"Percy's running some sort of shell game. We lost the money," Once Nikita notified the team that she and Birkhoff were safe and leaving the scene, Ryan informed them of the problem he, Alex, and Michael ran into. Three transport trucks had left from the office the team had tracked Roan and the courier to. Only one carried the seventy million to Percy's awaiting grab team, the others were simply a distraction. The rogues thought they could guess which was the right truck, follow it, and rob it. Unfortunately, they were dead wrong.
"Where'd you pick them up from? I can check their distance from the ground, and- hoping nobody forgot to check their tire pressure- see which one's carrying the money," Birkhoff grabbed his laptop Nikita had stolen from the evidence lockup for him, and began to hack the street cameras. It was easier to jump right into a mission instead of processing what he had been through lately. He was good at hacking. He could be useful as a computer geek- everything else, though, not so much.
"I told you that was a thing," Chiming in from her own com, Alex quickly informed Birkhoff of the operation and ideas he had missed out on. She and Michael had tried to hack while Ryan chased after the truck, but it wasn't very helpful. They were so glad their hacker was back with them. He was devoid of his usual jokes; he had let Alex's 'I told you so' go without comment. That was probably to be expected after his arrest and recent struggle with guns. However, it was still a bit concerning to the team, especially Nikita as she kept glancing over at him from the driver's seat in worry.
"Got it. Just got off the highway before you guys," The nerd was able to ignore the concern as he shared the information. Birkhoff wouldn't glance back over at Nikita, despite the way her curious eyes bore into him. He had to focus on helping the others with the truck. Ryan, Alex, and Michael could reach the money faster than him and Nikita. They were better off simply driving back to the safehouse while the rest of the team completed the mission. It was never ideal for them to be completely separated. Yet that was what they had to do when one of them royally screwed up.
"Good thing a car is faster than a truck," Ryan focused on the bright side. They could beat the truck out before it met the Division grab team near the farmland the black ops group was held under. Their timing from there was a bit sketchy, however. Sure there were three of them, but they only had a car opposed to a transport truck. There was a chance they couldn't offload all of the money in time. The team attempted to not think negatively of their rushed mission; that would be how they found themselves in trouble. But they did have to be realistic, and realistically it might not work.
Even with how fast Ryan was speeding, by the time they reached the truck it'd be too late. Division agents wouldn't be far away. They'd spot the rogues stealing the money, report it to Percy, then try to kill the thieves. The team's only safe bet was to destroy the seventy million like Nikita had suggested. It was an insane plan no one really liked, yet it was the only thing they were left with if they really wanted to stop Percy. A tad regretfully, Michael spoke the thought out loud, "We won't be able to offload it in time."
Nikita forced her eyes to remain on the road. Twenty of that seventy million was Birkhoff's money. If they destroyed it, there went all of his savings- and a bit of his future. She might have been flippant about it in the past, but she was aware of how much his money meant to him. Or, at least the idea of his money. She didn't want to be the cause of someone she cared about losing so much. Except, Birkhoff shook his head and sighed. He had already made up his mind when he was being held by the police, "Then destroy it."
"Are you sure?" While the rest of the team voiced their shock over the coms, Nikita sharply turned towards Birkhoff. Again, she didn't want to make him do something he didn't want to do; however, he was set in his ways. His aversion to the idea from early had disappeared somewhere between getting arrested and attacking Division agents sent to kill him. So what if his money burned. Like Nikita had said, he could always steal more. And like Alex had suggested, she could back the team financially for a while. Losing his money wasn't the end of the world. Losing his friends was.
"I'm looking at the big picture. And the big picture says Percy can't have his money," Birkhoff's tone was firm and set, no one could argue with him. The team had to take a second to register what he was saying, though. They understood just how monumental the decision was for him. However, once Alex, Michael, and Ryan processed it, they sprung into action. Their first step, after beating the truck to the rendezvous point, was to ensure the driver escaped the scene. They didn't want an innocent caught in the crosshairs. That had occurred too much already.
The driver was soon clear after Alex popped a few harmless shots at the tires. Michael and Ryan were then able to load up and launch a couple grenades at the truck. The cash never stood a chance against the raging flames. And the Division agents that quickly crashed the scene had no idea what hit them. The rogues hurriedly climbed back into their car and sped off on a backroad. They ensured no one was following them as they radioed Nikita and Birkhoff with the news, "I'd like to report an accident."
"The most expensive single vehicle accident in history," Alex built off of Michael gleefully. Well, she wasn't that excited that Birkhoff had lost his money. It was the fact that Percy had lost so much that was worth the celebration. The bastard wouldn't be able to get back on his feet after that harsh blow for a while. There was still the plutonium he had obtained to be worried about, yet he couldn't do anything with it without his money. The team had won- they had won substantially. They could rest before gearing up for more. Or, they could get ahead of Division for once. There were a lot of positives to look forward to.
"Awesome. Meet you guys back at the house," Nikita responded lightly. She turned off her com, letting the silence of the car wash over her. Birkhoff had shut down his laptop, and stared out the passenger side window. He hadn't said a word since his order to destroy his money. Maybe he was beginning to regret his decision- an extreme case of buyer's remorse. Usually she could tell what he was thinking, but he was so closed in on himself. She had to pry just to know what was going on, "You sure you're okay?"
