Ryan was alive. It didn't make sense, and it didn't seem real. But he was alive nonetheless. Nikita couldn't wrap her head around what Amanda's endgame was. Roan had killed Ryan; she had seen it with her own eyes. She watched him plunge the needle full of God knew what into his IV. Her friend died before she could even get to him. There was no way he could've been alive and held hostage by Amanda. A part of Nikita wondered if that was how Sean had felt. He had seen Roan 'kill' her, only for her to resurface in connection to Division. What was it about that place that just loved to bring back ghosts.
No one had expected Ryan Fletcher to come back to life when Amanda had called. The team honestly had no idea what she wanted to talk to them about. Considering her dead agents and connection to Ari, it wasn't going to be a fun conversation. Nikita still approached it with her flippant sarcasm, however. She'd try anything to not think too much about her current situation. If she pushed it aside, and played it lightly, maybe those complicated emotions would go away. Her attitude certainly helped push aside the idea that Amanda only wanted to talk to her, "Oh, I already talked to Nikita. She said there's no way in hell she'd help you."
"What about an old friend?" Amanda knew better than to get involved with her sarcasm. She'd simply force her agenda on the team whether they were on board or not. With their confusion, they weren't. There was no way she was talking about herself. No one in their right mind would consider her a friend. She must've had a trick up her sleeve. Cautious curiosity shot through Nikita, Michael, and Birkhoff. Carla kept her distance. She didn't appreciate what they were doing. Dealing with Amanda was only going to burn them.
"Hey, Nikita," But none of that mattered once the 'old friend' spoke. Nikita froze at hearing his familiar voice. It shouldn't have been possible. She had faced 'impossible' so many times, though. She shouldn't have been that surprised to hear him talking to her, nor should Michael or Birkhoff. Faked death was something they were far too used to. It was as though no one in their lives stayed gone forever. They always found their way into the war one way or another, haunting the team. He was no different.
"Ryan?"
"Sean? What are you doing here?" Alex was shocked at the sight of Sean Pierce waiting for her in the hallway. She had heard him creeping outside her hotel door, causing her to reach for her gun. She thought Semak was making another move against her; there was no possible way he was happy about her following Zetrov back to Russia, especially since she brought the press along with her. But it was just her friend with a briefcase in his hands. She just stood and gaped at him, unsure of what was happening. Fortunately, he barreled his way into her suite with an explanation.
"Nikita didn't tell you? I'm your new bodyguard," There was a slight grumble to his voice, but otherwise Sean appeared excited that he was there. Someone had to watch after Alex while she was in the heart of Gogol territory. Everyone knew she could handle herself, yet it was easier for the team's anxiety if she had a partner. Although she rolled her blue eyes as she shut the door, she wasn't going to fight the decision. She was glad she wasn't alone.
What she wasn't appreciative of was Sean dumping his stuff and messing with her things. Well, it was the hotel's things not hers. But she didn't need him poking around. He was acting like he had never been in a suite before. He probably hadn't; Navy Seals liked to rough it after all. Suddenly realizing, Alex froze. He was a covert Seal. If his identity got out, who knew what would happen. She didn't want to be responsible for that. He didn't need to risk himself for her, "What about your covert Seal status? If someone gets a picture of you…"
"Already blown from the Gates House coverage. Besides, Ari still has the black box. Somebody has to wipe my mother's and sister's secrets off of there," Shrugging, Sean flashed her a smile. He didn't care about his covert status anyway. He'd give it up all over again to help Alex and his family- okay, maybe Nikita was onto something about his crush. Shaking those thoughts away, he refocused on his new partner. She shot him a skeptical look until he held up his briefcase. Destroying the one remaining black box really was on his agenda. As was protecting her.
"Fine. Just don't get in my way," Alex hid her smile, turning her back to put her gun away and continue getting ready. She was due at the rebuilt Udinov estate soon for a press tour. Her original plan was to find some way to sneak off and rescue her mother. But she'd have to change it up with Sean there. That wasn't a terrible thing, however. He'd be a great help in distractions. She also wouldn't have to be as tense or anxious for an attack. Having a partner was going to make things so much simpler. The fact that he knew what was at stake, and was serious about it, made it even better.
"Wouldn't dream of it. Saving your mom's the priority."
"Nice try, Amanda. You obviously just spliced old recordings together," Nikita wasn't buying it. What reason could Division have for faking a CIA analyst's death. It made more sense to just have him killed; he was the one to spoil black ops' missions and identify members of Oversight. There was no tactical reason for Amanda to keep Ryan Fletcher alive. But she could use his voice to screw with the team. The bitch loved to play with recruits' emotions- why should she stop once they escaped. They had been spoiling her plans a lot recently. She probably wanted her revenge.
"You remember what you said to me when we first met? 'I'm Nikita. You hung up on me'," However, Ryan was always excellent at illuminating the truth. He actually was alive. More shock and confusion rippled through Nikita, Michael, and Birkhoff. They understood how it was possible; it was the reason that had them scrambling for answers. They doubted they could get them while Amanda was on the line, though. The nerd muted the conversation, giving them space to talk. They just had no idea where to start. How did one process the return of a ghost.
