The next week or so went smoother than the first day after Sean's recruitment. He was soon free to leave Medical, and he moved into a recruit room with tons of things from his apartment to make it more 'homey'. Once they were repeatedly assured that he would be alright, Alex and Nikita were finally okay with leaving him by himself; though, they did constantly talk to him. Nikita helped her brother transition to super secret Division life, and Alex kept him up to date on his family. The two were determined to ensure his recruitment wasn't like anyone else's. He wouldn't be confused, hopeless, or alone. After all, it was only a temporary situation.
After some time, Sean believed he was adjusting to his new life well. Of course he was still upset; he didn't think he'd ever stop being angry and hurt (Nikita's emotions made a lot more sense to him). Yet he could reason being trapped in Division. He was alive, for starters. He wasn't completely separated from everyone he loved. And, he'd return to the land of the living once Division was shutdown for good. It was only a momentary setback. His name would be cleared, and he'd be as free as the rest of Division. He trusted the team to help get him there. No one had stopped fighting yet.
In the meantime, they just waited. Agents waited for the next mission. The team waited for intel on Amanda. And Sean waited to leave the bunker. The news continued to talk about Kendrick's death and his supposed involvement. They just couldn't get enough of his story. So he was trapped in the bunker until the exposure was gone. He found different ways to kill time. Mostly, though, he hit the gym. Others had the same idea- like Alex, Nikita, and Owen (Michael preferred the lesser used gym because of his prosthetic). They agents had frequently worked out together over the last few days, causing Owen to eventually quip "So all you do is train?"
"It helps kill time. Especially when you're trapped down here. It's like prison, but worse. No sunlight," Sean couldn't help but be blasé as he replied. He found that being sarcastic was the best way to respond to the situation. He definitely wasn't going to admit his feelings to Owen. And being upset all the time wasn't constructive. If he was going to survive his recruitment and eventually find his way back home, he needed to stay positive. Maybe sarcasm wasn't the best kind of positivity to have, yet it made him smile. That had to mean something.
"This isn't permanent. You'll be up top soon," Alex responded to Sean's sarcasm seriously. Although she and Nikita were doing all they could to help him, they still couldn't shrug their shoulders and make quips like he could. Maybe they should learn from his example. Making jokes could help ease their guilt and anger. Also, if they relaxed, they probably wouldn't always feel like if they weren't actively doing something they weren't helping. Yet it was so hard to be positive. The world had just crumbled around them. They couldn't shake that off and smile, not unless things were finally made right.
"When the news moves onto the next major tragedy. I know," Sean said more softly. He continued to try and joke, but he knew how upset Alex and Nikita had been. To their credit, they tried not to let him know. The two did their best to stay brave and strong for him. However, he knew his sister and girlfriend enough to know when they were hiding something. They weren't telling him what they were thinking. And they didn't tell him everything that had happened when they went to his apartment (he mainly knew that, though, because Michael told him about running into Jill and Sandy). They'd rather focus on him; they believed it made it easier.
"Alex, we need you," Before Alex could say anything encouraging, Michael entered the gym and called for her. She had a feeling it was for a mission; Michael had been in Ops with Ryan, Birkhoff, and Sonya before then. So she didn't argue against the request. She dropped off the pullup bar (she hadn't been doing any anyway) and hurried to Michael. Nikita moved away from the weights to join them. However, her fiancé stopped her. That was a mission she couldn't go on. For once, she was out of the op, "Sorry, Nik. You gotta stay for this one. Too many feds."
While Michael and Alex went to Ops, Nikita stood rooted on the mat and stared. Owen and the other agents who had witnessed the interaction stared as well. They couldn't make sense of what they had heard. Nikita always went on missions. She was determined to fulfill her promise to bring everyone home. Yet Michael benched her. And she didn't fight him. Owen began to believe she was injured in some way, but he didn't notice anything when he looked her over. Sean also feared for a brief moment that she was hurt. But he soon realized that that wasn't it- after all, she would've said she was fine. Something else was going on, "What was that?"
"As long as they're showing your face on the news, they're showing mine too. Although I can actually go into the outside world, drawing attention to myself while on a mission isn't the best idea. Especially with all those lovely conspiracies," Taking Alex's place at the pullup bar, Nikita sighed. She didn't think it was that big of a deal that she was talked about on the news. Her death had been faked over a decade ago. It wasn't dangerous for her to be walking around- unlike Sean. However, Ryan was paranoid. He was worried that her appearance could spark too many conspiracies, which could get Division shutdown. So, she was also stuck until it was safe.