Birkhoff didn't respond right away. Eventually, he turned towards Nikita with sorrowful grey eyes. At first she thought it was in regards to his money, but then his eyes drifted towards her injured bicep. He continued to feel guilty about her gunshot wound. Although she dismissed it earlier, he couldn't let it go. She could've died and it was all his fault. Everything since the bank robbery had been his fault, and he didn't believe he could atone for it, "I got you shot. I should've taken the shot, but I froze. I couldn't stop thinking about Carla, and you almost died."
"I know. But that's exactly why we need to talk," Shaking her head, Nikita strived to push forward. What happened had happened, they couldn't change that. But the two of them could actively fix things for the future. No more pushing people away and not opening up about what hurt them. She was the worst person to propose that idea. Since when did she talk besides when Michael or Alex (or sometimes Ryan) forced her to. She was as closed off and buried in her work as Birkhoff was. No wonder Carla's death had been a constant ache for so long.
"About what? Let me just cry on your shoulder about the time I killed someone you loved so much," He couldn't help but snap. Birkhoff could've talked to Michael, Ryan, Alex, hell even Sean about the shooting. It didn't all revolve around Nikita. Except, that wasn't his point. Too much damage had been dealt for either of them to truly move on past Carla's death. Talking to one another wasn't really an option with how often they shut down. For two people who had been friends for as long as they had, and had survived so much together, they really didn't know how to have a heart to heart with one another. All they could really do was sit in silence together.
"I didn't say it was easy. But if we don't talk, someone could get shot, or arrested," Maybe it was a low blow to make a dig like that, yet Nikita had to make her point clear. The two needed to talk. Hell, the whole team had to talk. So much had occurred recently; they had to process and breathe together. However, Birkhoff didn't seem to believe talking would do them any good. Their friendship might be ruined if they opened up that pain. Fortunately, Nikita didn't agree, and she had proof to back up her statement. She and Birkhoff weren't the only two on the team to have put each other through hell, "I shot Alex's father, and look where we are."
Casting her a glance, Birkhoff had to take a moment to let the comment sink in. He knew about Operation Pale Fire; he knew it was the Division mission that destroyed Alex's life. The young woman continued to reel from it at times. But despite Nikita's role on the op, the two had managed to talk about it and move on. They were the best of friends then. Talking had actually saved their relationship. Birkhoff and Nikita could possibly do the same. He didn't necessarily want to think about it then, however. He'd rather change subjects, "That girl's surrounded by drama. You know, I still can't believe she followed us into an alleyway. What was she thinking?"
"She was protecting someone she cared about. Michael has this theory that former junkies and runaways will do the stupidest things possible to protect those they love," Chuckling quietly, Nikita defended Alex's actions of following a stranger that had bugged her boss' coffee. Sure it was incredibly dangerous, but it was out of a need for protection. Also, it did get them where they were currently. She couldn't be judged too harshly for her actions, especially since Nikita would've done the same- as pointed out by her fiancé.
"He was making fun of you when he said that. And you still want to marry that guy?" Birkhoff laughed along with Nikita. She knew Michael had made a shot at her when he had shared that theory. It wasn't meant to berate her; it was just a bit of poking fun. Besides, she had more than returned the favor in terms of jokingly judging each other. It wasn't as though he was exactly wrong, however. The things she and Alex would do for the ones they loved were reckless and stupid at times. Yet they just had to ensure they didn't lose anyone else.
"He's my lifeline. Like you are, Nerd. You're the voice in my ear, telling bad jokes and getting me home safely. You are irreplaceable. And you're one of a kind. Which is great, cause I don't think the world can take two of you," Her joke at the end of her confession wasn't meant to belittle her statement. Birkhoff meant just as much to Nikita as her fiancé. The same could be said for everyone on her team. They were like her family. She couldn't live without them, and she would do everything in her power to make certain they stayed in her life forever.
"Yeah. I'm glad there's only one of you too," Birkhoff joked as well, yet the sentiment was the same. Nikita and the team were his family, even if he was more reluctant to admit it. They all annoyed one another and cared for each other like a real family. They also fought and played like a family. The team might've been more insane at times, especially with their different relationships. But that couldn't change how they felt. They'd fight and die and even sacrifice things they cherished for one another without a moment's hesitation.
Softly, the two laughed over their quips. Nikita and Birkhoff weren't done talking, yet they had reached a nice resting point. Once their thoughts were gathered, they could continue their conversation. They were close to the safehouse, but Nikita stopped the car in the direction towards town. She didn't want to return just yet. She had other ideas in mind, some that could help her and Birkhoff, "Do you wanna grab food to take back to the house? Or, do you want to get food just for us so we can keep talking, and screw the others?"
"Screw the others," Instantly, Birkhoff agreed. Nerd and Rogue laughed once more as they drove off for delicious takeout. The two friends would be alright eventually. They had some great things to look forward to. And they had one another by their sides.