at Michael in utter confusion. Of course she had asked what he was doing there; she didn't know he had come.
Michael wished that he could've been able to communicate with Nikita before he, Alex, and the Alpha team rushed onto Kosta Bechiraj's compound. However, it had been a miracle that the team even knew Nikita was in trouble. They had heard the commotion through her com after it had fallen out of her ear but before she had been dragged away from it. She had no idea that they had heard the death threat and were coming to save her. She had believed she was on her own. Michael wished he could've told her otherwise. Not just so he could soothe any anxiety she might have had, but also to prepare her for Division's new mission in Kosovo.
At first, only Michael and Alex were to fly to Kosovo to help Nikita. They had intended to sneak onto the compound and break her out of where she had been held captive- hoping she was still alive. Then, Ryan informed them that Bechiraj had closed the borders to Kosovo because of Nikita. They had already planned to sneak into the country, yet it became far more dangerous to do so. It was starting to become an international incident. American agents couldn't be caught attacking the Deputy Prime Minister. And if the President ever discovered what Division was doing in Kosovo, the agents would be done for.
Ryan had a plan to at least get Division out of any political trouble. Birkhoff had made an offhand remark about how Percy used to spin stories in Division's favor; whenever something was occurring that didn't look good for the black ops group, Percy would get in front of the story and shift blame elsewhere. Ryan didn't have to think long to know he had to do the same. Before real news could break of Kosovo's closed borders, he called the White House and stated that Division was already investigating what could've caused Bechiraj to be so paranoid; agents were in a neighboring country and could be sent over. They could be helpful instead of a hindrance.
Realizing Division could also be used to prevent future international incidents as well as solve current ones, the White House told Ryan to finish the mission the CIA had failed years prior. Kosta Bechiraj couldn't be allowed to wield so much corrupt power. His unannounced and seemingly random closure of borders was just one more example of why he needed to be taken out of power. Since Division would be in Kosovo anyway, why not send them to complete the CIA's botched kill mission. The black ops unit could continue to be useful to the government.
Once that was decided, the Alpha team joined Michael and Alex on their long (too long for Michael) flight to Kosovo. They were prepared for an intense battle with tons of weapons and gear. While they flew, Ryan created a plan of attack that ensured no danger fell on them from any angle, and Birkhoff sent them the schematics of Bechiraj's compound. The agents would be prepared before they had to immediately rush into a tricky mission. They didn't have a lot of time. Either Bechiraj could catch on to their movements and hell would rain down, or it could be too late for Nikita. Regardless, the agents needed to complete their op as quickly as possible.
Alex voiced that she'd lead the charge against Bechiraj. While the Alpha team secured an infill and exfil point and took care of the guards, she'd kill Bechiraj and place the blame on someone else. The easiest person to blame would be an advisor also killed in the attack. An apparent murder-suicide as a result of some kind of power struggle was the best way to handle those kinds of assassinations; it had worked in Belarus the year before. It wouldn't raise a lot of questions, and any witness to the crime would also be dead. Division could wrap up everything with a neat bow, which was something they desperately needed.
Nikita hadn't meant to create hell for Division with her mission. No one was supposed to know about it, and no one besides her was supposed to get into any sort of trouble. However, she had seriously miscalculated what she was sprinting into by messing with Bechiraj and stealing Heidecker from him. Fortunately, Ryan was able to save Division from their government; though, if they didn't stick to the plan in the field, Kosovo's government could retaliate harshly. Fighting against Bechiraj was never easy. War could break out at any moment.
The Alpha team had experience in treading lightly on those types of situations. They knew how to complete their mission with zero footsteps very well. And having learned a lot from her time with the rogues, listening to Sean's Seal stories, and helping Division clean up, Alex could kill her target as efficiently as the Alpha team could perform their duties. By spending the flight discussing plans of attack and studying Bechiraj's compound, the agents were completely ready for their mission. As long as there weren't any unknown variables, Division would be safe- only Bechiraj and his men would suffer.
Whereas Alex and the Alpha team were solely focused on Bechiraj, his guards, and the people in the house and on the grounds, Michael had his sights on Nikita. No one redirected him. At least one of them should recover their missing agent, and the best person for the job was her husband. He'd stay in contact with the team as he searched for his wife. He'd also handle anyone he encountered. His main priority was Nikita's safety; it always had been. The rest of the mission was hardly his concern. That was what Alex and the other agents were for.
They all stayed together until they reached the compound. Then, Alex, Michael, and the Alpha team split up. Some agents moved to cover their exit, others went with Alex towards Bechriaj's location, and Michael raced after Nikita. Hackers hid agents from cameras and directed them on where to go. Birkhoff told Michael that the last thing he had heard on Nikita's com was that she and Heidecker were moved to an old tiger cage; it was located in the back within the unused stable. As soon as he had the intel (technically before Birkhoff finished talking) Michael sprinted there as fast as he could.
