"Birkhoff, I'm pretty sure Krieg called my bluff. He's not gonna show," Alex sighed as she paced up and down the stretch of road she told Krieg to meet her on. It had been hours, and she hadn't heard another word from the German soldier. She doubted anything had happened to him- with his skills, he could more than take care of himself. It was far more likely that Krieg had known Alex was lying and went to search for Stefan on his own. That left Nikita trapped with Amanda. There was no way that was going to end well.
While Ops was trying to help Alex find Nikita and Stefan, Michael was working on another angle. As soon as Ari regained consciousness, Michael showed him images of the enemy agents Alex had identified. Amanda's former partner couldn't name all the men working for the bitch. But he could at least name one ex-Gogol agent, and he could share his phone number. The instant Michael had the lead, he sprinted back to Ops. That should be the break they needed to bring it all home. If only Owen hadn't ruined things and they had gotten the information sooner, "Got it. Ari recognized one of Amanda's men. I have his phone number."
"Alex, you hear that? I'm tracing one of the flunky's numbers now. I'll send you the location once I have it. That'll be where Stefan is," Birkhoff made sure Alex heard Michael's excitement. If the cellphone was turned on, the hacker could trace it in less than a minute. If it was turned off, then it'd take a little more than a minute. Either way, Division would soon have a definite location of Amanda's flunkies and of where they were holding the teenage boy. Alex should have no problem storming the place once she arrived. With Amanda tied up somewhere, it was easy to deal with her henchmen. After all, they had to be stupid if they worked for her.
"You get Stefan, bring him to Krieg, then you'll have Nikita," Michael reiterated a well-known point. All Alex had to do after she saved Stefan from Amanda was deliver him to Krieg; then the boy could be safe, and Nikita could be free. That was what Division and Alex had been working towards for hours. However, Michael still had to state the objective. Nikita needed to be freed. He didn't want to think about what Krieg might've done to her, or what sitting next to Amanda was doing to her. She had to be pulled out of there. Michael had to know that his fiancée was safe.
Nikita woke up coughing. All the ash and soot and smoke violently forced its way out of her lungs, jarring her awake in yet another unknown location. She wasn't even aware that she had lost consciousness. One minute, she was terrified of what the fire had unleashed in Amanda. The next, she was slowly realizing she was in an ambulance and she was being forced to wear an oxygen mask. A paramedic was right next to her, telling her to just relax and breathe. It wasn't much help, though. She was too frazzled to focus on the German- or was it French- being spoken to her. All she could do was cough and frantically try to figure out what was going on.
Spotting Amanda in an ambulance across from her also receiving oxygen, it all clicked for Nikita. She had to get out of there. Her plan had worked; the fire had caused firefighters to come to her rescue. But then it was time to get out of there. Nikita hardly thought as she scrambled to get away from the scene. She simply evaded the paramedics and climbed into the cab of the ambulance. She definitely drew attention to herself as she sped away, yet that didn't matter. At least not at the moment. Still coughing, Nikita messed with the ambulance's radio until she had Division's signal. Then she choked out, "Birkhoff… patch me through to Alex…"
"Are you alright?" Michael frantically asked. The strain in her voice was unmistakable. And the way she coughed was concerning. What had happened to her. What did Krieg do to her. What did Amanda do to her. Yet Nikita hardly responded to Michael's worry. She simply coughed, muttered something about a fire, and briefly explained that she had escaped. She promised to give a full debrief later. And she swore she would be fine. Her only focus then was on Alex and Stefan. It had taken too long for her to escape (and who knew how long she had been unconscious). She couldn't let anything happen to those two. She couldn't let them die.
"Alex… Krieg is on his way to you," Doing her best to contain her cough, Nikita informed her partner. Hopefully, it wasn't too late to save her. If she had been able to be patched through to her, then maybe it was okay. Maybe the fire had gotten her out in time and hadn't been the stupidest idea she had ever come up with. Amanda was still being treated by paramedics when she had left, so there was also a chance the bitch wouldn't be able to join them in the field. It could all work out okay. That mission could still be a success.
"I know, I know. He's here," Alex sighed. After she had received the location of Amanda's goons from Birkhoff, Alex raced to the bitch's staging ground and scoped the area out. She had been just about to burst in and start shooting when Krieg stepped out of the shadows and pulled a gun on her. Apparently, he had been at the meeting place; he simply decided to spy on and follow Alex instead. He refused to trust anyone involved in that situation. He'd find Stefan his way and free him from all that shit. Other agents couldn't distract him anymore.
"Amanda got free too. I don't know where she went. But you have to get Stefan before she moves him," Not quite comprehending what Alex had said, Nikita continued to express her concern. Although Amanda was held back by paramedics and the oxygen mask, she was free of her restraints and of the building. She could start wreaking havoc at any moment. Alex had to be prepared for the bitch, and so did Krieg. Enough time had been wasted on their confusion, poor handling, and mistrust. They had to get themselves together so they could save Stefan from a common enemy. It didn't matter if they liked each other or not. The teen's safety was the priority.
