Michael was surprised to see Nikita at home. Although he had spent some time talking to Sean, he had thought she would have still been in Division. She didn't seem like she could rest between Amanda's war, Owen's memory, and Sean's parting words. When Michael returned to the apartment, however, his fiancée was curled on the couch. She wasn't watching television, or reading, or even eating. She was simply lost in thought. That was potentially why she hadn't stayed in Division; Nikita couldn't focus. For once, burying herself in work wasn't helpful.

Instantly, her fiancé was determined to join her on the couch and comfort her. He just had to wash up and change first. Once Michael did, he settled next to Nikita and wrapped her in his arms. She remained stiff, almost like she thought she didn't deserve the softness. Michael only held her tighter. Caressing her arms, legs, and abdomen, he placed tender kisses along her cheek and neck. Eventually, Nikita began to relax. It wasn't substantial, but it was a good start. Michael believed that moment was a good time to ask Nikita to be open with him. They had to discuss what was going on. It wasn't something to ignore, "You wanna talk?"

Softly shaking her head, Nikita burrowed deeper into Michael's side. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around him; her fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt fiercely. He soothed her hold with more tender caresses and kisses. He didn't pressure her to talk. If she wanted to mope and let herself be overwhelmed by her emotions, then that was the perfect time to do so. They didn't have to do anything or be anywhere. She could just be upset. He'd be there for her when she was ready to be better. Then, they'd talk.

The gentle, soothing touches he gave her were meant for her muscles to relax and her mind to ease. However, it was Michael that fell asleep. In his defense, it had been a long couple of days full of stress and intense action. An hour or so of lying on the couch with his fiancée knocked him right out. Nikita, on the other hand, remained wide awake. She couldn't even close her eyes. She simply clung to the warmth radiating off her fiancé and thought too many thoughts.

It felt like the world was falling apart around her. She had no real control. If she had, Sean would've been right beside her. He wouldn't have yelled at her. He wouldn't have screamed her darkest thoughts back in her face. They would've been fighting side by side, reaching home together. That had been their goal since they had reunited. The war wasn't over until she could go home to their family with him. The two couldn't abandon their fight. They were too stubborn for that. They had always been too stubborn to give up.

So how could Sean snap at Nikita. Michael claimed it was anxiety. He had talked to Sean, and had given him some advice on how to manage his overwhelming grief and post-traumatic stress. Nikita couldn't fault Sean for any of that. It was difficult to press forward after so many atrocious things had happened. Alex getting shot and the Sarin gas attack only made things worse. After all, Sean wasn't the only one suffering from that pain. The whole team was terrified by the idea of losing one another. It was one of the most horrific things to imagine, especially since they didn't have to imagine too hard. They had experienced those losses before.

Which was why they had to fight harder, right. Wasn't the team supposed to ensure no one else ended up like them. Weren't they supposed to protect the innocent. They couldn't run; they had to fight. Except, that hadn't exactly been working out for them. Alex was severely injured. She might've fought against that fact and gotten herself hurt all over again. Yet she had almost died on a mission. She had taken the bullet for her best friend, and nearly bled out.

If that wasn't terrible enough, although the team had Owen back, something was wrong with him. The scarring on his brain wasn't even the half of it. His impulse control and lapse of judgment was almost as bad as when he was going through Regiment withdrawal. His memory- or lack thereof- was atrocious, and the more he tried to regain it the worse it became. He also couldn't control himself around Amanda. As soon as Owen saw her in the field, he spiraled. He wasn't the same capable and fearsome agent he used to be.

Nikita wanted to blame it all on Amanda. She was the one to fuck with Owen's mind in the first place. And at that moment, she desperately wanted to capture him to do God knew what in that torture chair (the same chair Birkhoff had almost had his brain scrambled in). Nikita believed it was simply just to fuck with the team. What was the Sarin attack and threatening message if not a way to rattle Division. Amanda wanted them scared. She wanted the former rogues' leadership questioned. She wanted another war just so she could grab more power.

