Michael beckoned to Roger from the top of the stairs. Alex felt foolish for imagining that Michael had come for her when he had clearly come for Roger. With one last lingering glance in Arya's direction, Roger headed up the steps. Arya gave him a little wave and was secretly relieved that he had left. It was clear that he still had strong feelings for her. She could see it on his face even if he didn't say anything. It scared her to be the object of such raw emotion.
Arya had chosen to befriend Roger as a sort of training exercise for herself in order to get more comfortable with men, but there was no denying that there was something appealing about his powerful physique, lilting voice, and genuine personality. However, he was just coming on to her way too strongly. Arya turned her attention back to Alex who was radiating nervous energy. It was probably about Thom. Alex and Arya both appeared to be having boy troubles. So did Jaden, apparently, since she was being ignored by both Thom and Chad.
It seemed as though the class with Birkhoff would never end. Alex tapped her feet anxiously until Birkhoff finally dismissed the recruits. Thom went up to Alex and tried to talk to her, but she brushed him off as kindly as she could and snuck away from the rest of the recruits.
…
"I'm sorry to do this to you again, but Amanda wants to see you." Michael told Roger. "Good luck."
"I'll need it." Roger grinned. "She just might eat me alive."
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you come back in one piece."
Michael left Roger to face Amanda who was probably still angry at him. He was reaching for the door handle when Amanda called, "Come in Roger. I've been waiting for you."
With some trepidation Roger entered the room and stood before Amanda. She was seated on her couch with her legs crossed.
"You're not in trouble, Roger. Percy wanted to tell you this himself, but since he is not here he left the job to me. You were excellent in New Orleans, and in light of your performance Percy and I have decided that you are ready to be made an agent."
"Wow." said Roger, surprised. "Thank you."
"Before you leave Division and assume your cover, there is a small procedure that has to be done first. It is standard Division protocol to place a tracker chip in active agents, so you should head down to medical and get your chip implanted."
"Sure, I'll go right now."
Roger was assaulted by a mix of feelings. On the one hand, he felt a burst of euphoria when Amanda first told him the news. He had succeeded; he was worthy of becoming an agent. But he also felt a surge of doubt and apprehension. What exactly would he have to do in his role an agent? Where would that lead him? What would he become?
….
Alex tiptoed down the stone corridor to Percy's office wiping her sweaty hands on her grey sweatpants. Her stomach filled with butterflies as she pressed Birkhoff's thumbprint to the fingerprint scanner outside of the office door. She was in. Quickly, Alex rifled through Percy's desk searching for something, anything. When the door beeped, Alex frantically searched for a place to hide. She scampered under the long conference table making sure she was crouched behind one of the big blue chairs.
Michael and Birkhoff entered cautiously. After a bit of persuasion, Michael convinced Birkhoff to look for Owen Elliot on Percy's private computer. They found Owen's file. Owen's cover was listed as a landscaper. He was trained as a cleaner, but his assignment simply said "guardian". Things grew stranger. Owen was issued some hardware that Birkhoff had never heard of. Alex heard Michael mention the serial number "BB4905." She repeated the letters and numbers in her head. At least now she would have something to tell Nikita. Michael had a flash of inspiration and seemed to understand what was going on. He left abruptly followed by a confused Birkhoff who was begging Michael to tell him what he knew. Alex let out a sigh of relief. She had made it.
…
Nikita was calmly waiting in an armchair when Emily burst into her apartment. Emily was too preoccupied with her own churning emotions to notice Nikita.
"Owen called you, didn't he?" said Nikita. She wasn't really asking; she knew it.
"What are you doing here?" asked Emily, her eyes red from crying.
"He told you to leave work early, right? That he'd talk to you when he saw you. They're going to kill him Emily!"
She flinched at the force of Nikita's words.
"Who, the police?" Emily whispered.
"No. The people he works for. The same people I used to work for."
"Owen is a landscaper." replied Emily tentatively.
