"Birkhoff! Tell me you can trace it," Nikita practically begged once Amanda's face disappeared from the screen. She tried to ignore the threat the bitch gave Division. She tried not to think about how the Sarin gas attack on Medical was just the beginning. She tried not to let her fear overwhelm her. Nikita and her team had to do something. Amanda couldn't keep delivering blow after blow without them stopping her. They had to find the bitch and finally put her down. Her reign of terror shouldn't have the chance to last long.
"She used the cryptograph, but I can try," Birkhoff didn't doubt his ability. He wasn't the famed Shadowwalker for nothing. He could work all kinds of magic behind a computer. It was just that Amanda had her hands on the crypto-key. It was a piece of technology Birkhoff hadn't encountered before. He didn't know of anything that had that kind of power; who knew what else it could do, or what kind of cyber intrusion it could block against. The key could be unable to trace, even with Birkhoff's skills. It could take everything he had just to get close to Amanda.
"I think we can trace some of the nodes," Fortunately, Birkhoff had Sonya's help. She was available to bounce ideas off of, make suggestions, and just help him hack in general. He was lucky she was there. He hadn't realized how much he needed a partner until he started working with Sonya- and actually accepted that her skills bettered his own. Together, the two should've been able to track Amanda. The team was banking on it.
Frustrated, Nikita sighed and ruffled her hair out of her face. She clutched the strands for a moment, attempting to get a hold of her anxiety (and her nausea). She was still reeling from the attack in Medical. People just died. People had suffered, the Sarin gas ripping apart their every sense. And before anyone could even properly mourn, Amanda taunted Division. She threatened them with a promise that staying to fight would only cause more deaths. Out of everyone the agents had faced, Amanda would actually follow through with that threat. But not if they got to her first. The team had to get to her first.
Just knowing she had to strike back wouldn't actually work in Nikita's favor. She, her team, and all of Division had to plan and be ready to attack. The way the agents stared helplessly at Nikita, full of concern and fear, only played into Amanda's hands. They had to stay strong. They needed to believe that they could always fight, "Yeah. This is bullshit. Amanda goes on the run, leaves you in Percy's hands once again, then comes back like she has a score to settle. We run Division now. She can't scare us. She can't threaten us into submission. We're the ones with all the power. And we're going to make certain she's afraid of us."
"You let us know the second you have anything. We're going to go after Amanda and the key. It'll just be one more Dirty Thirty we take down," Ryan ordered, backing Nikita up. No matter what happened, Division wasn't going to cower to Amanda. Sure, she had an army and hired mercenaries on her side- she was also a sadistic bitch. But Division had the support of one another. They had a common goal to fight for. Once Amanda was gone, the evil in the world would disappear, and they could all have their freedom and happiness.
Ryan and Nikita shared a determined nod, and instantly began to pass out more orders. Watching the two, Michael finally understood what their partnership was like back in Division. Seeing them as rogues had been drastically different. They had argued over what they should do, stubbornness and rashness overcoming them. Yet when it came to leading Division, they were on the same page. The two knew what had to be done to move forward from the attack and ready the teams for a new mission. They could put aside everything for the betterment of their agents.
Michael, Sean, and Alex were ordered to facilitate the clean up in Medical, while Ryan, Nikita, and Owen discussed possible ways to capture Amanda and the crypto-key. Sonya and Birkhoff were left to their own devices as they hacked furiously. The more they typed, the more the two believed they could actually locate Amanda. Despite using the cryptograph to access Division's servers, she had left a channel open. Once they found it, the hackers were able to trace the bitch's steps all the way back to her secret lair. Birkhoff couldn't help but leap out of his chair in triumph, "Got her! That bitch thought she could hide from me. But I got you."
Sonya was quick to remind him that they both found Amanda. Birkhoff quickly amended his statement as the rest of the team rushed to join them. Although the others were glad the two could work together again without fighting, they were more focused on Amanda's location. She was in a mansion in Luxemburg, no doubt acquired from former Gogol assets. Fortunately, a satellite image of the area could be obtained, and the agents could instantly begin to plan.
"Count me in," Once the discussion turned to how many teams should go, Alex ripped off her sling. Her shoulder continued to be sore, yet she could fight through the pain. It was only a dull ache by that point. As long as she didn't do anything excessive, she should've been fine. Protests immediately built on her teammates' lips, especially Sean's. However, she vehemently shook her head. Then wasn't the time to hold back. Everyone else in Division was actively involved in the fight. Alex wasn't going to sit back anymore. She knew where she was needed; her team just had to accept it, "I'm fine, really. You're going to need me out there."
"Fine. Sean and Alex, you're on the key. Michael and Owen, I want you after Amanda," Nikita recognized that there was no point in arguing with Alex. Although Sean clearly wanted to, he knew they didn't have the time. All energy had to be spent on Amanda instead. He'd just stick as close to Alex as possible in the field. If anything went wrong, he'd be there to protect her; and Nikita would be commanding in their coms, ensuring they all made it home safely.
Three teams jetted out to Amanda's hideout. One team would take care of the guards surrounding the mansion, another would follow Sean and Alex to the key, and the last would support Michael and Owen as they hunted down Amanda. With the plans that were created for each team, each future hashed out on the plane, the Division agents believed they would be successful. They knew their enemy, and were far more prepared than they were at the cemetery. As Ryan had claimed, the mission could be like any other Dirty Thirty operation. The agents would defeat the bad guys and save the day.
Except, the mission didn't unfold like that at all. As soon as the Division agents arrived, Amanda's full army was waiting for them. They didn't get to use their element of surprise. Instantly, they were on the attack. Fortunately, Alex and Sean managed to get to the crypto-key. A lot of agents had to back them up, and Alex's shoulder would've been reinjured had it not been for Sean. But they were able to escape with the key. Amanda wouldn't have that power anymore.
