I'm SO happy Nikita got renewed for season 2! I was anxiously awaiting the announcement... I joined twitter just so I could know as soon as it was announced. Shane West didn't let me down he tweeted right away. And Birkhoff got a decent amount of screen time in the finale. I'm really excited to see what happens with his character in season two. Let's hope he gets a date, and maybe a little sun.
This chapter is three short disjointed pieces that set up other things to come in the story and give you some insight into Birkhoff and Claire(Lena)'s relationship. It's different than other chapters I've written so its a change. I hope it works, if not, I wanted or needed, all three moments in the story and I wanted them before other things happen so I guess for now it's going stay this way. At least for now.
FYI-Claire/Lena= Same person it just depends who she's talking to.
Four months later:
"I'll have a Red-Eye." Birkhoff ordered "And I'll get hers." He stepped back away from the register allowing her to move forward.
"Decaf Grande Vanilla Latte with Soy, Please." Claire said kindly to the clerk.
"Girl drink." He teased as picked through his wallet for cash. "Put a chocolate chip cookie on there too."
"Rough day?" she said with a smile. He glanced at her with a questioning expression. "You got the cookie." She added
"Is that my tell?" he asked playfully
"Sometimes, you usually get dessert after a bad day."She explained.
"Oh, if only a cookie would solve all my problems." He half-smiled, as he broke the cookie and handed her a piece. He led her to one of the tables near the back of the coffee shop. "No, today wasn't that bad." He took off his jacket and left it on the chair before going to get their drinks at the bar.
"So, as great as this coffee shop is, I've been thinking we need to branch out our date venues." He said as he returned to the table.
"But we go lots of places." She joked, it didn't really matter what they did, she was just happy to be with him. But it was true, their dates were about as spontaneous as a CIA mission. Birkhoff was in a constant state of high alert. It hadn't taken her long to realize that Birkhoff had some kind of tracking chip on him at all times. She wasn't sure if it was imbedded in his cell phone, the laptop he always carried, or actually on him, but she was sure it was there. He didn't have to tell her about the tracker. It was clear the third week they were back in the U.S. and he got called into work from her apartment. He went into a complete meltdown as he leapt out of bed and turned her room upside down as he looked for his pants, socks, and sweatshirt. He'd refused to come back to her apartment again saying that it was too far from his work, and his work knew exactly how long it should take him to get from apartment to office. He'd said something about diverting a signal, but it was too difficult now. She didn't know exactly what he was talking about but whatever it was made him crazy. She hadn't brought up going back to her apartment again.
He stared at her blankly and chose not to respond to hear teasing. "Alright, what do you have in mind?" she conceded as she reached across the table to take his hand
"I think we could be safe at my place."
"your place?" she wondered, she pulled back slightly from his grip but he held her hand tight. "Your kidding right?"
"No, I'm not." His eyes were serious. "Yes, they know where I live, and yes, they set me up with the apartment but my loft is one place I can control."
"But hiding right under their nose?"
"The best place to hide something is in plain sight."
"in plain sight…" she repeated uneasy, rolling her eyes slightly.
"well, not quite plain sight." She shook her head. What he was saying was scaring her but he persisted. "Look, if anyone can beat my company's security its me. I've thought of everything so far, everything I would check out with an agent I suspected of…" he stopped, unsure how he wanted to finish the sentence.
"I don't like it."
"I've thought this through, look, why do you think we're at this coffee shop?"
"Cause its a nice coffee shop?"
"Yea, it is." He answered "but I've also been a customer here since before I met you, so it doesn't upset my routine. It's has never had a camera based security system installed. There's a concave mirror, there," he pointed " that allows me to see into the storage room. And, I know that the storage room leads to a back exit." He lifted his phone from the table and faced it toward Claire. "I placed a camera under the counter which provides a clear view of the front door and uploads it in real time to my phone. And when we walk out of here, next four stores in either direction, don't have security cameras that have a street view. I know that the traffic cameras at each intersection north and south, only take pictures when there are cars at the light. If I cross the street when their aren't cars at the intersection, I won't be photographed. By the time a camera catches a clear view of me, or you. I'm two blocks away and could have been coming from anywhere."
