Alex braced herself for whatever torture method Amanda inflicted on her. The Inquisitor was known to do anything to get what she wanted out of people. And as long as she didn't kill her, she was free to do everything in her power to force Alex to talk. Although the young agent had learned how to beat a polygraph and how to beat Amanda's lie detector, she hadn't learned how to completely withstand torture. She knew how to escape and how to hold out. But Alex would break eventually. Amanda could make her. Except, she didn't start with torture first. She simply asked a question, "Tell me. How did Division capture Ari?"
"'Capture'?" Alex couldn't help but burst out into laughter. A part of it was relief that Amanda hadn't tortured her yet. The other part was complete and utter disbelief. There was no way that Amanda actually thought that Ari had been captured by Division. She knew everything about them, including things she probably shouldn't have known; however, she thought Ari had been captured. She really did believe only what she wanted to. If that wasn't so dangerous, it would've been even more hilarious, "Oh. Bitch, you really are delusional. Ari came to us on his own. He was that desperate to get away from you."
"Don't gloat, Alexandra. Ari's not your victory. He's Nikita's. They're all her victories. You're barely a player in all this," Amanda scoffed. Some small part of Alex wanted to smirk a little. She had gotten to the bitch. The fact that Ari had left her for their enemy hurt her, and Alex had rubbed salt into that wound. However, Alex's smirk was squashed by her fury that Amanda could call their war a game. Nothing about what was occurring was that childish or simple. No one was a piece that could be knocked out of play. They were real people, not things. Alex wasn't a player. She was a person with thoughts and a voice.
"You still think this is a fucking chess game? Real people are being affected by this. You and Percy…" Before Alex could compare Amanda and Percy and go on a tirade about how evil and shitty and despicable they were, the world went dark again. Was that how Amanda was going to torture her; she was going to keep pumping her full of sedatives until she was so disoriented, she slipped up. Or did she have something else in mind. She just wanted Alex to be more compliant before she went through with it. Knowing Amanda, it was the latter.
To transport wanted fugitive Ari Tasarov to South Ossetia, Division had to kill him. Not really kill him. They simply pumped him full of tetrodotoxin so he could be smuggled into the country as a corpse. No one wanted to look at a dead body for long. He could pass by without anyone noticing him. It was the best way to move him. The only problem with it was waking him back up. Once in South Ossetia, Sean, Nikita, and Owen had to wake him soon or Ari would die for real. But Owen had his reservations. Why couldn't he just stay dead. They'd be better off that way, "You sure we can't just leave Ari like this? He seems so peaceful, and less punchable."
"As much as I'd like to keep you from punching him again, Amanda's not gonna trade for a dead body. He has to stay alive so Alex does too," Nikita rolled her eyes. Michael had told her the full story of what Owen did to Ari that had made him unavailable to talk to Krieg. Although Nikita couldn't blame Owen for what happened since he hadn't known what the consequences would be, she was still annoyed with him. Division couldn't afford another irrational outburst from him. They had to stay on top of their game. Alex's life was on the line. There was no room to mess around.
There wasn't much for Owen to say after that. He and Nikita stood in silence until Sean came around in the truck they were taking to the coordinates Amanda had sent. Then, they loaded Ari's unconscious body into the back and took off. When they reported their movements to Ops, Birkhoff responded oddly. He had noticed weird transmissions on his computer, and he couldn't understand where they came from. It didn't improve even as the agents in the field moved. The strangeness stayed consistent, "Hey. Are you guys getting any weird interference out there in the land that time forgot?"
"I don't see anything wrong. Could it be the airport?" Sonya attempted to find a solution. Airports sent tons of messages and signals and all of that. The airport the agents landed in, though nothing like most airports, wouldn't have been an exception. The interference in the coms and trackers must've just come from the radar equipment or something. Sonya didn't know what else it could be. It wasn't as though anything in the truck was giving off a single besides the trackers and coms. Once they were clear of the airport, the interference would clear up.
"Yeah. Maybe. Let's just cycle through channels on the trackers. I don't want to lose anyone else," Birkhoff wanted to agree with Sonya. He wanted it to all be nothing. The closer Nikita, Sean, and Owen were to the coordinates Amanda had sent, the better things would be. Any interference would be gone, and Alex would be on her way home. However, Birkhoff couldn't help but feel like something bad was about to happen. Maybe it was because Amanda was involved. Yet his anxiety was through the roof. Something was going to happen. Something that could not be easy to clear up.
