Infinity and Beyond
-Chapter 17-
Free, Part Two
"Look, you said you would get his password when he accesses Division to ask for help." Ryan says to mommy. "Maybe he can't hack a blue player."
"He can hack one in his sleep." Mommy tells Ryan. "The question is not if he will contact Division, it's when."
Just then, Ryan's cell phone makes a beeping sound. Ryan looks at it before speaking up. "Well, you might not have to, I just got two emails from a superior asking what do I know about the renditioning of Seymour Birkhoff."
"I've been ordered to report to Langley immediately." Ryan says after a second of silence.
"Then we're out of time." Mommy says before she stands up and walks over to me. "Sweetie, mommy's gonna leave this room for a little while, okay?"
"What?!" Ryan frowns, but mommy doesn't answer him.
"Where are you going?" I tilt my head at her.
"I'm gonna go and talk to Birkhoff." Mommy says softly to me. "But I'll come right back after I'm done, okay?"
"Okay." I smile and nod. "I'll wait here for mommy."
"Good." Mommy smiles back before turning to Ryan. "I was hoping your rendition would be enough to scare him, but it wasn't." Mommy says. "Wait here and look after Infinity." She tells him just as she's about to leave the room.
"If you go in there, they're going to know that we're working together." Ryan tells her.
"I'm sorry, Ryan." Mommy turns to him. "But this is not a mission I'm prepared to fail." Then, she leaves the room.
A few seconds later, I can see mommy on the computer screen as she's in the same room as Birkhoff. "Hello, nerd."
'Nerd: a foolish person who lacks social skills.' I don't know what social skills are… 'Social skills: things that you do to make new friends.'
Birkhoff stands up quickly as mommy continues to speak. "Relax, I'm not gonna hurt you, yet."
"This was all you." Birkhoff says. He sounds like he's just learned something new. Mommy rolls her eyes and shrugs.
"You know, I always knew you were a little crazy, but I never begged you for stupid." Birkhoff sounds mean. I pout, I don't like it when people are mean to mommy. But mommy looks like it doesn't bother her as she's just smiling and nodding.
"And this plan, whatever this plan is, it's stupid." Birkhoff continues. "Division's gonna be here any second."
"Which is why I'll cut to the chase." Mommy finally speaks up. "I need the password for your laptop."
"Okay, maybe you're just stupid, cause if you think scaring me would these old charges is gonna make me spill, you're dead wrong." Birkhoff tells her.
"Before you came to Division, you were an anarchist, right?" Mommy says as she walks toward him. Birkhoff backs away, looking scared. "Trying to prove that no power in the world was untouchable, some might even call that courageous. Now, you've blood on your hands."
"Percy got me out of prison." Birkhoff says. He sounds as if he's trying to protect himself. "And I agreed to follow his orders, so that doesn't give me a whole lot of leeway."
"I was trapped there too." Mommy says. "Still found a way out." Mommy throws the folder in her hands on the table. "Let me ask you something, Birkhoff, don't you think Percy's gonna be suspicious in the last six months, I've targeted you twice? I mean, I'm sure that he's wondering why it took the notorious Shadowwalker so long to find my little shell program."
"Percy trusts me." Birkhoff sounds like he's not sure of what he's saying.
"Yes, but will he trust you when you return another transmitter planted in your tooth… or teeth." Mommy sounds like she's trying to scare him. I smile, but I'm not scared…
"You've five minutes to decide." Mommy tells him. "Give me your password, it'll be our little secret. Otherwise, prepare for oral surgery."
Mommy leaves the room after that as Birkhoff is looking scared…
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A few seconds later, mommy comes back with the folder in her hand. She puts it on the table and turns to Ryan as he speaks up. "You knew you had to go in there in the beginning, didn't you?" He shakes his head. "Anything for the mission, just beat Division at any cost, no matter who becomes a casualty." Ryan sounds angry as he stands up. I stop playing with my yoyo and look up at him and mommy.
"Is there really a kill chip?" Ryan asks as he walks toward her. He still sounds angry.
"Yes." Mommy nods quietly.
"Well, then tell me who's in trouble?" Ryan says.
"Her name's Alex." Mommy sighs. "She's nineteen years old, and she just moved into her first apartment. Division killed her parents, now they put one of those chips in her head, and she doesn't deserve to die." Mommy looks sad.
I walk over to her and pull on her arm. "Mommy hold me?" I raise my arms up toward her.
"Yeah." She tries to smile as she picks me up and hugs me.
