I'm sorry I keep posting this fic late. Life just keeps getting in the way on Thursdays.

Nikita dragged Ari out of his cell and threw him into an interrogation room. She didn't have to be rough with him; he'd be compliant. She was just extremely pissed, extremely scared, and extremely hurt. Those emotions had to be expressed, so she took them out on Ari. He knew better than to say anything. He simply listened as Nikita ranted about the situation and what the team was about to do. Only when he heard his life was on the line, did he say something. And it was an instant argument, "You're seriously considering giving me to Amanda? I have the code for the black box. If she has that, she has all of your government's darkest secrets."

"It's either you or Alex, and I choose Alex," Nikita stated simply. Trading Ari for Alex wasn't even a choice- it was a necessity. She had to save her best friend from Amanda, and she'd do anything to make that happen. She didn't care about the consequences she might face for her actions. As long as Alex was safe and alive, who could care. Whatever Amanda did with Ari or the black box couldn't be any worse than a life without Alex. At least with the young woman back on their side, the team could face what the bitch had planned next, "Besides, Amanda has had access to the contents of the box before, and we managed to survive just fine."

"Because I was around to keep her in line. What do you think she's going to do now? She won't stop after she destroys you and Division. She'll destroy the whole world," Ari tried to warn Nikita. He had kept Amanda from using the black box for any destructive means while they had been together; he had refused to use his part of the code if he had not agreed with her plan. Yet he was not around to control her anymore. She could do anything her twisted mind wanted unchecked. With a black box unlocked, she would burn the whole world to the ground, and she'd do it just because she could.

"You think I give a fucking shit about the world anymore? I just want Alex," Nikita scowled at Ari. She had stopped giving at shit about the world a long time ago. Yes, she fought for innocents. And yes, she fought for her friends and family. But she didn't give a fuck about the rest of the world. As long as those she loved and cared for were safe, Amanda could destroy the rest. Those governments and corrupt bastards in power because of the black box deserved whatever hell came their way. Honestly, it was long overdue.

Ari stared at Nikita, speechless. After all she had done to stop the Crimson Resistance, he thought she would've taken the black box threat a lot more seriously. He must've doubted how tired she would be. For years, she had been battling one crisis after another. She was exhausted. She wanted what she was finally owed, who cared about anything else. Ari, unfortunately, fell into the latter. She had stopped caring about his life- if she ever had. Whatever happened to him once Amanda had him wasn't the former rogue's problem. He huffed, "You have no qualms about signing my death warrant, I see."

"Who's fault is that," Crossing her arms, Nikita bit. Ari had been the one to get into bed with Amanda. He had been the one to turn against her and invoke her wrath. His death was his fault. Though, as she studied his remorseful expression, Nikita wanted to take that back. Ari had claimed before that Amanda had changed; she was no longer the woman he had loved. He hadn't known what would happen. He hadn't known his love would become a supervillain. He was just as hurt as the rest of them. So maybe Nikita should be a bit more lenient, "Look. Maybe if you just give us the passcode to the box, we can exchange that for Alex."

"I wish that was an option. But there is no actual code. I am the code," Ari corrected, immediately negating that option. He doubted that even if he had a code Amanda would accept only that; she wanted to torture him too. Annoyed, Nikita just stared at him until he explained. Ari did so quickly, "When Amanda re-encrypted the box, she decided a subliminal password was the most secure. We perform a series of tasks that track our movements. Any changes, and it knows. I have to be there in person with her to unlock the box."

"Why do you have to be so fucking clever?" Nikita groaned. Objectively, a subliminal password was a very smart way to protect your secrets. There was no code to give up if you were tortured. There was no hack that could break open the lock. Whatever you had locked away would stay that way forever. However, as the enemy of someone with such a lock, Nikita wanted to scream. Why did all her villains have to be supervillains. Couldn't they just be normal. Couldn't she not struggle for once.