"You still believe that?" scoffed Nikita.
Her voice was harsh but her eyes were gentle. She met Emily's tearful gaze and the distraught woman could tell that Nikita was being truthful. Emily swallowed hard.
"He told me not to believe the news. He's not the man they're describing. He's shy. He didn't even talk to me the first time I saw him." She smiled at the memory but her face grew solemn. "Why would anyone want to kill him?"
"Because he made a mistake. Several actually, starting with you."
"What?" gasped Emily, cut to the core by Nikita's words.
Nikita looked away guiltily, but she said the words that she did in order to save Owen and Emily. To give them the future that was taken from her when Division killed Daniel.
"Most people want to make a connection." began Nikita. "They want to feel safe; they want to feel loved. In Owen's line of work, those feelings get you killed. They are what got my fiancé killed. I just don't want to see it happen again."
"Are you criminals?" Emily asked in a quivering voice.
"It's a little more complicated than that. He lied to protect you, but he can't do it anymore."
"Why should I believe you?" Emily challenged, her beautiful face raised stubbornly in denial.
"Because I've been through it." replied Nikita simply. "I am the only one who can save Owen."
…
Roan and Percy stood on the deck of a yacht, waiting for Owen to appear on the dock. Their men were in position, and Percy was confident that he would get his black box back without a hitch. It was a shame that Owen would have to be cancelled. His only mistake was trying to play the hero and save civilians. If Owen had just gone along with the bank robbery, none of this would have to happen. But it was too late. This was a sign that Owen was getting soft, and Percy could not risk losing his black box for any reason.
There he was; box in hand. Owen made his way down the dock but stopped when his phone rang. It was Emily.
"Emily? I told you that I would come by as soon as I could."
"We need to talk." said Nikita on the other end of the phone.
"Where's Emily?" demanded Owen, dreading the answer.
"She's safe." was the infuriating reply.
"Where is she?"
"At her place. She's fine for now, but she won't be if you give Percy that box."
"I'm going to kill you." Owen promised with a growl.
Much to Percy's chagrin, Owen turned around and rushed off. Unbeknownst to Percy, he was going to save Emily, which was exactly the reaction that Nikita wanted from him. This way Owen would be safe from Percy's hit-men.
Percy swore. Nikita must have called Owen and tipped him off as to Percy's plan. She must have given him some convincing proof that the trap was in place for Owen to have believed her. On his orders, Percy's men rushed to cut Owen off before he could exit the dock but they were too late and he was out of their firing range.
With his gun drawn and his heart racing, Owen ran into Emily's apartment determined to save her from Nikita.
….
Amanda went down to medical and watched through the window as Roger was anesthetized. Once he was unconscious, Amanda rapped on the window and the doctor came out wearing his face mask and surgical gloves.
"Why did you call me out here?" he asked. "I don't want to get contaminated and have to scrub in again."
"I wanted to remind you to make sure you also implant the kill chip along with the tracker." she instructed.
It was more of a warning than a reminder. The doctor was already aware of the procedure.
"Of course." answered the doctor. "Everything will be as you requested."
"I'll be watching the surgery from my office." added Amanda just in case the doctor had second thoughts or felt bad about inserting the kill chip. "And do not tell him about it."
The doctor nodded. There was nothing he could do: he had no choice.
….
Nikita was expecting Owen and had her gun drawn before he even walked through the doorway. The faced each other with their weapons raised.
"She's safe, Owen." Nikita said quickly, before Owen could do anything stupid.
"Where is she?" he asked flatly.
Emily emerged and began to head toward Owen. Nikita stopped her and held out an arm.
"Wait." said Nikita firmly.
"What do you want?" asked Owen, exasperated.
"I want the black box. And I want to help you escape from Division with Emily."
"Why?" asked Owen. He did not trust her.
