Carla had been given a brief introduction to the team after Nikita had dragged Alex off the night before. It was mostly meant to allay any confusion and further misunderstandings. But it was also a way for her to not feel as though she was in a house full of strangers. She could be more open if she felt more comfortable. And she could stop giving Nikita all of her attention. The rogue hated all the glances she was given. She didn't want to confront her problems with her old friend just yet. Getting answers might soothe some of her frustrations and get her to focus; being blinded by anger wouldn't help anyone. Carla wasn't making it easy, however, "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you so alive and well."
"How did the founder of Division end up hunted by them?" Immediately, Ryan changed the subject. Whether he did so to dive right into the interrogation or to stop Nikita from saying anything, wasn't clear. Regardless, he crossed his arms and employed his no-nonsense tone. There wasn't any time for the women to hash things out, especially with the anger Nikita was sitting on. They had to gather their intel first. No one was going to argue with him. They'd do whatever to delay the uncomfortable inevitable.
"If I knew, I'd tell you. Believe me," Carla focused on Ryan. Her gaze did shift to Nikita, despite her best effort not to. The rogue was as stoic as possible. She was doing everything she could not to let her hurt feelings overwhelm her. She didn't want to be interrogating Carla; if it was up to her, she'd stay far away. Yet she knew how interrogations went. It was better to have Carla be comfortable and talk to someone familiar, than with someone she didn't know; she'd be more open and willing to share. Nikita's personal feelings had to stay out of it. The mission was more important.
However, that didn't stop her from snapping at Carla. Nikita would be there to listen, and to ask relevant questions. But she wouldn't accept pleas for belief or understanding. Her old friend had lost her trust. She didn't care about her thoughts, feelings, or opinions on the matter. All she wanted were the facts. Maybe then, she could make sense of her friend's betrayal and their roles in all of that shit, "Why should we? You created that hellhole. You turned streetkids into assassins."
"It wasn't like that at first," Carla was quick to defend herself. She really believed in what she was saying. Nikita held back a scoff and an eye roll. She had gotten into an argument with Ryan before about Division being used for good. The intentions or outcomes didn't matter. That place was rooted in corruption and evil. Any organization that forced people to do things against their will- people with no power to put an end to the abuse- could never be redeemed. How it all began meant nothing.
"Then explain," Once again, Ryan demanded before Nikita could say anything. Considering her last outburst, it was probably a good idea. She attempted to not glare as Carla slowly began to tell them Division's story. Neither of the rogue agents could say they were that surprised by the story. Of course Percy would use Carla's activities to his advantage. She was rescuing people from death row, and instead of turning her in he roped her into his schemes. It was good to know that Percy never changed, at least. The team's hatred for him was completely valid.
Their feelings for Carla remained complicated, however. She really did seem to have been trying to do the right thing. Or at least she believed it was right to present being a black ops agent as a second chance. Whatever she had thought on the matter turned out to be inconsequential, though. Just as Percy acquired government backing for what they were doing, she was fazed out of the operation. Whereas Carla was still confused over what had happened, Nikita huffed, "Of course Percy's government backing was just as corrupt as him. I always thought he and Oversight made sense."
"Evil finds evil," Ryan muttered. He was also puzzled about why Carla would be pushed out of Division after Oversight was brought in, but he didn't really care at the moment. Knowing how the black ops group was created hadn't given him new understanding of the place; it just made him hate it more. The same sentiment could be expressed by Nikita. Division was never about saving people. How could they be saved if they were forced to do such horrible things. Was it really living a second life if they took away others' lives and did so many unspeakable acts. There were definitely moments where Nikita thought it would've been better if she never got that second chance from Division.
"But Percy didn't corrupt the place. It was Amanda," Carla interrupted that train of thought by mentioning another corrupt bastard. She explained that as soon as Amanda was brought into the fold, someone was sent to kill her; her kill order probably had nothing to do with Oversight. Ryan contemplated that fact for a moment. Maybe Amanda was the one who wanted Carla dead, not the entirety of Division- God, the team really needed to know what was happening inside that place. Despite Carla's information, it still felt as though they were operating with only half the intel they needed.
