Birkoff felt his eyelids lowering, and he slumped over on his desk. He was completely exhausted. Blearily, he squinted at his watch…almost dawn.
And Alex still hadn't cracked.
He groaned loudly in annoyance, and rested his head in his hands for a split second.
"BIRKOFF!"
The tech jumped, and scrambled in his chair to turn around. Percy and Amanda were standing by the door, looking immaculate.
They had gotten a few hours of sleep, after all.
"We told you to call us if there was any change in the situation," Amanda said accusingly. "It's nearly daybreak; are you telling me that nothing has happened yet?"
Birkoff gestured at the screens, letting them see for themselves. "Nada. She hasn't moved, hasn't said anything, and hasn't tried to escape."
"Interesting," Amanda mused as she sat back down. "Any food or water?"
Birkoff shook his head. "Ortiz has been in there a few times to check up on her, but she refuses to spill."
Percy's mouth set into a grim line, "Then perhaps it's time for a little incentive. What do you think, Amanda?"
"I agree. This has gone on long enough. We don't have all day."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Birkoff held up his hands hastily, "What are you guys planning on doing?"
Amanda met his gaze steadily, "Alex needs to know that her attackers won't always be bluffing. While recruits may be kidnapped for information, sometimes they'll also be taken simply to send a message. And I think it's time we did just that." She reached over and pressed a button, "Start the fire."
Birkoff's eyes widened, "Wait, you're actually going to go through with this? I thought the fire was just a threat to get her to talk!"
"It is," Amanda said calmly. "Hopefully she'll see that she's in danger and will give up her secret."
"But—"
"Get a grip," Percy snapped. "We're not going to burn the girl alive. Let's just see what happens."
"But what if she's not hiding anything?" Birkoff ventured nervously. "I mean, what if she's telling the truth?"
Amanda leveled him a look, "Don't be so naive. I know she's hiding something. And I'm going to find out what that is. One way or another."
Alex's eyes were closed as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She had no idea how long she had been held captive for, and she had completely lost track of time.
Amanda...Percy...Division. She repeated the words in her head, almost like a mantra. It was the only thing keeping her going. They were evil. Insane.
They needed to be stopped.
She had no idea what Amanda was hoping to achieve by locking her up, but she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of breaking down. Even though Nikita hadn't prepared her for this per se, she had been trained to persevere. If Division thought she was close to breaking point, then they were wrong.
As her head dropped down to her chest in exhaustion, she heard the door behind her open again. Alex didn't bother to turn around.
"Feel like talking yet?" Agent Ortiz asked, once more donning the all-black getup.
"No comment."
He heaved a sigh, "Your funeral."
"What?"
The man looked at her, but she couldn't see his expression through the mask. "The people I work for are getting a little impatient with you. Let's just say...they're done playing games."
"What are you talking about?"
He shrugged, and reached into his pocket for his lighter. "Sorry, recruit. Your time is up." With that, he walked over to the far corner of the room and crouched down. Watching Alex, he let his lighter fall to the ground.
"NO!" Alex shouted, "Let me go! I don't know anything!"
The man paused at the door, "If you decide you want to give up your secret...we'll be listening."
He locked the door behind him.
Alex screamed again, struggling against the handcuffs. She felt tears run down her face in agony as the metal cuffs dug into her already-bloodied wrists. "PLEASE!" she pleaded, "I'm not hiding anything!" In desperation, she tried to move the chair closer to the door, but only succeeded in causing the chair to fall over.
She hit the ground hard, still trapped to the chair. Her eyes widened in horror as she watched the flames rapidly approaching her. Black smoke engulfed the room, and she began coughing from lack of oxygen. "Please," she whispered, raising her tear-stained face towards the camera in the corner.
There was no response.
Her energy entirely spent, she closed her eyes in defeat.
.
"ALEX!" someone shouted. Dimly, she heard the door open and someone swearing loudly. "Get me the key to the handcuffs! NOW!" She tried to open her eyes, but could only see smoke. As her vision blurred, she felt someone grab her wrists desperately. With a small click, she was suddenly released from the handcuffs.
Alex felt her arms drop like heavy weights to the ground. Except...where was the ground? She frowned as her arms swung uselessly in mid-air. Confused, she tried to draw in a breath but only began coughing again. "Hey, come on, breathe," a voice said urgently. "Come on, Alex..."
She drew in another shuddering breath, surprised when clean air and oxygen reached her lungs. Sputtering slightly, she opened her eyes and blinked several times. Slowly, Michael's face filled her vision. He looked extremely relieved."Oh thank god you're alright," he breathed out, the panicked look fading from his eyes somewhat. "I thought..."
"What...happened?" Alex asked slowly, wincing as her throat burned.
"I'm so sorry," Michael tightened his grip on her. "I had no idea..."
Alex looked around, noticing that they were both on the floor. Michael was crouched down, clutching Alex to him tightly. She let her gaze drift to the right, and saw a closed door. Through the tiny window at the top, she could see flames. "Th—that room! It's on fire! We need to get out of here!"
She started to push herself out of Michael's arms, but he clung to her. "It's okay," he soothed. "The fire will be contained. That's what that room is for."
Alex stopped struggling, and frowned. "Wait...where are we? Where was I?"
He hesitated, "You're still in Division."
Alex paused as she tried to process this information. "Division...wanted to cancel me?"
"No," Michael responded at once, closing his eyes briefly as though he was in pain. "No, I would never let that happen."
As her vision became clearer, Alex began to notice Michael's face. He was sporting a black eye, and numerous bruises along his jawline. "Oh my god, what happened to you?" she breathed, reaching up to touch his face. She stopped before she actually made contact, and let her hand fall to the side. "Are you okay? You look awful."
Michael's lips twitched like he was hiding a grin, "Says the girl who's covered in ashes."
Alex rolled her eyes as he helped her stand up. He held her close as they began walking towards an elevator at the end of the white corridor. "Seriously," she insisted, "What happened to you? Did the mission—"
"Kasim got away," Michael's demeanor changed suddenly, and he straightened. His eyes flashed with anger, "Nikita got in the way. Again."
Alex looked at the fury in his face and knew better than to ask any other questions.
*hope everyone enjoyed the return of Michael! ;)