Scoffing, Ari could understand Nikita's annoyance. Having a clever antagonist made things more difficult than they should've been. especially when you thought you were doing the right thing. It also led to more deaths than there should've been. The instant Amanda had Ari and his code, she was going to keep the black box unlocked- or she just might change the encryption- and she was going to kill him. He was a dead man the instant he had betrayed her. But it wasn't going to be a prison or a government organization that did him in. she'd have her revenge, "I know you may not care about my death, but I have a few things I'd like to point out."

"You're right. We can't just hand you over to Amanda. As much as you deserve death, you don't deserve it by her hands. So, we're gonna get you back," Nikita interrupted Ari. she hadn't given much thought to the decision. She honestly came up with it that second. However, she was going to stick to it. Although Ari had to pay for what he had done, he didn't deserve to suffer in the bitch's claws. Besides, there was still a chance that he could help Division clear Sean's name for Kendrick's death. Division couldn't get rid of Ari yet.

Blinking, Ari tried to make sense of Nikita's words. She couldn't have been serious. Division and Gogol have been at war for as long as they have existed. Nikita had once been assigned to kill the head of Gogol, and she would have done it too had he not brought his son with him. So why could she possibly want to save him then. There was no more information he could tell Division. There was no further use he could serve to their cause. It'd be easier for them just to trade him and forget about him. So why did Nikita want to fight for him. Why did she want to risk everything for him too, "What? Why?"

"Fuck Amanda: that's why. She can't win anything. Even if it means you lose," Nikita explained bitterly. Of course she would save Ari from Amanda (after she saved Alex first). The bitch couldn't have control of the black box. She couldn't have a situation go her way. And she absolutely could not win in any capacity. Yes, it would've been great if Ari lost. But not if Amanda won in the process. Her successes had to end. The team actually had to stop her instead of just stopping her attacks and giving her new ways to hurt them. Saving Alex and Ari had the potential to lead them to that point. Nikita didn't just hope for it. She begged for it.


Alex couldn't help but notice the fact that Larissa completely disappeared as Amanda stole the majority of her attention. The medic could've simply moved out of Alex's line of sight. Or, she had escaped the room to clear away from the bitch. Alex wouldn't blame her if it was the latter. She wanted to run from Amanda too. Yet she was trapped in her clutches. The best she could do then was not give in to Amanda's torture, and to stay strong and annoying, "It's been a long time since we've actually just sat and talked, Alex. I'd offer you some tea, but…"

"Like I'd trust anything from you. Or them," Interrupting, Alex sneered. She had tried to include the Ossetians in her harsh reply, but nodding towards them while restrained was difficult. Just focusing her glare on Amanda was more manageable, so she just stuck with that. She'd never forget being drugged by the tea Amanda had offered her in Division. She had invaded her senses and had performed her perverse psychology on her. Nikita had warned her that would happen when she had infiltrated Division. Yet Alex had severely underestimated just how sickly sweet and fucked up Amanda could be. She'd never make that mistake again.

"The Ossetians and I are simply partners of convenience. I provide them guns, they give me shelter. You should pay them no mind," Amanda dismissed the armed Ossetians around them. Although Alex knew they were still there, she found it hard to focus on them. It was almost like she really was paying them no mind. That was probably just because Amanda called for a lot of attention, though. Alex couldn't look away from her. Especially as she began to probe, "You have some interesting partnerships as well, Alex. Tell me, how's Division these days?"

"Oh, they're very excited about hunting you down and killing you," Alex smirked. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that the team was already searching for her. They were probably on their way as she spoke- a whole team led by Sean and Nikita. Given the chance, Alex didn't doubt that either Pierce sibling would hesitate in killing the bitch that time. There was no redemption left for her. She kept going too far and kept hurting more people. A simple arrest would've been too good for her. She deserved a bullet to the brain.

