Michael and Nikita didn't say much as they returned to Division. They simply grabbed the laptop, the case with the bio-prosthesis, and drove back to the bunker. There wasn't much that they could say, anyway. The two had the same thoughts as they contemplated their next move: how could they trust the Shop, and what kind of relationship was the organization angling for. Nikita didn't doubt that it'd be a terrible one. She couldn't stop thinking about those kids on the plane. How many other kids had there been. How extensive was the Shop's human trafficking. Was it something only Bechiraj did, or was it worse than that.
As Nikita remained lost in that thought, Michael dealt with the hand and the laptop. He gave the hand to Medical to have them run tests on it; he had to ensure that it was everything that the fake Heidecker had claimed. Then, he gave the laptop to Birkhoff to see what he could do with it. There were still too many gaps in their information regarding the Shop. Anything new they could learn would greatly help. Although there was nothing that could make them completely trust them, they could at least be more prepared about what they were walking into. They wouldn't be so blind in their ignorance.
Unfortunately, the only information that could be retrieved was about the hand. But even that wasn't enough to sate their curiosities. More questions arose about the Shop and all they were capable of. It wasn't a comforting thought, even when there was some good news to be shared when Birkhoff called Nikita and Michael back into his office, "Doc said it checks out: the hand is real. Everything the computer-Heidecker said was true. Which makes me wonder where they got your DNA. Cause I've got some theories, but they all end with me never leaving this bunker- which is something I never thought I would say."
"Well, Heidecker- the dead Heidecker- told me that the Shop has blood work on every Division agent. So…" Nikita shrugged. The hand being real and how the Shop had managed to get Michael's DNA weren't the surprising things in the situation. When Nikita had been trapped with Heidecker in Kosovo, he was very upfront and honest with her- including when she confronted him about the plane full of children. The Shop wasn't a group of liars and manipulators like Oversight and Division. They were just unethical scientists with terrifying inventions they didn't care were turned into weapons.
"So there's nowhere to run from these new creeps. Great. Fantastic. I love it here," Birkhoff's voice dripped in sarcasm. He honestly shouldn't have been as shocked by the fact as he was. Based on what Nikita had said after Kosovo, and what he had read in Division's files when he had originally tracked down Heidecker, of course the Shop had biological information on the agents. They had been lab rats without their knowledge. At least they had been aware they had been used as weapons and tools. Being used as another organization's experiments just proved how little autonomy they had over their own bodies. Division had controlled everything.
Absentmindedly tapping the desk, Michael attempted to think of how his original plan could still work. There had to be a way to take what he wanted without involving the Shop. Unfortunately, he couldn't take the bio-prosthesis anywhere without encountering questions he couldn't answer. Civilian doctors wouldn't be able to help him. And neither could Medical with their lack of resources. He was stuck with the Shop, "Look, the question we need to consider now is what do we do with the hand? I can't walk into a local E.R. and have 'em pop it back on. And I doubt Medical has the equipment or expertise to perform the surgery."
"Yeah, that's assuming it's not gonna go all Idle Hands on you if they did," Birkhoff couldn't stop himself from referencing the movie (he could've done without miming the killer hand, though, which was why he accepted the smack Nikita delivered to the back of his head). It was simply the best way he knew how to express how much he hated the idea of accepting a prosthetic from the Shop. Sure, besides the bio-prosthesis, there wasn't anything better for Michael- what he had was it. However, that didn't mean he had to take the offered one. He could learn to make do with what he had, even if that was a constant struggle.
"So the Shop's the only one that can perform the surgery? Of course," Nikita scoffed. Nothing in their world could ever be simple. Everything had to have strings attached. Not only did they have to strike some sort of deal with the Shop in order to get the hand, they also had to let them be the ones to attach it. Such a thing might have worked well for Kosta Bechiraj, or even Percy. But it couldn't work for Michael and Nikita. They couldn't stoop to the level of the Shop. Kosovo had been enough of a mistake- look at all the trouble that had caused. They couldn't stir up any more.
