"The window is closing. I need to take the shot," Alex frustratedly muttered into her com. Kochenko was almost done with his speech. He had spent several minutes bragging about the wealth and prosperity of Zetrov under Sergei Semak's leadership and how expansion into North America was a benefit for all (though, mostly for Semak's greed). Each new word out of his creepy, egotistical mouth filled Alex with a deep, visceral venomous rage. The only thing holding her back from filling him with lead that very moment was the promise of having a cover story. She needed to stay hidden in order to keep hunting Semak. Her plans hinged on that fact.
"Negative. I don't have confirmation," Amanda warned in reply. Through her coms, Alex could faintly hear a commotion occurring inside Division. It didn't sound as though everything was running smoothly. Although Amanda had enough control of her emotions to act like everything was alright as she spoke to Alex, the young agent could see right through her. Division had run into a huge problem, and now it was Alex's problem.
"What's wrong?" Barely restraining herself from holding down the trigger, Alex demanded to know. She had thought that Amanda had Ramon under control. She had been assured that he was a reliable asset. The only thing Alex was supposed to have worried about was sneaking in and out of the press conference. So what the hell was the hold up. It wasn't as though Ramon suddenly grew a conscience; Kochenko was not the kind of person to be concerned about killing. No, something else was wrong. Something that had to do with Division.
"We're working on it," Amanda assured. Though, she didn't sound as positive as she was attempting to be. Alex didn't have to think hard about what exactly Amanda was concerned about. Ramon wasn't the issue. Division could control the asset and get their cover story- Alex had been told that the fake video confession had already been filmed, after all. The problem they were facing was external. And annoying. And oh-so-righteous.
"It's the rogues, isn't it?" Alex groaned. Of course all of her plans were being ruined by the rogues. She doubted that they knew they were getting in the way of her revenge mission. They had always wanted to help her kill Semak- just as long as she was away from Division. They wouldn't intentionally ruin her chance to finally make progress on her revenge mission. It was more likely that Nikita, Michael, and Birkhoff were doing something they deemed righteous, and that was why Division had lost its cover story. Whatever they believed was right and for the best was what happened. No one else and nothing else mattered.
None of the rogues, specifically Nikita, thought about the consequences of their actions and how much they could affect others, specifically Alex. Once again, Alex's mission was put on the back burner for the rogues'. She never got to be the priority.
Michael knew he was trapped in the safe room and was facing death. The instant he couldn't contact Nikita and Birkhoff anymore, the instant he knew his time was limited. He had to find a way out of the room and through the Division agents on the other side of the room. Taking stock of the items filling the safe room, he discovered that he could create a makeshift explosion. The charge could blow the automatically locked door off the hinges, and it would stun the agents on the other side. He could free himself. Hopefully before his time was up.
Unable to hear anything through his coms, Michael had absolutely no idea what was happening outside the room. It had to have been some kind of trouble. However, unable to do anything about it while locked in the room, Michael refused to allow himself to dwell on it. If he thought about it for too long, he was going to worry so much he wouldn't be able to think clearly. And with a makeshift explosive in his hand, he had to be able to think. He couldn't anxiously ponder what could be happening to Nikita at that moment. He needed to free himself from the locked room so he could be by her side and help her.
He had just planted the charge on the door, and he was just about to detonate it (all while praying that he didn't injure himself in the process) when he heard a phone ring. Michael was confused for a moment. Then, he remembered that all Division safe rooms came with a black line. Birkhoff or Nikita must've figured out the number and managed to call him. Hurriedly, Michael searched for the telephone. It didn't take him long to find it underneath a loose floorboard. He answered it frantically, desperate to know what was happening and if Nikita was alright, "Nikita?"
"No. But she's coming to save you. I, for one, don't think she can make it. But you can. There is a panel next to the phone. It opens an underground passage," Ramon's voice came through the line. Once again, Michael was confused. Why would their target be helping him. Was it a trick. Didi Division have Nikita and now they were luring out Michael. Why should he believe a single word that Ramon said.
And where the hell was Nikita.