"Why did you save that little girl at the bank?" countered Nikita. "You could have waited out the crisis like you're trained to do, but no. You saved that girl's life and acted differently. You ignored your training because it was the right thing to do. That's why I'm going to help you and Emily. Because it's the right thing to do. Thanks to Emily, you know how that feels."
"Hey! Leave Emily out of this."
"She's already in this, Owen!" Nikita practically shouted. "We all are! Do you even know what that black box is? That hard drive contains evidence of every job Division has ever done. It has all of the nation's dirty laundry and more. As long as Percy has the boxes, he's untouchable. That's been his leverage against the people who put him in power. That is why I need to destroy it; because it is the right thing to do."
Emily's gaze darted back and forth between Owen and Nikita as she nervously watched their exchange. With Nikita's permission, Emily ran to Owen and hugged him tightly. Owen hugged her back while still keeping his gun on Nikita.
"Is she telling the truth?" asked Emily, feeling everything she knew coming crumbling down around her. "Is it true?"
"I don't know." admitted Owen.
"Because Percy doesn't want you to know." interrupted Nikita.
Owen glanced at Emily's face. She seemed shaken, but her kind eyes were filled with love for him and trust in whatever choice he made.
"There's only one way to be sure." continued Nikita. "Where's the black box?"
As a gesture of good will, Nikita lowered her gun. With an pleading look from Emily, Owen lowered his weapon as well.
"I buried it." said Owen finally.
"You buried it?" said Nikita, aggravated. "In the ground? Where?"
"You first." replied Owen. "How did you escape Division? How did you remove your tracker?"
"I will tell you," said Nikita with sincerity, "but not now. We don't have enough t-"
The tinkle of breaking glass cut her off. Owen and Nikita spun around in time to see a bullet lodge itself in Emily's abdomen. She let out a sharp gasp of surprise. That was all she could manage before she collapsed on the ground, the life force draining out of her.
"No!" Owen shouted, running to the love of his life. She was the reason he changed. Everything Owen did had been for her. As the snipers kept shooting, Owen paid them no mind. Emily lay broken on the floor, and Owen felt his heart shatter like her glass butterflies that were being destroyed by the hail of gunfire. She couldn't die on him now. Not when they actually had a chance of escaping together.
"Come on Owen." called Nikita. "We have to go."
With a great effort, Owen wrenched himself away from Emily's lifeless body but proceeded to return the sniper fire instead of fleeing the apartment. Three men broke down the apartment door, and Owen threw himself at them turning his grief into rage. He tore the men apart without thought for his own safety. All that mattered was that someone would suffer the way he was suffering. Owen went down as more and more men poured into the room while Nikita jumped down the stairs of the fire escape, running for her life.
…...
Roger woke up with a parched, sore throat and an even worse pain in his head. He did not feel at all like a Division agent. He just wanted to go back to sleep. The doctor told him that his symptoms were normal and that they would wear off in a few days. He headed to the training area and found Arya on the treadmill. She was focused on a distant spot on the wall, trying to keep her breathing even. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Roger standing next to her. He looked desperate and lost and she felt bad for him. He was still her friend even if things were uncomfortable between them.
"Hey." she panted.
"Hi." he responded. "Listen, I have something to tell you. I just got back from Medical. The doctor was implanting my tracker."
"Does this mean that you're an agent now?" she asked.
"Yeah." said Roger. "So I'm going to be leaving Division. They haven't told me where I'll go, but I'm going to have a house and a cover in the real world now."
"How do you feel about it?" Arya gasped, continuing to run.
I'm not sure. I don't know what to think. On the one hand, it will be good to get out of here, but at the same time, it will be weird to be a part of the rest of the world after being isolated in here for the past year. And to top that off, there's all the things they're going to make me do."
"You mean all the people you'll have to kill for Division."
"Yeah." said Roger bitterly. "I'll just add them to the list. To become an agent, I had to kill an old friend. That's where I was; what I was doing. I never told you because it was like it happened to someone else. It wasn't me. At least, it wasn't the real me doing those things. I'm not a killer, Arya."