A part of Nikita was ready for war. She wanted to kill Amanda and Ari and all the other Dirty Thirties that had hurt her and her team. Another part of Nikita- a quieter part- couldn't stomach the thought of another war. She was so tired. She just wanted her team and all of Division to receive their pardons and find their homes. She wanted to start her life with her fiancé, her family, and her friends. Didn't they all deserve that by then.

Sometime during the night, Michael woke back up. He never needed to sleep for long. Also, the awkward position on the couch eventually tensed his relaxed muscles. He was surprised, and concerned, that Nikita had stayed awake. Yet once whatever was on her mind tumbled loose, he instantly understood. He had the same apprehensions. Nothing about staying in Division to fight for everyone's freedom was easy. Yet it was still the right thing to do.

They stayed up the rest of the night talking. Nikita didn't share everything Sean had said to her- she couldn't- but she and Michael discussed everything else. The engaged couple talked about relieving their own stress, about Alex and Owen, and about Amanda. They weren't able to come up with any solutions to their problems. But talking at least helped to calm them down. The two felt far more comforted after that than what a nightmare filled sleep could've brought. Which worked great in their favor. At around the time their alarm would've sounded, Nikita and Michael received a text from Ryan. Yet another crisis they had to deal with was occurring.

Alex had been in the office for a while by the time Michael and Nikita arrived. She didn't seem to have slept well either. Based on how she kept adjusting her sling, her reinjured shoulder must've been bothering her. That, and possibly the same reasons Nikita couldn't sleep. The two should talk about it instead of ignoring one another. Yes, the shared hurt in their eyes was too much to face. But ignoring it for too long wouldn't do either of them any good. Alex already appeared to be doing poorly. She was fidgety, and she looked like she was ready to pounce on anything that moved wrong. Nikita was immediately concerned, "Hey, Alex. Are you okay?"

"I will be once we have a new mission," Alex brushed her friend aside, stalking towards the opposite end of Ryan's office. Nikita attempted to call her back, but it was of no use. Alex slumped against the wall, arms crossed as best she could, and glowering. Something was wrong. No, something was off. Michael had expressed that concern during his and Nikita's conversation. Since Sean left, Alex had been acting stranger than usual- even more unusual than she normally was when upset. She wouldn't talk to him about it. Except her best friend was different. Nikita could actually get something out of her if she tried. She wanted to at that moment, but then Ryan burst in, stealing everyone's attention.

"Alexei Markov, rogue Division agent, now the president of Uzbekistan," Ryan didn't have the time to gently break the news to the team. As soon as he discovered it, he went into full operations mode. Division agents had already tried to bring Markov in, yet that had been a complete disaster. And that was before he was President. Since he was in charge of an entire nation, it was going to be impossible to deal with him. Division couldn't just let it lie, however. If their own president discovered what had happened, the terrible situation would quickly become far worse. The mission hadn't even begun, and things were already spiraling.

"How?" Michael asked the question screaming through everyone's minds. How did a rogue Division agent take over a country. Even with the background information Michael had, it didn't make any sense. He remembered when Percy placed Markov undercover in Uzbekistan. He was supposed to sway political concerns towards American interests. He was never in any position of power, however. Apparently, running around unchecked had changed that.

"Never wanted to give up his undercover position, and then he corrupted his way to the top," Ryan gave the team a quick rundown of events. Using his Division honed skills, Markov managed to take an undercover clerk job and turn it into a presidency. A lot of corruption, cheating, and scandals carved his path. But that didn't stop him from wanting power above all else. Since he had it, there was no telling what he would do.

Obviously, Division had to do everything in their power to stop Markov. Yes, as one of their Dirty Thirties, they had to bring him in so they could gain their pardons. But also, the kind of unchecked power a dangerous rogue agent would have couldn't be allowed to exist. Alex and Sean (with a little help from Michael and Nikita) had taken out a political Division plant that had become too powerful and uncontrollable before. The team had to do it again. Yet, as Alex so eloquently put, "How the fuck are we going to deal with a rogue president?"