"I don't even think there were this many after Mom," Sean chuckled dryly. Although their politician mother was assassinated with a car bomb, the news didn't react like they were with Sean. Yes, it received constant coverage. And yes, it was deemed a tragedy. But conspiracy theories about what had happened hadn't been splashed across mainstream media. And Nikita was only mentioned, not shown. Sean's death, on the other hand, had sparked tons of comments about some sort of coverup or conspiracy, and old pictures of Nikita popped up as loosely tied examples. Obviously, Amanda was involved in that. She had to keep fucking with the team.
"Well, you are a walking conspiracy," Overhearing the siblings, Owen decided to join them at the pullup bar. However, like Alex, Nikita had hardly done any. At Owen's comment, she dropped back down to the mat. What was he talking about. He couldn't have been referring to the news. Although he had a lot of free time- recovering from injuries, avoiding Amanda, and trying to figure out what she had done to him- he didn't watch the news. He was aware that what was presented wasn't the full truth. So why would he call Sean a walking conspiracy theory. What did he know that they didn't.
"And you're a walking billboard," Whereas Nikita contemplated Owen's words, Sean stared at his bare chest and arms. Well, it wasn't actually bare. Most of his skin was covered with elaborate and colorful tattoos. Sean had heard that Owen was heavily tattooed- it had something to do with being a former Cleaner and some drugs he was on. However, he had never seen it for himself until Owen had decided to take his shirt off before he lifted weights. Sean was so shocked by the sight, he had to make a comment about it. It was his one and only response.
Rolling her eyes, Nikita redirected her brother to a more relevant topic. She could never understand why Michael had it out for Owen. The two had been on the same team for years, yet there was still animosity between them. And although they hardly knew each other, that same animosity was growing between Sean and Owen. Nikita wanted to blame Michael's influence on Sean. But she didn't want to think about all of that then. She wanted to figure out what Owen had said and where he had gotten it from, "What do you mean, Owen?"
"I mean, everyone thinks that Sean and Naomi were working together. A Navy Seal in bed with a Gogol agent. That's almost funny," Owen explained what he meant with a smirk. He had heard some of the agents discuss what had happened. Only a few really thought that Sean had been working with Gogol- it would've explained his weird absences. But most didn't buy into the rumor. After all, Sean worked closely with the team of former rogues; he was dating one of them, and he was related to another. The latter was actually more fuel for conspiracy than any other piece of information. Rumors about the Pierces were spreading rapidly in Division.
Nikita had assumed rumors would spread after the fact that she and Sean were siblings had gotten out. Agents were bound to talk about Senator Pierce, and Oversight, and just what the hell had Nikita been doing as a recruit and then a rogue. Yet she didn't care about all of that. Let parole talk. What really pissed her off was that Owen, her friend, would engage in the rumors and make horrible jokes about them. She couldn't just let that go. So while he smirked, she crossed to him and sharply kneed him in the groin, "Yeah. It almost is."
As Owen crumbled to the ground in pain, Nikita left the gym to go to Ops. Although she couldn't go out on the mission, she could still find a way to participate. It'd be better than staying in the gym even longer- especially since agents were staring at her in confusion again. Once his sister was out of sight, Sean cast his concerned gaze to Owen. He was trying not to whimper or curse, yet Sean knew how hard Nikita hit. Owen was absolutely dying. He soldiered on, though, at least enough to say, "I was just messing with you."
"I know. I'm not offended. But she is my older sister. She has to be mean and overprotective," Shrugging, Sean held his hand out to Owen. He couldn't take it just yet. So Sean went to get him ice. Honestly, he didn't mind the joke about the rumors. He was confused about the rumor, yet those things always happened. The important thing was to not let it get under the skin. Since being stuck in Division with his thoughts, Sean had learned to let things roll off his back. He couldn't say the same for Nikita- or even Alex. They stayed bitter and angry. Owen should know that, "The girls are pretty sensitive about what happened."
