"Alex, please. Just hold on," After frantically calling for backup and a medevac, Nikita never let go of Alex. She ripped off both their shirts in order to stop the bleeding. Nikita had to see the gunshot wound, know how bad it was. All she could gather past the massive amounts of blood was that the bullet was still in Alex's shoulder. Medical would have to be the ones to remove it. Nikita just had to press her shirt into her best friend's shoulder and hope for the best. Judging by how much blood they were both coated in, that might not have been the case.
"I got you, Alex. We have you. Stay here," Sean had rushed to Alex's side the instant she was brought into Division. He was surprised she had stayed conscious. It was a long, painful trip back from the prison, even with a med-team and Nikita staunching the blood. Alex was far stronger than Sean, especially when he was shot on a mission. He could never be like her- no one could. Which was why he needed her to hold on. She had to be alright. She had always been strong. She could fight a bullet wound as well. If anyone could pull through, it'd be her.
While medics wheeled Alex to surgery, Nikita let go. She'd only be in the way if she held on. Besides, Sean was with Alex. Nikita knew he'd take care of her after Medical healed her. The former rogue had done all she could. She could head into Ops and learn what Division's next move was. However, she couldn't move. For just a moment, Nikita was stuck in place. Her mind was blank. Her muscles were frozen. She just felt numb. It was probably shock, or the fact that she was covered in Alex's blood. Either way, it took everything in her to finally stumble towards Ops and hear Sonya shout, "I had the cameras! You were supposed to be watching the guards."
"I don't know what kind of ship you were running her while I was gone, but…" Birkhoff began to shout back. He and Sonya had been at one another's throats since the mission fell apart. If the guard never passed the agents' path, Mia wouldn't have had the chance to shoot Alex. The hackers had to blame someone for how badly they had failed their friend; they shouldn't have let her get hurt. However, all arguments stopped when Sonya and Birkhoff caught sight of Nikita. Her bronze skin was pale and covered in dark, crimson blood. It crept up her hands to her arms, her chest, and her neck. There was just so much of it- no way it all came from Alex.
"You guys were great. Let's just focus on Mia," Shaking her head, Nikita walked past everyone staring at her. They shouldn't be focused on her. She was fine. None of the blood was hers. The bullet had embedded deep into Alex's shoulder. Her blood had nowhere to go but out. Nikita did her best to stop it, and to ensure the young woman's heart continued to beat. She didn't care about herself or her own appearance. No one should either. Everyone's energy should either be spent on healing Alex or finding Mia. Nothing else was important.
At least to Nikita it wasn't. Although she dismissed concern, worried glances were still thrown her way. The greatest came from her fiancé. As soon as he saw her stagger into Ops on unsure feet, Michael rushed to her. Her gaze might have been set in fierce determination, rage and shock fueling her every step. But he could read the tautness of her muscles and the shake in her steps. Nikita was barely holding herself together. She was so terrified of losing another loved one. She wouldn't; Michael would assure her of that. After all, he needed comfort too. He didn't want to lose Alex either, "Hey. Hey. Nikki. Are you alright?"
"It's not my blood," Although tears bit in her eyes, Nikita kept her voice hollow. She blamed her building sob on Michael; he had called her 'Nikki'. He only did that when he thought something was wrong. Whenever he believed she needed the most comfort, he reached for her with the softest gaze, hold, and words. She'd normally allow herself to melt into his softness, but she couldn't that time. Nothing was wrong. There was no need to break down or seek comfort. Alex would be fine. She was in surgery; she was going to be alright. The team didn't need to get all weepy. They just had to continue their mission.
"What happened? I thought Mia was coming in. How could she become loyal to the terrorists?" Unfortunately, Ryan didn't have information to share. Division was left scrambling after Mia's betrayal. Of all the things to expect from that mission, her shooting Alex was definitely not one of them. Mia had asked to stay undercover to stop the terrorists. It was hard to believe that she would've lied. How could she have become loyal to a group she tried to destroy. What could've possibly been going through her mind to make her attempt to kill agents.