Alex agreed with Nikita's urgency- she did. But she still had a huge problem on her hands. Krieg wouldn't make a move until he knew that Alex wouldn't hurt Stefan. And after her part in what had happened at the motel, she wouldn't be able to convince him of her help. Honestly, Alex couldn't blame him. In fact, she admired Krieg for his dedication and care. They simply didn't have time for all of that. They had to start trusting each other then and there before things got even worse, "What about Krieg?"
"We have Ari here. They should talk," Michael informed Alex. As soon as she had said that Krieg was with her, Michael had returned to Medical one last time. It was past due for Ari to talk to Krieg. If he had been able to do that hours ago, then none of that shit would've been happening. Both Stefan and Nikita would be safe from Amanda, and the bitch would never have her chance to win. That was something Michael had thought about over and over again. If it weren't for Owen's actions, then there wouldn't have been any problems to fix. Yet that was an anger Michael could focus on later. He had to deal with one crisis at a time.
"Amon, it's Ari. They're telling the truth. Trust them as far as Stefan is concerned," Ari stated calmly. When Michael had told him about what had happened to Stefan, Ari, admittedly, wasn't calm. In fact, he was still panicking about the danger his son was in. Yet he knew he had to be level headed as he spoke to Krieg. There was no room for more errors or mistrust. Krieg had to work with Division, despite what Ari had warned him in the past. Stefan's safety was that important. Though, Ari knew that he would never have to tell Krieg that.
"The question is, can I trust you, my old friend?" Krieg wondered. He had been so turned around lately. Although it was still clear that he had to protect Stefan, who exactly he was protecting him from was an ever evolving mystery. Enemies claiming to be friends were around at every corner. And the silence from Ari had been concerning (who exactly was Owen, and what kind of trouble had he caused). Krieg simply wanted an explanation for what was occurring; he wanted simple answers. Could Ari finally provide those, or was there more trouble ahead.
"No one is holding a gun to my head. The woman who's with you should be able to help. Get him back, Amon. Keep him safe," Ari promised. Besides keeping Stefan safe, screwing over Amanda, and being genuinely annoying about being heroes, Ari didn't have much trust in Division either. Just like any other secret organization with a history of dirty dealings, Division would eventually turn on each other and collapse. He had warned that the life they had chosen would get them killed- and that time was coming. But until then, Division would do what they could to stop Amanda and protect the innocent. They were self-proclaimed heroes, after all.
"I will," Krieg's trust in Ari fortunately outweighed his mistrust of Division. He finally lowered the pistol he had trained on Alex and hung up the phone. With his mission, allies, and enemies clear, Krieg felt better about moving forward. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he could rescue Stefan with another agent's help, especially when that agent knew more about the enemy than he did. Together, they'd accomplish their goal. They simply needed a plan, "Enough nonsense. Let's get the boy back, yes?"
Nodding enthusiastically, Alex wholeheartedly agreed. She and Krieg instantly began to plan how they were going to storm into the building, take out the goons, and escape with Stefan. With schematics from Ops, the two didn't have to go in blind, which helped with their plan. In no time, Krieg forced his way inside and grabbed Stefan; Alex was close behind, providing backup. After a short delay, though, she wasn't that close behind him. That led to him getting shot. It wasn't anything fatal, and it had saved Stefan, so Krieg wasn't upset. He was simply annoyed, "Cutting it close, yeah?"
"Had to make a call. We have to go. More will be coming," Alex urged Stefan and Krieg onward. When she had learned that there were more of Amanda's men than originally thought, she made an audible. It was something Nikita had taught her when she had been her mole inside Division. The plan had saved the rogues- specifically Nikita- more times than anything else. So it'd definitely help Alex, Stefan, and an injured Krieg then. The three simply couldn't be sitting ducks when it happened. They had to go.
The problem with anything Amanda related, though, was that Division never had all the pertinent information. Alex and Krieg might've had schematics to the building, but there were still halls and doors they didn't recognize. After running haphazardly from armed mercenaries, the three wound up in an area they didn't recognize. Alex tried to take charge, but with Krieg limping and Stefan (understandably) freaking out, she could only lead them so far. She at least managed to bring them somewhere she at least deemed safe. But Krieg didn't see it that way, especially while there were still assailants gunning them down, "It's a dead end."
"Take the tunnel. It'll lead outside. I'll tell Nikita to meet you there," Pushing Krieg to just take Stefan and go, Alex assured. That was a part of the schematics that Alex had paid the most attention to. Another thing Nikita had taught her was to pay close attention to the exits. Even if her plan goes to shit (which that one kind of did) as long as she could escape alive, then the mission was a success. That had honestly helped a lot when it came to the air vents in Division. Then, though, she was more focused on saving others. As long as Stefan was alive, then the mission was a success. And he was so close to getting out.
