"Michael!" Nikita crashed into the beach house, finally letting her guard down. Her bare feet were sore, and her possibly broken fingers were throbbing. She panted for breath, yet she didn't know if it was from sprinting or from what had happened. Either way, she knew she was panicking- bad. Michael rushed to her immediately, attempting to soothe her shaking body. But her brown eyes roamed the safehouse rapidly, "Did Birkhoff make it back here?"
"I thought he was with you. What happened to your hand?" Michael swallowed down his own anxiousness to tend to Nikita. She needed something stable as she spiraled. So he focused on bandaging and splinting her fingers to give her a moment to collect her thoughts. As far as he knew, the two were supposed to have been on a recon mission while he spoke with Alex. Something terrible occurred, however. He didn't want to dwell on what that could've been. He needed her to settle so she could give him answers.
"They got him. They tracked our frequency and grabbed him. I couldn't go after him. I barely shook my tail," In short, frantic huffs, Nikita explained. Michael was able to hold her still as he patched her up, but her anxiousness unraveled in her voice. It was her fault. If she hadn't stolen those bearer bonds to force the Oversight meeting- if she hadn't been so desperate to identify the members- Birkhoff wouldn't have been taken by Division. She was about to lose another member of her team. Everything was her fault.
Michael's green eyes tore away from the splint long enough to have Nikita focus on him. Her eyes were blown wide in fear, and her dark hair was wild and tangled. Glancing at him placed her back in the moment for a second. She was finally able to take a deep breath. He stepped closer to his fiancée, holding as tightly to her hand as he could with her injury, "Nikita, breathe. Focus. Birkhoff will be okay. We'll help him."
"He's probably back at Division. We can infiltrate without them knowing, save him before they even know he's gone," Nodding, Nikita was ready for action. That was their best bet of saving the nerd. She might have teased him relentlessly, and he might have grumbled about everything she did. But they were a team- some sort of weird family. She wasn't going to lose him. Ryan was already gone, she couldn't have another lost to that damn war. Birkhoff was coming back safe and sound.
However, Michael was against her idea. He finished bandaging her potentially broken fingers, and tossed aside the med kit. He was able to place both hands on Nikita's defined biceps, squeezing reassuringly. Of course the two of them were going to save Birkhoff- that wasn't even a question. But they couldn't save him if they were dead. They needed to play it smart. All that fear and panic had to be pushed away. A rational plan was their way to success, "That's too dangerous."
"Why isn't Ryan here?" The shout erupted out of Nikita without thought. She broke from her fiancé's hold, harshly kicking at a chair. Ryan should've been there. He could've helped her on the mission. They would've gotten the identities of every Oversight member, and Birkhoff wouldn't have been taken. Yet her partner had left for his son in London. Despite having Michael backing her up over coms, she was alone out there. They all promised that wouldn't happen. How could they have all been liars.
And how could Alex still be at the beach house. The shouting drew her from the other room where she had been pouring over the details of Operation Pale Fire. She had told Michael she wanted to know everything about that night. After she gave him the intel she had of Senator Pierce, he let her. He claimed it was only fair she knew the truth. Division had ruled in secrecy for far too long. It was time to expose them. It was time for their victims to find justice. Nikita understood Michael's decision. She was simply surprised by Alex's presence and she snapped, "And why are you still here?"
"She was sharing intel on Senator Pierce, and I answered her questions about the hit on her parents. A trade. Like one we'll probably have to do for Birkhoff. Though, it'd be more of a sacrifice," Michael explained softly. Although Nikita continued to eye Alex skeptically, she began to relax. Well, relax enough to consider what her fiancé was saying. If he and their new source of intel (a much better name than 'captive') were able to come to some sort of agreement, then she could with Division.
She wasn't going to like it, however. Yet it didn't matter. Nikita brushed her hair out of her face, and let Michael approach her once more. He was as gentle as he ever was, grounding her to reality. Even if her reality was a shitshow, she could at least lean on him. He was her solid center, just as she was for him, "What?"
"Something you won't like," Michael took hold of her uninjured hand, rubbing soothing circles into her bronze skin. Nikita was aware of what he was referring to. All Amanda wanted was a black box. And all they wanted was Birkhoff. The team would lose their great advantage if they gave up the box. But honestly, who cared about information when the nerd's life was at risk. When they thought about doing anything to save him, they meant it.
"He's worth it," Nikita hurried to grab the box and formulate a plan. Alex could only stand by in confusion. She was missing half of the conversation. The last she knew the rogues were up to was a simple recon mission. The three gathered information off of her cellphone, and Birkhoff and Nikita rushed off to spy on an Oversight meeting. Something as frightful as kidnapping shouldn't have happened. Division was definitely a more formidable enemy than she had thought. Especially if it shook the seemingly unflappable agents up that badly.
"You gotta control the hand off, and you'll need a distraction," Once Nikita returned, Michael began to plan. The trade wasn't going to be easy; Amanda would do anything to doublecross them. Nikita had to be ready. Judging by her fierce determination, that wasn't going to be an issue.
Alex should've left Michael and Nikita alone. That was something serious they were planning. She couldn't interrupt and be a distraction. The couple were just so intriguing, however. Their devotion to their whole team was awe inspiring. She didn't think she had ever seen anything like it. They would fight to the death for one another, no matter what. Although discovering the truth about her family was harrowing and she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to cope with it, she was glad she stumbled upon that team. They would take care of anyone without hesitation. Nikita's determined nod, alone, proved as much, "Got one."
