"Hello? Is someone there?" Sonya poked her head into the server room. She had received an alert that someone had entered the room; however, there was no maintenance scheduled for that day. No one was supposed to be down there. As she moved further into the room, Sonya got the sense that the other person knew that. Everywhere she moved, she could hear them moving further away. So rather than chase after them, she moved towards where she believed they were coming from. As soon as she approached the server, her investigation was brought to an abrupt end. A small explosion popped, startling her away and allowing the other person to flee.
Sonya raised an alarm to the team of former rogues once she recovered, yet the danger was over. Nothing had been harmed, not even the server. It was only an incident that could've been so much worse than it was. That didn't stop the others from flocking to the server room at the news, however. Birkhoff had to be assured that Sonya was okay, and Michael, Nikita and Ryan needed to know if there was another attack on Division occurring. Sonya could answer the former- she was fine. As for the latter, she had absolutely no idea.
Ryan promised to investigate the explosion and why someone would sneak into the server room. That was enough to appease Michael and Nikita at the moment, and they returned to what they had been doing. Birkhoff needed more assurance that his girlfriend was alright. When Sonya gave that, and a kiss, he moved to help Michael and Nikita plan a mission that was supposed to lead to a better prosthetic. Ryan and Sonya were shocked by that news, but that wasn't what they should've been focusing on at the moment. The server room was their priority. As was it Sean's and Alex's when they finally entered the room, "We just heard. Is Sonya okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. The explosive was just a diversion so I couldn't get a look at him," Stepping from behind the server she had been examining, Sonya responded to Alex's urgent question. Her fear at that moment had been a strong motivator to make her stop looking for who had snuck into the room. However, since the anxious moment was gone, Sonya was more determined than ever to know who the sneak was. She had been threatened one too many times in Division. She couldn't sit back and let that continue to happen. She was going to actively hunt down who had tried to hurt her and make them pay.
"What was he trying to do down here? Is he another mole?" Sean pressed. He wouldn't put it past Amanda to deploy another mole to fuck with Division, especially since she had lost any power she had had with Ari and former Gogol agents. Cautiously, Sean glanced at Alex to see how she was reacting to the situation. Her attention was solely on Sonya; she hardly glanced at the servers. That seemed like a normal reaction- Sonya was her friend; Alex cared about her. Sean was probably thinking too much, coming to conclusions that weren't even there.
"He was trying to take out a server array. The charge was small enough that it could have sat undetected for weeks. The goal was destruction, not information," Sonya instantly negated the idea of a mole. The explosive charge had already been placed before it was detonated to distract her. Someone looking for information wouldn't want to destroy the very thing they were using to extract intel. No, the person didn't want to learn anything new. They only wanted to hurt Division- and possibly others.
Division was very lucky Sonya had entered the server room when she had. The charge hadn't caused any lasting damage- it was almost as though it was just a scratch. But their luck never lasted long. Whoever had planted the charge would return- and next time, they wouldn't miss. The team had to discover who it was, and they had to stop them. Though, that went without saying. Sonya was already taking charge on an investigation into who the assailant was. Knowing what they were after, though, could help narrow it down. Ryan was certain that if they found motive, they could find the perpetrator, "Do we know what he wanted to destroy at least?"
"Not yet. I need to check through the logs to see if any of them had their diagnostic L.E.D. activated," Sonya sighed. There was a chance that the mystery person had enough knowhow to not trigger the L.E.D. light, yet she highly doubted it. Seymour had made certain that anyone who wasn't him (and Sonya) couldn't access the servers without anyone knowing. He didn't want a repeat of Baker. After all, the server room was what controlled all of Division. If just one part of it went down, everything could fall apart, "This is Division's brain. you could cripple key systems, erase files…"
"Then that's our priority: find out what the target was and why," Ryan ordered Sean, Alex, and Sonya. Discovering objectives and motives was their best bet in finding the culprit. Though, they'd have a lot of suspects to cull through. Three hundred agents that now knew that they had a gun to their head was a lot to investigate; there was more despair than hope in the bunker at the moment. The team would have to take it bit by bit. And they had to stay careful. One wrong move, and there might be a bigger charge next time.
After ensuring that Sean, Alex, and Sonya could handle the investigation into who had planted the charge, Michael, Nikita, and Birkhoff continued their mission to crash into Bellfar Systems. Michael had created a solid plan- they really could be in and out that night. Yet Nikita and Birkhoff continued to have their doubts about the Shop. At least Nikita was able to distract herself from that anxiety by thinking of all the ways she could taunt her fiancé for the other woman in his life. She didn't believe she'd ever let him live down his 'flirtation', especially since it was so easy to make fun of him for, "So… this is where you met your precious Darlene."
"This exact spot. I told her she could be the one," Michael played along with Nikita's taunt. Since it had been made abundantly clear that matching with Darlene online had only been a means to an end, it became easier to match his fiancée's jokes on the matter. He didn't need to feel guilty, nor did he have to keep explaining himself. He could simply play around with Nikita like they had always used to do. Michael had missed moments like that one- the joy they could share no matter what they were doing. In the past few months, they had almost seemed non-existent. He needed to find a way to fix that. Maybe with a new hand, he could.