"Ok, so you've thought this coffee shop through. But your own apartment? That just seems... it seems like we are waving our relationship in front of their faces."
"No we're not. Come on, I'll show you." He picked up his coffee and stood up from the table. Lena hesitated. She wasn't convinced. He pulled her gently from her chair.
"Ok. But this makes me nervous. We've been doing alright for four months…"
"We can do better. Just let me show you, then you can decide what you think."
Together they left the coffee shop and started down the street. He walked along the street in quick steps with his head lowered, trying to be the invisible man. She nearly ran to keep up with him. He pointed out every security camera along the way and what she should do with each one. Some of them required her to walk on an edge of the sidewalk, others he simply wanted her to cover her face. It was a complicated path but one thing was for sure, he had thought this through. "In a city like London this would be impossible, in fact if I lived in the heart of Manhattan this would significantly more difficult. I'm posed in a good location to avoid detection. That was probably one of the reasons they house me here in the first place." He spoke as though he was giving a presentation or teaching a class. He was trying to be persuasive and appear knowledgeable. "That traffic cam, its an old model, it doesn't cover the entire intersection. If you keep to the left on the sidewalk here you are out of the frame." he gestured up toward the traffic camera. "If you encounter a cop car, they always have a camera, remember the license plate and let me know, I'll wipe it." She stopped short on the sidewalk, he released her hand.
"You'll what?" She gasped.
He stared at her with his blue eyes wide in anxiety, maybe he'd said too much. "you. heard. me." He answered slowly.
"You'll hack the police server?" She questioned sharply. He started walking again, she took a few quick steps to catch up with him.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He answered in the same curt tone.
"Stop it. Tell the truth!" She retorted.
"Remember our rule, don't answer questions you can't answer yourself. You're in violation." He pulled her in close and hissed into her ear. She pulled back from him.
"I'm not violating anything!" she cried
"SHH!" He hissed
"Don't shush me."
"Look, whatever I may or may not have my hands in, it doesn't concern you so let it go." He stomped angrily a few more paces, and she decided to let the matter rest, for now. As much as she never wanted to tell the CIA any bit of her and Birkhoff's conversations, she knew she needed to report that.
"When you take a cab, or town car here you should have him let you off in-front of this building. Dial 4-5-7-3 on the keypad and it will ring to my apartment. That lets me know your close, I'll buzz you into this building." He pressed in the code on the keypad then buzzed them in when the call registered on his cell phone. "The camera is at a bad angle so it can't see the number you dial. There are no cameras inside this building so you walk straight to the back and down the back stairs. And out the exit." He led her through the apartment building and out to an ally behind.
"So I take it you don't live in that building."
"No, I live in this building." He answered as he crossed the ally way to find another simple door, hidden between two dumpsters. "This is the key to the door. It's a doorman building, and the guys an informant, maybe even a sleeper agent. I'm not sure. So don't use the front door." Lena watched as he forced the key into the lock and yanked the door open. They made their way up the elevator and into the hallway in front of Birkhoff's door. He explained how the hallway in front of his door was the most heavily secured area of the building, it had motion sensors, cameras, and audio recording devices. He also explained how he'd found these his fifth week living here and all of them had been diverted ever since.
"So you've always been this paranoid." Lena asked, she was half joking, a quarter serious, and a quarter impressed by his thoroughness.
"I am not paranoid." He snapped as he let her pass him in to the apartment.
She knew she would get in trouble for using that word. It was usually used as an insult, even though she didn't mean it as one. "Ok, poor word choice, what's a better word for it then?"
"Paranoid implies I my fears are somehow delusional or nonexistent. My fears are real. I'm taking real precautions to keep us safe. Cautious maybe prepared, those are better words." He shut and locked the door behind then led her into the kitchen of his apartment.
"I didn't mean to insult you. I'm sorry." She said after a moment. He tossed his empty cup in the trash under the sink and leaned against the counter. She glanced around the immaculate kitchen, it was rarely used.
"You don't need to be sorry every time I'm a jerk." He said. "I'm always a jerk at work, I have a tendency to bring it home. Don't let me."
