Ryan, Michael, and Nikita returned to the safehouse as quickly as they could. Sure, they'd have to wait for Kendrick's call. But, once the team had the information, they had to be ready to leap into the field. There were schemes to think of, contingencies to plan for, and- of course- weapons to clean. They didn't get to rest just yet. Hopefully, their new ally would pull through, and it would be the beginning of the end. It had to have been with the weight of the CIA on their side and with Oversight dissolved. Division and Percy wouldn't be able to last.
Despite the urgency to hurry up and end their crusade once and for all, Michael pulled Nikita aside as they entered the beach house. He was still surprised that she had shown up at the restaurant to help him and Ryan confront Kendrick. He hadn't expected her to involve herself at all, not after the way they left things. Yet she had always exceeded expectations. She was a constant surprise, one he'd be eternally grateful for. He was so glad she was by his side forever, "Hey, Nik. Thanks for showing up. You didn't have to, but, thank you."
"Of course," Stepping into her fiancé's arms, Nikita beamed. Michael had to kiss her. Even terrible arguments couldn't weigh the engaged couple down for long. They always found a way back to each other's arms. Sometimes, they had to talk it out and settle all of their raging emotions. Other times, a simple action said everything for them. Fortunately, that was one of those moments. The two could quickly be at peace and continue their mission. Unfortunately, they had different missions in mind.
"What's that?" A loud chime from one of the computers forced the couple to separate from their kiss. Whereas Michael was confused by the noise and wondered what it could mean, Nikita hurried to the keyboard. She typed in a command, and pulled up an audio frequency. Her movements puzzled Ryan and Birkhoff as well. In fact, the nerd was so perplexed by the rogue that he couldn't push her away from his area. He just watched her dominate the space and do her own thing once again.
"I placed a bug on Kendrick. The computers probably just now picked up the transmitter," Nikita explained once she secured the connection and cleared the frequency as best she could. The audio sounded choppy and staticky at best. Birkhoff admonished her for it, instantly attempting to fix whatever mistake she had made. The nerd was the only one who simply rolled with her decision to bug Kendrick. Ryan and Michael, on the other hand, could only stare at her. Was that what joining them in the field was all about. She wasn't necessarily trying to help them, she just wanted to push her own agenda.
"You what?" Eventually finding his voice, Michael sharply questioned. Weren't they supposed to be past that point; they were a team of rogues, not individual agents. Nikita didn't get to go off on her own just because she disagreed with the others. They were supposed to talk things through and be on the same page. It was too dangerous to do anything without consulting the others first. Things could turn south so fast, and they wouldn't be prepared for the fallout. The team couldn't afford to be reckless. They couldn't afford one of them thinking their idea was better than the others, especially when they were supposed to trust one another above all else.
"I trust you. I don't trust him," Her arms stubbornly crossed, Nikita defended her position. Michael had the right idea in attempting to bring in the CIA- she could admit that. The team was in way over their heads since Percy had the ability to build and arm a nuclear warhead. Their best chance in stopping him was to bring in powerful help. However, that didn't mean they should trust the help they were gaining. In their war, no one had proven to be completely trustworthy; there was always a give and take. The question then became: how much was Kendrick going to take from them.
Michael didn't believe the deputy director of the CIA would take anything from the team. Kendrick had consistently been one of the good guys. The former analyst learned that time and time again after the years they spent working together. He thought he had convinced his fiancée of that, but he had been wrong. Apparently, he was wrong about a lot of things, "That's not the… Nikita, you're supposed to back my play no matter what. You remember saying that, right? Even if the situation doesn't seem right, you still believe in me."
"I do believe in you. Just not Kendrick. You and Kendrick aren't the same person, Michael. He's a lying bastard and you're not. Besides, you're supposed to be following my lead. I am the actual agent here," Nikita wasn't sure why she had to end with that last point. She wasn't sure why she had to give that whole spiel. She should've just ended it with her belief in Michael. That was all that mattered. She would back his play no matter what. She simply had to ensure their asses weren't going to get burned first.
Deafening silence washed over the room. Michael stared at Nikita, a stern expression hiding the storm of emotions brewing underneath. She stood her ground; however, a slew of apologies filled her eyes. Backing away from the group, Ryan dared not involve himself. He knew better than to interfere with the couple. It was better if he just left the room completely, maybe check in on Sean's progress. Birkhoff had the same thought, yet he was rooted in place. Thankfully, an incoming call chirped on one of the computers. The nerd could use that as a distraction, "Hey, look. Kendrick's calling."
"Patch him through," Michael immediately snapped, his gaze still locked on Nikita. It took everything in him to focus on the call rather than his feelings towards his fiancée. It wasn't exactly anger, nor was it exactly dismay. It was some disappointing mix in between. That would have to be addressed later, however. Kendrick had intel for the team regarding the nuclear material. He could hunt it down for them as they prepared to rush out into the field and stop Percy. He was determined to help the rogues win their fight, no matter the cost to him or his job, "See? He's on our side."