"You just have to kill people sometimes. I get it. There's a difference. That difference is what keeps us sane."
Breathing hard, Arya stopped the treadmill and wiped off her face. She held up a finger to Roger.
"Give me two minutes."
She ran off to shower while Roger muddled through his jumbled thoughts. When she returned, they walked to a quiet hallway and Arya sat down cross legged on the floor.
"You don't really have choice. You have to do what Division wants, but you also have to stay a good person inside. Don't let them corrupt you, Roger. Lock away a part of yourself inside, and don't let Division take that from you. That's how you survive until you can escape Division."
"How did you get to be so wise?"
"From experience, my young grasshopper." she teased, trying to lighten the moment.
He smiled back.
"I guess a sense of humor is also important."
He took her hand and sensed that she was about to pull away. He leaned in close.
"I need to leave soon, and I might not ever see you again. Just know that I won't forget you. And Arya, I . . . I think I might be in love with you."
He quickly pressed his lips to hers and kissed her deeply. Roger scrambled to his feet, ashamed for not asking her permission, and practically ran down the hall. He risked a backward glance and Arya smiled a sad, sweet smile because she knew that Roger couldn't handle rejection just then.
"Bye, Roger." she said quietly.
….
Nikita's computer beeped from the passenger's seat of her car. Her protégé had pulled through for her. From the information Alex had discovered, Owen Elliot was assigned to be a guardian, and he was protecting a piece of hardware with the serial number BB4905.
Owen should have listened to her. If he had just listened to her, he wouldn't be in Percy's clutches. It was too late to change the past, but Nikita had to save Owen's future which was headed towards death at Percy's hand. For the sake of Emily's memory and to retrieve the black box, Nikita had to rescue Owen.
The black box's serial number could come in handy. A thought struck her. Nikita had always been told that she would make a great poker player: she knew how to bluff. It was risky, but it was her only option. Nikita was going to rattle Percy into disclosing his location so that she could save Owen.
….
Looking calmly at Percy through the haze of pain that threatened to overtake him, Owen knew how he would get his revenge. He would take the location of the black box to his grave. There was nothing Percy could do to make him talk. Emily was the only thing that had ever mattered to Owen, and Percy snatched her from him. Owen's love for Emily would allow him to withstand the torture and keep the black box hidden. He would do it for her.
Roan swung his fist into Owen's nose, shattering it. Percy stepped back to avoid the spatter of blood. He had never liked to get his hands dirty. Roan and others were always there to do his dirty work. Percy circled Owen like a vulture, hissing into his ear. He was getting desperate, and desperate men become impulsive. Sooner or later, Percy would lose it and kill Owen in his fury. Owen was counting on it.
….
Once again, Nikita's plan hinged on Alex. The credit really went to Birkhoff, though, for his timely lesson on how to hack into a Bluetooth. As Birkhoff was crossing through the recruit training area, Alex ran to cut him off. She complimented him on the day's lesson while slipping his Bluetooth out of his pocket. Bingo. Alex pulled her hair out of her ponytail and clipped the Bluetooth to her ear, hiding it under her abundant brown waves.
"You've got a call, Michael." Birkhoff informed him. "It's Nikita."
A hush fell over the room as Michael picked up the phone.
"Hey, Michael." purred Nikita. Miss me?"
"Trace the call." hissed Michael to Birkhoff who had already begun to use cell towers to triangulate Nikita's location. The process would take some time, so Michael would have to figure out what Nikita wanted and then stall her until the trace was complete.
"Yeah," said Michael, "things have been boring without you. I don't suppose you're calling to ask to rejoin Division? We'd love to have you back."
"Don't flatter yourself." said Nikita. "The only way you'll ever get me back is in a body bag, which I'm sure Percy would love to arrange. Speaking of your boss, where is he? I'd like to talk to him."
"Do it." mouthed Birkhoff. "I need more time. She's definitely in North America, but I don't know where."