On his way, he encountered a few guards that he easily cut through. One in particular gave him trouble. He had to catch a knife in his prosthetic. But he soon turned the altercation in his favor. Michael utilized the knife stuck in his prosthetic as well as his gun. Although that won him the fight, his prosthetic didn't appreciate the abuse. It twitched violently and wouldn't respond to him. It took Michael more effort to get it under control than he had exerted in the fight. That obviously wasn't a good sign. He probably had to replace the prosthetic again. Yet he couldn't dwell on that thought then. He had to save Nikita.
By the time Michael caught up to her, she was already saving herself. Nikita had a strong handle on her situation with Heidecker. What she couldn't understand was what Michael was doing. He didn't have the time to explain it to her. He wanted to appease her curiosity- he also wanted to take care of the terrible cut and bruise on her eye- yet it had to be saved for later. They had to get out of there. A getaway vehicle was waiting for them. They needed to disappear from the scene and meet the others on the plane. It was their best chance of survival.
However, before they could make a break for it, Nikita told Michael about the guards that blocked their path. There was no way they could make it to the vehicle, especially as they brought Heidecker along with them. The three needed another exit. Fortunately, Heidecker offered the agents his car. They could take it to his plane waiting at a private airfield. That should rescue them and allow the Alpha team and Alex to complete their side of the mission without interference. Neither Michael nor Nikita had to think about the offer for long. There wasn't anything better. So, they took it and ran with it.
Luckily, the others didn't have as much trouble escaping the compound. Soon after Nikita, Michael, and Heidecker made their escape, Alex killed Bechiraj. She set up the scapegoat and cover story, then sprinted off the property with the rest of the Alpha team. No one was terribly injured, thankfully. They could fly straight home and rest on the plane, which was the smartest idea. The more time Division spent in Kosovo, the worse things could become for them. Their luck couldn't run out on them.
Heidecker offered to fly Nikita and Michael home once he delivered the cargo his plane was carrying. That way, Division didn't have to wait for them and they could discuss a new hand for Michael. The two agents were hesitant about that decision, yet it did seem best for the team. Alex and the Alpha team shouldn't risk their lives further by waiting for them; they should just leave. Besides, Michael and Nikita believed they could handle themselves perfectly fine against a scientist. They would be alright.
There was simply a lot of information the two needed to catch each other up on first. Nikita needed to know what Division's plans were in Kosovo. And Michael needed to know what Nikita's plans were with Heidecker. The scientist somewhat filled Michael in on that front. While they drove to the airfield, he discussed what it would take to build a new hand and that it would be far better than any prosthetic- especially his current twitchy one. As exciting as that seemed, Michael couldn't focus on the information. All he could really do was stare at the wound covering Nikita's eyes and cheek and wonder what she had gotten them into.
He still believed that a new hand was too good to be true. Michael had seen Bechiraj's new leg, but the circumstance of how he had gotten it didn't seem right. Heidecker couldn't have been that trustworthy. Yes, he had repeatedly saved Nikita, and he was helping both her and Michael. But he had to have had an ulterior motive. He had worked with Percy, after all. He had supplied things like killchips and the regiment. And he had run tests on agents to gather his data. Making a deal with him for a new hand felt like it'd be similar to making a deal with the devil. Michael couldn't rationalize it, so how could Nikita.
It was impossible to know what she was thinking without talking to her. That had to be the first thing the married couple did when they returned home. They needed to talk about Kosovo, his hand, everything. Michael would decide if he would really work with Heidecker to get a new hand later. He was fine with the prosthetics; he had been for a decade. Although he did want something better, maybe it shouldn't come from someone like Heidecker. He needed to do more research into the hand to deem it all worth it. But, more importantly, he needed to talk to his wife. Things needed to be fixed between them before either could move on.
Expressing that it was perfectly reasonable for Michael to want to wait before making a decision, Heidecker continued to discuss the science behind the new limps the group he worked for could create. He also briefly discussed the group and the type of payment they received. Because money was never a question for them, they preferred to deal in data. At first, Nikita assumed the data only came from the people receiving the new technologies. Yet as Heidecker continued talking, she realized that wasn't always the case. Bechiraj had made a special deal in which he handed off tons of data. It wasn't all from him, most came from cargo he handed over.
Arriving at the airfield and approaching the plane, Michael and Nikita became increasingly curious about what that cargo could be. Maybe it was animals. Bechiraj liked exotic animals; he had once kept a tiger as a pet. So maybe Heidecker's group did animal testing. Or maybe it was stolen hospital files, or something like that. None of what Nikita and Michael thought prepared them for the truth. As soon as they saw the plane, they froze. Heidecker continued explaining the importance of good data gathering as if the two hadn't stopped cold in their tracks. However, they couldn't hear a word he said. They couldn't focus on him.
Their entire attention was stolen by the horrifying fact that kids filled the plane. Kids were the cargo. Kids were to be tested on for scientific information. And no one seemed to care.