"What about you?" Resisting Krieg's pull, Stefan asked Alex. Obviously Krieg couldn't stay and fight. He was injured, he was losing a lot of blood, and he needed medical attention immediately. But that didn't mean that Alex had to stay and fight on her own. She could go with them. She had said it herself, more men would be coming. She couldn't face it on her own. There was no shame in running away. The three of them would be safe once Nikita arrived anyway. Stefan just wouldn't leave Alexandra Udinov. He still had no idea what she was doing there, but he at least knew it wasn't right to run without her.
"I called the police. Now go," Although Alex appreciated Stefan's concern, it was misplaced. The police would intervene with the firefight, and she'd be safe. Besides, someone had to stay in order to distract the mercenaries from the others' escape. Alex was completely fine sacrificing herself. She made Krieg pull Stefan away, then she radioed Nikita. She had no idea how close she was, but she could at least pray she was close to the maintenance tunnel, "Nikita? Krieg and Stefan are coming out your way, northwest maintenance tunnel."
"Got it. Are you okay in there? You need backup?" Nikita asked. She had been doing her best to reach Alex as quickly as possible. But with a stolen ambulance, she had to take a lot of back roads. She also hadn't realized how far away- or how far behind- she was until she started pushing how fast an ambulance could actually go. She could possibly get to the maintenance tunnel as Krieg and Stefan were leaving it. However, she wasn't sure if she'd reach Alex before anything terrible happened. She hoped she could. She hoped she hadn't made a shitstorm worse by starting that fire. She was still able to help, though, so maybe it wasn't all bad.
"Police are on their way. I'll be good," Alex reassured. Although backup would be nice, Alex could hold out until the police arrived. They should almost be there by then anyway. They'd get the mercenaries to stop shooting, then they'd pull her into custody. Thanks to Birkhoff's hacking mishap, and Michael's experience in Hong Kong, the team had tons of contingencies in place in case one of them got captured by the authorities. Alex would be out of prison probably before she even arrived. It'd all be okay. She was sure of it.
"Great call," Nikita couldn't help but chuckle. It was good to know that she was only being paranoid. Of course Alex could handle herself in the field. She had learned a lot over the past few years. Nikita hadn't had to treat her like a recruit for a long time. Alex had earned the right to be her partner (a lot sooner than Nikita had acted like she was, if she was being honest about her past actions). The former rogue didn't have to worry about her. Her partner was just as capable as her- maybe more so.
"Learned it from the best," Chuckling as well, Alex replied. That was the last bit of communication between the women. Each became more focused on their own tasks. Alex awaited the police, and Nikita pulled Stefan and Krieg into the ambulance. She honestly hadn't thought about how lucky it was that she had stolen an ambulance (besides using the lights to speed through traffic) until she saw Krieg's gunshot wound. He could be treated immediately, and his attention instead could be on where he and Stefan were hiding next. Apparently, it wasn't all detrimental. There were some good things coming their way.
While Stefan and Krieg had a heart to heart and came to an understanding, Nikita updated Ops on what had occurred. Birkhoff immediately began to track Alex. He'd run interference with the Swiss police no problem. If the heiress managed to get processed, he'd instantly wipe it from the system. Yet it hopefully wouldn't come to that. Once Nikita dropped Krieg and Stefan somewhere to recuperate and lay low until it was safe to leave the country, the nerd would direct her towards Alex. She'd be able to grab her before she reached the station, "Alex is safe, Nikki. She's been taken into custody, on her way to the police station now."
"Then let's go get our girl," Nikita grinned. While Birkhoff continued to track Alex and the squad car, Nikita could bring Stefan and Krieg to yet another safehouse. Fortunately, the burned down building wasn't the only warehouse full of equipment the German soldier kept in the city. He had another location Nikita could drop him and the teenage boy off at. With the ID packet Division had already made for Stefan, it'd be easy to move out of the country. Both he and his caretaker would be alright. The only person left to bring home was Alex.
When Alex heard the ambulance siren behind her, she smiled proudly- and in relief. She had hoped that she wouldn't have to go all the way to the police station. Birkhoff could, of course, wipe her from the system if she was processed. But she didn't want to risk being recognized as Alexandra Udinov in a crowded police station. Even if she could deny her identity with fake IDs, it wouldn't be good if rumors of her getting in a gunfight spread. Also, she really didn't want to deal with the police any further. She just wanted to return home and relax after a successful mission, "About fucking time."
Fortunately, the police officer didn't hear her mutter. He stopped the car, and got out to see what the ambulance behind them wanted. Alex expected to hear a fight, then Nikita would let her out of the backseat. Instead, she heard gunshots. Alex whipped around so fast, desperately trying to see what was going on. Those shots couldn't have come from Nikita. And she doubted they came from the cop. A sinking, dreadful feeling in her gut told Alex that something far worse was going on. That terrible feeling was soon answered by the appearance of the shooter by her window. Smiling cruelly, Amanda nearly chuckled in triumph, "Hello, Alexandra."