"So who's gonna make the trade?" Building off of her certainty, Michael wondered. Whoever Division sent to deal with them could make or break a plan. Nikita paced as she thought. There were plenty of agents Amanda could dispatch, who would love the opportunity to screw over Nikita and Birkhoff. None of them came to mind however. All she thought of was the man she saw with Senator Pierce. He was the same man at Gaines' apartment, the one who shot him after he named the senator.
"Does Senator Pierce have a son?" Nikita blurted, glancing at Alex for answers. The young woman was taken aback by the question. Not only was she not expecting to be addressed, she also hadn't expected to talk about the Pierce family. Michael was only focused on Madeline's senatorial activities and professional associates. He didn't worry about her personal life. Oversight didn't, after all. So it shouldn't have been an issue.
Nikita thought differently than Michael however. His mind made practical and easy connections between points A and B; it was what made him such an valuable analyst to the CIA and an incredible intelligence officer for the Navy. He knew the right questions to ask, the right people to talk to, and the right things to look for. He also noticed things others hadn't. Nikita, on the other hand, her mind jumped around without any clear destination. She was fast and scattered in every aspect. It gave Alex a bit of whiplash, "What?"
"The boy scout. The one who shot Gaines. I think he's her son," Nikita shared that with Michael. The fact made the perfect amount of sense. A boy scout like that would only work for Oversight if his mother had asked him. She had pulled all the right strings to have someone reliable work inside Division. He was being the perfect little soldier.
"Wait. Sean shot that wall street guy?" Alex couldn't wrap her head around it however. The man she knew wouldn't be working for such a vile organization- there was no way. Whereas Nikita started to furiously type at a computer to confirm her suspicions, Michael turned to Alex. His words were soft, but his tone was a bit strained. He wanted to know if Sean knew who she really was- if he knew she was an Udinov. That information was so incredibly dangerous, and they had to know how much they had to protect her. All she could do was shake her head and stutter, "He… we… is he involved with this?"
"Lieutenant Commander Sean Mason Pierce. Seal Team Six. On special assignment. For Mommy," Nikita read what appeared on the computer, a harsh bitterness to her voice. She grabbed for a burner phone, and scrambled the number to call Division. She was going to demand Sean meet her for the trade; she could use his emotional investment to her advantage.
Michael would have agreed to her plan had he not begun to settle Alex. Nikita was on her warpath to save Birkhoff, she didn't need comfort anymore. Later of course, but in the moment she was ready for blood and he wasn't going to stop her. Alex, however, was reeling. She had handled a lot of information that day. Some better than others, yet she was really proving herself with how well she could fight and survive. The news of Sean appeared to have broken her, though. Her parents' death being a conspiracy, a secret unit of the government hunting her down, the fact that the woman who had saved her also filled her father and her boss' identity as a villain were things she could process with time. Yet Sean, that hurt her, "He helped me… why would he… he couldn't be with Oversight. He helped me get clean. He helped me get a job in his mother's work program…"
"Her legit one to cover the illegal one," The sarcasm in Nikita's voice had a steely edge. It wasn't directed at Alex at all, just the situation. There were so many emotions for all of them to sort through. But Nikita had to focus on one at a time. Her rage and anxiety was channeled into saving Birkhoff and seething at the person at Division who answered her call, "Put me through to Amanda."
Silently, Michael led Alex into the other room. She shouldn't be in the room to hear Nikita lay out her threat to Amanda and Sean. The young woman needed her time to adjust to everything. Michael and Nikita were more or less used to shoving it all aside to focus on a mission (as long as they talked to one another afterwards). Alex had no idea how to navigate in their world. Though she was starting to want to, "Sean's a good man. Why would he… how could he…"
"I don't know. Motivations can be complicated," Shrugging, Michael offered. It was all he had for an explanation and he wasn't going to lie to Alex. His prosthetic did twitch at his side with the stress of Birkhoff and the rush of intel. She noticed it, and was able to stop her thoughts. One thing was beginning to become perfectly clear. That team she had stumbled upon and the truths they revealed were the most stable things she had currently. She didn't want to lose that.
"I can talk to him. He'll help us, I know it," Her voice was more determined than she felt. The two years she spent with Sean had to have meant something. Alex felt so strongly for him, the feeling had to have been returned. If that was the case, then he'd join the rogues' side of the fight. He had to see the evil in Division and Oversight. Once he did, he'd gladly team up with the good guys.
"Later," Returning from her phone call, Nikita immediately shut that down. She prepared herself for the trade as she would have an op, Kevlar and weapons in place. She also grabbed an explosive to line the black box with, and a lot of cash. Alex was concerned about what she could have been planning. However, Michael distracted her by blocking her view and giving her a suggestion she couldn't disagree with, "You should go home."
"No. I'm a part of this now," Alex bit back anyway. Her stubbornness and ferocity to be in that war, surprised Michael. Nikita, however, almost expected it. Although they had only met one another a couple of hours ago, the rogue knew the young woman well. She recognized herself in her. She might not have wanted her in that crusade, but there was no use in fighting with her. Besides, if Nikita was in Alex's place, she'd be arguing the same things.
"You want revenge for your family, take a look at your allies," It was grim advice, yet Nikita gave it anyway. Alex nodded solemnly, squaring her shoulders. With a glance at Michael that conveyed they would have a long discussion when she came back, she secured a com in her ear so they could stay in touch and she took off to save their nerd. She was going to fix all of her mistakes. Fortunately, she had the right people behind her to support her.