When Alex regained consciousness, Larissa was the only one in the room with her. Amanda and the soldiers had cleared out, leaving only the captive and the medic looking after her. Alex probably should've wondered where Amanda went and what she was doing to her. But her focus was on Larissa. She had seemed so kind and gentle. How could she be involved in that situation. She wasn't the type of person to be working with Amanda. So why was she there. Why would she play a part in Amanda's games, "Larissa, why are you working for that bitch?"
"I do not work for her. The soldiers, they tell me to work for her," Larissa answered immediately. She appeared to be relieved that Alex was awake. Alex should probably figure out what Amanda was drugging her with that it made a medic concerned. It probably was no good for the former drug addict. However, she found herself not caring about the drugs (that was a first). Her only concern was Larissa. The soldiers obviously worked for Amanda because of the weapons she provided them. But why did Larissa work for the soldiers. What was her story.
"Well, why are you helping the soldiers?" Alex just decided to ask. There wasn't else she could do as Amanda's prisoner. Obviously, she could try to escape. But until she had an idea of how to actually do that, she might as well ask about Larissa. The medic intrigued Alex. Yes, for the obvious curiosity about what she was doing there. But also because there was something about her that made Alex latch on to her. She wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was just the care she had given her in such a harsh place. Yet Alex was drawn to Larissa. Whatever was going on, she wanted to know more about the medic. And she maybe wanted to help her.
"Because I am their prisoner," Larissa stated bluntly. Alex stared at her wide-eyed, needing an explanation. She thankfully didn't have to wait long for one. However, as Larissa told her tale, she did so hauntedly and with many pauses to catch her breath, "When the war began, my husband and I gave shelter to the injured. The separatists discovered that some of the wounded were Georgians, so they accused us of being sympathizers. They took me with them because of my medical training."
"What happened to your husband?" Alex probably shouldn't pry. She should continue focusing on her escape rather than talking to the medic. However, the fact that Larissa was opening up to her at all was astonishing. If a stranger had asked her what she was doing there, there was no way she would've been honest. And if she was honest, she wouldn't tell them the full truth, just partials. But Larissa was different. She seemed like she had to tell her story. If not, it might eat her up inside. Alex was drawn to her even more.
Larissa paused for a very long time before she replied. Alex thought she had crossed the line. Yet that feeling only lasted for a moment. Based on the way that Larissa looked at her, she was fairly certain that she was the first person to care so much about her since she had been taken by the soldiers. Larissa had to share her story with Alex. She needed the captive to understand her and why she was there. They weren't so different, after all. They were both prisoners, they were both stuck, and they were both alone, "They stood him up against our livingroom wall and shot him. So I am as trapped as you."
That settled it. Alex didn't need to hear any more of Larissa's story. She had made up her mind about what was to come next. As soon as she freed herself from the restaurants- that she then realized had been replaced by a simple pair of handcuffs (that was a stupid mistake on Amanda's part)- she was going to help Larissa escape her captors as well. Neither of them were going to be alone any more. They were both going to be free. Both women were going to be saved, "Good. Cause now you can help me get the fuck out of here."
It was awkward in the cab of the truck. While Nikita was in the covered back of the vehicle reviving Ari from the tetrodotoxin, Owen and Sean sat stiffly in the front. In Sean's defense, he was more focused on Alex than anything else. He couldn't really start a conversation with Owen. Even if he could, he wouldn't know what to say. The only time the two had actually talked was in the gym a few weeks prior, and it hadn't gone well. The two just weren't meant for conversations without the others. Maybe they should fix that. But then wasn't the time.
Eventually, Sean couldn't stand the silence any longer. He needed to say something to Owen. Maybe he could just get him out of the cab so he could stop being distracted by the tense awkwardness. That was not how he should be preparing for an operation to save his girl. He couldn't let other emotions cloud him. He needed to be present, so Owen had to go. Fortunately, there was a task Sean could give him, so he didn't seem so rude for kicking him out, "Maybe you should go in the back of the truck and help Nikita with the revival process. It can get tricky. I know. I just went through it."
"I'm sure she's okay. She's a lot better at this kind of medical stuff than anybody," Owen waved off Sean. When the team of rogues hadn't had access to proper medical care, Nikita was their go-to doctor. Not only could she patch up most injuries and heal most ailments, but she also knew contacts to get them an actual doctor in extreme cases. Having been the recipient of Nikita's care multiple times, Owen felt as though he knew that the best. She didn't need any help with reviving Ari. In fact, one of them joining might just get in her way. She was fine on her own; she always was.
