Nikita remained silent as she and Heidecker were led/dragged at gunpoint to the stables. From the moment she was pistol whipped, she didn't put up a fight. There wasn't anything she could do. She had failed her mission; she had failed Michael. Fighting against Bechriaj's death threat wasn't in her. It wouldn't have done anything anyway. He was insane with rage, and she was resigned to her fate. She had always assumed she would die on a mission. It was no surprise that it'd occur after she had let everybody down.
It was miraculous that Heidecker decided to save her and that Bechiraj actually listened. Nikita couldn't make sense of it. She tried to as the guards threw her and Heidecker into a giant cage that once belonged to Bechriaj's pet tiger and locked them in. She came up with nothing. Maybe he was only buying time for his own life. He claimed he needed her to assist him in fixing Bechiraj's leg. He was probably just delaying the issue until he could escape the situation. Regardless, she was grateful for the help. She didn't think it'd ever come from a stranger, especially one she had held at gunpoint. It was a nice feeling to have, "Thanks for the save."
"I couldn't let the person who set up this whole ruse to capture me simply die," Heidecker admitted with a slight grin. The guards had left them alone in the cage. Between the cameras and excessive security force outside the stables, there was no fear that the captives would escape. They were free to talk; though, Nikita wasn't sure what else to say. She just shrugged and walked around the cage, examining her options. Heidecker, on the other hand, remained in place. He was in no rush. He wanted more answers than freedom, at least at the moment, "Especially if said person is a Division agent."
"You know who I am?" Nikita turned to Heidecker, surprised. She really shouldn't have been, however. Heidecker had worked with Percy. He probably knew all about the rogue agent that had given Division hell. In fact, that was potentially why he had decided to save her life. He knew who she was and he knew what she could do. If anyone could break him out of Bechiraj's control, it'd be Nikita. Heidecker could use a Division agent on his side, even if she was the one to screw everything up. She was his best chance to live.
"I recognize your skill sets and attributes," Clarifying what he had meant, Heidecker explained the sort of data he had collected from Division while Percy was in command. Nikita, honestly, was only half listening. After witnessing firsthand the things Division experiments did to people- the regiment and killchips were just a few examples- she didn't need to hear more about it. She was glad that part of Division was over. At least some of the horrors had stopped. They could then focus on stopping the rest of the hells the black ops unit had created. At the rate they were going, however, the end might never come.
"Right. Scientist," When Heidecker stopped explaining himself, Nikita commented. His role as a scientist was why they were in that situation. In fact, at that moment they were supposed to be coming up with a list of things needed to heal Bechiraj's leg. The toxin Nikita had given him after convincing his mistress to turn against him and escape (she barely had to be convinced; one suggestion of the idea and she agreed) would wear off in a few days. There really was no need to fix it. Nikita and Heidecker could focus on escaping instead. Where'd they go after escaping the cage, though, was a problem. All of her original plans were busted.
Heidecker wasn't as concerned about that as Nikita. While she stalked around the tiger cage, trying to think of anything she could do besides just giving up like a part of her wanted to, he studied her. She wasn't only rescuing him; she wanted something. There was information he was missing, and he needed to fill in the gaps. Doing so might help him with Bechiraj. But it was more important to his own curiosity and self-satisfaction. He always needed the answers, "That then begs the question why all the effort to capture me?"
"The same thing you did for Bechiraj's leg I need you to do for my… partner. He lost his hand in the line of duty," Nikita didn't want to give away too much information about Michael. Birkhoff was right. Heidecker had worked with Percy; he couldn't be trusted. She didn't want to say too much and have it turn around and hurt Michael. Besides, Heidecker didn't need every bit of information in order to make a new hand. He just needed the basics of what had happened and probably some biological data. Nikita could play it close to the vest and protect her husband.
"I wasn't the one who made the leg. The group I work for did. I simply provided it and collected data," Heidecker confessed. Instantly, Nikita became frustrated. She did all of that for basically nothing. The scientist wasn't the one she needed. He was only a middleman, and she was an idiot. She was no closer to making things right for Michael than she had been months ago. She had actually made things worse. Even Heidecker could see that. It made him take pity on her and try to alleviate her frustrations, "How'd he lose his hand?"
In all honesty, Nikita didn't actually know how Michael had lost his hand. She knew it was in the same blast that had killed Elizabeth and Hayley. Yet she had no clue how the bomb had taken his hand as well. The most he had assumed was that it had gotten so burned or damaged as he raced back to the car that the doctors had to amputate. She never asked for more, and he never said more. His hand hadn't been the worst loss that day. Worse nightmares plagued his mind- of the things he could remember anyway, "Car bomb. I don't know the exact specifics. He doesn't remember. Next thing he knew, he was waking up in the hospital."
