Michael was being so sweet with her. He was always sweet and kind, yet then he seemed to be even more so. Nikita loved it, she did. But she didn't need it. She was fine. She had put what her adopted mother did behind her. She processed; she moved on. Her boyfriend didn't have to comfort her or find answers. She didn't care about reasoning. She didn't need an explanation. All she had to do was take down Division and Oversight. That was their mission.
Sean concerned Nikita, however. Her brother being involved worried her, and kind of scared her. He shouldn't have been there. Madeline Pierce already destroyed one of her children's lives. She couldn't ruin another. Maybe Nikita was overreacting. They had been on a military related mission- they broke a man out of military prison. They could've been why Sean was there. He followed their father's footsteps and joined the Army or something. He was called in for that special circumstance. That was all. She wouldn't see him anymore.
God, she hoped that was true. Sean had to stay as far away from her war as possible- all of her siblings did. They deserved to have their happily ever after. Nikita was still fighting for hers. Michael was the best partner to help her with that. He was just focusing on different things. One morning, she woke to an empty bed. She stumbled out of the covers, curious to know where her boyfriend disappeared to. Nikita found Michael hunched at a computer and digging through the contents of a black box. She sighed, alerting him to her presence, "Hey. How'd you sleep?"
His green eyes didn't tear away from the screen. All of Michael's attention was on the information he was reading. Nikita closed the distance between them and wrapped an arm around his tense shoulders. She slipped her fingers through his growing dark hair, massaging his scalp. He relaxed instantly at her touch. She grinned softly, "Probably better than you."
"I've been thinking about that mission you witnessed." Finally glancing at her, Michael admitted. Nikita wanted to assure him that he didn't have to look into it. It was almost ten years ago. It wasn't important. But to him, it seemed to be. He was serious about doing anything for her. That shouldn't have surprised her; he was always serious, "The hit was so blatant. There has to be a reason for it."
"Yeah. It's called corruption of power," Nikita quipped, brown eyes rolling. Why did Oversight and Division do anything if not to gain power. She moved to the kitchen to make them both some coffee. It was something productive she could do. She wasn't going to sit around contemplating her past. She wouldn't let it drown her again.
"You don't wanna know what you saw?" Michael followed Nikita. When it came to his family, he wanted to know everything; there had to be an explanation. The terrible acts couldn't have happened without reason. He wanted to find it- he needed to find it. That fact must've been the same for her.
Except it wasn't. Nikita had her explanation. Her adopted mother was corrupt. She ran a shitty organization in a perverse sense of national security. It was all self-serving. She even gave away her daughter to keep the black ops unit in power. There was no explanation that could justify those actions, "I don't care. Unless we're gonna help the guy who was wrongly convicted."
"He died a couple of years ago… But. What about the car crash?" Michael wondered quietly. Nikita had told him how she 'died', and he knew what happened when she arrived in Division. However, their information was limited. They didn't know the full story. Uncovering the complexities of Nikita's past was important to Michael. The facts could bring her peace and understanding. She wouldn't feel so hurt. But she was being so goddamn stubborn.
"Was anyone else injured?" That was all Nikita worried about. When Michael informed her only a recruit Division planned on canceling anyway had died, she nodded. She didn't want to delve into it further. As long as no one died solely because of her, she didn't care. It wasn't worth her time, "Okay then. Let's move on. Focus on the big picture."
"Don't you think Oversight sanctioned missions are a big picture?" Not willing to drop the subject, Michael argued. Nikita nearly slammed her coffee mug on the counter. He wasn't going to give up, however. Their stubbornness battled with one another. Usually whenever that happened, she ended up the winner; she was a force to be reckoned with in all things. Yet in that moment, she faltered. She was tired. And she kept thinking about her brother. She couldn't focus on shutting things down or arguing with her boyfriend.
"I know what happened, okay. A senator dared to cross Oversight, got killed, and to keep it a secret I was hidden away. Who cares about why or any of the details. It doesn't matter," Nikita didn't mean to snap so harshly. Her acidity and ferocity simply bubbled to the surface. She chugged her bitter and hot coffee to settle herself somehow. The look Michael was giving her wasn't helping. He appeared to be holding something back- something important he wanted to say. The expression was a bit too much, "What?"
"I saw you that night. During the Rathborne op. You were standing in the security office, the light illuminating you in the window," Michael was apologetic as he confessed. Nikita needed a second to understand what he just said. He was one of the agents she saw in that back lot. He was a part of the team that killed a senator. It wasn't as though she could blame him. It was a Division op. He had no other choice.