Lena nodded, and took a moment to glance around the apartment before returning to him in the kitchen. "well then, I have an idea of something that might put you in a better mood." She stepped across the kitchen floor and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Oh, you do?" he questioned, his voice raising an octave.
"I actually have a few ideas." She leaned up to whisper something into his ear. A devilish grin crossed his face. He let out a small almost inaudible groan as she moved and straddled him against the counter. He slid his hand along the hem of her skirt, then up the back of her thigh, she caught his ear lobe between her teeth.
"Yea," he said dragging out the word. "in here."He pulled her toward the bedroom.
"Sorry, Executive elevator." Forester said to the courier who attempted to jump on to the elevator with them.
"Come on man, drop me off at 10!" Forester gently opened his suit jacket a few inches, revealing the hilt of his hand gun.
"Alright, dam man." The currier backed away from the elevator. Lena smiled slightly amused by her superior.
"It's some sort of hard drive." Forester announced as the elevator doors closed.
"When was it delivered?" Lena asked quickly returning to the stoic expression she tried to use with Forester.
"The warehouse received the package yesterday. Good work, Lena." She nodded in confirmation.
"And when are you going to get it?" She asked
"They indicated they would be keeping it there for long term storage. But we will begin analyzing the hard drive as soon as our team arrives on site. Your father has provided us with the necessary security clearance for access. For now we leave it where it is, and watch." He paused for a moment, Lena remained silent. "This was a huge victory, Lena. That hard drive likely has the key intelligence we need to really pinpoint what we are looking for inside the government."
"Maybe the hard drive shouldn't go to the government. You said yourself you believe there are people high up who are actively covering up this organizations existence."
"I have a very small, trusted team that I have sent to work on this. Nothing will be revealed to my superiors until we have undeniable evidence."
"Anything else?" Lena asked as the elevators opened to a law firm.
"Yes. I have another assignment for you."
"Good afternoon Mr. Solberg, The conference room has been reserved for you. This way." The middle aged receptionist with blazing red curls met them at the front desk. She led them toward a private conference room. "Can I get you anything?" The receptionist asked.
"No, Thank You." Forester answered, Lena shook her head as the receptionist left the room. Forester plugged a jump drive into the computer, and Lena circled the room closing the blinds. As she finished veiling their meeting from the other members of the law firm, a picture of a museum appeared on the screen. "There is a credible terrorist threat on this museum." he announced. "A fundraiser scheduled ten days from today and the guest list includes some notable government and business leaders. To date there have been four bomb threats on this event. We believe one of these threats is credible, but officials are not willing to cancel the event, instead they opted to increase their own private security." He paused
"And what do you want from me?"
"I understand through your association with your former employers, you have extensive training in explosives."
Lena didn't contradict him, it wasn't her favorite area of training and it was always an area she prayed she would never have to use but she had done an extensive amount of work in this area.
"I want you on the inside." Lena shifted in her chair uncomfortably. She didn't really want to go into a museum that had a good chance of getting blown up, but this was what she'd signed up for. "You'll have audio support from CIA, there are no cameras inside the museum for this event. Everyone will be blind."
"What kind of explosive am I looking for?" She asked.
"We have credible intelligence indicating it is some sort of plasma charge."
"So you believe this terrorist group, the one that killed my parents, is behind this attack?"
"No, we don't, this is an all hands on deck type of situation, we're using you because of your training and your proximity to the target. This mission is unrelated to your primary assignment." He reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and removed an envelope. "This has your ticket, invitation, and jump drive containing a detailed layout of the museum. Contact me when you have a plan."
Lena nodded, then took the envelope and turned toward the door.
"Oh, and Lena," she heard from behind her. "Be careful of the company you keep." Lena felt her stomach twist.
"I always am." She answered confidently, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach.
"He's involved in this Lena."
"I know." She couldn't meet Forester's eyes but she answered him truthfully. "But, not by choice."
"That may be, but don't think for one minute he won't sell you out to save his own skin."
"You don't know him" It took everything inside of her, not to snap at him.
