Nikita hadn't calmed by the time Michael and Ryan left. Although her fiancé wanted to talk to her about it, he kept his distance. He didn't have the time for a lengthy conversation. He also wasn't in the mood; she definitely wasn't either. It was better to just leave their discussion about trust alone for a moment. They desperately needed to have one, but their war had to take precedence. Who knew how long the team had until Percy deployed his nuclear materials. Hopefully, it would be long enough for the rogues to bring in outside help. That had to be their only focus moving forward. It was the one thing they could control.
Kendrick really was their best bet, despite Nikita's distrust. He could bring the full backing of the CIA, help the band of rebels finally end the war. It was well worth the risk they were taking. After all, it wasn't as though they could approach the deputy director of the CIA in his office. Ryan and Michael had to sneak up on him. The two decided to isolate Kendrick in a public place, that way they could slip into the crowd before and after the meeting. No one would know he was involving himself with rogues except them. That was, if he took them seriously. Running into a 'ghost' might persuade him, however, "Hey, Kendrick. Long time no see."
Startling, Kendrick splashed the water in the sink. He whipped around to face his old friend, unable to accept his presence. He had just entered the bathroom to wash his hands. He hadn't expected to see him, let alone anybody. Maybe he was going insane. The job could do that to a man. Yet, the person before him seemed so real. It had to have been Michael, as impossible as that was, "Michael? But… but we buried you. I gave your eulogy."
"I know. It's a long story. But it does revolve around Division," Michael just barreled through Kendrick's confusion and got to the point. With the CIA director's bodyguard outside, conscious of the amount of time his charge was gone, the rogue had to be quick. There was never any time to waste regarding Division, anyway. The team always seemed to rush from one mission to the next. They couldn't take a break with so much corruption to defeat. Getting the answers they needed just had to come later.
"Of course your ghost unit is coming back to haunt us," Kendrick could only sigh. Michael's death had never sat right with him. He had suspected something was amiss with the accident; though, he only thought it was a cover up. The fact that it was all a ruse to dupe that secret black ops unit of the government he had chased made a lot more sense. It was terrible that that was true, yet Michael's intel on Division had always been outrageously detailed. He must've realized he had flown too close to the sun. At least when he got burned, he didn't actually fall.
"Yeah, well that. And Percy has nuclear material," Leaning against the sink, Michael tried for nonchalant. It didn't work. Once again, Kendrick startled and stared at him in shock. The rogue analyst ignored him, however. He was more interested in why he didn't ask for the connection between Percy and Division. Of course, if the director had talked to the bastard like Nikita claimed, then he would know who he was. Knowing the connection to Division, that was a bit suspicious.
However, Michael rationalized that Kendrick's knowledge stemmed from the former director's corruption and Operation Sparrow- the attack on the CIA the team was barely able to stop in time. Being aware of the country's secrets was his job. He probably knew more than the rogues did, which was perfect. They could utilize that. Or anything else Kendrick might have been aware of, "I knew Percy was ambitious, but this… if he has nuclear materials we need to loop in other agencies."
"First, we need you to get us intel," Again, Michael shook doubt clear from his mind. The ambition comment could've been the result of the conversation Nikita had witnessed. There was nothing more to it. Not everyone was corrupt. Besides, Kendrick was bewildered by his phrasing. He probably didn't realize the analyst was working with a whole team. That was something that had to be cleared up before they continued. Ability or intel shouldn't come into question, "I'm working with rogue agents, former Division."
For some reason, that was the least surprising thing Michael had presented so far. Kendrick just nodded, accepting the fact. It was obvious how the analyst was there, still alive and hunting Division. He had had help. Who he had gotten help from also wasn't a surprise. Only one former Division agent came to Kendrick's mind. She was tied to the operation that placed the black ops group on the CIAs radar in the first place, "Nikita. Operation Sparrow."
"Look. She saved the life of everyone in that scif room," Quick to defend his fiancée, Michael clarified. She might've given the agency hell, but she had done so to save all of their lives. Ryan had discovered Operation Sparrow from Percy, and immediately told Michael and Nikita about it. Little did they know, it was a trap set to destroy all of them. They were lucky the former analyst still had CIA intel and contacts. He couldn't exactly use them because of his 'deceased' status. But Nikita could. She was able to rush in and save the day. Of course afterwards, her team had to break her out. Yet, regardless, she had done a great thing.
"And cost Abbott his job," Kendrick didn't see it the same way; at least, not to the same extent. Sure the rogue had saved lives, but she also caused countless destruction. The CIA was in complete shambles after she had escaped. There were two dead agents (who were apparently moles), a destroyed scif room, a black ops group they hadn't even known about exposed, and rogue assassins running amok. That kind of chaos couldn't occur again. The country- the world- might not be able to recover.
"They're under the radar, they move fast, and they're better than everyone you've got. They want to see Division taken down more than you," Michael continued to advocate for his team, pressing harder into his old friend. They were the only chance the CIA had in stopping Division and Percy. Kendrick couldn't take the information and delegate it to someone else. The rogues needed all the intel he could gather on any nuclear material, so they could bring their complicated war to an end.
