"This is an unbelievable scene. If you're just tuning in, as of right now, authorities are unclear of much of anything. Was it a disgruntled employee, a random assailant? There are reports, all of them unconfirmed, that a man in a business suit fled the scene," Various news reports rang across a silent Ops. The bombing had left them stunned. Yes, it was tragic and horrific. But the timing of it, after they had just brought in Ari, left them stunned. There was no way that that kind of violence was only a coincidence- not in their line of work.
"Birkhoff, tap us into local first responders, see what they know," Not leaving anything to chance, Ryan ordered. Even in the odd chance that it was only a coincidence, Division needed to know everything that was occurring. If there was anything they could do to stop further violence, they had to do it. And if anything linked back to a Dirty Thirty or Amanda, then they needed to start thinking of ways to counterattack.
As Birkhoff began his hack, the news reports continued with more updates. They had just received a video from someone claiming responsibility for the bombing. Activity in Ops stopped as eyes transfixed on the screens, "How's it feel? Everything you love, ripped away in a second. When it happens in America, it's called a national tragedy. When it happens in our countries, it's called collateral damage. Acceptable losses. A percentage some general signs off on before drones start flying. You send your troops, your helicopters, your drones to kill your enemies. But you hit innocent people too."
Hackers jolted to action as they realized what was going on. A terrorist was taking responsibility for the violence and was probably planning more. They needed to do something to track him down and stop him, "You say you want peace. Your so-called road to peace is splattered with our blood. Call us the Crimson Resistance. We don't know when death will come. Neither will you. The people we love were taken from us, and we never had a chance to say goodbye. Neither will you."
Besides the sounds of hackers typing away, silence continued to stretch across Ops. Something was going on. Something absolutely horrific and terrifying and more than likely linked to why Ari showed up on their doorstep. It wasn't crazy or paranoid to believe that. If they had learned anything from their experiences, it was that they always ran into the worst case scenario. Once he had finished typing frantically, Birkhoff expressed just how awful things were about to get, "I tapped into the servers. Got a line on that video stream. No way to trace it, but the encryption is Division's signature."
"How do you know that?" Ryan wasn't doubting Birkhoff's hacking skills. But before they could start linking the terrorist to Division, they needed definitive proof. They needed to know exactly what they were up against. Was it a Dirty Thirty. Was Amanda involved somehow. Or was there a third, worse option. Ryan anxiously believed that it was somehow a combination of the three. Considering how things were about to get so much worse, he wouldn't be surprised.
"I wrote the algorithms," Birkhoff didn't need to look at his screen anymore. He recognized the code immediately. He had created it to help Division with untraceable videos and messages for their various missions. It had worked so well, it was the standard algorithm for years. A Dirty Thirty would know that. And so would Amanda. One of their enemies was involved somehow. Maybe that was why Ari had run to them.
"Which means Amanda is on the other end of that broadcast. Just like Ari said she would be," Nikita shouldn't have been surprised. When she had heard the terrorist speak, her first thought was Amanda. She had coached him well; she had probably been working with him for months, planning the worst possible attacks. Which meant Ari knew exactly what was occurring, and he refused to tell her. The next time she spoke to him, she was going to kill him, "Son of a bitch. He knows who this is, and he's holding out for money."
When her team glanced at her in confusion, Nikita quickly told them about her conversation with Ari. He had warned her something like that was going to happen. But without fifty million dollars, he wouldn't share a single secret. Although the others weren't surprised that Ari wanted to be paid for his knowledge, Michael was still confused. That didn't sound like Ari, "Wait a second. Ari surrendered, and he asked to be brought into Division. Then he tries to get fifty million? He'd have to be either crazy or stupid, and the man is neither."
"He must have another move. Maybe he's trying to raise money, build an army, break out," Alex shrugged. She, Owen, and Sean had rushed into Ops when they heard about the explosion. What did it say about them that they instantly suspected their enemies were behind it when a tragedy occurred. They were right. But what kind of war were they raging when everything horrific that occurred linked back to them.
"He's not gonna get fifty bucks, much less fifty million," Sean wasn't sure if he agreed with Alex's idea or not. But he did know that Division shouldn't pay Ari a single cent. He didn't deserve anything from them. Besides, once they were done extracting information from him, he was going to be passed off to the feds still looking for him. He had to pay for his crimes. And clear Sean's name for Kendrick's death.
Nodding in agreement with Sean, Nikita already had some ideas of how she could make Ari forget all about the money he wanted. When she was through with him, he wouldn't be able to demand anything from her- except for her to stop, "I wouldn't give him fifty seconds. Give me an empty room and a pair of pliers, I'll use them to take off Ari's fingernails. One by one. He'll break after his pinky."
"He's trained to resist torture," Ryan attempted to argue. Despite her rage, Nikita's plan wasn't going to work. They couldn't simply torture the information out of Ari; they had to strike some sort of deal. Obviously, paying him fifty million dollars was off the table. But there could be something else he wanted- something Division could actually give him.