That was alright with her, however. Amanda had power elsewhere. Owen and Michael had a much harder time trying to locate her and kill her. The two were separated almost immediately. By the time Nikita was able to lead Michael back to Owen, Amanda had him strapped to a chair in her basement. It was as confusing and horrific as it seemed. She had her plans for the team, and it extended past just attacking Division.
Unfortunately, Michael wasn't able to obtain answers at that moment. His priority had to be on saving Owen. He wished he could've killed Amanda and saved his teammate at the same time. But the only way it ended well for Owen was if Ari got to drag Amanda away. The two were able to disappear in the wind, with Ann and the rest of their army following. Although they had the crypto-key, Division felt defeated as they returned to their bunker. There was far more going on than just Dirty Thirty operations. The agents were back in a war.
After the teams debriefed, and it was proven that everyone would be okay, Nikita pulled Owen aside. They needed to figure out why Amanda wanted him so badly- why did she want him strapped to the torture chair she had once had Birkhoff strapped to. It had to involve more than just the cryptograph. Amanda did something to him, it was clear in the way he reacted to seeing her. And whatever she had done wasn't over yet. However, when Owen was questioned about it, he could only shrug. He had no memory of anything before waking up in Division. Besides, as he talked to Nikita, he was distracted with other thoughts, "Are you pregnant?"
Nikita was only able to stammer. She could've lied. She could've avoided the question and gone back to asking Owen about what he remembered when he entered Division. Instead, her mind went blank, and she couldn't find her way out of a situation for once. She blamed her pregnancy hormones, especially when she got so pissed at Owen's response to her stammer. He just laughed at her. His lips curled into a snide grin, and he shook his head, "You and Michael are terrible at hiding it. At least from your team. I'm sure strangers are clueless."
"I hope so," Crossing her arms, Nikita huffed. She knew Owen was right. Everyone could tell that she and her husband were hiding something. They had whispered conversations. Michael held her abdomen when he wanted to ensure she was okay. Nikita was volunteering to man Ops. And the two were far more stressed and anxious than normal. They were terrible at keeping secrets. But, hopefully, no one knew the extent of what they were hiding. She didn't know how she would deal with everybody knowing she was pregnant. She couldn't handle that and Amanda at the same time. Especially when the situation with Amanda didn't sit right with her.
"You couldn't keep it in your pants long enough to get protection?" Owen nudged Nikita, trying to help her lighten up. He only asked if she was pregnant so he could make sense of the interactions he noticed between her and Michael, and understand why she was benching herself. He didn't think she actually was pregnant. But since he knew, he wouldn't blow her secret. He understood why something like that needed to remain on the down low. He had her back.
"Oh, you want to run down a list of impulsive decisions?" Nikita cracked her own smug grin. Owen rolled his eyes, so she jabbed him in the thigh where she had once stabbed him with a belt buckle. She didn't have to know him long to know that he lacked thought. He was probably worse than her when it came to rash decisions. Ryan would certainly agree with that; though, Michael would have a tough time between poking fun of Owen or trying to get his wife to settle.
"If only I remembered them all," Slouching against a wall, Owen suddenly grew morose. He had never realized his memory issues were a problem until Ari threw him in prison. Then, he was forced to think about all the shitty things in his life. A lot of his thoughts drifted to losing his girlfriend, Emily, and letting down his team. But some focused on his lack of past. It didn't make sense, and it was hella confusing. Why would Amanda do that to him and nobody else.
Nikita had no answers for Owen. As much as she would've liked to assure him and spin some theory about what could've been occurring, she had nothing. She was so confused about Amanda's motives and endgame. The bitch wasn't acting as she usually did. There was something more going on than just a partnership with Ari- something worse. There was no use being pessimistic about it, though. Fierce determination was the thing that would see the team through, "We'll figure out what Amanda did to you. Then, we'll kick her ass."
"Don't want to mess with that new mom strength," Grinning once more, Owen playfully poked Nikita. She pushed him off her, telling him to shut up. Yet she couldn't stop herself from smiling. There was no doubt that the agents were entering into a new hell with their war against Amanda. However, they still had one another; that wouldn't change. They could keep fighting for everyone to have a future- a life. Answers and solutions to their hellish problems would come with time. But for the moment, the team could continue relying on one another. They wouldn't leave each other to suffer alone. They had always been stronger together.
Something was wrong, and not just with Nikita. Birkhoff knew she and Michael were hiding something; it was fairly obvious. Yet he was certain the two would tell the team eventually. It couldn't have been that detrimental if they were keeping it such a secret. Birkhoff didn't have to worry about Michael, Nikita, and whatever they were hiding. Other disasters in Division had more of a chance of destroying them all- like Amanda's attack on Medical.
There was something about the attack that didn't sit right with Birkhoff, other than how horrific it was. Something was wrong.
Sitting hunched behind his computer, Birkhoff tapped anxiously on his keyboard. Usually, any answers he wanted to find could be discovered on a computer. But he had nothing. Nothing could explain the timing of the Sarin gas attack and Amanda's message. It was one blow after another; Division was attacked and haunted without reprieve. The whole organization couldn't have had that bad of luck. And not even Amanda could have that perfect of timing. It was almost like she was prepared for the agents at the graveyard and at her hideout. No timing or luck played into that. That couldn't have been possible.
Birkhoff bolted upright in his chair as realization struck him. The only reason Amanda had been able to taunt the team when she had was because she had knowledge. She knew when Division would be at the cemetery. She knew when the gas attack had happened. And she knew when they were storming her hideout. Amanda knew what Division was doing before they even made themselves known. Someone had told her.
Division had a mole.