Horror struck Nikita first. The deeper into the basement she descended, the more the memories flooded her. The images bounced around her mind like shattered fragments. Pieces of foster homes were reflected in the dank walls and shabby furniture. Scraps of Division were echoed in the patched together training equipment. Remnants of hell shone in the barely livable space. Although she had never been in that basement before, Nikita had been in that room; her whole life had been spent in horrors like that. Even if she kept escaping, she always returned.
Nikita had to fight with herself to stay focused. She wasn't going to live in the basement. She was only a visitor. The gun in her hands was proof of that, as was the Alpha team around her. She had to breathe- settle. Then wasn't the time for her changing hormones to make her overemotional. Though, she wasn't sure how much was a result of her hormones, and how much was a valid reaction. Michael gasped beside her, after all. And the Division agents around her grew antsy. Everyone could feel the horror around them. It seeped into their bones, and stole the breath from their lungs. They weren't in a normal basement. Something was definitely wrong.
Things hadn't started out that way, which was probably their sign that they would be waltzing into hell. Michael and Nikita were successful with their recon mission at Wade's travel agency job. Apparently, he had quit and taken his things with him. But that didn't deter the agents. While Michael distracted the other travel agent, Nikita went snooping. She found a copier, and grabbed the harddrive for Birkhoff. Computers weren't the only piece of technology the hacker could work his magic on. The Dirty Thirty wasn't smart enough to best him.
After Nikita replied to his brag with a mean quip, she handed Birkhoff the harddrive. He rolled his eyes, and got to work. Soon, his magic paid off. Division had an address for Wade. The Alpha team was prepped and ready to roll out in no time. They were prepared to take down their rogue with force and diffuse a bomb if necessary. With a target like Wade, they weren't taking any chances. Ryan was keeping a tight ship in Ops, ensuring everything stayed under control. And Sean and Alex investigated the bomb theft closer; there was a chance they could gain more intel for the team. They could use any and all they got.
When the Alpha team raced to Wade's residence, Michael and Nikita tagged along to run point and provide support. The two were fine not being the first to rush through the doors. Taking more of a leadership role than an active one was going to be in their future anyway. It was good for them to start then. Besides, with how quickly that mission was moving along, the couple didn't have to worry about staying in New Division long. They'd have their next Dirty Thirty very soon. The rest would hopefully fall as easily.
Except, Division didn't have Wade. He wasn't home, and neither was the bomb. They had hit a deadend. Either the rogue was already on his way to his target, or the Alpha team had bad timing. Regardless, they searched high and low for any clue. That was how the team ended up in the basement of hell. It was the last place they looked- and the most horrific. No one could say anything. They simply studied the dark, desolate hell, attempting to understand what was happening. The more she stared, the more a sick feeling settled in Nikita's gut (and it wasn't just her morning sickness). She knew what was going on. It was written all over the walls.
She was the only one unsurprised when a girl leapt out of the shadows. The preteen was ready for a fight. Her blue eyes were set on the intruding agents with a rage that could only be born from fear. Nikita knew that look well. She had seen it everyday in the mirror for decades. The girl didn't want to attack them, but it had been trained into her- forced into her. She had to take an agent's gun. She had to point it at them. It was the only thing she knew. The basement she was trapped in didn't accept any other choice from her.
Before the situation could become any more horrific than it already was, Nikita stepped into the fray. She ripped the weapon away from the girl, disarmed it, and trapped the little assailant in her hold. She had to scream at the Alpha team to stand down. They weren't allowed to hurt the girl. No one could hurt her ever again. It wasn't the agents' fault that they tried to. Their forced training dictated the same as the preteen's. No one had had a choice when it came to the harm they caused. It was always kill or be killed. Except, things were going to be different moving forward. They had the freedom of options. They simply had to learn.
That wasn't a priority then, however. There was a lost and hurting girl they all had to focus on. Nikita held her tightly. She didn't intend to hurt her. She only wanted to ensure the preteen didn't harm herself by fighting a fully armed Alpha team then running away. They had to help her. They had to bring her back home. After all, where they were definitely wasn't home. The girl didn't belong to Wade. She had been stolen, hidden away, and forced to do things she didn't want to do. The agents couldn't leave her in that hellhole. She needed to be saved.
Over the girl's head, Nikita's panicked brown eyes met Michael's wide green. He was horrified as well, but he wasn't the one being pulled away by similar memories. His wife and the girl needed him as a grounding force; he had to be the rational one. Fortunately, trying to figure out what their next steps should be helped snap him out of his shock. He could put a plan into action- do his best to help the girl. Nikita and half of the Alpha team would take the preteen to Division to have Medical check her over and hopefully give them answers. The other half would stay with him and wait for Wade. No doubt, he'd be returning home to his captive.
Michael's plan was a solid one, except for the fact that the girl refused to leave the basement. She kicked and she screamed and she tried to fight Nikita with all her might. It would've been easier to sedate her, or knock her unconscious, and bring her to Division like that. However, Nikita refused to do such a thing. The last thing the girl needed was to lose consciousness and wake in a new and frightening place. The basement was hellish enough. Nikita had to convince her that it was okay to go with them. They wouldn't hurt her.
It took repeated attempts of Nikita promising the girl that she was going somewhere where she'd be clean, warm, fed, comforted, and safe for her to calm down. Rage continued to boil in her blue eyes. And she refused to respond to anything said or asked. Yet the preteen calmed down. Something had gotten through to her. Maybe she was beginning to fight whatever had been done to her; she had the chance to be who she once was. Silently, she let Nikita lead her out of the basement. She walked all the way out of the house. It was the van outside that made her pause. She refused to get inside. Nikita couldn't blame her.