"And how's the stress? Have you had any panic attacks? Knowing the government could kill you all at any second can't be easy," There was Amanda's false bright smile again. If Alex wasn't restrained, she'd rip that smile off her face for good. It was bitterly ironic that Amanda had once taught Alex how to control her breathing, settle her thoughts, and stop a panic attack. That had been a lifesaver back when she had been a recruit. At that moment, however, Amanda was going to use that fact as a weakness against her. She was going to trigger something or torture her or whatever. No matter what, Alex was about to go through hell.

"Thinking about killing you for what you did to Sean helps," Alex continued to smirk, though, there was less smugness and more bite to her words. What actually helped with her anxiety was tea, meditation (sometimes), working out, shopping (if Nikita got to tag along and they got to feel like regular women in the city) and Sean. Yet Amanda didn't need to know all of that. In fact, she shouldn't know it. The only thing the bitch should be aware of was how much Alex hated her and how much she was going to enjoy getting her revenge.

Amanda seemed amused by Alex's response, which only pissed her off even more. She wanted to be threatening. She wanted to annoy Amanda and get under her skin for once. Yet it didn't work. Probably because the bitch was too full of herself to take anything Alex said seriously. She believed she was above the team of former rogues. She believed they couldn't even touch her. She always had more to torture them with after they foiled her plans, after all. She also always knew far more about them than they did about her, "How is Nikita? Cutting off her fiancé's hand and then recruiting her brother must've been difficult. How is she coping?"

Losing her smirk, Alex tried to think of a way to respond. Nikita was doing much better then. She and Michael were on the mend, and she and Sean had talked a lot about his recruitment. However, that didn't mean that Alex didn't see her struggle. Their war could very well tear Nikita apart before it ever ended. Yet that concern wouldn't be something Alex ever shared with Amanda. The bitch could never know about how much the team suffered. She could only hear how much they wanted to fight, or how strong they were, "She's still one of the strongest people I know. Not even you can knock her down."

"We'll see about that," Amanda's amusement died. She stalked towards Alex, pure malice in her cold blue eyes. It took everything in the young woman to not squirm away on the cot she was restrained to. She fought to maintain her ground and her glare. But it was a losing battle. She was no longer facing Amanda; she was facing the Inquisitor. And whatever hell she thought she was going to go through was about to get so much worse, "Now. As long as Nikita has Ari, you still have some use. But I never promised to return you in one piece."


"Amanda sure knows how to pick 'em. The coordinates she sent lead straight to the heart of South Ossetia," Birkhoff expressed gravely. Division had been right to assume that Amanda hadn't stayed in Switzerland. She brought Alex to an extremely hostile country and expected the team to follow her there. Since the war, South Ossetia had been in constant conflict with mobsters and gun runners controlling most of everything. There was a chance that Amanda wasn't even the most dangerous person they ran into on their rescue mission- a slim chance, but still possible. They were heading straight to the Wild West, just with AK's and vodka.

Ryan echoed Birkhoff's sentiment. Amanda setting up base in South Ossetia was not good for Division and especially not Alex. They couldn't send a full strike team to rescue her. That would bring too many guns and too much attention. Things not only would go bad in the field, but for Division in general. That was probably Amanda's entire purpose for setting up shop in South Ossetia. She was out of money, henchmen, and options. If she wanted to hurt Division- further than she had already hurt them by taking Alex- she needed a war torn country, "She's out of manpower. A war torn country levels the playing field."

"So we'll go in small and quiet. Just Nikita and Sean," Michael decided. He'd prefer to send the Alpha team after Alex. Every agent available should be a part of the fight to bring her home. But since that was too dangerous and Alex's life couldn't be threatened more than it already was, only Sean and Nikita should go. They were too close to that mission; they could be emotionally compromised. Yet Michael believed that didn't matter anymore. Against Amanda and with Alex's life on the line, the best agents had to go. And with their fierce determination and skills, Sean and Nikita were the best agents.

