Nikita showed Liza her old recruit room. She wanted the girl to see where she had come from. She was kept in a basement away from her family too. She wasn't lying about that. She had also hidden something from her captors too. There was a crack in the wall of Nikita's old room. She told Alex about it before she was recruited, just in case she was placed in the same room. But other than her, no one else knew her secret. Nikita would tell Liza, however. The preteen should know she was never as alone as she thought.
Despite what had happened to her, Liza didn't have to live her life alone. She didn't have to hide herself like she had hidden her necklace. Nikita and Alex were there for her. They understood her, and could help her. Nikita hoped sharing her recruit room, crack in the wall, and the fact that she had hidden a keycard so she could sneak around and defy orders would help the girl. There was no reason for her to fear the agents. They really were just like her. They all wanted to hurt the men who had done terrible things to them. They all fought to keep their spirits alive in their respective hellholes. And they all had the chance to go home again.
Liza held out from trusting Nikita for a while longer. Alex claimed it was nothing to worry about. When the former rogue had helped her get clean, she appeared distant as well. But Nikita's constant care and persistence helped break down her walls. She just had to be patient with Liza. She could do that without a problem. She'd answer the preteen's questions, let her take her time to think, and gladly inform her that she dropped her captor down a hole. The last bit of information had Liza more hooked than anything else Nikita had said. That seemed to give her hope. And a sort of fire the agent recognized well.
Hoping to keep gaining Liza's trust and prove she could escape from Wade for good, Nikita gave her back her necklace. The preteen froze the instant she saw the piece of jewelry. Nikita assured that they had found it, not Wade; her secret was safe with them. Yet that wasn't what had her transfixed. It was what the necklace represented. Alex had mentioned that Liza's mother had a similar necklace. The beaded jewelry was her connection to home. If Nikita was offering to return it to her, then she was bringing her home. It wasn't a line- it wasn't a platitude. The agent was actually going to help the preteen.
Holding her necklace against her chest tightly, Liza crashed into Nikita for an embrace. She gave her one instantly. Once again, she assured that everything would be alright. It would be okay. The preteen believed her that time. She told the agent everything she could about Wade's plans. He was going to use the bomb he stole to kill a powerful man in New York. It was going to happen that night unless Division could stop him. Nikita swore that they could. Thanks to Liza, they'd be able to save the day.
As Nikita went to inform the team, however, the break in their mission soon fell apart. Wade attacked Division, and Liza escaped. It wasn't a full attack. He simply used a robotic gun as a distraction. But Liza really did escape. She disarmed and beat up a guard, and ran for it. She also lied to Nikita. Her information didn't pan out. The team couldn't locate the building she had talked about, or what powerful man Wade might kill. They had been had. Whatever progress Nikita had been making with the preteen was null and void. They were back to square one.
At least, that was what Ryan believed. The rest of the team had more hope. Nikita and Alex knew Liza still wanted to help them. She didn't want to be with Wade. Her fear simply ran that deep. If they stopped him though, then she'd be able to break free; she'd be able to go home. Michael was fairly certain Liza hadn't completely lied to them. There must've been some clue- a half truth- in what she had said. Thinking it over, the team was quickly able to figure out what was occurring. Wade was going to kill a man in New York, but not in some random building. He was going after the target his murdered recruit couldn't take out. He was aiming for a consulate.
Division had to rush out to stop Wade, and save Liza and the target. However, once again, Ryan believed differently. He listed Liza next to Wade as a threat. He claimed it was because she lied and harmed a guard. Yet Alex and Nikita didn't care. Liza was a victim. She only acted out of fear. They should continue to treat her with kindness and care. Except Ryan wouldn't listen to the two women who would know best. He wouldn't put his agents in danger. So, the two just had to break the rules once more.
While Michael, Nikita, and the Alpha team geared up, Alex returned to the Abbotts. Maybe Liza's parents could give her one more than that could help. Alex had had her father's watch to cling to, and Nikita had her brother then. Sure, Liza had her necklace hidden away. But there could be one more thing to snap her out of her fear- one more thing to bring her home. The preteen's mother handed over her beaded necklace. That should've been enough to help Liza. Alex agreed. The girl's strong connection to her loving home would be her saving grace.
Just in time for the team to put their haphazard plan into place, Alex gave Nikita the mother's necklace. If she showed it to Liza once she found her, then that would be all. The girl would be saved. Michael, meanwhile, would deal with Wade. Alex and half of the Alpha team helped him hunt down their Dirty Thirty- the other half of the Alpha team secured the building. That gave Nikita more freedom in her search for Liza. She had to find her before she planted the bomb; she had to find her before it was too late.
When the team solved what Wade was planning, the rest of his scheme was easy to understand. Wade wasn't going to kill the target. Liza was. It was her final mission before graduating the recruit program- as fucked up as that sounded. Like any decent handler, Wade would be watching from the surrounding area to ensure it all went well. If it didn't, well, no one wanted to think about that. They were just going to focus on killing Wade and saving Liza. That was what their choices came down too. The Dirty Thirty shouldn't live and be granted his pardon after what he had done. And the girl deserved peace after all she had experienced.
