Alex wasn't certain what had woken her, but she knew she couldn't fall back asleep. Her mind was too active and her body was too wired. She was ready for something, she just wasn't sure what. Maybe it was only anxiety. She had been so anxious and wound up the last couple of days. The fact that she was finally able to relax probably hadn't settled in yet. She wished it would. She was in bed with Sean, the glow of the early morning sun seeping through the window. That moment could've been bliss if she turned her mind off. There was no immediate danger to worry about. She could be at peace if she let herself.
"Morning," That was what Sean had in mind, after all. Voice thick with sleep, he rolled over and sluggishly pulled Alex into him. She couldn't help but giggle. That didn't deter him in the slightest. Gently and tenderly (and still a bit sleepily) he kissed her. She returned the sweet affection, relaxing against the soft sheets. However, as her boyfriend attempted to deepen the kiss, she pulled back. It wasn't as though she didn't want to- under any other circumstance she would've jumped at the opportunity to. Alex's mind just wasn't there. Sean could only sigh. They just never could fully relax, "What's on your mind?"
"It's been really quiet," Alex let her anxiety speak for her. Since the team had saved Kendrick and added him as one of their allies, it had been beyond quiet. It didn't seem right, especially not with Percy being so close to gathering all the materials needed for a nuclear bomb. World destruction was at the bastard's fingertips, yet he hadn't made a move. Division hadn't popped up on their radars in the slightest. No wonder Alex couldn't truly sleep. She was aware something terrible was about to happen. The team had to get ahead of it before it was too late.
"That's a good thing," Although Alex had every right to be anxious, Sean strived to remain positive. Danger was always looming around the corner. What kind of life could they lead if they were always cautious of it. They had to live in the moment. He desperately wanted to remain in the moment with his girlfriend. Slowly, he pulled her in for another warm kiss. She settled against him, unable to resist. Though, who was he to judge. He could never resist her either. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he pulled her atop him and entwined their legs.
"Is it? Since when has it ever been quiet for us?" After a long kiss, Alex eventually negated. She had to fight to pull away from her boyfriend's lips. Her anxiety was definitely losing to the feel of him underneath her kissing her so soundly. She could melt away with Sean and it could be perfect. The rest of the world could stop existing; it could only be them. Except, her life had never afforded her such luxury. She had to be wary of what came next. It was how she and her loved ones stayed alive.
"Let's just enjoy it for a moment longer," Sean husked against her lips. Yes, they had to be cautious. The team had the worst luck in the world. But the sun was barely up and Alex was so warm. He just wanted to continue living in the life that was awaiting them once the war was finally over. He could continue kissing her and keeping her close like nothing else in the world mattered. Unfortunately, it did. Just as Sean finally deepened his kiss with Alex and they both smiled into the affection, one of their burner cellphones rang. The sound was shrill and sharp, and ripped them out of their moment completely. He groaned.
"Told you," Reaching for the phone, Alex attempted not to be smug. Her blissful moment with Sean was ruined. Even if she was right, there was no reason to gloat- especially since the team would only call that early if something was going on. The couple was yanked from their lazy morning in bed to a rushed mission. Apparently, Division hadn't been as quiet as they thought. Former government workers had been mysteriously killed, and an Air Force base had been infiltrated and attacked by an agent. How Michael figured all that out was lost on Sean and Alex, but they didn't need the full information just what they had to do.
While Ryan and Nikita tracked down one potential Division target, Sean and Alex were ordered to chase the other. They were closer than the others to where the agent who had attacked the base was heading. If they stopped him before he could complete his mission, they could save more lives. The two didn't need to be ordered twice when that was the outcome. They geared up and were ready to go as quickly as possible. They sped faster in their car than they should've, but they were able to catch up to the Division agent at some sort of power plant. He was nowhere in sight at first- no one was. So, they had to search, "Not the romantic trip I was thinking of."
"You wanna go on a trip together?" Halting her movements, Alex glanced at Sean in confusion. They hadn't spoken much as they changed and traveled. The two simply gathered intel from their team and devised a plan to follow. His comment came completely out of nowhere. What could've been running through his mind while they were on a mission to even blurt that. His ability to compartmentalize was insane- probably another habit he picked up from the Navy. If she wasn't so focused on the op she would've rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Why not? You have money to burn, I have time on my hands. Getting away would be a great way to relax once this is all over," Shrugging, Sean got Alex to keep moving. Goals helped him focus on the situation at hand. Having something obtainable to fight for eased the anxiety that could so easily build on missions. He definitely needed that as each new op grew increasingly dangerous and held far more uncontrollable and unknowable variables. The end of their war, living a peaceful life with his girlfriend seemed perfect. It was an image strong enough to get him through everything.