Before Michael could ask anything, Ramon hung up. Michael called out to him, yet all he heard was a dial tone. He didn't waste any more time with his questions after that. It would've been pointless. Besides, there was a slight chance that Ramon was telling the truth. If so, then Michael could finally be free of the room and back by Nikita's side. He quickly found the escape hatch Ramon had mentioned and threw it open. He didn't see any nasty surprises waiting for him. Yet he still didn't chance it. Michael grabbed his gun, held it in front of him, and descended down into the tunnel that hopefully led out of the compound and to Nikita.
Nikita had made it. She had managed to race to the compound before the drone had fired its missile. She assumed that the Division agents that had been inside had been cleared out by Amanda, which meant that nothing stood in between her and Michael. She could sprint inside, pull him out of the safe room, and find someplace to duck and cover before the missile was deployed. She and Michael would make it out of the situation alive. She was sure of it. Amanda and her scheming couldn't best them then.
Except, just as Nikita hopped off the motorcycle, the world around her exploded.
She didn't know how long she had been unconscious. Nikita had been blown back by the blast, and everything seemed to go black for a moment. By the time she was able to open her eyes, she was surrounded by smoke, fire, and debris. The motorcycle helmet felt like it was choking her, so she finally threw it off of her head. However, her movements were slow and shaky. She couldn't quite get command of her muscles. Standing took even more effort. She had to struggle to her feet and force herself to move.
The Division compound was completely obliterated. Absolutely nothing was left standing after the missile had been done with it. All that was left was smoke, fire, and debris. Even the grass, trees, and wildlife around the compound was destroyed. No structure- no life- could survive in the aftermath. The missile and flames consumed them all.
And Michael had still been inside.
"Michael?" Nikita stared at the flames in horror. A small part of her tried to argue that Michael could still be alive. If she just moved through the smoke towards the house, she'd see him standing in the flames completely unscathed. He'd be alive; he'd be safe. And he'd take her to Barbados and hold her tightly throughout the night.
As much as she wanted to prove that thought correct, Nikita couldn't make herself move. She couldn't approach the flames to see if Michael was still there. Because what if he wasn't. What if Michael really was gone. What if that small part of her that wanted to argue was wrong. If Nikita walked into the wrecked compound, all she was going to find was Michael's remains. He wouldn't be okay. No one could've been okay after that blast. Walking towards the flames would've only confirmed what she already knew. He was gone.
Michael was dead.
"Michael?" His name choked out of her on a barely concealed sob. No. No, he couldn't be dead. Michael did not survive years as a rogue only to be blown up because of her mistakes. Her terrible choices had gotten him locked into that room and used as Amanda's pawn. He never would've been in danger if it hadn't been for her. If Nikita had killed Ramon, if she had followed orders, if she had simply listened to others, Michael would've still been alive. He would've continued to fight for justice and do what was right. He would've been smiling at her and whisking her away to Barbados. He would've been alive.
But Michael was dead.
Her actions had killed him.
"Michael?" It was a miracle that Nikita didn't collapse to her knees. How was she even still standing. Michael was dead. Which meant so was she. Her entire heart had been in the compound- her entire soul. What was she to do without it. What was she supposed to do now that the love of her life was dead because of her. She couldn't go back to the crusade. How could she keep fighting if there was a possibility that she could get more of her loved ones killed, like Birkhoff. How was she supposed to keep fighting if she knew that Division would still wind. And how was she supposed to keep fighting when there was no end to fight for- not without him.
Nikita could not move on without Michael. She didn't even think she could try.
Why even bother when he was dead.
Continuing to stare helplessly into the flames, Nikita didn't know what she was supposed to do. She couldn't leave the wreckage; she couldn't leave Michael. But she also couldn't stay. Division would eventually find her and kill her. Though, that thought didn't sound too horrific. Her heart and soul were already dead. So why couldn't Division come and finally shoot her. The pain from a bullet would be a welcome relief to the pain in her chest.
Before Nikita could completely give up and collapse on her knees, however, she heard what sounded like a door opening behind her. Curiously, she turned to see what it was. Through the smoke, she couldn't make out anything at first. Then, she noticed disheveled dark hair. Then, she noticed strong shoulders and sturdy muscles. Then, she noticed him, walking towards her with long strides and sure steps.
It was him.
It was Michael.
He was alive.