More persuasion and a promise that she'd never leave her side finally got the girl in the vehicle. She stared at Nikita a good long while after she swore to her. It was as though she didn't believe it. But the agent was beyond serious. She wasn't going anywhere. The preteen was stuck with her until she could go home. Hopefully, that would've been soon. Division could easily discover the girl's identity and find her parents. The horrors could already be put behind her. She didn't have to live in fear any longer.
If the girl was afraid, she was great at concealing it. She remained stoic, silent, and still the entire ride to Division. She wouldn't give anything away. Though, Nikita's assurances did cause the preteen to gravitate to her side. The agent wouldn't take that for granted. She'd be as kind and as gentle as ever; and she'd stick to her promise. She stayed close by as the doctors in Medical examined the girl. She kept her expression stoic, but her eyes betrayed her. They were panicked and wide at the confusion around her. She didn't like what was happening. She wanted to run. And she was prepared to at any minute.
All too familiar with the need to run away, Nikita managed to make the girl stay for just a moment- just long enough to drink a glass of water. The agent would find a more substantial reason to make the preteen stay later. At the moment, she needed answers. Her mind tried to fill in the blanks of what was occurring on its own, and she didn't like what she was thinking. Only the worst case scenarios were running through her mind; scenarios that echoed her own past. She seriously hoped Michael and the Alpha team managed to kill Wade. He deserved to eat a bullet.
Fortunately, the girl was unharmed. There was no evidence of physical abuse of any kind. She was strong and healthy. Nikita felt as though she could breathe easier. She wasn't relieved, but at least the preteen would be okay. She could also go home. Birkhoff was able to identify her as Liza Abbott, a twelve year old girl who had been kidnapped two years ago on her way home from school. Her parents were still waiting for her to come home. Nikita could drop her off and she could be safe again. The past two years of hell wouldn't have existed.
However, it wasn't that simple. It was never that simple. There was a reason Wade had kidnapped her. He wouldn't just keep a girl in the basement for no reason. He had trained her. He had recruited her. If Michael and the Alpha team didn't kill Wade, then Nikita certainly would. That shouldn't have happened to Liza. She was too fucking young to have been forced through so much fear and horror. Stolen from her home, trained to kill, what kind of monster would do that to a child. They had to make it right for her. They had to stop Wade.
Sean went to join Michael at the son of a bitch's house to provide backup. There was no way Wade was getting away with what he had done. Nikita was about to make that promise to Liza, when Ryan stopped her. They still didn't know who the bombing target was. Maybe Liza could tell them something. She had to know what was going on, even if it was a little bit. Nikita would rather return her to her family immediately. But she knew Ryan was right. They needed intel. Besides, maybe keeping the girl longer could help her settle. She probably wasn't ready to go home just yet. She had to return to being a preteen first. She wasn't anyone's recruit anymore.
As she talked to Liza, Nikita would remind her of who she really was. She had choices. She didn't need to be afraid. Alex was able to recognize that she wasn't afraid for herself; she was terrified of what Wade might do to her family. So, Alex posed as an FBI agent to talk to the Abbotts. She'd ensure they were safe and sound, and possibly gather information that would help Liza. Ryan told her not to tell the family that their daughter was found, however. They needed to keep a tight lid on things, just in case. Alex didn't like the order, but she knew it was for the best.
Liza continued to not answer Nikita's questions. She just wanted to escape from everything new and scary, and return to what she knew- what she was programmed to know, that was. She kept calling Wade her home; she was distancing herself from the Abbotts. Nikita understood her need to keep protecting herself and her family, so she made a deal with her. If Liza answered her questions, she'd let her go. And, to sweeten the pot, the agent would answer some of her questions as well. Trust went both ways, after all.
That seemed to work with the preteen. The longer Liza and Nikita talked, the more she opened up. It helped that the agent took her on a tour of Division. She thought if Liza saw the basement she had been kept in, she'd know that she was on her side. Nikita had been trained to kill by vicious men as well. But she escaped, and killed the son of a bitch that tortured her. The girl clung to every word of that story. Her blue eyes lit up with hope. If another girl had made it through hell, then so could she. No one was trapped forever. As long as she battled her fear, she could make it out alive. Sometimes, that was all it took.
Battling fear, however, that was the real struggle. Liza didn't know if she could do it. Nikita could see the hope draining from her eyes. Yet she knew what would help. Wade had returned to his house, but he had caught sight of Division easily. He managed to escape with the bomb. Sean and the Alpha team followed after. Michael, meanwhile, stayed behind. He believed he could find something to help Liza. Eventually, he discovered a necklace the young girl hid under her bed. He gave it to Nikita, knowing how important it was that Liza had it back. The agent waited until they were in her former recruit room before she returned it.
Instantly, Liza burst into tears. She pulled Nikita into an embrace and told her everything she knew about Wade's plan. Nikita hugged Liza back, rocking her gently and assuring that it would be alright. The agent would tell her team, and no one would get hurt. The girl could go home, and Wade would never hurt her ever again. No one would hurt her ever again. It was another promise Nikita intended to keep. She rarely made promises. From her past, she knew how shallow they were and how easily they could be broken. However, she would fight with everything she had to hold to her word then. The girl deserved it.
Unfortunately, when Nikita left Liza to inform her team, the preteen escaped. She disarmed the guard, knocked him unconscious, and ran away. Nikita was upset at first. She believed she had gotten through to Liza. She thought she was battling her fear. Wade had his hooks dug deeper into the girl than Division thought. It couldn't be changed in just a few hours. His plan for the bombing was still on. However, as Nikita thought about it, she was certain it wasn't all lost yet. The fight and hope in Liza's eyes was unmistakable. She wasn't going to give up yet. There was still a chance to save her and stop the bombing. Nikita would make sure of it.