"You sound like you have a personal stake in this," Attempting to understand Michael's urgency, Kendrick studied the former analyst. His drive had to have been about more than Division wanting to kill him and Percy destroying the world. His heart was tied to the crusade as well as his desire to protect the innocent. There was so much to the story that Kendrick wasn't getting. Maybe he didn't deserve to know, but he at least wanted to.
"Well, Percy killed my family, and Division's ruining my future with my fiancée," Shrugging, Michael admitted. He refused to go into further detail. The restaurant bathroom was not the time or the place. A part of him also didn't trust Kendrick enough to share the full story. He hardly knew about Hayley and Elizabeth anyway. And his engagement to Nikita remained somewhat tight-lipped. Both were dangerous pieces of information to have roaming around. The rogue analyst wasn't sure if he wanted the director to have it all.
Hearing the vague pieces was enough to send Kendrick spiraling, however. He knew of the speculated atrocities the black ops unit had performed. Yet having some of those things confirmed rattled him. The threat was far greater than he had realized. It was something he should definitely involve other agencies on. No way could rebels handle it on their own. It was too much. It was all too much, "Your family… fiancée… this is a lot to take in all at once."
"Which is why all I need from you is to isolate all available missile casings on the black market. Intel from the counter proliferation desk is crucial," Michael snapped Kendrick back to attention. Since he was becoming more aware of the evil the team was fighting, he'd be more willing to help. By that point, however, it didn't seem much of a choice. The director wanted the team to succeed; it was the extent of his involvement that remained a question. But it couldn't be that way any longer. He had to be with the rogues one hundred percent.
"That's the highest level juice we've got," Of course, assisting the rogue agents would have to make him a rogue as well. Kendrick wasn't certain if that was a risk worth taking. He'd lose his job, just like those before him. Although his job wasn't that important to him, there were still ramifications in going against the CIA- hell, he'd be going against the government. The intel wasn't that simple to obtain. The chaos and destruction he feared would certainly rain down around him if he went along with it.
"The number's already programmed," Removing a burner phone from his pocket, Michael offered Kendrick the chance to help. Though, it wasn't really an offer so much as a command. The deputy CIA director took the cell with a sigh. He couldn't fight with himself or the former analyst anymore. Helping the rogues was the right thing to do, no matter what. Michael smiled his appreciation, relaxing Kendrick. The director was able to gather himself together and rejoin the outside world in the restaurant. The analyst was going to follow, but a noise floating through the open door confused him. He had to have been hearing things.
"Now you're polite because it's not Saturday night and you don't have to show up for something?" The woman's voice sounded just like Nikita's, but that couldn't have been possible. She was the last person Michael would've expected at the restaurant. The stress of confronting his old friend must've gotten to him. When he joined Ryan at the bar, however, he was proven drastically wrong. Nikita was distracting Kendrick's bodyguard as the two talked in the bathroom. Her mission was soon complete once she saw all the men gathered. She huffed hotly and shoved past the group, "Jerk. Excuse me."
Michael glanced at Ryan, who was just as dumbfounded as he was. Kendrick attempted not to glance over at the pair, for fear that it might reveal their new working relationship, yet he was also extremely curious about what that woman was talking about. His bodyguard was worked up about something. She really did a number on him. Michael was almost afraid to ask. Except, his curiosity got the better of him, "What'd I miss?"
"Hoping there's less drama at the safehouse," Ryan simply shrugged and moved out of the restaurant. Even he was shocked by Nikita's presence. She had been there, however, assisting in a diversion when the bodyguard became suspicious about the amount of time Kendrick spent in the bathroom. The two couldn't have asked more from her at that moment. So, they went along with it. They could chalk the mission up as a success, and return to a calmer beach house.
Unfortunately, there wasn't any less drama at the safehouse. Alex had been watching after Sean almost obsessively. She checked his vitals, ensured his I-V drip was working, tightened the blanket around him, and did some cleaning. When she finally stepped away to swap out some of the used supplies, though, Sean regained consciousness and stumbled out of the cot. How he had managed that in the few minutes she was gone was beyond her. Yet she couldn't have it last. He needed to put his ass back in bed immediately. She wouldn't allow his healing process to be slowed by one second.
Sean, however, tried to fight against her. He had an email to send. An old friend of his mother's could help with the nuclear threat. But Alex wouldn't hear of it. Kendrick and the CIA would be enough for the team. The Seal should rest, and not exert himself over things they could handle. He wanted to help, though. He needed to help. He wouldn't let them fight alone, not when he had the resources they didn't. But he was outnumbered by both his girlfriend and Birkhoff. They gently dragged him back to the cot and forced him to lay down.
Alex called what she was doing 'tough love'. Sean would heal, or else. There wasn't much he could say against it, especially when she gave him morphine to calm down and relax. She was absolutely serious in not losing anyone else. If that meant being a strict nurse to her boyfriend, then so be it. The fear of him slipping away from her as well had been too great. She couldn't let that happen. Hopefully, Ryan, Michael, and Nikita did turn Kendrick into an ally. The war and all their loss had to end instantly.