Chapter 11
Author's Note: Thanks again everyone for all the support! The next chapter is the very last. Until then, I hope you all enjoy this one.
"Guardian Spain," Rosario spoke into her mobile phone.
Percy entered Operations where Birkhoff worked, "What's your status?" He pointed at the phone telling Birkhoff to trance the call.
"I've been captured." She looked at Nikita.
His jaw clenched, "Nikita?"
Nikita spoke as she drove, "And Roan."
"I don't believe you," he told her.
Using a voice changer that Birkhoff gave him Owen responded, "You should."
He paused once he recognized Roan's voice, "I see. So, what? You've joined her little crusade?"
"In a way."
"Why?"
"Money."
"Really? I wouldn't have thought.."
"You don't know me at all." He hanged up.
Birkhoff spoke, "They're right outside of Madrid. Michael just landed; I'm sending him their location."
"Forget it."
"What?" His eyes became wide.
"Put them on a plane headed to Cairo, NOW."
"Whatever you say, Boss," he began typing.
"I have a meeting now. Contact me immediately with any further developments." He walked out of Operations not waiting to hear his response.
"Oh I will.." He smirked.
Rosario stared at the airport from the car window before turning to Nikita, "Are you sure about this?"
She grinned, "Trust me, by the time Percy finds out it'll be too late for him to do anything."
The guardian smiled, "I don't know how to...If you guys are ever in Berlin, you're welcome to stay with me and Ronaldo."
"That's not necessary." Owen said.
"I know but it's right."
"Have a good flight," Nikita politely told her.
"Bye." She got out of the car and walked away without looking back.
As Owen watched her leave he felt proud of he and Nikita had done. It was then he started to figure out what he wanted to do with his life after taking Percy and Division down.
Michael read the text message that Birkhoff sent him after he pulled the van in front of Rosario's home. He lied to the team telling them that the guardian was inside waiting for their assistance.
"Where is she?" Thom asked.
Alex followed his lead. "Do you think Nikita got to her?"
"We're about to find out. Eric and Kyle, check the upstairs. Andrew and Henry, you got the basement." Michael instructed them and like he expected, they listened.
Once Michael, Thom and Alex were alone they switched out their rounds placing new magazines in their guns' chambers.
"It's clear." Eric told Michael.
"Likewise for the basement," Andrew added.
With a stony face and tone Michael answered, "I know." He shot Eric and Andrew with tranquilizers while Thom and Alex did the same with Kyle and Henry.
Nikita pulled up in front of Rosario's former home and smiled at the sight of Michael, Alex and Thom approaching her and Owen.
"Your turn," she handed Michael the keys then kissed him.
"How thoughtful of you." he sarcastically answered.
She moved over to the passenger seat, "I know..that's why you love me."
"Even though you shot me." He pretended to act irritated.
"Babe, you seriously need to get over that, it's ancient history."
He shook his head and briefly smiled while driving the Escalade.
When Percy entered Operations and didn't see Birkhoff at his usual post, he asked a tech where he was.
"He went to work in his office and told us not to bother him." The tech answered.
"For how long?"
"An hour, maybe two."
He left the room but became confused once he saw that Birkhoff wasn't in his office.
"Percy, is something wrong?" Amanda asked him closing her office door.
"Have you seen Birkhoff?"
"Not since this morning, why?"
His mind immediately went to the black box in his safe.
"Percy?" She watched him speedily walk to his office and decided to follow him.
Pressing his thumb against the safe's scanner, he watched the green line of light move against his pad. He froze at the sight of the empty spot where the black box had once been.
"What is it?"
"He took the black box!" He slammed the safe's door shut.
"Who?"
"Birkhoff! And I haven't been able to contact Michael either..they're all in on this!" He picked up the phone his desk calling Operations.
Right after Percy had left for his meeting Birkhoff went to his office making sure that no one noticed him. The hacker packed up his belongings in a messenger bag and went into the vent heading for Percy's office. He dropped down and used the mold that he had made of Percy's thumb print to open the safe. Once he had everything he needed he returned to the vent using the silo as his escape. Using weights he blocked the vent's lid making it nearly impossible for the others to escape.