"Percy isn't here right now." answered Michael. "Let me call him for you."
Michael dialed Percy's number from a Division phone after shooting him a text that Nikita was calling. From outside the room, Alex smiled as she eavesdropped on the conversation. It was working.
"Hello Nikita." said Percy. "To what do I owe the honor? I was actually just talking about you with your boyfriend here."
"Owen? How is he?"
"He's been better. So, what do you want?"
"What do I want? Let's see. Well, I want to empty my gun into your face. How's that for a start?"
"We both know that you wouldn't do that. If I die, the contents of all of the black boxes get released for the whole world to see. You wouldn't want that kind of chaos. Why don't you ask for something more reasonable?"
"I want Owen."
"Why would I give him to you? After all, he has caused me a great deal of trouble."
"You give me Owen, I give you your black box. Fair?"
"You've got balls, Nikita. I'll give you that. But we both know that you don't really have the box."
"Black box serial number BB4905? I think I've got it."
"You weren't stupid enough to give her the box, were you?" said Percy to Owen.
"What?" asked Owen innocently, playing along. "Was that a bad thing?"
"You think I don't have copies?" Percy scoffed to Nikita. "That box means nothing to me."
"In that case," said Nikita, "I think I'll take a look inside and see what we have. Maybe there's even a dirty secret about you in there, Percy."
"I've got it." whispered Birkhoff. "She's three and a half miles from Percy's position."
"Where's that?" asked Michael. "An old freighter down by the docks."
"Yes!" Alex laughed with glee. Nikita's plan had worked. Alex was certain that Nikita would successfully save Owen. Then they would have one box and only five more to go before they could take down Percy.
"Meet me at the Olympic football stadium at 0700 hours tomorrow morning." Nikita told Percy. "Bring Owen. No one else."
She hung up just as Alex sent her Percy's location. Nikita drove off for the docks.
Michael was still on the line.
"Sir," he said to Percy. "Nikita isn't far from here. Should I send local law enforcement officers after her?"
"There's no point. I'll send my own men, but she'll be long gone by then. We'll just have to be ready for her tomorrow."
….
Roan cocked his head as he heard a noise from above deck.
"Everyone check in." he radioed to the guards.
One was silent.
"Don't bother checking it out." said Percy. "I know it's Nikita; I can feel it."
"Let's get you out of here." Roan told Percy. "I'll take care of Owen."
Percy ran up the steps to the deck while Roan picked up his gun and put it to Owen's temple. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Owen stood up while still tied to his chair and spun around, knocking Roan off his feet. The chair collapsed and Roan stood up to defend himself. Although Owen was weakened from the beating he had received, he was no ordinary man: he was a guardian. He was chosen for his superhuman strength and skill which was supplemented by a combination of steroids and amphetamines just like the rest of the guardians. Owen ran up the steps with Roan behind him and sent the other man flying over the railing where he crashed to the floor of the freighter.
Owen grabbed Roan's gun and raced to the deck where he ran into Nikita. They spotted Percy attempting to flee and Owen held up his gun.
"You can't shoot me, Owen." cautioned Percy. "Think of the damage that you'll do to your country."
"The problem is," said Owen flatly, "that I just don't care."
Nikita knocked away Owen's gun. She wanted Percy dead as much as Owen did, but she also couldn't do any more damage to her country than she had already done. As Owen fought against Nikita, Percy managed to get the gun. Owen and Nikita ran to the rail of the ship and jumped overboard while Percy filled the air with gunfire. Nikita and Owen swam to safety, but when they hit the shore it became clear that Owen was shot in the side. Nikita hotwired a car and took Owen to the safety of her apartment.
Her next task would be to convince him to give her the black box. After depriving Owen of his chance to get revenge on Percy for Emily's death, Owen was not likely to be forthcoming. Nikita sighed. This was going to be a challenge.
Author's Note: Please review or I might have to sic Nikita on you ; )