Vision
"We've to find someone who will adopt her, Nikita." Michael told mommy gently. Mommy's tummy looked a lot bigger. 'You're in there.' I tilt my head and frown. How did I get in there? I'm not that small…
"How am I even supposed to know if she's safe?" Mommy sounded very worried. "For all I know, they could just be an undercover agent."
Michael was silent for a few seconds before he spoke up again. "I know, but we don't have much choice." He said quietly. "I'm sorry."
"I just…" Mommy started as her voice cracked. She was going to cry soon. "I just wish that I could somehow make sure that she lives a normal, happy life…"
"Look, I promise you that I'll try my best to help keep her safe." Michael said softly as he put his hands on her shoulders. "But you've to know that whatever happens, you've tried your best. You can't blame yourself if something goes wrong. Who knows? Maybe she'll have a great family with loving parents."
"Or maybe she'll just hate me for giving her up…" Mommy murmured as tears started to fall out of her eyes. "And if something happens to her, I won't even know…"
I bite my bottom lip sadly. I wish I can make her tears go away…
"Hey, everything's gonna be okay." Michael told her as he pulled her into a hug. "I'm not gonna let anything happen, okay?"
Mommy didn't say anything, but she was crying harder with Michael's arms wrapped around her…
End Vision
I turn my face toward mommy so that my lips are on her cheek. I want to give mommy lots and lots of love so she won't be sad anymore.
Mommy smiles as she hugs me tighter and rubs the back of my head. Just then, something pops up on the computer screen. At first, it's only letters, but then numbers start appearing too.
"He's hacking the blue ray." Mommy says to Ryan as she sits down with me on her lap.
"He took the bait." Ryan says.
A few seconds later, another set of letters pop up along with other numbers. Mommy copies them onto another computer screen. "There's his password." Mommy says.
"You're in." Ryan smiles as mommy continues to type.
Ryan speaks up again after a few seconds. "You were right."
"Yeah, that usually happens." Mommy says quietly just as much bigger letters pop up on the screen. "Then again, it usually gets me into trouble."
"Mommy, is something bad going to happen?" I ask nervously as I grab onto her arm.
"No, honey." Mommy gives me a small smile. "Everything will be fine. Why don't you take a little nap, okay?"
"Okay." I nod as she lifts me up and turns me around to face her. I lay my head on her shoulder.
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"He's here." I wake up to Ryan's voice. I open my eyes slowly and smile sleepily when I see Michael on the computer screen. "That Division agent who came after us in Chili…"
Mommy doesn't answer him right away and continues typing on the computer. "Isn't that your cue to leave?" Ryan asks.
"Not done yet." Mommy tells him as she continues to work on the computer.
"Just don't say I ever did anything for you." Ryan tells her before leaving the room.
"Ryan!" Mommy calls after him, but he's already left.
I can hear Ryan and Michael's voices arguing outside, but I can't hear clearly what they're saying. I hear another much quieter voice say something. Then, a few seconds later, there's a loud noise.
"Alright, pumpkin, we've to go now." Mommy says as she quickly picks me up before opening the door quietly and rushing out of the room.
Michael tries to walk toward us but is stopped by a few men wearing dark blue.
Mommy tries to open a door, but it's locked. "…You gentlemen are addressing the wrong person; you're missing the fact that you've a real intruder."
Mommy puts me down in a corner behind a wall. "Hide here, okay? I'm gonna be right back."
Mommy turns a corner and then a few seconds later, she speaks up. "Hi…" She laughs unsurely before murmuring something.
"May I see your ID badge, ma'am?" A man's voice asks.
"Yes, of course." I hear mommy say. A few seconds later, I hear fighting sounds.
The fighting continues for a few moments before I hear mommy growl. "Stop getting in my way! I've to get my daughter!"
After that, the fighting sounds quiet down a little. I bite my bottom lip nervously. Is mommy hurt?
Mommy quickly turns to the corner I'm hiding in and runs toward me just as I hear a man further away yell "Freeze!" 'He's talking to Michael.'
Something in my stomach feels like it's loosening as I let out the breath I don't know that I was holding.
Mommy picks me up quickly. "Let's go!" She says as she puts a white key card by a black thing with a red light, it turns green just before mommy opens the door.
Mommy shuts the door behind her and runs down the stairs with me in her arms.
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Vision
Mommy was sitting on one of those chairs I usually see in a doctor's office when Michael walked into the room. "How are you feeling?" He asked her.
"As good as a six months pregnant woman can possibly feel." Mommy smiled as her hands rubbed over her now much bigger tummy. "What did they say?"
"Nikita, you know that you can't keep her, right?" He said softly. "If we can't find someone to take her in, then..."