"So that really is Fletcher?" Although Birkhoff lamely asked, Nikita glanced at Ms. Bennet. Her brother and her former teacher definitely knew what it was like to have someone you love suddenly return from the dead. But she had to shrug that off for the moment. She wouldn't allow herself to be swept by emotions earlier, that had to extend to that moment as well. Amanda was up to something by dangling Ryan in front of the team. The rogue had to be rational and composed as she attempted to figure out her enemy's plan.
"Are you satisfied? I have something you want, and you can get something I want."
"Your first plan is a press conference?" Sean was skeptical after Alex told him the scheme she had created. It wasn't as though he didn't believe it could be done; it was just thin. The two would need something more substantial if they were going up against Gogol and Zetrov. They were in enough trouble as it was with the Russian organizations. If they were caught snooping around, there would be no chance of saving Katya or destroying the black box. Whereas he was concerned about the outcome, she rolled her eyes again.
"A tour of the estate. I can distract them with the office where the black box probably is, while you sneak off and get my mom," Smirking, she clarified. She wasn't going to lie- she felt proud of herself for her idea. They still had to work out a couple of kinks. But overall, it was a solid strategy to complete their two objectives. Sean came to the same conclusion after thinking it over a little more. Alex was right about splitting up. The two were partners, might as well utilize that.
"You came up with that pretty fast," He couldn't help but smile along with her. Alex had certainly accepted and adjusted to the change fairly quickly. Sean had thought she would've been a bit more stubborn; the first few times he had tried to help her she had been. Yet, he had become less abrasive since then. He would admit that he was an ass when they first met. He could blame trying to deal with his mother's role in Oversight and discovering his dead sister had been alive and forced to be an assassin the whole time. But that wouldn't have been fair. He shouldn't have treated her like that.
Though, she was a pain in the ass with how little she trusted anyone. Alex had come a long way since then too. She even moved closer to Sean as they prepared to leave the suite. It could've been nothing, yet his heart raced anyway. He seriously had to get that under control. He was being ridiculous. And he was totally imagining the blush on her cheeks. She had just put makeup on; the jetlag had driven him insane. Clearing her throat, she got him to refocus on what they were discussing, "Well if there's one thing I learned from Nikita it's…"
"How to improvise," The words left him before he could think. Sean didn't mean to interrupt her. He just knew exactly where she was going with that statement. Nikita could definitely create a plan from nothing. As her younger brother, he had unfortunately been the target of most of those. Alex giggled at his huffed tone, guessing what he was referring to based on her own interactions. Her laughter made him beam brilliantly, "After we save your mom, remind me to tell you some childhood stories."
"Oh my God, I would love that."
"We cannot make a deal with Amanda," Carla was insistent. It was the same determination that flared whenever the team dared to make a move that could end Division. Nikita was fucking sick of it. She had gotten her brother back; she thought she'd be able to have her mother and teacher as well. God, she hated whenever she was wrong. People always said she was stubborn and wouldn't listen. And they might have been right. But at least she supported the ones she loved. She didn't give them up to monsters.
"We don't sacrifice each other," Full of bitterness, Nikita turned her back on Carla. She'd have to deal with her former teacher eventually. She had to talk to her team, and maybe get her to finally see their side. One crazy woman in her life at a time, however. She had to play Amanda's game for the moment in order to get Ryan back. That wasn't a difficult choice for either her or Michael and Birkhoff. They had all decided long ago that they'd do anything for their friends, "What do you want?"
"Percy. We both know he's the reason my agents are dead. And you've tracked him before," Amanda's demands were simple. She'd give the team Ryan Fletcher, if they gave her Percy. Nikita, Michael, and Birkhoff couldn't object to that. Division would take out the bastard for them, then they could take out the black ops group. With the analyst joining their ranks once again, their goal might just become easier. The end to their crusade would be in sight, and their ragtag team would be together. Those were positives to hold onto.
"We can track him again. We'll catch up later," Another sarcastic quip left Nikita's mouth as she hung up on Amanda. That was all the bitch needed to know, anyway. The team would be able to handle everything else. Frustrated, Carla left the living room. She didn't want to be a part of what they were planning. The rogue was sort of glad. She needed her former teacher gone so she could talk with Michael and Birkhoff in private. They had to know what was occurring between Carla and Percy.
The men were confused about what Nikita promised Amanda, however. They had only managed to track Percy before because of the signal released by his killswitch. Knowing him, he would've remedied that problem. The team was out of options. They didn't even know where to start in finding the bastard. If they really wanted to save Ryan (and they did), they'd have to find another solution. Unsure of what she was thinking, Birkhoff attempted to reason with her, "Nikki, we can't…"
"Carla's in contact with Percy," Ensuring Ms. Bennet was truly out of the room, Nikita blurted. She was a little ashamed to admit the fact. She had pushed so hard to save her former teacher from Percy and Amanda, only for her to betray them. But the nerd and the agent didn't accuse her of any wrongdoing. Instead, they shifted gears. While Birkhoff started typing on his computer, trying to find the cell signal Carla was using to contact their enemy, Michael approached Nikita gently. They'd figure out their next steps together. She didn't have to shoulder that hurt alone.
"How do you want to play this?"
