Sonya had plenty of ideas. One of which coincided with Nikita's: the team bait the bitch to draw her out and take her down. Amanda thrived on watching the team suffer. Most of the information she wanted from Sonya revolved around the former rogues' relationships. She wanted as much fodder as she could get for her stupid mindgames. So, what better way for the team to lure Amanda out of whatever hole she was hiding in, than with drama completely fabricated for her own personal amusement.
The plan didn't take long to formulate from there. Michael and Nikita would stage a fight in front of Sonya, she'd record it with a hidden camera, then she'd send it to Amanda. With the follow up information that Michael would be 'drowning his sorrows' after the fight at a bar, either Amanda or Ann would show up and attack. The rest of the plan would unfold from there. In the meantime, they had to stay focused on faking drama. And on rooting out the second mole. Ryan and Alex had some ideas on how to proceed there. The sooner the mole was captured, the sooner the killchip in Sonya's head could be deactivated.
Unfortunately, only neurosurgery could remove the killchip completely. But there were ways the team could deactivate it. Alex suggested stopping Sonya's heart; that was what worked on her chip. Yet that wasn't a reliable method. Sonya might not come back. The better choice was to stick a needle in her neck, and turn the chip off in a long computerized process. Although the process was so long that Amanda might catch on, and it could all go to bust if the team didn't stop the other mole, Sonya agreed to the risk. She'd do anything to thwart Amanda and save herself. Besides, she'd be in the same amount of danger even if she did nothing.
Honestly, Birkhoff was more terrified than Sonya. Once plans began to form, she was able to keep a steady head. She put her mind on the missions and her trust in the team. She was definitely still freaking out, but she wasn't allowing her fear to drown her out. She did what she needed to do. On the other hand, Birkhoff was a mess. He couldn't move past the anxious weight that burned in his chest. If everything failed, he'd lose Sonya. He couldn't go through that again. He refused to. Thank God his team was by his side. As he panicked, they kept their heads and fierce determination, "Thank you. Thank you…"
"Nerd, the other mole. The second phase of the plan. Go," Shoving Birkhoff away, Nikita chuckled to herself. He nodded and hurried back to Ryan's office. Of course the team would help Sonya. They wouldn't leave her to Amanda's clutches. They'd try to save her in any way they could, whether she was dating Birkhoff or not (Nikita wasn't actually sure if they were back together or not- she'd have to figure that out later). The nerd didn't have to thank them for doing the right thing; though, he did have to focus on catching the other mole. So did Nikita and Michael. Yet Michael appeared lost in thought.
"Let's not fight like that again, yeah?" When she asked what was wrong, Michael smiled sheepishly at Nikita. The two definitely had their fights. They were both too stubborn for their own good at times. However, that didn't mean Michael liked it when they fought. He always felt hollowed out afterwards. Making up, apologizing, and attempting to be better strengthened their relationship. Yet he still hated himself for what he had said or done. Even after a fake fight, he hated what he had shouted at his fiancée. It wasn't real, he didn't mean it, but it still felt awful. He never wanted to feel like that, or make Nikita feel like that, ever again.
Chuckling softly, Nikita playfully patted her fiancé's cheek. He leaned down to steal a kiss from her lips. He barely managed to get one. She pulled away from him teasingly, laughing at what she perceived to have been his ridiculousness. Yet when she pulled out of his arms, he gently pulled her back. His green eyes were light, but they bore the weight of his words. He wasn't kidding around. They should try not to have screaming matches again (little fights were unavoidable). Michael gripped Nikita's hand tightly to make his point clear, "I'm serious."
Nodding, she kissed his knuckles. Nikita could agree to that. Michael didn't let go of her hand, however. They held onto one another as they returned to Ryan's office. Once there, they separated to continue putting their plans into fruition. In order to catch the mole, they were going to study different agent's body language and reactions. It wasn't exact, but it'd shorten their suspect pool. Whoever had the most adverse reaction to Amanda could be harboring something. When the team had that data, they'd develop a way to narrow it down further. In the meantime, though, Sonya had an update, "Amanda responded."
"With an ad?" Studying the message Sonya had been sent, Nikita questioned. She knew coded messages could be sent within embedded pictures. But that was something Percy would've done, not Amanda. She would have her own twisted meaning derived from a newspaper advertisement, not some standard spy practice. Unless, she was changing her game. Since she was working with Ari, that made sense. He had a sort of influence over her. Nikita never thought it would be anything substantial. Amanda seemed to have been the major driving force of that awful relationship. But maybe she was wrong.
