For a week, Nikita had been terrified. That was the best way she could describe it. Constantly, she glanced over her shoulder worried that somebody was behind her. The images of the senator being shot and the person threatening her with the gun were occupying her mind. It at least did the job in keeping her quiet. She wouldn't share what she saw even if she wanted to. Those people got past security and killed a senator like it was nothing. A highschooler would be no problem for them. So Nikita suffered in silence. She locked herself in her room (when she wasn't at school or practice) attempting to shut out the world.
School work helped. She never really needed to study and her homework could've been finished the period before it was due, but she poured into it nonetheless; it quieted some of the noise. Actually researching the colleges and universities she had been accepted to and resolving what was the best choice for her was a good use of her time as well. When she had run out of studious projects to occupy herself with, she ran, swam and practiced yoga. Honestly, Nikita was doing anything that kept her mind and body active. If she was moving and focused, her mind couldn't wander. It wouldn't settle on the events of that night.
Sleeping was difficult, however. Nikita tried not to. She consumed copious amounts of caffeine, and refused to lie down. But sometimes the pull of sleep was too great. Whenever she did finally slip into unconsciousness, her lights remained well lit. That way, she could know her room was free of any strange person the second the nightmare woke her. Everytime she slept a new and horrible night terror plagued her subconscious. There really was no escape from what she had seen. All that blood and threatening people was going to swallow her whole.
Nikita was so close to finally saying something one morning. She and Sean had gotten back from their morning run (she usually ran with her sisters, but with them back at college she dragged her brother along instead), and were raiding the kitchen for some water and a quick breakfast. Their parents joined them, readying themselves for the day. The stress and panic from the past week was eating away at Nikita. Although she was terrified that the armed person who had seen her would make certain she'd remain quiet forever, she had to say something. Her parents always knew what to do to make her feel better. They'd assure her that everything was alright. But her mom said she was going to stay late for a meeting, and Nikita blurted out instantly, "No, don't. They already killed one senator…"
Sean glanced at her confused. She had been claiming she was fine, that she wasn't worried about anything. She played her usual sarcastic, carefree self. That was the first crack in her armor. It worried Sean. But it made her parents comfort her immediately. Her mother smiled reassuringly, wrapping her in a tight hug, "It's alright. They caught the man. He was all over the security tapes. He was a disgruntled ex-employee. No one else is in danger."
Whereas Sean was comforted at the information and went on with his morning, Nikita froze. That wasn't right. She saw a team of people kill the senator. And they were way too professional and skilled to have been some crazed person out for revenge. The security cams should've shown that. Something was wrong. Her anxiety spiked and she thought she couldn't breathe for a second. She thought she had her facial expression in check, but her dad approached her full of concern, "Nik?"
"Um. Nothing. Just decided I definitely don't wanna major in anything political," Nikita forced a smirk, hoping her parents would think she was referring to the late meetings and awful employees. They continued to scrutinize her, so she hid behind a leftover protein veggie shake she had in the fridge. She didn't want to think about the conflict of what she witnessed and the story her mom told her. She didn't want to think about conspiracies or danger. She wanted to take a shower and go to school and be as carefree as she was before. None of that should've been happening.
"Smart girl," Her father eventually smiled at her. Nikita shared a small grin in return, then ran off to get ready for the day. She missed her mother rolling her eyes at the comment. But it was good natured. She didn't want any of her children involved in politics anyway. It was a dirty business, with many disreputable people. The farther they stayed away from it the better. Hopefully by bringing them to the office every once in a while and having them get bored out of their minds worked as a deterrent.
Madeline Pierce pondered her daughter's actions for a moment. She thought she should've gone after her, pressure her into sharing her thoughts. But neither had the time that morning. The conversation had to wait for when she returned home that evening. Maybe her husband could be there with her as they talked. Nikita was always more open with her dad around. The teen was obviously stressed about something, and had been for a while. She snapped that it was school related, yet Madeline was starting to think that wasn't the case. Something was wrong. She mulled over that all day at work and well into her meeting with Oversight. It wasn't until she saw a very smug Percy that she snapped out of her contemplation, "What do you want Percy?"
"It's interesting. I do what you want with Senator Rathborne, but you don't seem to care what it is that I need," Per usual, Percy didn't answer right away; he enjoyed having the control. He attempted to grab it with proof of the latest Oversight sanctioned Division mission. Senator Rathborne had been dealing in things that solely benefited himself; it also went against what Oversight was attempting to achieve. Division agents were dispatched to take care of the problem. The council was meeting to discuss actions moving forward, however Percy had his own agenda.
"So say it," Another member spat out before Madeline could. That was probably for the best. She didn't have the patience to deal with the calculating man that day. She needed to go home and talk to her husband and daughter. They had almost been done with the meeting before Percy's self absorbed interruption. She desperately wanted him removed from his position, have someone more trustworthy and obedient run Division. However, he had his damn box of secrets. They were stuck with him indefinitely.
"Well, that guard we used to gain access to the senator was very forthcoming when we executed him. He actually thought it would save his life," Chuckling, Percy barely shared what he was thinking; he was going to continue playing his game. Division needed the guard to bypass security, complete the mission successfully, and execute the cover story. They found a man in desperate need for money, and exploited him. The instant they were finished with him, they cleaned their loose end. There would be no liabilities. No one outside of Division and Oversight would know the truth.
"Are you going to say what it is? Or are you going to make us guess?" Madeline wasn't the only one becoming frustrated with Percy. Yet another Oversight chair nearly yelled at him. The schemer just smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets. He had all the time in the world, and he was going to use every last damn second of it. Oversight could go straight to hell for all he cared.
"Patience. He claimed he had seen two teenagers in the hallway after the assassination- a boy and a girl," Percy's words made Madeline's heart sink. She knew who those teens were, and feared something was about to happen to them. She had worked so hard to protect them from the Division part of her life, yet it must've been all in vain. Percy was able to read that feeling all over her face, "That was your children, right Madeline. The police report states they heard the gunshots."
"They were meant to hear shots. There were supposed to be witnesses to match the story you created," It was a weak deflect. The story was that a crazed disgruntled employee killed Rathborne. He wouldn't have used a silencer, so the agents didn't either. People nearby were supposed to hear that, and report it corroborating the fake tale. Sean and Nikita shouldn't have been singled out for what they had heard, others heard it too after all. Madeline wasn't feeling all too well anymore.
"You should've raised your children better. They lied to you. You see, I had my new hacker check the security cameras as he altered the recording. One of your lovely children broke into the office, and witnessed the whole operation. They're a liability," Percy didn't seem upset regarding the fact. If anything, he was pleased. He was happy to watch Madeline suffer. And she was. She didn't care that her fellow members were staring at her with curious eyes. She had narrowed in on his words- "a liability". They weren't supposed to like liabilities. They were supposed to kill them.
"Who?" Although the question hardly made its way past her lips, Madeline knew the horrifying answer. The stress and fear made alarmingly more sense in that moment. Her daughter wasn't worried about school, she was terrified of what she had witnessed. Madeline couldn't bear to hear the confirmation out loud. It would be too much. It was all too much. But Percy was going to say it anyway. He was going to rub the fact in her face as smugly as he could.
"Nikita."