"A celebratory couples' vacation. That sounds perfect," Alex smiled. Maybe she should start following Sean's example. Her stress was lifting with the thought of the two of them on vacation. Though, she did have to fight to not completely daydream. She needed to remain alert. The training she had done with Nikita, Ryan, Michael, and even Birkhoff wouldn't mean anything if the few times she was out in the field all resulted in failure. Well, they weren't complete failures. But Sean had been shot the last time. What if something worse happened then.
"Where do you want to go?" Drifting closer to her, Sean asked simply. Alex could be focused on the mission and calm her anxiety with that question. She had that operation in the bag. Nothing terrible was going to happen again. The team might've been unlucky, but they weren't that unlucky. The Seals' optimism lately was starting to surprise even him. He hadn't thought like that a few months ago. That must've been the effect Alex had on him- among other things. He saw something worth being hopeful for.
"Right now, after that guy," Before Alex could actually respond, she noticed the agent they were following across the way. He stood over a grate, and appeared to be dropping something into it. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been good. She and Sean immediately sprung into action. The rogues chased the Division agent into a tunnel, cornered him, and took him down. Once his gun and the remote he had in his hand was stolen, he stopped putting up a fight. Sean and Alex were able to zip tie him and demand answers.
Namely, the two needed to know what the hell Division was doing at a power plant, and why they would only send one person. The target the team thought the agent was chasing had died years ago. So what else could he have been up to. The man didn't respond to anything the rogues said. He simply stared off into the distance with a smug grin. It irritated the hell out of Sean. It made him want to beat the info out of the agent. Alex, on the other hand, turned to the others to see if that had anything useful. They might not need drastic measures yet, "Division's here, but we don't know what they're up to. Their guy just dropped some kind of device."
"Yeah, we got zilch on info too. Unless we have something that'll play Betamax," Nikita recounted hers and Ryan's side of the mission. They found the person they were looking for, but only seconds before Division did. The rogues weren't able to receive any solid information before the firefight broke out. At least they survived. No one else did, however. Their best source of intel was gone, and there was hardly anything in his trailer that could help them. An obsolete Betamax tape was their best option in finding anything.
Although she was able to follow along with the rest of the story, Alex was lost on what exactly Nikita had found. She wondered if a Betamax tape was anything like a VHS tape. When she asked that, though, Birkhoff winced as if she had hurt him. The nerd attempted to continue as if the young woman hadn't spoken, telling Nikita he thought he had something that could help. Alex just shook it off and turned back to Sean. He had the Division agent by the collar and pressed forcibly against the wall. However, the threat was of no use. The agent was unfazed, even as the Seal glowered, "So what do we do with you?"
"You're in way over your head," The Division agent spat. His gaze shifted towards the remote in Alex's hand, his snide smile growing. Whereas that caused Sean to finally punch him, Alex studied the object she confiscated. There was far more going on than the team was aware of. Michael's analysis, Birkhoff's hacking, and the others' efforts in the field only got them so far. Whatever was occurring, there was the possibility they were no match for it. The rogues couldn't even tell what a remote did. They were so lost, and it was going to catch up to them in the worst ways.
"Could say the same to you," Sean, however, was more focused on punching the Division agent and making him talk. There had to be a reason Percy sent him to that place alone. The bastard was up to something he didn't want others to know. The rogues weren't able to know either. The agent kept his mouth shut. He endured the strikes until he managed to slip from his zipties. Utilizing his surprise, he ripped the remote out of Alex's hands and pressed the button. That was all he could do before Sean took him out. He was gone, yet the damage he had caused with his simple movements lingered. Alarms began to blare.
"Hey, Guys. I just got a major energy spike in your area. You need to get out of there, now," Birkhoff's voice was urgent. Sean and Alex had to leave immediately, or they weren't coming back at all. Breaking off into a sprint, the two didn't question the orders. Their car was on the other side of the plant, but the agent's motorcycle was nearby (he wasn't going to need it, anyway). They hopped on and sped off just as the ground crumbled. The shockwaves of the explosion rocked them, yet they kept pushing forward. Alex and Sean had to get away from the plant and return to the rest of the team. The rogues really were in way over their heads.
Nikita and Ryan heard the explosion over the coms, but nothing else. They panicked as they radioed in, demanding what had happened. Birkhoff assured that Sean and Alex were downwind from the blast and were fine. As for what happened, he was still trying to figure it out. All he knew was that the spike in energy was also a spike in radiation. It was possible that Percy had managed to go nuclear without all of the equipment. If so, the team was screwed. And what Nikita had warned Michael of was spot on, "You were right, Nik. Percy is going to destroy the whole world."