"Yeah. I'm fully aware of what my sister can do," Sean didn't know why he was so irritated with Owen. There was just something about the way he complimented Nikita that rubbed him the wrong way. Sean knew Nikita was excellent at field dressings and taking care of the team's multiple injuries. She had patched him up after he had been shot, after all. Nikita had also always been into medical stuff. Ever since she was a kid, she was taking care of her siblings' injuries. She had wanted to be a doctor before Division fucked everything up. Sean knew his sister had always been a caretaker. Owen didn't have to remind him.
"You don't seem so sure of it at times," Eyeing Sean, Owen questioned. He didn't quite understand the Pierce siblings. Maybe because he had been so absent from the team and maybe because he didn't know Nikita even had a brother for the longest time, Owen was probably missing something. But from what he had seen of the siblings' interactions, they were always fighting. They were always hurting each other or being hurt by their family's situations. However, they were more protective of each other than they were of anyone else on the team- Alex and Michael included. Owen was so confused. He couldn't make sense of them.
Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, sudden rage overcame Sean. He wasn't exactly sure why. It was possibly because he was so stressed about Alex that one little thing just set him off. And having Owen of all people tell him that he didn't know or appreciate his sister, made him want to yell. Where the hell did he get off saying something like that. He didn't know their relationship; he didn't know anyone's relationship. He was just talking shit like some sort of asshole, "What's your deal, man? Are you just this guy who latches on to women he knows he can't have? First, Nikita and Michael. And now this? Get your own life."
"Whoa. What the fuck? You got your signals majorly crossed, man," Owen was completely taken aback. All he had said was how good Nikita was at medical stuff. He hadn't meant anything else by that. He was just complimenting a friend. Why was Sean so mad at him about that. And why was he accusing him of things that never existed. Yes, he was protective of Nikita; and yes, he cared about her. But that didn't mean he wanted anything from her. He knew she loved Michael, and he would never ruin that for her. All he was being was a friend. If Sean couldn't see that, then he was blind.
"I heard yours and Alex's heart-to-heart on the coms the other day. I get that she was helping you- she's far nicer than I could ever be- but you need to lay off. Both her, and my sister," Sean's knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. When Owen and Alex had hunted down the terrorist, he had heard their conversation about Emily and about butterflies. He had heard Alex's nice words. And he had heard Owen's immense gratitude. Alex had been a friend to him- a good friend. Owen, however, latched onto her, just like he had with Nikita.
Owen stared at Sean incredulously. His and Alex's so-called heart-to-heart weeks ago was just two friends connecting over how they were healing from past traumas. Owen hadn't made a move on Alex. He would never make a move on Alex, especially while Sean was in the picture. And he had never made a move on Nikita (okay, maybe a little bit of a move, but he had soon backed off). Sean had simply gone insane and was seeing things that weren't there. Owen was not attached to the women, "What the hell are you talking about? Alex and I were having a conversation, like people do. And Nikita and I are just friends, nothing more."
"Sure about that?" Sean huffed. Honestly, he should've been asking himself that question. Was he so certain that Owen was going after Nikita and Alex, or were his thoughts so jumbled and his emotions so frayed over Alex being missing that he was losing his mind. It was probably the latter. He was making something out of nothing because he was so scared he didn't know what else to do. Though, some of Michael's comments (the ones Nikita didn't particularly like) about Owen made a lot more sense to Sean then. Maybe some of his assumptions were right.
"Yeah, I am. And if you're not, maybe your problem isn't with me. Maybe your problem is your own jealousies and insecurities," Owen snapped. He already got enough shit from Michael for absolutely no reason (okay, maybe there were some good reasons); Sean couldn't start giving him shit too. Especially since that shit had no basis. The former Seal was letting his emotions control him. If he just stopped to think for a moment, he'd learn that he was being ridiculous. It was all in his head.
"You know what? Maybe I'll give Nikki a hand. You drive," Sean slammed the breaks of the truck. He heard Nikita shout from the back, wondering what was going on. But he ignored her for a moment. He just couldn't stand Owen any longer. He'd much rather be jostling around in the back of the truck with Ari Tasarov than talk to the former Cleaner for just another second. He seriously had no idea what he was talking about- ever. He should just shut up. But since he wouldn't, Sean escaped him. It was probably best that he did anyway. He couldn't let his anger overwhelm him. He had to stay focused. His mind had to stay on Alex. She was too important.