Locating her in the basement of the consulate, Nikita slowly approached. She tuned out Michael tracking down Wade over her coms, and only focused on Liza. The girl shook as she held the detonator to the bomb. She didn't want to pull the trigger. But Wade would kill everyone if she didn't. She had to keep her parents safe. Nikita knew that. But she also knew that the Abbotts were alright. Wade couldn't hurt them, just like he couldn't hurt Liza. Not anymore. She could put down the detonator and leave it all behind her.
It was too good for Liza to believe. She couldn't put her trust into something that had the chance to hurt her. At least she believed she couldn't, until Nikita showed her her mother's necklace. That, plus more assurances from the agent, was enough for Liza to rip out her com connecting her to Wade, and turn off the detonator. Nikita helped her, and wrapped her in a tight embrace when it was all over. No one had to worry about anything anymore. Michael and Birkhoff worked together to kill Wade. Alex and the Alpha team found the bomb and removed it from the building. And Nikita had Liza. Everyone was safe. Everyone was sound.
And after debriefings and some cleaning up, everyone could go home. Alex and Nikita helped Liza formulate a cover story to tell her parents as they bought her new clothes and let her calm down after the almost bombing. Her parents couldn't know what had happened with Wade. It was far too much to handle. Also, Division had to remain secret for safety's sake. Liza had no problem lying. She wanted to spare her parents pain. Besides, she was simply overjoyed to be home. She didn't care how that looked, as long as she was happy again.
Neither Nikita nor Alex could argue with that. The two were glad she was home too. Yet, when it came time to walk her to the house, Nikita decided to stay in the car. Alex should be the one to take Liza home. Yes, because she had been the one in contact with the Abbotts. But, also, it was her turn to be the hero. The former rogue had helped the last girl. She helped Alex return home to her mother and get revenge for her father. The young woman should be the one to finish that mission. She had been amazing with Liza, after all. Alex couldn't help but beam at Nikita.
The feeling in Nikita's stomach didn't feel normal while she watched Liza reunite with her parents. She was happy- that was undoubtedly so. She was beyond happy that Liza was home with her parents. The girl was safe and sound, and could have a chance at a normal life. It was rare to have that great of a happy ending to their missions. The bad guy was dead. The victims got to live happily ever after. It was clear cut; it was simple. If she was ever going to feel absolutely amazing for what happened on a mission, it'd be for that one. She and her team saved the day. They protected a young girl from the horrors they had faced. Everything should be great.
Except, Nikita couldn't ignore the feeling in her stomach. It just felt off, like something was wrong. There couldn't have been. Liza was perfect. Unless, it wasn't about the preteen. It probably wasn't. Other thoughts- darker thoughts- were circulating in her mind. It stole her happiness. The longer Nikita sat in the car, watching the mother and daughter cling to each other as Alex talked to them, the more that feeling became clear. It began to pang her. She felt guilty for feeling it. Yet that only made it worse.
She was jealous of Liza and her mother. It was a ridiculous feeling to have. Nikita knew that. But she couldn't stop staring in envy. A part of her kept repeating over and over that the huge embrace and wide smiles should've been hers and her mother's reunion. Her dad should've been there too. And her brother and sisters should've been waiting nearby to take her home. But she never had a happy reunion. Her dad was long gone, never coming back. She and her mother fought until it was too late to make real amends. She was long gone too. And Jill and Sandy still didn't know she was alive. Although she had Sean, she was nowhere closer to home.
Alex and Liza were able to return home, but she remained far from it. Nikita fought to stay positive for her best friend and the preteen. The fact that they could return to their mothers and the life they once had (somewhat- they couldn't ever truly go back after all they experienced) was a blessing. Nikita could do it too someday. The two's happiness was proof that that could happen. She didn't need to drown in her negative thoughts. She could just be overjoyed for others. Liza and Alex deserved to escape from their past atrocities too.
Fortunately, Alex returning to the car helped snap Nikita out of the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could focus on all the positives. One of which being that Sean hadn't been on that mission. She didn't want him going through the same struggle of thinking about home. He had enough on his plate already with trying to juggle the Seals, Division, and his separated sisters. Wade and Liza might've been too much, especially since Nikita knew he'd be thinking about her and Alex the entire time.
Michael had. The only reason he had found Liza's hidden necklace was because he was thinking about Nikita. He knew about the crack in the wall in her recruit room, and he knew about the keycard. He simply never ratted her out to Percy. Even when he didn't have to, he had her back. Mostly because he knew recruits had to keep some sense of themselves in order to survive Division. Liza wasn't any different. Michael, Nikita, and Alex could all see the parallels. Which meant Sean could've too. Which meant Nikita had to keep her brother away from it. He shouldn't have had to go through what she did.
But Nikita could stop thinking about all that. Alex's bright smile reminded her of their happy present. There were no more girls in basements. They were free and happy. No one was controlling them anymore. They could do whatever they wanted At that moment, though, Nikita just wanted to be with her family. She knew she couldn't go to Jill and Sandy. But, she could still be with Sean, Michael, Alex, Birkhoff, and even Ryan (who she was still mad at). She still had loved ones all around her- she still had a home. They all did.