"That's not an option." Mommy shook her head quickly. "I won't let that happen."
"Then perhaps you should consider terminating the pregnancy." Amanda said as she walked into the room.
"Shut up." Mommy looked at her very angrily.
" ... It is the best option as by terminating her, she will never end up in the foster care system and you won't be held back from carrying out your missions." Amanda continued to speak as if mommy hadn't interrupted her. "Otherwise, Division will have to consider the option of canceling you."
I frown, what does it mean to cancel someone? 'To kill.' I feel my eyes tear up... I don't want mommy to die...
Mommy was shaking as she looked like she was about to cry. "I'm not killing my baby." She growled.
"Nikita..." Michael started.
"No!" Mommy hissed angrily at him as tears were starting to fall out of her eyes. Then, she turned back to Amanda. "You can cancel me after I have my baby and after I know that she's going to be safe."
I start to cry. I wish she wouldn't say that. I don't want anyone to kill mommy. If that happens, I won't be able to see mommy ever again. I want to be with mommy everyday...
End Vision
I hug mommy tightly as I press my lips on her cheek. Mommy smiles and rubs my head softly as she walks over to where Ryan's sitting. She quietly puts a black folder on the chair beside him without him noticing before getting his attention. "What are you drinking?" She asked him.
"Something cheap." Ryan looks at her and sighs. Mommy sits down next to him on the other side and holds me on her lap.
"Trouble at work?"
"I've been taken off the counter-intel desk." He sighs again. "They dropped me down to the basement where I will be reviewing files from Cold War. Custodial crew has more access than me now." He sips his drink.
"You're upset." Mommy says quietly.
"Upset? Why should I be upset? You got what you needed, right?" Ryan sounds very unhappy. "You hacked Birkhoff's laptop, you saved Alex, whoever the hell that is. You escaped Division and the CIA without getting a scratch and -"
He's interrupted as mommy presses her lips onto his. I quickly cover my eyes. "Me not see anything..."
"You... You used me." I hear Ryan speak again. He sounds unsure. I uncover my eyes.
"I know." Mommy's face is still very close to his. "But I'm going to make it up to you. So you'll move out of the basement, you'll be promoted to a higher level than your last post. You'll have more access than you'll ever have before."
"And how's that going to happen?" Ryan tilts his head.
"Because Ryan Fletcher, I'm going to make you a hero." Mommy smiles widely.
They stare at each other for a few loooonnnngggg seconds. I think I drank too much apple juice while I was in the car. "Mommy, I have to go pee pee." I pull on her clothes.
Mommy smiles at Ryan as she picks me up, and without saying anything, she walks away. I turn my head toward Ryan as mommy's walking. "Bye bye, Ryan." I wave. Ryan smiles awkwardly as he waves back.
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Mommy takes me to the mall where she's meeting Alex, again. "I saw your red haring." Alex says as mommy's holding my hand. "The video? I heard about the whole Birkhoff thing. Hell of a plan you had going."
"Yeah." Mommy says. "Emphasis on hell." She clears her throat. "I rerouted your tracking device. Right now, it reads like you're in your apartment, but I can make it look like you're anywhere in the world."
"Cool." Alex smiles.
"So, if you want to go, you're free." Mommy tells her quietly.
"Go where?" Alex frowns.
"Anywhere." Mommy says. "Morocco, Montana, anywhere you'd like. Point is, you'd be halfway around the globe before Division knew you were gone."
"That was not a part of a plan." Alex shakes her head.
"Yeah, well, it wasn't a part of our plan for you to graduate to agent and it certainly was never my plan for you to take a life." Mommy says sadly.
"So..." Alex says. "You want me to go on the run?"
"You wouldn't be running." Mommy shakes her head. "You'd be living a normal life. The life you deserve."
"I was never meant to live a normal life." Alex tells her. "And I couldn't even if I wanted to. Not until I get revenge for my family. I'm here to finish this fight, just like you." Alex smiles before continuing. "So call me, okay? I'll be at home."
Mommy smiles back at her as I bent down to pick up a pretty red bead. Mommy picks me up. "Sweetie, what have I told you about picking things up from the floor?"
"But it's pretty..." I whine.
"And dirty." Mommy finishes for me. "It's covered in germs."
"But doesn't mommy get cooties from making kissy faces at guys?" I tilt my head.
"Oh, hush." Mommy smiles as she tickles my tummy, making me giggle loudly as she walks out of the mall with me in her arms.
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Author's note: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in so long, but like I promised, I'm not giving up on this story. Anyways, remember to review and tell me what you think.