"Birkhoff, you think you could get them online?" Nodding towards the laptop taken from Bellfar Systems, Michael wondered. If there was no avoiding the Shop, then he might as well as confront them head on. Maybe there could be a way for him to renegotiate the deal. Or maybe he could strong-arm some intel out of the fake Heidecker. However, when he asked Birkhoff to hack for him, he didn't move. The nerd simply stared at the laptop as though it was going to come alive and kill him. Michael couldn't stop himself from chuckling at the sight; it was too ironic, "What, are you scared of a computer?"
If he was being completely honest with himself, Birkhoff was terrified of any tech that came out of the Shop- computers included. After dealing with the killchips, he didn't want to encounter anything else that came from the mad scientists. He had tried to warn Nikita about them, but of course she hadn't listened. Now, Michael wasn't listening either. More and more of the Shop's atrocious tech arrived on their doorstep, and Birkhoff was forced to deal with them when all he wanted to do was destroy them all, "What? No. I think we should dissolve the damn thing in acid. But not cause I'm scared… son of a bitch!"
Before Birkhoff could complete his sentence, the computer came to life. He was face to face with the digital mask of a dead man, and he startled away in alarm. He hadn't touched a single button on the laptop, neither had Michael nor Nikita. It had turned on by itself after listening to their conversation. The Shop had ears in Division- at least wherever the laptop was. The team had to be careful what they said, "Relax, Mr. Birkhoff. We are not here to harm you. We are only interested in Division's skills. We are thinkers, not doers. When we needed something done in the past, we asked Percy to have Division take care of it."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I killed Percy. You're gonna have to have someone else be your bitch," Whereas Birkhoff was wary of the laptop and the fake Heidecker, Nikita refused to let the Shop get under her skin. She probably could've expressed that in a better way, but her point was still clear. They had what she wanted, yet she didn't have to play their games. She had learned not to play Percy's, Amanda's, Ari's, and Oversight's. The Shop wouldn't be different, especially if she established from the beginning that she wasn't one to make deals with. The organization of mad scientists would have to come up with another strategy.
"Like I said, consider this a way to mend our relationship- a partnership. You do something for us. We do something for you," The fake Heidecker did well at ignoring how Nikita phrased her brush off. It was almost as though he had suspected that she would fight him or say something along those lines. The computer simply got to business, laying the groundwork for how Michael could acquire the bio-prosthesis, "We need you to retrieve an item. Deliver it to us, and we will perform Michael's surgery. Take some time to review the files in the case. I will await your call."
Michael was the only one to reach for the files. Nikita just stared at her fiancé and Birkhoff decided that he wanted to be as far away from the Shop's laptop as possible. He had more things to say, yet he knew it wouldn't change the other two's minds. He had never been able to take them off whatever path they wanted to sprint down before. That wasn't going to change then. He simply wished they had learned from their previous mistakes and wouldn't make a stupid decision, "I know this is ultimately your choice, Mikey. But, for what it's worth, my vote goes for Operation Dissolve the Laptop in Acid."
While Birkhoff left his office, Michael continued to stare at the files, and Nikita continued to stare at him. She could already tell what he was thinking: if the item they were stealing for the Shop wasn't anything too dangerous, then he was going to accept the deal. She wasn't so sure that he should, however. They had to go about things another way. Unfortunately, Michael had already made up his mind, and he was going to convince Nikita to change hers, "I know what you're thinking: this is a really bad idea. But Nikita, when I found out about the bio-prosthesis, I didn't believe it was possible, but now that it's right in front of us…"
"I just… I just thought you were getting used to the replacement," Nikita didn't mean to interrupt. She was just surprised that Michael was so hellbent on getting a better prosthetic. Months ago, it had made sense why he would want an improvement. But then, she thought he had been getting better. He could control the prosthetic (he could make a fist and everything), he liked his new role in Division, and he was home with her. Yes, he still struggled with the fact that he was missing a hand. But he was adjusting to the prosthetic and was doing well. There was a chance that he didn't need the bio-prosthesis anymore. He could make do without.