"Right. Got it," Accepting the ice pack, Owen just nodded. He should've known better than to mess with Nikita. He knew how strongly she felt for her loved ones, obviously her brother was no exception. Though, he didn't even know she had a brother until recently. Thinking back on it, that had probably been her way to protect him. She didn't want him involved in the life she led. Yet it was too late for that. Sean was deeply involved then. He was just as susceptible to the same fate as her.
When Sean was satisfied that Owen would be alright, he returned to working out. He could've joined Nikita in Ops and observed the mission. But he was positive that would've driven him crazy. His restlessness would truly set in, and the fact that he couldn't watch Alex's back in the field would freak him out too much. It was better that he stayed out of it. If anything seriously important happened, the team would let him know immediately. In fact, an hour or less after he had thought that, Alex came sprinting back into the gym. She was in her mission gear and looking frantically for him. He rushed to her instantly, "Alex, what is it?"
"Ari Tasorov is in custody," Alex informed Sean breathlessly. He quickly understood her urgency and followed her to the interrogation rooms. Division had Ari Tasorov. The former head of Gogol was actually in their grasp. The amount of information they could get from him would be immeasurable. He could tell them all about Amanda. He could tell them where she was and what she was planning. And, maybe, he could give them a way to clear Sean's name. Amanda couldn't have destroyed all the real evidence. There had to be something left that'd exonerate him. Ari could give that to Division.
Ryan, Michael, and Nikita were waiting for Sean and Alex outside the interrogation room. Before any of them could start questioning Ari, they had to go over a few things. Ryan had some vital intel to share, "After Nikita left Naomi Ceaver's body in the morgue, the feds have had questions. They found her phone which linked her to her Gogol handler, Ari. Since then, Interpol, the FBI, and the CIA have been determined to find him. He finally popped up on their radar in Brooklyn. He's broke, he's alone. And he asked to be here."
"He was broke and alone in Brooklyn? Where's his precious Amanda? Why is he on the run and she's not? She's not being hunted down by three government agencies. She has no reason to hide. So why isn't she hiding him?" Nikita immediately questioned. She had heard the phone conversation Birkhoff had intercepted that led them to Ari. However, she was still confused about how that was possible. Being hunted by multiple governmental agencies shouldn't have stopped Ari and Amanda. They certainly weren't bothered by Division chasing them. So what had changed. Why was Ari desperate and out on his own.
"He said he wanted to be safe," Recalling what Ari had said when she picked him up outside the bar, Alex shared. Although Ari had attracted the FBI to his location, and that was how Division knew where to find him, he wanted to go with the team of former rogues. It was possible that he was up to something. Yet Alex doubted it. Ari looked like shit. He didn't have anything up his sleeve; he was out of options. The only thing he had left to do was run from one evil to the next, "Trouble in paradise?"
Nodding in agreement, Nikita began to smirk. A part of her believed that Ari was up to something. Yet what Alex had said made a lot of sense. Amanda liked to drop things that were of no use to her. Since becoming a huge fugitive, obviously Ari meant nothing to her then. Nikita could use that to leverage information out of him. Despite her workout clothes, she stormed into the interrogation room and smiled at Ari smugly. He hardly glanced at her, "Let me guess, Ari. You became a wanted man, so Amanda no longer wanted you."
"How astute. You know the trouble with Amanda. She makes her bed and then one is forced to lie in it," Ari attempted to respond hollowly. However, Nikita could hear the anger and hurt in his voice. She remained smug, yet she sat across from him and listened intently. There was more the team could learn from Ari than just what Amanda was planning. Nikita intended to get every last scrap of intel she could. Maybe she could hear something that'd let Division shutdown for good, "One might say I came home to find another man in my bed."
"Who?" Nikita was fairly positive that whoever Ari was talking about was going to be Division's next target. So there was no use in beating around the bush or continuously taunting Ari; though, she really wanted to do that. Getting the name of any accomplice of Amanda was far more important. The team could save more people from the bitch's terrible schemes, and they might be able to stop them once and for all. Nikita was begging for the latter. Yet she wouldn't get her hopes up. She shouldn't set herself up for disappointment.
"We'll get to that. Just know this: like Naomi, he is an asset that Amanda has taken and twisted to her own needs," Instead of answering right away, Ari supplanted fear in Nikita's mind. She didn't let her smirk falter. However, she knew how terrible things were about to become. Ari had to tell Division everything instantly- or another catastrophe would be on their hands.