"The message is encoded in the advertisement. Most of the time it's a picture," Sonya quickly explained. She was also surprised when the encoded advertisements began to appear on her computer. She guessed that the other mole had a hand in that. She had only initiated a one way chat with Amanda. The bitch could never contact her. Until the other mole gave the bitch access. It took Sonya some time to figure out how to decode the ads. Yet she could soon do it in no time. All she was confused about then was how Amanda got a picture of Michael and Alex.
"What's happening here?" Nikita glanced curiously between the photograph on the computer and Alex and Michael. The image appeared to have been taken that morning, but she didn't remember her fiancé mentioning anything about talking to Alex. It didn't seem to be a friendly conversation. He didn't just swing by to get coffee with her (it was weird that she had even gotten coffee). The two were hiding something from the team. It became even more apparent when they shared a charged and heavy look.
"I…" Alex began. She knew she had to explain, not Michael. But the words got trapped in her throat. What was she supposed to say. That she had fucked up. That she was weak. She couldn't admit to that. Not then. The team was dealing with so much already. She couldn't admit that she had failed to protect her team- that in all her efforts to help them, she actually hindered them instead. She didn't think she had the strength to admit that. Glancing at the silent support Michael gave her, however, gave her some courage. She could say something, "Michael caught me using. Not narcotics, just performance enhancers. He was telling me to stop. And to tell you."
"You knew an agent was on drugs, and you didn't say anything? Do you know how much that could've compromised our missions? Agents could've died," Instantly, Ryan snapped at Michael. There were far greater concerns at the moment than information being hidden from the team. However, that was information that could've potentially harmed Division. Michael was the former head of agents. He knew better than anybody that a compromised agent shouldn't be allowed in the field. Operations could severely suffer. They couldn't afford that to happen, especially not while they were going after Amanda. Too much was at stake for one mistake.
"It's not his fault. It's mine. I'm so sorry," Alex defended Michael. He kept his thoughts to himself in a vain attempt to protect her. He didn't have to. In fact, he could've ratted her out and railed against her, and it would've been completely warranted. Alex shouldn't have been protected after what she had done. She had messed up so badly. Ryan was right; agents had died because of her. The performance enhancers were supposed to make her the hero who would get them all home. Instead, she was just as awful as the Dirty Thirty.
Strangely silent, Nikita attempted to say something. The only thing she could process was her rage, however. She wasn't angry at Alex, nor was she livid with Michael. Nikita was pissed that she didn't know that her best friend had been struggling. How could she have been so wrapped up in herself, that she didn't notice her closest friend was in pain. She was awful. Actually, she was worse than that. Instead of spending the time to help her best friend, Nikita brushed the topic aside. She deemed something else more important than Alex. How could she, "We are going to talk about this later. At length. For now, we have to deal with Amanda."
"Do our plans change? I mean, how did Amanda even get this picture?" Birkhoff felt unsure about moving on. He knew Nikita had a point. After the team saved Sonya, then they could have the time to help Alex heal from her relapse. Yet he also knew they couldn't just let the topic lie. Alex was hurting; her pain shouldn't be shoved aside. She was doing that herself, however. When Birkhoff glanced at her, she shook her head and lifted her chin. She didn't want to talk about it then either. She wanted to help the team put their importance elsewhere.
"The Watchman. He must've been following all of us, reporting on us to Amanda," After a moment of thought (and another glance at Alex) Michael supplied. There was a Division agent Percy and Amanda would use to spy on other agents. He was a chameleon, able to disguise himself as anybody. Only Amanda and Percy knew what he truly looked like. It made sense how the bitch got him to join her side. He never accepted the recall. And he didn't want to stop spying on agents, proving even highly trained assassins couldn't spot him. She exploited him to gain her gossip and to inflict her mindgames.
"Plan stays the same. Michael's still going to a club to drink. But Alex's is joining him. We're going to bait Amanda with the perfect story. Then we'll follow the Watchman to his hideout, and track his communications," Regretfully taking her eyes off Alex, Nikita concluded. They had made a great plan. The Watchman couldn't ruin it. The team would just work him into their scheme. It sort of seemed better that way anyway. Not only could they kill Amanda, but also some Dirty Thirties standing in their way.
Sonya sent the updated intel to Amanda, then Nikita, Alex and Michael set out to a club. Nikita observed the area from above, watching over the others and searching for who could possibly be the Watchman. And Alex and Michael were on the most awkward date ever. They hardly acted like they knew one another as they sat far from each other at a table. Eventually, Nikita called them out on it. They had to make the date look real- just like the fight. Carefully, Michael shifted closer to Alex. He had no idea what he was supposed to say or do. So he just settled on the first thing that came to mind, "I've never cheated before."