"On the first date? Where was that speed when it came to asking me out?" Nikita nudged her fiancé playfully. She knew exactly why Michael had taken his time entering a relationship with her, and she would never actually make fun of him for that. He had needed time to grieve and to learn he could move forward. That had also been the pesky problem of Division and her rogue status; though, that wasn't as important as him needing to heal. Nikita would always give Michael whatever he needed to be happy, healthy, and safe again- including time and space. As long as he could smile again, she was content. And the way he smiled at her then was dazzling.
"Good things come to those who wait," Flashing a crooked grin, Michael nudged Nikita in return. She rolled her eyes and stomped ahead of him. Though, he did see her struggle to contain a smile. She hated whenever he poked fun of her lack of patience, yet she couldn't stop herself from smiling wherever he grinned. That fact always made Michael want to smile more. He crowded into his fiancée's space and beamed. She did her best to ignore him. So he did everything he could to get her to react to him, "Darlene and I wouldn't have worked out anyway. Her favorite movie is Mac and Me."
"Wait. Seriously? Creepy puppet movie Mac and Me?" Nikita couldn't help but laugh at the thought. She had never actually seen the movie, yet she was well aware of it. Jill had been afraid of the creepy puppets and dolls seen in movies- such as E.T, Chucky, those few episodes of Goosebumps- while they had been growing up. So, naturally, Nikita, Sandy, and Sean had used to torture her with images of them. The puppet from Mac and Me had definitely been one of those images. Though, besides the creepiness of the puppet and some other bad qualities to the film, Nikita didn't know much about it. It was weird to think of it as somebody's favorite. No wonder Michael had had to fake so much information to be able to match with Darlene.
"And I thought you guys picked bad movies for date night," Birkhoff huffed over the coms. Whenever Michael and Nikita had stolen the couch and the TV in the safehouse for their date nights, they picked some pretty strange movies to watch. Thankfully, none of them had been as bad as Mac and Me. The hacker hadn't had to suffer through that as well as suffer through living with a couple. It was a miracle that that particular aspect of the war was over- a similar miracle to his ability to be able to hack a Shop controlled building, "Ha! Bow down before ShadowWalker, for not even the Shop is a match for his awesome might."
Michael and Nikita shared an annoyed look as they entered the hacked elevator. If Birkhoff was any less great at his job, it would've been easier to put his ego in check when he said things like that. But he really was awesome, so the agents just sighed, rolled their eyes, and thought of how they could change the subject. Nikita was able to think of a new topic first. She and Michael weren't able to go on typical dates while they were fighting a war. So, she wondered how their dates would change once they were free. She had some ideas, but she wanted to know what her fiancé thought, "What would be your perfect date night?"
"Are you kidding? We're on it. Sneak and creep into a high-security building run by a shadowy organization- kicking ass and taking names with the woman I love," Wrapping his arm around Nikita's waist, Michael smeared a kiss to the corner of her mouth. His real answer was that any date with her would've been a perfect date. But he knew that would only earn him an eye roll and a disbelieving glance. At least with a joke, he could make his fiancé laugh. That was a sound he could hear more of.
"Wow, you really know how to spoil a girl. Remind me why I said 'yes' to your proposal," Nikita slightly pulled away from Michael. However, when she turned her head towards his, he stole a real kiss from her lips. It was brief and chaste, yet it was the perfect reminder of why she had been so eager to say 'yes' to his proposal. It didn't matter what they did; as long as the two were together, it was perfect. They had enough love to make every moment count. A date could just be them doing everything they could together.
"Ugh. Gross. If I'd known I'd be forced to watch you guys make out again, I definitely would've said 'no'. Thankfully, you guys are almost there," Birkhoff shuddered at the sight of Michael and Nikita kissing on the security feed- and he had thought they had gotten better about their PDA. Nikita spotted the camera and had just flipped Birkhoff off, when suddenly everything stopped. The elevator quit moving, and the lights turned off. Shooting upright in his chair, Birkhoff typed away on his keyboard, hoping to take back the control he had randomly lost, "Uh… I spoke too soon."
"What happened to the awesome might of ShadowWalker?" Nikita bit. Jamming the buttons in the elevator car didn't do anything to help. It was all up to Birkhoff to get them moving. Yet time ticked by without any change. Michael and Nikita soon had the feeling that whatever control their nerd had had was long gone. They removed their weapons from their holsters and prepared for whatever might come for them once the elevator began moving again and the doors threw open.
"Hold on. I'm trying…" Birkhoff tried to assure Michael and Nikita, but he didn't sound as confident as he normally felt while showing off his massive talent. The ease he had when he had first hacked into the system was completely gone. He didn't even have access to the lobby. There was nothing he could do to turn the lights back on or make the elevator continue rising. And, soon, there was nothing he could do to stop the camera feed from cutting out and for the coms to turn off, "Shit! I lost you."