"I don't care. She shot Alex," Curtly, Nikita stopped Ryan from digging into Mia's motives. What did it matter. She turned on them, she hurt one of their own, and she was going to help terrorists. Her intentions and thought process shouldn't be Division's concern. They simply had to take her out as they would any other Dirty Thirty. They'd ruin her dangerous plans and ensure she couldn't hurt anyone else. If that meant they had to kill her, so be it. Normally, death should've been the last option. But Mia shot Alex; she didn't get a second chance.
"What's our next move?" Michael kept his voice steady in an attempt to not disturb emotions further. They were all too shaky to even discuss another mission at that time. A friend in critical condition wasn't something they could easily move past. They needed to take a moment to collect themselves, breathe, settle down, ensure they were alright as well. But Michael knew Nikita wouldn't rest until she could act on her rage. And Ryan wouldn't quit until he had answers. The team had to do something soon.
"You figure it out while I shower," Nikita made the others plan for her, however. She didn't want to sit around and think. She just wanted to act. The team had to have had some intel to help with that. Michael and Sean were able to uncover information when they investigated the terrorist organization. The target they were looking at was a Senator with tons of security. If the terrorists were going to strike, they'd have to plan extensively. Surely, they had a staging area to do so at. Michael only shared that idea with Ryan rather than follow through with it himself. He needed to chase after Nikita instead. He wouldn't just let her walk away.
Nikita avoided Medical. She simply went to the locker room to shower and change into her back up pair of clothes. She knew if she went to check on Alex, she'd never leave. She'd bother the medics to the point that they might mess up during surgery. She couldn't take that risk. Sean, on the other hand, paced outside the operating room until Alex was patched up. Then, he sat at her bedside and watched over her. He just wanted to ensure her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. She'd come back to him if that was the case. It took a couple hours, but she eventually began to stir. She had slipped back into the world, "Hey. You're okay. You're alright."
"Is Nikita okay?" Alex slurred. Her eyes could barely open. Everything felt so heavy and painful. She knew Sean was right next to her, however. She heard his gentle voice rumbling in her ear clearly. She could also feel his rough, warm, strong hand in hers. It was her left hand, though. That was weird. He usually grabbed her right. She soon felt her right arm in a sling draped across her stomach, and everything came rushing back to her. She had been shot, she had had surgery, and she was in immense pain. Although she finally got her eyes to open all the way, she couldn't move any more on the bed.
"Yeah. As stubborn and hardheaded as ever. But just focus on yourself. You were the one that was shot, remember," Settling Alex, Sean spoke as softly as he could. He didn't want his anxiety to choke his voice. She needed someone to remain steady. She didn't appear completely conscious at the moment. Although she could look around, she studied her surroundings in confusion. Yet the grip she had on his hand was fierce. She'd be back to her normal self in no time. He could breathe. She was alright.
"But Mia was aiming for Nikita. Is she okay?" Alex continued to struggle in the cot. The more she trudged into consciousness, the more okay she felt. If she just kept her shoulder stable, she should be able to move around without problem. She had suffered worse than a bullet wound, after all. Once she could get out of bed without feeling woozy from blood loss, she had to go check on her team. They needed her help. She also had to know if Nikita managed to avoid the other gunshots. Her memory was a bit fuzzy after her best friend had screamed her name. She needed answers to fill in the blank. She couldn't rest until she knew they were all safe.
"She's fine. You lost a lot of blood. Just relax, and it'll all be okay," Running a soothing hand along Alex's good arm, Sean helped her sit back against her pillows. He tried to flash her a comforting grin as well, but the information she just shared with him had him too rattled. Of course Nikita wouldn't mention that she was the intended target. She only cared about others- never herself. No threat to her life could stop her. She was going to keep running into the fray until she died. The thought alone caused bile to churn in Sean's stomach. His sister was so willing to lose her life, and Alex nearly paid the price.
Sean didn't know his grip had tightened on Alex until she winced. Instantly, he let go and tried to comfort her again. His anxieties weren't important at the moment. She deserved all the attention. Whatever she needed, he'd get for her. Alex should have rest and peace. Unfortunately, that wasn't what she wanted. There were things she had to do. She was feeling better, so it was time to go back out in the field. Her team needed her, and so did her enemy. She just knew Mia was in way over her head. She'd seen that look in those eyes before, "Mia needs our help."