During his drive to the base, he spoke to the last guardian in Cairo using his voice changer posing as Percy.
"Guardian Egypt," Haji answered.
He turned a corner, "Haji, your post has been compromised by Nikita."
"Just like you said. What are my orders?"
"Bring the black box with you. I've emailed you your itinerary; you'll be flying to Italy and staying at a safe house until Michael arrives. Also, Nikita's infected our system with a virus; she might be tracking you as we speak. Open the package that I sent you yesterday."
Haji obliged and held up the small black cylinder, "What is it?"
"It's going to jam your tracker's signal. She won't be able to find you, activate it."
"It's done."
"Good, now discard this phone and leave now."
"Yes, sir."
Birkhoff smiled as he continued to drive. Twenty minutes later, through Michael's connections within the navy, the hacker found himself on a military cargo plane.
Alarms sounded throughout the Division causing confusion amongst everyone. Percy and Amanda headed into Operations.
"What's going on?" She asked him.
"We're going into lockdown. Birkhoff's last parting gift to us! Stop this, immediately!" He told Birkhoff's second-in-command, Andrea.
"We're trying but Birkhoff designed this, he didn't tell us anything about it!" She told him.
Percy glared at all of them, "None of you are leaving this room until this is fixed!"
Terrified, the techs nodded and continued typing on their computers.
"Andrea, do you have any of their locations?" He asked her.
"There's no signal coming from their trackers."
Just then all the computers shut down.
"This is so not good," Andrea tried to turn on the computer manually.
"The phones aren't working." Percy clenched his jaw eyeing his mobile phone.
Amanda kept her voice calm, "Birkhoff escaped unnoticed, which means that there's a way out."
He considered her words, "I'll make it everyone's top priority to find it."
Haji stood by the villa's window until Michael pulled up in an SVU, he was alone.
"Sir," he opened the door for his superior.
"Haji, the black box?"
He handed him the black box, "No one was following me. I made sure of it."
"Good," Michael stepped aside allowing Haji to walk ahead of him.
The sight of Nikita sitting up in the front passenger seat shocked the young guardian, "What?" He turned to Michael only to have a tranquilizer shot into his neck by him.
Michael and Owen carried Haji into an empty bedroom on the ground floor; they tied him to a chair as they spoke.
"Nikita's CIA contact should be here in less than two hours to get him and the black box," Michael told him.
Owen looked at Haji, "What's his deal?"
"Percy wanted Haji to be a cleaner since he first joined Division. He murdered his entire family in their sleep."
He blinked, "He's the last person that could be bought off."
"Exactly. Some of Division's recruits are lost causes from the start," he said as he walked away leaving Owen with Haji.
His eyes lingered on the unconscious guardian then he thought of Emily. For the first time since her death he didn't feel sorrow when thinking of her, he felt grateful. Her love saved from him becoming a lost cause.
After checking up on Birkhoff's progress on decrypting one of the black boxes, Michael headed upstairs.
On the balcony of their bedroom Nikita sat looking out at the garden admiring how the spring sun bounced off the leaves and flowers.
"Is there room for one more?" Michael asked her.
Smiling she replied, "Always," she moved over allowing him to join her on the loveseat and gave him half of the large gray throw blanket.
His arms embraced her as she rested her head on his chest.
"Other than you and Birkhoff Alex's the only friend I've ever had. I don't want to be far from her." She looked up at him.
He ran his hand through her long dark locks, "I know…we won't be. Where ever we decide to go."
Her hold on him tightened, "Some place warm..I'm tired of the cold."
"Me too," his grin was wide.
The delighted look on his face made her realize that it didn't matter where they were. True warmth would always be found in their embrace. At a tantalizing pace she captured his lips with hers.
Percy left Operations returning to his office with his alternative escape route in mind. He typed in a numeric code on his computer. Part of wall by his conference table pulled back. The moment he stood up he was greeted by the sound of a cocked pistol.
"Going somewhere?" Amanda pointed the gun at him.