"And Owen. We need him. We're heading into hostile territory with a flight risk. That's a three-man op at least," Ryan quickly added. Just Nikita and Sean, although very capable, wouldn't be enough to handle the situation in South Ossetia. Division needed to send more agents. A strike team was out of the question. But sending more of the former rogues wasn't. Owen was a necessary addition to the rescue party. Amanda's influence over him was a discouraging factor. But there weren't a lot of options. Also, Ryan wanted to send someone who could do things Nikita and Sean wouldn't.

"No way. Owen's a bull. If we want quiet, we can't bring him," Sean immediately began to argue. Amanda's influence over him aside, Owen was way too rash and reckless to utilize on that mission. It was honestly surprising that he had been a Cleaner. He didn't think. He made too much noise. And someone else always got hurt when he was around. Owen couldn't be involved on that mission. Sean refused to let anyone or anything hurt Alex further. At the moment, he couldn't stop Amanda from doing anything. But he could control the mission to save his girl. Only agents with Alex's best interests in mind were going- only Sean and Nikita were going.

"He's also in lockup. He assaulted a guard," Finally, Michael shared what had happened between Owen and Ari. When the team had gone over how Amanda could've possibly grabbed Alex, he hadn't fully explained the assault; it hadn't been too important to mention; besides Owen's stupidity. But then, Michael wanted to agree with Sean that Owen shouldn't go to South Ossetia, especially with Ari in the mix. If a third person had to go, then it should be Michael. His prosthetic was still too twitchy and unpredictable for a mission- as proven in Kosovo. Yet he could figure it out for that op. It'd be a better option than relying on Owen, after all.

Finding Birkhoff, Michael, Sean, and Ryan in the latter's office, Nikita instantly joined their conversation. What she had promised Ari in interrogation had to be shared with the others- especially since the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced it was what they had to do. Division had to save everyone from Amanda, not just those they deemed worthy. That was what their containment duty involved, after all. They had to save the world from the dirty parts of Division, and what was dirtier than the bitch the hellhole had created, "Then get him out. We're gonna need an extra man when we recover Ari."

"What?" Ryan turned to Nikita, completely bewildered. Moving an incredibly wanted man to another country was already going to be difficult. Crossing the border from the airport in Georgia into South Ossetia was already going to be difficult. Saving Alex from Amanda was already going to be difficult. Yet Nikita wanted to add more to that. She wanted to risk an assault on Amanda just for Ari Tasarov. Was she insane. Had she breathed in too much smoke. There was no way they were doing that. It couldn't be done.

"After we save Alex, we're recovering Ari. Then Amanda will never have access to the black box. It's a win-win for us, and a 'fuck you' to her," Shrugging, Nikita explained. She assumed she'd have better success convincing the team to go along with her plan if she focused more on screwing over Amanda than on saving Ari. She still didn't care that much about saving the world. She still didn't give a shit. Despite that though, she knew she couldn't just hand someone over to die. She couldn't be that cruel; she had killed too many people already.

"Alright. But Alex is still the priority," Sean found himself easily agreeing with his sister. He honestly didn't care one way or another about Ari. But if his sister wanted to save him to screw over Amanda, then he'd help. Only if Alex was saved first. As long as she was back in his arms safe, sound, breathing, and alive, he didn't care about anything else. A part of him didn't even care if Amanda died that day or not. He only wanted Alex. The longer she was with the bitch, the more he feared for her. He couldn't lose her. If he lost her too, he didn't think he'd ever make it out of Division.

"That goes without saying, Boyscout," Nikita clapped Sean on the shoulder and smiled. It was a weak smile, though. Her attempt to encourage her brother fell flat, crashing into their frayed emotions and anxiety. Yes, they'd save Alex before they even attempted to save Ari. But what if they couldn't save Alex. What if Amanda, South Ossetia, their own desperate, rash decisions proved too much. Saving one person from Amanda- let alone two- was a very optimistic idea. They had thought they could save Stefan without consequence, and they were wrong. But the team could still try. They had to give it their all, or they'd have nothing.