Except, Nikita wasn't necessarily focused on that side of things. She was trying her best not to bark out in laughter. Carla was actually going to blame everyone else for Division's evil doings besides the main villain himself. It was ridiculous. She wasn't willing to see the team's side of things, or what hell they went through because of Percy. Nikita couldn't understand it. And, honestly, she didn't want to. She'd much rather want to berate her old friend for trying to defend that man after so many years. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on whose perspective) Michael poked his head into the room, "Hey. It's starting."
Ryan and Nikita decided to end the interrogation there for the moment. That was all the information Carla had for them anyway. They had to start focusing on their other op. Their informant (was that the right word for who she was then) followed after the two, wondering what was going on. Nikita told her in clipped words of an active mission and a Zetrov press conference. Carla didn't ask for further details; she knew she wasn't going to get any. She just had to go along with whatever was occurring. Even if Birkhoff made a confusing quip about the man speaking, "Well there's Lord Voldemort. But where's Alex?"
"Gogol and Zetrov. A match made in hell," Nikita responded, smirking. No one disagreed with her, the team laughing with her as the news camera panned from Semak to Ari. It was a surprise for sure to discover the Russian business was working closely with the mob-like security firm. But the team was able to work with it and survive the day. Though anxious, they had no doubt Alex could continue the surviving streak and give the organizations hell. Michael proudly surmised the reason they couldn't see her yet was because she was waiting for the right moment to strike, just as Nikita had taught her to do. She rolled her eyes at him, yet his point was clear: they were stronger together.
The team did their best to ignore whatever nonsense Semak was spewing. As Birkhoff switched between news feeds, Nikita, Michael, and Ryan were attempting to study the Gogol agents they could spot. They were fairly easy to notice with their training, and they were able to jot down some notes. But the way Carla was staring at the television screen was distracting. Everytime Ari was in frame, it appeared as though she had seen a ghost. Eventually, Nikita couldn't take much more of it, "Do you recognize that man? Ari Tasorov?"
"Yes. But he wasn't Russian. He was American," Carla seemed distant as she replied. She was trying to remember a long ago memory that kept slipping out of her grasp. Ryan and Michael launched into questions and ideas about how she could know him, while Nikita stood there in shock. There just seemed to be one connection after another. First there was Michael and the CIA. Then Alex and Senator Pierce. And finally Carla and Division. However, that wasn't all. Their world simply kept getting smaller, "He… he was with Amanda."
"I take it back. That's a match made in hell," Was all Nikita could say in response. She didn't know how else to take that information. Michael, Ryan, and Birkhoff didn't know either. As they dug through known sightings of Ari and missions Amanda had been on to see if they intersected, Nikita asked Carla for more information. She wasn't sure of anything besides seeing the two together. But if she were to guess, she'd say it was some kind of date.
"That was years ago. Could they still be together?" Michael mumbled that thought out loud. He really didn't want to think about the implications of a relationship between Amanda and Ari. Who knew what they could've been up to with their combined might of Division and Gogol. Birkhoff assured that there wasn't a way they could've met, not with their varying operations. However, in a world of spies and secrets, hellish situations like that found a way. There was a lot more going on than the team could've imagined. They desperately needed to gather more intel.
Nikita found herself staring at Ari and Semak on the screen. Things were a maddening mixture of being confusing, but also of making sense. She could see how everything tied together. It was like she had all the pieces of the puzzle, and she knew what picture they made. Yet she couldn't connect them. She was missing information and explanations- why was there a kill order on Carla, what was the extent of Ari's and Amanda's relationship, where had Percy escaped to, who had been following Alex, and would there ever be an end in sight. There were no solutions. All they could do was sit back and watch Alex finally approach Semak, "We're about to find out."