Setting down the files, Michael gave Nikita his full attention. They didn't talk about his injury a lot. The accident was still too painful for either of them to discuss. It was possible that if they could, then some problems wouldn't exist. And that was something they had to fix. Michael needed to share how he felt about his prosthetic with Nikita. He wasn't angry or upset anymore. Though, he continued to have difficulties that had to be addressed and hopefully soon resolved, "I am. And I'm still trying to get better, but… When I realized that there was something out there that was real, then every stupid glitch and every spike of pain made it that much worse."
"Wait. You're still in pain? Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped," Grabbing Michael's right arm, Nikita frantically questioned. She massaged his forearm in an attempt to alleviate whatever pain or discomfort he might've felt. But she didn't know if it worked. He had hardly told her he had been in pain immediately after the accident, and he hadn't told her at all about the phantom pains he experienced. So she shouldn't have been surprised that he continued to hide his agony from her. But he shouldn't have to keep doing that. She'd help him, no matter what was wrong. He didn't have to suffer alone. She was always there for him.
"You had enough to deal with. I didn't want to make it worse than I already did," Removing Nikita's hand from his arm, Michael admitted. He tucked her hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek, and she looked up at him with deep concern brewing in her brown eyes. Grief also showed powerfully in her gaze. That was why Michael hadn't told her about the pain. Nikita already carried so much guilt from that accident; her shoulders were constantly laden with that weight. The last thing he could do was add to it. He had already caused her enough pain. He needed to take the rest away from her- ease the weight holding her down.
"What else are you keeping from me?" Pulling slightly out of her fiancé's reach, Nikita demanded to know. He had already kept his pain and his continued search for a lead on the Shop and the bio-prosthesis from her. What else could he have possibly been hiding. It was Michael, so it wouldn't have been anything too terrible. But, then again, he hadn't told her about Alex taking the performance enhancing drugs. The two were engaged. They were supposed to be telling each other everything. It wasn't supposed to feel like there was a wall between them at times. Nikita and Michael should've grown past that; their relationship should've been stronger.
"You mean besides Darlene?" Flashing Nikita a crooked grin, Michael tried and failed to lighten the mood. He knew that he shouldn't have kept so much from his fiancée. Pushing her away had been one of the worst things he had ever done. Since he had almost lost her in Kosovo, he had apologized, they had talked, and he strived to be better about telling her things- they both tried to keep each other in the loop. However, there were still some things that he didn't share with Nikita. It wasn't because he didn't want to. He was simply afraid to voice all his thoughts. What would she think of him if he did.
"No. You don't get to dodge this one," Instantly, Nikita wiped that crooked smile that usually made her weak in the knees off Michael's lips. She wasn't going to let him avoid the topic; he couldn't run and hide. Both of them had a terrible habit of avoiding conversations that they didn't want to have, whether with jokes or with diversions. They really needed to start breaking the habit, especially if they were going to have a blissfully married future someday. Fortunately, Nikita and Michael would open up to each other eventually. They only had to work on getting faster at it, "Just talk to me, please."
"I hate not being in the field with you, Nik. I hate not being by your side and not helping you kick ass and take names. Being on that mission with you last night, it was great; it was like old times. I'd like more of those," Michael blurted. He only ever wanted to be by his fiancée's side. He wanted to save the world with her. And he wanted her to always know that he could have her back- that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. With the bio-prosthesis, he could do all those things and more. That was why he wanted it so badly. It wasn't just for himself and his own needs; it was for the both of them.