"Michael…"
She didn't waste any time crossing to her love. Nikita sprinted towards Michael, and he easily caught her in his arms. He held her as tightly as he could, securing her legs around his waist and running a soothing hand along her spine. She clung to him fiercely, nails biting his scalp and shoulders; and she sobbed into the crook of his neck, so grateful that he was alive. He did his best to calm her with caresses and kisses, yet it wasn't enough. Nothing would ever truly be enough for a long time. Michael knew and understood. So he simply continued to hold Nikita until her sobs quieted.
"Ramon called. He said, 'you're welcome'," When Michael believed Nikita was ready to listen to anything, he softly explained how he had gotten out of the house. Even in the underground tunnel, he had been rocked by the explosion; he had been blinded by dirt and debris, and he had lost his gun in the shock waves. But once he had managed to right himself and shake off the shock, he hurriedly stumbled through the rest of the tunnel until he found the hatch. He had thanked God- or whoever else was up there- that the hatch was near Nikita. He had instantly seen that she was okay. And he could instantly let her know that he was alive.
Although Nikita couldn't stop crying, she managed to hug Michael tighter and place several kisses on his neck and cheek. He kissed her in return, using warm, tender, loving touch to let her know how alive he truly was. He could spend forever doing just that. And once the two could walk away from the burning area, he'd take Nikita to Barbados and continue to express how alive he was by touching and kissing and holding her for as long as he could.
Unfortunately, Barbados would have to wait for a moment. There were still things to take care of in Colombia. Namely, Division's presence. Michael and Nikita had to escape it first before they could truly be safe. Amanda's command in their coms was a reminder that the couple continued to have to run from many things before they could find their peace, "Do we have anything? Someone give me a status report."
"Yeah. You missed. How's that?" Michael snapped. Since he was out of the safe room, he could hear everything on his coms again, specifically Division. He didn't know how they had hijacked the frequency, what their schemes were, or why Ramon would turn on them at the last minute. But he didn't really care to receive answers then. He was certain that Nikita and Birkhoff would explain everything to him eventually. At that moment, he just wanted to hold his love as tightly as possible and assure her without a shadow of a doubt that he was right there and he was never going anywhere.
"Looks like you'll have to call off that Kochenko hit," Nikita managed to taunt Amanda. Though, her focus wasn't on Division. She didn't care what those bastards did next. She just wanted Michael to keep holding her.
Their foreheads brushed against each other, and green eyes bore into brown. Michael and Nikita stared at one another for as long as possible, never letting go. Nothing could separate them- not a missile, not Division, not Oversight. They were determined to be together forever. The war would eventually end, but they wouldn't. They couldn't.
Anton Kochenko's speech was coming to an end. Soon, he would be off the stage, and Alex would lose her chance to kill him and be one step closer to killing Semak. Her finger was getting restless on the trigger. She needed the green light now, or else it would be too late. However, she never got her go-ahead. The next thing she heard from Division was Amanda advising her to stop, "Alex, abort. Ramon has been exposed. They're broadcasting the video on the news right now."
"So the rogues won, huh?" Alex wasn't surprised. Once Nikita, Michael, and Birkhoff had their minds set on something, they achieved it. It had been wishful thinking on Division's part to believe they could beat the three. Of course they got to accomplish their righteous task and bask in the glory of yet another victory while Alex had to deal with their consequences. It wasn't fair. She was supposed to be getting what she wanted then, not continuing to run and hide. What good was Division and Oversight if she was in the same position she had always been in. Nothing would change unless she made it change.
"Alex, pull back. It's too dangerous. You won't have a clean exit," Sean Pierce warned. Yet Alex didn't care to listen. Although a cover story would keep her hidden and would help her eventually rescue her mother, she wasn't losing her shot. She had spent years in hell waiting for that moment; nothing could ruin it for her. Division would simply have to come up with another story to spin for her. She was done waiting and only reacting. It was her time to take action. She had her shot lined up, and for once she wasn't going to waste it. No one, especially Sean Pierce, could stop her, "Alex…"
Sean's attempts to rein Alex in were useless. It was too late. She pulled the trigger in one easy exhale of breath. And Kochenko was dead before he could utter his final word.