"If that wasn't bad enough, we have a mole inside Division," Birkhoff had planned a better way of informing the team about the mole. Yet with them all gathered together, that moment was as good as any. They weren't just dealing with the most complicated and outrageous operation they had ever faced, their situation with Amanda also became a hell of a lot worse. Two horrific disasters were occurring at once, and they might not be enough to stop it all.

Ryan shot Birkhoff an exasperated look. He had wanted to show the evidence of the mole to the team first, then tell them about it. He also wanted the Markov issue out of the way before more shit was piled on. The shock of Birkhoff's statement caused the entire room to freeze. They stared at each other, unable and unwilling to believe what they had heard. Someone had turned on them. One of their own had led to the horrific attacks they had faced. Nikita could barely speak as she asked her desperate clarifying question, "Like, a mole working for Amanda?"

"I found encrypted communications sent from an unknown terminal. The times of the communications match with the cemetery op, the Sarin gas attack, and our raid on Amanda's safehouse," Birkhoff explained, using his tablet to show the others what he had discovered. He wished it was more. He wanted to find whoever could possibly be working for the bitch and stop them immediately. But he couldn't beat the encryption. It was far too complicated for him.

"Because one thing wasn't bad enough," Nikita groaned. Her lack of sleep hadn't necessarily made her exhausted. But learning about the mole and Markov certainly did. The fact that Birkhoff- the Shadowwalker- was having trouble beating the mole's hack only made it worse. The team had been doing so well on their new missions. Sure there were some missteps, but they had been great at saving the day and stopping their Dirty Thirties. At the moment, however, the rug had been ripped out from underneath them, and they were left drowning.

Dread weighed heavily on the team of former rogues. Although they had often done the impossible, there was a certain point where it could all be too much- where they met their match. A mole and Markov might've been it. After all, with Sean gone, Owen in a terrible headspace, and Alex injured, they weren't operating at full capacity. It was going to take everything in them just to stay ahead. Fortunately, Ryan still believed they could do it, "Birkhoff, I need you to keep on breaking the encryption and searching for where the communications are coming from…"

"I can help track down the mole, look around Medical to see who was nearby to inform Amanda about what happened. I'll keep the investigation quiet. But speaking from experience, a mole hunt requires more than just computers," Pushing off the wall, Alex interrupted. Birkhoff already knew what he had to do. She wanted to move things along and jump right into the action. She was ready for it. She had to do everything she could to protect the others.

"Takes a mole to catch a mole," Agreeing with her, Nikita smiled at Alex. She briefly returned the grin before slouching back against the wall. Michael and Nikita shared a quick look. One or both of them had to talk to Alex later. In the meantime, they had to figure out their next play, "While Alex and Birkhoff work on that, Michael and I can work on Markov. I'm guessing we have to kill him to take him out of power. But how are we getting to a foreign head of state without anyone knowing?"

That was the question Ryan had been desperately trying to answer. How were they going to kill the president of Uzbekistan without their president knowing. Because once she did know, they'd all be dead- not just Markov. That was the last thing Ryan could let happen. He had to protect his agents. They had to actually be able to live in the world they kept saving, "That's what I need you to find out. We have to stay quiet on this one. No room for mistakes."

"Amanda's watching, after all," Full of bitter cynicism, Birkhoff bit. The team was lucky to be in Ryan's office at the moment. They had a sense of privacy in a hellhole where everyone was watching everybody. The fact about the mole had to be kept under wraps until they could do something about it. Their obvious anxiety once they left, however, would be spotted by all the other agents. Amanda would soon know about it, and possibly use it to taunt the team further.

Straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin, Nikita was done wallowing in the misery of the situation. It was easy to do, especially when the rest of her team was. Yet it wouldn't get them anywhere. Besides, some of her exhaustion stemmed from others constantly beating her down. Enough was enough. She and her team were going to kick ass and take names like they had done countless times before. Despite the odds, they were going to be the ones who came out on top. Their enemies would have to fear them, "Not for long."