Sonya, Sean, and Alex worked tirelessly on finding any clues that'd lead them to who had set the charge in the server room. Whoever it was had covered their tracks, yet the three had still managed to discover crucial intel about the incident. While Sonya stayed at her station and continued to investigate, Sean and Alex rushed to Ryan's office to update him. The door hardly closed before Sean said, "From what we can tell, it was a two-man op. Sonya says that the door was hacked off-site, then someone else planted the charge."
"Did she figure out what circuit board he was after?" Ryan instantly asked. Knowing that they were looking for two agents was helpful. Though, if there was a group of saboteurs, then that made the team's job at containing them more difficult. It could be far greater than just two agents- their numbers could exceed their own. But if they knew what the saboteurs were hoping to destroy, then the team would have a better chance at identifying the rogue agents and shutting down their operations. They could hopefully do it quietly too- there was no need to cause panic.
"The tracker array- all of them. Sonya said it could've sat there for weeks. He was only planting the charge. It wasn't supposed to go off yet," Alex informed Ryan. Sean studied her as she did. Besides her deep concern for Sonya's wellbeing after the explosion, she had approached the investigation very clinically. She wasn't only interested in facts; she wouldn't speculate or share her opinion. That struck Sean as odd; though, no odder than how else she had been acting recently. Maybe there was nothing to it. Maybe he was just studying her too deeply.
"What could they be waiting for? Do you think there might be another attack?" Tearing his eyes away from Alex, Sean asked the other question that had been on his mind. He still couldn't understand the saboteurs' motives. Why they would want to take out the tracker array was pretty cut and dry: they wanted to escape Division. But why wouldn't they want to do that immediately. If Sean was an agent and he had had the chance, he'd take off as soon as he could. There wasn't much to stay for. There was no reason to wait.
Ryan contemplated Sean's question for a moment. What would a group of rogue Division agents wait for. Nikita hadn't waited for anything. She had always dove head first into the danger; nothing had held her back. So what would these rogues hold out for. Unless, they weren't just simply going rogue, "They're waiting for more people to sign up. There is something much bigger going on here. It's organized dissent- a mutiny. I was afraid something like this would happen when Alex told everybody about Danforth."
"Wait. Hold on. I did this?" Furious, Alex snapped. Sean knew what Ryan was getting at with his statement; the reason the team hadn't told the agents about the contingency earlier was because they were afraid of mass panic and rebellion. Months later, and the reaction of the agents hadn't changed. Of course they'd be upset about the gun to their head, and of course they'd lash out. It wasn't Alex's fault exactly, yet she hadn't helped it. Sean wanted to explain that to her, yet he was fairly certain that she wouldn't listen. She was too angry at Ryan's accusation.
"Alex, you told three hundred trained killers that the government has a gun to their head. Not all of them want to stick around to see what happens next. But what they don't know is if enough people join the mutiny, it'll hit the tipping point. A few people make a run, we call them rogues, add 'em to the list. Half, even a third of our people make a break for it, that is chaos. There's only one way to cover that up: send in the Seals," Ryan clarified gravely. It had been only a matter of time before their Dirty Thirty list grew. But he didn't think it'd be by that much.
Alex remained livid at Ryan, even with the explanation. Sean resumed studying her. He didn't want to say that she was having strange reactions to the rebellion. But there seemed to be something off about it. He couldn't quite put his finger on what. There could be something worrying about it. Or, he was simply looking too hard for something to be wrong with her. It was only fair that she was defensive after Ryan's accusation, after all. That last thing she wanted to do was hurt people, "Ryan, when I told everybody about Danforth, I did not intend…"
"If we don't nip this mutiny in the bud, it could take Division down, and there won't be anything we can do about it," Ryan cut Alex off before she could finish explaining herself. He knew what she was going to say, and he knew her heart had been in the right place when she had warned the agents about the contingency. But that information hadn't been the saving grace she believed it was. The agents in Division already didn't trust the government. But now that they knew their government was going to kill them, they were going to react. They were going to react violently. And that violence would bring Division down fast.