"Are you willing to bet your life on him?"
"I am." She answered as she stepped out of the room and shut the door roughly behind her.
She slipped out from under his gentle gasp; he shifted slightly on the beat up leather couch where he was asleep. It wasn't uncommon for one of them to be up in the middle of the night, but it wasn't usually her who was roaming the apartment in the early morning hours. She carefully crossed the apartment to find her bag, stumbling slightly over a spare video game system that sat in shambles on the living room floor. She sat down at the table and pulled her tablet computer from her bag and fiddled with the usual time wasting apps. She checked her email, her facebook, her twitter and her favorite online boutique. Last she checked the secure page she used with Birkhoff to communicate when they were away from each other. He had set it up, he'd said it was untraceable. She read through the four messages he'd sent in the last week while he was at work.
She loved to hear from him while he was at work. It wasn't always what he said in the messages, he wasn't terribly creative. But she waited with great anticipation for even a simple "hello", 'I'm thinking about you" or even "I'm trying really hard not to think about you." These messages served two purposes, first they served the most important function, they were essentially her love letters, her connections to her soldier stationed far away. But secondly they served as a notification, he was alive and at the moment, uncompromised.
It frightened her every time he went to work. There would come a day when she would return to an empty apartment and every shred of evidence of his life would be gone. She knew he was taking an immense risk with her, but she also knew that if he had maintained the status quo and never met her, the day when his apartment would be wiped clean would still come. Lena didn't think about the future a lot, she was young and it had never occurred to her that it wouldn't be there. But Birkhoff had lived without a future for years, he'd lived every moment fearing that it was his last. That was no way to live. She needed to find a way to get him out. That would be her one primary goal in this mission. She might not be able to accomplish all the goals the CIA had, she could accomplish her own. She would get him out.
She heard the floor creak, and Birkhoff appeared sleepily in the doorway to the living room. "Did I wake you up?" she asked quietly.
"No… well yea." He answered slowly and honestly as he rubbed his eyes and then rubbed his hands through his hair. He shuffled over to the sink where he got a glass of water. "Why are you up?"
"Couldn't sleep." She answered.
"obviously." He scoffed. "Why?"
"I've just been thinking."
"Anything I should know about." He asked as he sat down in the chair next to her. He lifted his glass up to his lips again.
"Do you love me?"
"What?" he coughed on his water. Lena watched his face blanch white as he struggled to find the words. She secretly liked that she made him squirm."I'm risking my life for you, what do you think?"
"Don't panic. I just think you do a lot of things that make me think you might love me, but you've never quite said it."
"Neither have you!" He retorted, his breathing was faster but his eyes were stuck on her. She smiled, she was uncommonly comfortable in this incredibly awkward situation.
"That's true." She conceded. "Well, I love you." She leaned over and kissed him "And I don't want you to say it back because now you'd only be saying it cause I said it. I want you to say it when you're ready."
"I don't say that kind of thing. Ever." He whispered as he slid one hand around her waist and another ran down her thigh.
"Then don't, I got my answer."
"Now hold on." He said loudly, pulling back from her. "Just cause I didn't say it, and now you say I can't… doesn't mean… for one… second… that I don't…"
"Stop." She laughed. "Its ok, its not really what you say that matters. It's your actions." She ran her fingers into his hair and kissed him again, he hardly kissed her back, he was still trying to process the situation he was in. "I think you do love me, you just can't say it yet." He grabbed her arm and pulled her from her chair onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his head.
He surveyed her face and brushed her hair back behind her ear. She smiled again, she didn't know what had possessed her to ask him that question. She already knew how he felt, he didn't need to say it, at least not yet. He leaned in and she let him kiss her, "But I do," he said softly.
"I know."
Thanks for reading! You guys are Rock Stars! So I did the math today, and if this was in the form of an actual paper book we would be around page 100. Unbelievable! You readers are spectacular for going on this journey with me!
I love all of you who frequently review, PLEASE, please keep it up, I value your input! And I know there are lots of readers out there who don't review but are still reading every chapter. So to those of you silent readers, please review! It would make my day! But most of all just thanks for reading.