"Immediate medical care, that's good. And so could memory loss at times," Heidecker commented, again with a slight grin. Nikita just shook her head. What was the use of the information then if she couldn't give Michael a new hand. She should just focus on escaping. She had a far better chance of that. As she made her rounds around the cage again, Heidecker continued to stay in place. He wasn't studying her that time. He was considering all she had told him. After a long moment of thought, he eventually stated, "Perhaps we could make him a hand, provided he is a matching candidate after initial tests and trials."
"Really? That's… how much would it cost? In case you haven't heard, Division doesn't have that much money anymore," Before she could become too excited, Nikita asked. Everything came with a cost. Since she couldn't force Heidecker to make a hand, and since she had no idea who exactly she had to rely on for such a miracle, she was left to face the consequences. She couldn't use Division's funds to pay for a new hand, and the money she was allotted only covered living expenses. She'd never ask Alex to lend her any money. So all Nikita was left with was the hope that she could strike some sort of deal.
"Our group has enough funds. What we really need is data. I'm sure we could work out a deal," Confidently, Heidecker offered Nikita a solution. She instantly eased. He knew she'd take the offer. Bechiraj had when given the same opportunity. Some data and research for a new limb was an easy deal. One gained more than they lost. And after what Nikita had done, she needed something simple. It had to be an easy solution after so much pain. No more anxieties and nightmares, just the hope that things could improve for the better.
"Thank you," Nikita knew better than to beam in gratitude. Heidecker and whatever group he worked for had made deals with Percy and Bechiraj. They made things like killchips and used people as test subjects. She should not be willingly making a deal with Heidecker. She should've been cautious. She should've been smart. She needed to establish boundaries and go over her expectations. That was what you were supposed to do in making a deal with the devil. Nikita had to make certain that Michael wouldn't get burned in the process.
She was just so excited about the idea. She could finally give her husband something he wanted. If only she could figure out how to break herself and Heidecker out of their captivity. The scientist helped Nikita that time around, contemplating an efficient way of escape besides simply bursting down the door. At least, he attempted to focus on escaping. He had one more question that was bothering him. He needed an answer before he could move forward. His curiosity would eat him up inside if he didn't ask, "Why the need for the hand, if I may ask? I'm certain a soldier would be used to loss."
"Too much loss," Hanging her head, Nikita muttered. Michael was always suffering and losing, most of the time because of her. She had dragged him into a war against Division. She had made him give up his life to go rogue with her. She had delayed his chance to return home. And she had ruined his opportunity to have another family. He had always helped her, and she had always hurt him. She couldn't do that anymore. He needed more from her than pain, "This is just something I have to do for him. I owe him one good thing."
"This could be it," Heidecker nodded. He didn't know the full extent of what Nikita was talking about. Yet he knew what she was feeling. Above all else, no matter what, and all of those sentiments, she had to do right by Michael. She didn't know a better way to do that than by giving him a new hand. Maybe she could talk to him. But talking wasn't a surefire way to keep him safe in the field. His prosthetic was fine; it just wasn't a guarantee. He had to be as safe as possible. It was how he'd be happy, and how he'd be able to live the life that he deserved. Nikita needed to give that to her husband, once she made it back to him.
"Now we just need to get out of here. Got any ideas?" Nikita might as well ask for Heidecker's assistance. He knew Bechiraj and his compound better than her. And a scientific mind might've been just what she needed to put an escape plan together. Heidecker seemed to already have some ideas. And once Nikita explained what she had done to Bechiraj, those ideas became finalized. Instead of asking for chemicals that would cure their captor, the two would create an explosive diversion. That would at least get them out of the tiger cage, past the guards, and out of the stables. The rest could be formulated as they ran.
While Heidecker worked on an explosive, Nikita paced the cage and tried to remember what she could about the compound and the surrounding area. The wound she had suffered when she had been captured made things a little difficult. But she was able to ask Heidecker clarifying questions, especially about what he was doing. Soon, Nikita had enough information about Bechiraj's property and guards to plan a way for them to scramble to the airport where Heidecker had a plane waiting. It relied on a lot of improvisation. Yet she was determined enough to pull it off, and she had a feeling that the scientist was too.
As soon as the explosive mixture was ready, the two's rushed plan could be put into effect. Nikita and Heidecker set it off, then the agent took out the guards that rushed in. She stole one of their weapons, and began to lead the scientist outside. However, their plans were already changing. With the doors to the stables open, and their own chaos over, the two could hear gunshots outside. They weren't directed at them, though. Something else was occurring on the compound. Something terrible, no doubt.
Although Nikita worried that it'd ruin their escape, she couldn't dwell on that fear. She had to take Heidecker and run. As she did, she nearly slammed into an answer for what was happening outside. He had burst into the stables and rushed right up to the tiger's cage. He was so relieved to see her. Yet she was confused by his presence. He was certainly the last person she had expected to be there, and the last person she'd expect to cause so much trouble outside. It left her more breathless than her fight with the guards, "Michael? What are you doing here?"