"Shut up. He's making another call," Again, Nikita should've thought before she spoke. What was wrong with her. Michael was her fiancé; he wasn't some rival agent she had to upstage. They should just talk things over like adults. The two could certainly see each other's side if they had an actual discussion. Instead, stubbornness flew. They were only going to get hurt from their poor decisions- if they hadn't already.
"That's Percy," Ryan muttered in disbelief. The second the team heard the voice of the man Kendrick had called, an uneasy edge filled the room once more. Ryan moved back towards the computers, needing to join the conversation then. And Birkhoff looked to Nikita and Michael for what their next move should be. Nikita wished she had an instant answer, while Michael just wished he could think at all. He was in shock- that was the simple way to put it. He wouldn't believe what he was hearing; he couldn't believe it.
"But that's not possible. He helped me gather intel against Division. He wouldn't be working for them," Shaking his head, Michael fought the evidence right in front of him. Kendrick had been the only one to believe him about his 'ghost unit'; he had even helped the analyst secure information when he first started assisting in Nikita's rogue adventures. How could that have even been possible if the deputy director was in bed with Percy. Shouldn't he have tried to hinder him instead.
"He played you, Michael. Kendrick's the one who turned you over to Percy. He's the one that made me have to see you on the kill screen," Nikita nearly shouted as though Michael was stupid. She didn't see him that way; however, she couldn't understand why he wouldn't accept the truth. Kendrick wasn't their savior. He was just another big bad wolf they had to take down. Past experiences shouldn't have changed that. The past held no real answers, after all.
As much as Michael wanted to instantly negate Nikita, her sentence gave him pause. So that was why she was so anxious and so against Kendrick. She had already faced her fiancé's death once because of the CIA. She couldn't do so again. And he wouldn't make her. It wasn't all going to end in disaster. There had to be an answer to their problems. There always was. They just had to take a moment to think and figure everything out, "No. There has to be another explanation. This isn't right."
"There is no explanation. The government is full of corrupt people who don't give a shit about anyone but themselves. No one else has your heart. How else do you think we get people like Percy, and those that left me with Gary?" Nikita's voice pitched as she let her emotions get the better of her. Too much fucking shit had occurred for her to just let go and believe the best in people. There could be no best for those in power. Not that she had seen anyway.
"What do we do?" Joining the team from the other room, Alex chimed in. She had heard everything as she had been attending to Sean. He remained unconscious from the pain meds she gave him, yet she kept herself busy by cleaning and ensuring his I-V had enough saline. After a while, as the team fought tensely, she knew she had to join the conversation. She found herself agreeing with Nikita. In her experience, power only brought corruption and people making terrible decisions. The team couldn't allow Kendrick to continue like that. It was a threat they couldn't leave in the world.
"You need to stay with Sean. Ryan and I will take Kendrick out of the equation before he can take us out," After a moment of thought, Nikita decided. Alex nodded easily and returned to Sean's side. Although he wasn't a huge fan of the idea, Birkhoff held his tongue. He didn't have anything to contribute. He wanted to believe Michael that Kendrick was one of the good guys, but the facts said otherwise. Nikita's idea was the only way to go. They had trusted the director too much, and they were going to pay the price- unless they acted immediately.
Nikita, Alex, and Birkhoff were the only ones who thought that, however. Ryan was in the same boat as Michael. There had to be more to the story. He knew the kind of mind games Percy liked to play. He probably had some sort of dirt on Kendrick and he was manipulating him. It wasn't definitive proof, though. And until it was, Ryan was stuck with Nikita's plan. Michael, meanwhile, wouldn't give up that easily. He needed the full truth, "Nikita, listen…"
"No. You're not thinking objectively on this," Interrupting, Nikita refused to allow Michael to continue arguing with her. The decision had been made. She was going to end Percy's hold over the team and the CIA, then she was going to make a run at him. Enough was enough. If they really wanted their war to end and their happily ever after to begin, then they had to start rushing into the fray without the fear of consequences. Waiting and overthinking was going to get them killed eventually. They just had to do it.
"Neither are you," Michael, however, had the complete opposite thoughts. Being rash was what would get them killed. The story was always more than it seemed, especially when it came to spies and rogues. If they had all the information first, then they could appropriately plan and lead a successful op. No one could get hurt anymore. Lives wouldn't be lost, and the day could be saved without any more unnecessary bloodshed. Wasn't that what the team wanted.
"That's because my gut instincts have saved us more times in this war than your analysis has. We're doing this, Michael. If you don't like it, then you can leave," Instead of agreeing with Michael and acknowledging that he was correct, Nikita lashed out. She was so blinded by the fact that Kendrick could hurt her fiancé again, that she wouldn't let herself focus on anything else. She was going to save the man she loved and stop Percy's hold over the world in one fell swoop. Even if Michael left the room, unwilling to back her play.
"That was a bad idea, Nikki," Birkhoff muttered as Nikita stared after Michael. She scoffed, rolled her eyes, and marched over to her awaiting weapons. She didn't have time for that. She couldn't let her emotions about how badly she had fucked up cloud her. She had a kill mission to complete. That was all that mattered.