Nikita stuttered for air. She set down her coffee and ran a shaky hand through her hair. Michael neared her, attempting to comfort her. She took an involuntary step back. She wasn't upset with him- she wasn't. She just needed to process, "You were there?"
"We were told he was selling secrets and had to be eliminated. I didn't know about the cover story. And I didn't think you saw anything. That's why I told Roan to stand down," Roan had insisted there was a witness to take care of, but Michael had shut it down. There wasn't any proof; he was overreacting. If only he had known. If only he had known about a lot of Division's dirty dealings. He would've destroyed that hellhole a long time ago. But the secrecy and half-truths kept him loyal to Percy. He knew everything then, and he was furious.
"So Roan was the one with the gun. He also ratted me out. Makes sense," Squaring her shoulders, Nikita was able to accept the new facts. She was fairly certain he was the one to have injected her with the toxin that faked her death. Of course he was also the soldier with the gun who had threatened her. Percy's lap dog was excellent at terrifying people and cleaning up any messes made.
Michael closed the space between them, and took hold of her hand. He squeezed gently, conveying his support and comfort. The situation was insane, and discovering people you knew were involved must've been difficult. But he was there for her. He'd listen to her rant or whisper comforting words. Whatever she needed, including the rest of the story, "It was a security guard. And a Division hacker confirmed the fact."
Instantly, she knew what hacker he was talking about. As if on cue, Birkhoff sleepily stumbled into the room. Nikita had to remind herself that he didn't know what he had done. He didn't know the effects of his hacks. He was forced to do them just like any other recruit and agent. It was Division's fault. It was Oversight's fault. It was Percy, Amanda, and Madeline's fault. No one else was to blame. She knew that. She really did. She ran out of the room, nonetheless. She wanted a moment to herself. To go on a run, practice yoga, take a shower, she'd do anything to be active and not think. Michael and Birkhoff didn't deserve her anger or wrath. They didn't do anything wrong. The corrupt people they were forced to serve did.
Maybe those feelings were why Nikita threw herself into their newest mission. Her old partner, Kelly, needed her help. She could do something about that. She couldn't let her down. Even after she betrayed her and Alex to Ari and Gogol, she was still going to help. Kelly had been abused by the same people Nikita had. Which meant she needed to receive the same support she had. That was how they would take down Division and Oversight, by using their skills and people against them. But Kelly didn't take the offer. She was determined to kill Alex. So Nikita killed her. Although she felt awful about that, it gave her time to talk to her old friend. They were both able to apologize, and she was able to impart wisdom, "I know you'll make the right choice."
Her statement made Alex blurt something. The way Nikita said it reminded her of someone she was frustratingly in contact with. In fact, a lot of their 'choices' discussion reminded her of that someone. It was as though one was copying the other, "Nikita. Do you know someone named Sean?"
"There's a lot of people named Sean," Nikita was confused. The subject change seemed to have come from nowhere. They didn't really have the time to talk about it either. Gogol and Division were sure to catch up to them. They had to go.
"Lieutenant Commander Sean Mason Pierce," But Alex's words froze Nikita in her spot. The 'Lieutenant Commander' meant nothing to her. However, Sean Mason Pierce did. He meant a whole lot to her. She was in shock. There was no way Alex should've known that name. Nikita never mentioned him, or anyone else in her family. She never wanted to dwell on it or confront those complicated feelings. So she kept it locked away for so long. Despite that, Sean continued to haunt her.
"Where did you hear that name?" Her voice was barely recognizable. It was quiet and strained like it didn't want to be used. Alex's blue eyes filled with sudden realization. Something was going on. Nikita and Sean knew each other; they knew each other well. Or at least they used to. Judging by Nikita's expression, whatever that connection was had been severed.
"He works for Oversight," Alex responded softly. Nikita looked like she was going to be sick. That was the last thing she had wanted to hear. She wasn't given a moment to recover, however. Alex had to warn her and an approaching Michael about Division, "Guys. Backup's coming. You gotta run."
Nikita didn't register her warning or Michael's exfil plan. She had to be pulled away from the scene and forced to run through the woods. Sean was Oversight. Her brother was working with Division to track her down. She felt as though she couldn't breathe. She certainly couldn't think. Alex had to have been wrong. It was a mistake. Her brother couldn't be mixed up in all of that. She saw him in the alley, though. And she saw him shooting at her at the motel. Sean was working with her enemies. Everyone around her was used as pawns to destroy her life. But she was going to save them anyway. She didn't know what else she was supposed to do for the people she loved.