"Neither have I," Alex echoed. She also never cheated on anybody, nor been the person somebody cheated on their significant other with; though, she hadn't been in many relationships. In fact, she wasn't in a relationship at that moment. Whatever was happening between her and Sean shattered apart once he left. So why did she feel so guilty about being on a fake date with Michael (besides that fact that he was her best friend's fiancé). Luckily, Nikita was barking in their coms again, perfectly distracting Alex. She claimed the two inching closer wasn't enough. If they wanted to draw the Watchman, they had to make a show- they had to kiss.
"Damn, she's bossy," Chuckling dryly, Michael muttered. Alex laughed. It was the first genuine and non-awkward moment between them in the club. Finally relaxing, the two friends moved even closer together. He put his arm around her shoulder protectively at first, but then he remembered what they were supposed to be doing. Apprehension was bright in both their eyes. Neither wanted to kiss. Except, Nikita was right. The Watchman would only rush off to send Amanda the pictures he took if he captured something worthwhile. A scandalous kiss was definitely worthwhile. Michael just had to whisper an apology as he leaned in, "I'm sorry."
It was so awkward and weird and wrong. Michael and Alex fought against their better instincts to immediately pull away. Although they had to maintain the affection for the Watchman, the kiss was not right. The two were friends, but definitely not like that. They hardly ever hugged. Kissing one another felt like they were violating their friendship. It just felt wrong. Thank God it served its purpose. By the time they finally, thankfully, separated, they briefly caught a man rushing past them. Nikita saw him too, "Got 'em."
As she chased the Watchman- with Birkhoff's help through the street cameras- Alex and Michael escaped to Division. They avoided one another. It was better to just forget the whole experience and simply help Sonya and Ryan narrow down their mole. Their idea with body language actually worked. They were down to four suspects. How to root out the one mole while Sonya was having her killchip deactivated was still being worked on when Nikita returned. She had successfully hunted down the Watchman and tracked down Amanda's location. The team was halfway there, Alex quickly told her of the other half, "Everything for the mole is set up."
"I was serious. We are going to talk. The second the bitch is dead," Nikita ignored the update for a moment and actually gave Alex her undivided attention. They were going to have a long talk over ice cream, pizza, and fluffernutters to discuss the relapse. The best way to start healing was to find the reason for the drug use- the true reason, not all the excuses she told herself. Although Alex wasn't excited about the idea of delving into her own psyche, she agreed. Nikita gave her a tight hug, then sent her back to Ryan, Sonya, and Birkhoff.
"We should talk too," Michael responded. Nikita ignored him. While the others put the finishing touches on the mole hunt and killchip deactivation, the two had to prepare for a kill mission. The best way to capture their mole, save Sonya, and kill Amanda would be at the same time. Since they had the bitch's location, Nikita and Michael needed to gather their gear and roll out. Despite that, he continued to study his fiancée with a concerned gaze. She couldn't handle it for long, especially since she knew they had to talk.
"Am I obsessive?" Nikita blurted. She had been ignoring a talk between her and her fiancé for so long that her first thought erupted from her mouth. Was she obsessive. She didn't notice Alex had relapsed because she was too focused on Amanda. And she never chased after her brother because she was too determined to send everyone in Division home, not just herself. She wasn't a good friend or sister. She helped everyone else over those that loved her most. What kind of person was she. How could she keep doing that.
"That was the fake fight, remember," Michael attempted to crack a joke. He couldn't tell exactly what Nikita was thinking. But whatever it was, it weighed heavily on her mind. He believed some humor might make her grin ever so slightly. Except, she hardly even looked at him. Nikita slowly loaded her weapon, trying to focus on anything but her own thoughts. Her tactic didn't work. Michael moved closer to her and bumped her shoulder with his. Although she stopped working, she didn't look at him. He tucked her hair behind her ear so he could at least look at her, "What's wrong?"
At least she finally put her weapon down. Nikita still wouldn't look at her fiancé. She was afraid that once she met his eyes, the fears that were bubbling in her heart would finally tumble loose. She couldn't afford to lose her composure then. She had to hold it all together for just a bit longer. Soon, she could kill Amanda and go home. After all that hell, she could go home to her siblings. That hope, however, scared her the most. After all that hell, it seemed too good to be true. It was just going to be taken away from her, just like everything else in her life. Nikita didn't get to have something good, "I just feel like something bad's gonna happen."
"Not while I'm here," Gently cupping his fiancée's chin, Michael swept his thumb soothingly across her cheek. Her eyes finally met his. She canted into him, and he leaned forward to softly kiss her. She was the one to deepen the tender affection. She needed more assurance than his words could provide. He gave it to her willingly. The team had a solid plan. For once, everything had been going their way. It was all going to work out. The mole would be found, Sonya would be saved. And Amanda was going to die.