Nikita and Michael tried in vain to reach Birkhoff on the coms. They couldn't hear him anymore, and there was no sign of him messing with the system. The elevator began to rise again, but the two had a feeling that it wasn't because of their nerd. The Shop was aware of their presence and had taken back their control. As the doors opened, though, Nikita wondered if the Shop had just learned they were there or if they had predicted it. If that was the case, then she and Michael were in for some trouble. Nikita gripped her gun tightly, "Do you think they knew we were coming?"
"Or no one was here to begin with," Michael moved slowly into the dark office, his gun leading the way. Whatever they were expecting from Bellfar Systems, an empty and dark office was not it. There was no need for military-grade encryption if Bellfar was simply a front. There should've been people around- someone to get answers from. But it was almost like a graveyard. All Michael and Nikita were met with was a single light in a lone cubicle. Despite his better instincts, Michael moved towards it, "Do you see that? Someone left the light on."
The lit cubicle was as void of life as everything else in the office. But it wasn't empty. An open laptop and a large case sat on the desk. Michael and Nikita glanced at each other and the objects, yet they didn't approach them. No way anything left for them wasn't dangerous. While the two debated what to do about the objects, the computer suddenly turned on. A live video played, showing a very alive Heidecker. Nikita instantly cursed and aimed her weapon at the computer. She nearly shot it before she heard, "Relax. You are not speaking to a man returned from the dead. We do not possess that technology… yet."
"So who the fuck are you?" Although Nikita dropped her weapon, she didn't holster it. She was aware that shooting the computer wouldn't do anything. However, there was a good chance that the fake Heidecker she was speaking to wasn't the only surprise the Shop had in store for them. The group didn't have a history of violence, as far as Nikita was aware- they were thinkers not doers. But after Nikita had killed one of their own and taken away their supply of test subjects, that could've changed.
"I'm a familiar face. This is a digital mask, the same used with the surveillance images that Michael found. We want to extend an olive branch," The fake Heidecker on the computer admitted. Michael was upset with himself that he hadn't questioned what he had found during his investigation. He hadn't had any leads in weeks, then, suddenly, he had everything he needed to get what he wanted. He had beloved it was a great stroke of luck. But since when had he ever been that lucky. He should've been suspicious, not hopeful. He felt like a fool.
"I don't make deals with strangers. Who are you?" Repeating her question, Nikita made her tone as forceful and unwavering as possible. She had played mind games with Percy, Amanda, Oversight, and even her own mother; she was not playing mind games with the Shop. If they wanted to deal with her, then they needed to show her who they really were- no masks, no bullshit, just straightforward honesty. She could expect that from a group of scientists. That was, if the Shop really was just a group of scientists.
"Who we are isn't nearly as important as what we can do. Please, open the case," The man- or woman- behind the digital mask instructed Michael and Nikita. Neither did as they were told. They simply stared at the case, wondering if they could suddenly develop x-ray vision. It would've been extremely helpful if they could've. Then they would've known without a shadow of a doubt if they would die if they opened the case. After what had occurred in Kosovo, there was a strong possibility of that. Though, the computer attempted to convince them otherwise, "If we wanted to kill you, we would have."
Neither Michael nor Nikita could truly argue against that statement. So, Michael reached out and threw open the lid of the case. Nothing murderous jumped out and attacked them. Nor was there anything deadly in the case. Instead, laid a prosthetic like the one Kosta Bechiraj had. Except, rather than a leg, it was the hand Michael had lost months ago. While Nikita and Michael gaped at it, the fake Heidecker explained, "You are looking at a bio-prosthesis. Tissue grown from Michael's own DNA. It drastically reduces the risk of limb rejection."
Staring at the thing he had wanted since he had learned that there was such a thing as a bio-prosthesis, Michael didn't know what to think. His solution to the awkwardness, to the discomfort, to the pain was right in front of him. He could take it and Nikita and run. Screw the Shop and whoever he was talking to. He could finally take what he wanted and have something better. However, before he could follow through on that impulse, logic kicked in. A group like the Shop wouldn't just give him a new hand. There was a reason they were presenting it to him. They wanted something in return, "So what do you want? How much would this cost?"
"Consider this a gift: a way of mending the relationship between our two organizations," The man on the computer said with no inflection in his voice. It was impossible to tell if there was any weight or meaning or threat to his words, or if they really were as simple as they seemed. Nikita severely doubted the latter. Heidecker- the real Heidecker- had told her before that the Shop didn't take money, just information. But the information she had seen them take in Kosovo was one of the worst things she had ever seen. A group that trafficked children wouldn't give something away for free. There had to be a catch.
"What relationship?" Nikita asked warily. She knew Percy had made a deal with the Shop- tech for lab rats. But that had ended when Percy had died. There was no relationship between Division and the Shop- not anymore. Except, upon questioning that, Nikita didn't hear an answer she wanted. She didn't hear an answer at all. The digital mask of Heidecker simply smiled then turned the video feed off. Nikita and Michael were left staring at a blank screen, a million questions and worries exploding in their mind.