"Alex. For once, please, let someone else be the hero. Just rest. The others will take care of it. They're more than capable," Sean ever so gently nudged Alex back into bed. Her desire to help people was amazing. It was just one more awesome thing about her. However, she didn't have to sacrifice herself to save others. Her health didn't have to be the price she paid to be the hero. She had already gotten her revenge and helped Nikita destroy Division. Alex didn't have to be there anymore. She didn't have to be in any more danger. Sean had to make her understand that. Other people could save the world. He just needed her to save herself.
After all, the team was more than determined to hunt Mia down and stop the terrorist organization. Birkhoff and Sonya hacked violently until they found the staging area Michael suggested the terrorists might have. There was an abandoned building near the hockey arena Birkhoff was able to track that video sharing app he had found to. There was no doubt that was where Mia had run. Which meant, that was where the team would follow. Nikita and Michael geared up with Alpha support and took off without much of a plan; though, they only really needed one. They simply knew they were going to attack, "Mia, you bitch."
As soon as Mia saw Nikita infiltrate the building, she bolted. The former rogue followed. Michael and the Alpha team split up to tackle the rest of the terrorists. They didn't expect much of a fight, but the group wasn't made up of amateurs; the assailants were well trained. Michael was nearly stabbed by the leader in a knife fight that was hardly going his way. But Nikita ignored all that. She only wanted to hurt Mia. And Mia only wanted to hurt her, "Why are you still loyal to Division? You can't possibly believe you'll go home?"
"They won't bring you home either," Nikita spat. If Mia really wanted to go home, her best bet was with Division. They had to earn their freedoms back, not steal them. It still wasn't an ideal situation, but there wasn't anything better for them. Once Division was shut down, the agents would have their pardons and their freedoms. That couldn't happen with Mia running around with terrorists. In fact, that ruined everything for everybody. They didn't have the luxury to think about themselves in that situation. Either they all won, or they all lost.
"I found a new home. You better start doing the same. Holding onto the past just hurts you," Mia stopped Nikita from approaching even further. She had been wearing an explosive lined vest, and in the split second it took for Nikita to follow her around a corner, she armed it. If the agent shot her, not only would Mia die, but so would everyone else in the building. Maybe if it was only her and Nikita, she'd take that chance. But the former rogue couldn't endanger Michael or the Alpha team. She'd have to hurt Mia some other way.
"Or, it gives me the strength to kick your ass," There was more weight to her words than to her actions. Nikita could've easily kicked Mia's ass. She did so all the time when they were agents in Division together. But there was the explosive vest to worry about. Also, Nikita was too distracted to notice how the fight was proceeding. Talking about home, her past, and why she was still in Division always had her mind in a twist. There were too many conflicting emotions. She should've gotten a handle on herself during a fight, yet she couldn't think straight. She was kicked out the glass window before she even knew there was one behind her.
"Nikki!" Michael saw Nikita, though. He was on a lower level of the building. He saw her falling from another window, and he heard the crash of glass and wood through the coms as she hit the ground. Immediately, he rushed to his fiancée. The Alpha team could handle whatever there was left to do; he didn't care. He just had to reach Nikita. He thanked God that she was conscious when he found her. She was able to move on the ground too- she just groaned as she tried to get up. Michael gently helped her to her feet and held her closely. She clung to him as he sighed in relief, "You're okay. Yeah, you're alright."
Nodding against his shoulder, Nikita claimed she had had worse; the wind had simply been knocked out of her. After a moment, she could be ready for round two. Michael checked her for a major injury, nonetheless. He didn't feel anything broken, just cuts and bruises. He'd still make her go to Medical once they regrouped and returned to Division. He couldn't understand how that mission had gotten away from them as well. They should've had it in the bag; things should've gone their way. They must have been missing something, "What happened?"
Somberly, Nikita glanced at where Mia had been, "Some people are lost to the cause."