"Ari's a negotiator. Just give me some more time with him. We still have a few moves of our own," Nikita stood her ground. Maybe she wouldn't start with the torture; she could at least talk to Ari first. But she wasn't giving up on that line of investigation. She was going to get their captor to talk to her one way or another. Amanda and her terrorist wouldn't terrorize the world for long. Division was going to stop them before more innocents died.
"Okay. In the meantime, Alex and Owen, go see if you can get any clues from the crime scene," While Nikita rushed back to the interrogation room, Ryan ordered Alex and Owen to investigate the bombing. They could potentially notice something the local investigators couldn't. Sean fought the urge to follow the two. He wanted to do something to help. However, despite the news obsessively covering the bombing then, it still wasn't safe for him to leave the bunker. Michael noticed his struggle and had the former Seal join him at Birkhoff's computer. There were plenty of things they could do to stop Amanda and her terrorist. No one was going to sit back or rest, not until they saved the world once again.
Ari wasn't surprised when Nikita burst into the interrogation room, livid. He seemed to have known why she was pulled away in the first place. He knew the strike had happened, and he knew Ops had discovered how Amanda was linked to it. That pissed Nikita off even more. He could've said something. He could've helped them stop the unnecessary bloodshed. Instead, he decided to be an asshole, "You're not laughing anymore."
"What does Amanda get out of helping a bunch of terrorists?" Fiercely, Nikita demanded to know. She didn't need a cool composure to address Ari then. He knew she was incredibly upset. Hiding it would be useless. So, she decided to completely lean into her rage. Anger dripped off her tongue as she stalked towards Ari. He didn't flinch; though, he did lean back in his chair in an attempt to separate from her. He wasn't absolutely terrified of her yet. But she was sure to change that soon.
"Why does Amanda do anything these days? You," Ari tried to rattle Nikita with that simple word. It worked slightly. The fact that Amanda was behind so much death and destruction because of her made her want to scream. But she swallowed the urge to claw at her own skin to listen to Ari. He was giving her more information for free. She had to listen, "She's trying to frame Division. She armed the Crimson Resistance to create a panic. Their weapons are the last few I purchased from Cyrus, your former arms dealer, who- I assure you- will lead to Division's door. Unless you end it now."
"For a price. What are you gonna do with fifty million? You can't spend it from a prison cell," Nikita did her best not to seethe. Maybe if she could get Ari to tell her why he wanted millions of dollars, she could arrange another deal with him. It couldn't be all about money with him. It never had before. He was planning something else, like Alex had suggested. If Nikita could figure that out, then she could figure out who the terrorist was.
However, Ari refused to give anything up. He'd drop hints about the terrorists and Amanda's motives. He'd even share how he had been kicked out of the super secret bad guys group. Yet he wouldn't explain why he needed so much money. He hardly even reacted to her question, "The real question is, how much are those innocent lives worth to you?"
"I don't put a price on human life," Nikita responded shortly. People's lives weren't something that could be tossed aside for money. She had thought Ari had a similar sentiment. After all, he wasn't nearly as evil as Amanda and Percy. But she must've been wrong. He was as twisted and corrupt. She was going to enjoy torturing him, "Your life either. Or whatever you wanna call the rest of your existence in a seven by twelve foot box. Because no matter what, you are never getting out of here."
While Nikita threatened Ari, Owen and Alex raced to the scene of the bombing. It was easy to black badge their way towards the elevators. There had been so many officials in and out of the area, what were two more. Besides, the victims had been cleared, as had most of the evidence. There wasn't much for the two to sift through and contaminate. Yet they weren't looking for the obvious. They searched for any signs of Amanda and Division. Owen found the first of many after a quick look around, "The attacker worked his way through the lobby. Security cameras were scrambled."
"Division tech. Courtesy of Amanda," Alex updated the team in Division. Not only was Amanda working with the terrorists, but she was funding them, giving them weapons and technology, and providing ideas. She really took being a villain to a whole nother level. At least Percy had been self-righteous enough not to fund terrorists. There was nothing holding Amanda back from committing the worst atrocities.
"It's a good kill. Simple. Still a little bit dirty. Just like Division," Combing over the scene, Owen commented. The destruction looked like something straight out of a Division textbook. Everything from the planning, to the execution, to the aftermath was something any agent would've done for a similar mission. The terrorists were basically Amanda's new recruits being tested for the field.
"Amanda's teaching them well," Alex muttered, staring heartbroken at the debris. She had never been a recruit in Division. Yet she had experienced Amanda's coaching when the bitch was aiming to take over Zetrov. Her manipulation ran deep. It destroyed far more lives than just the people she spoke to. There was a chance the bombing never would've happened had Amanda never gotten her claws into the terrorists. She was pulling the strings, twisting the pain and sorrow of others to satisfy her own means. It was said a lot, but that fucking bitch seriously needed to be stopped. She couldn't be allowed to kill more innocents.
"Just like Amanda taught us. Well, the other agents. Me, she just stuck with a needle," Barely containing his rage, Owen blurted. There was no doubt that Amanda was treating the terrorists like her recruits. Just as there was no doubt that she had ruined his life by shoving that needle into his brain. Sure, there was a chance that his life before Division wasn't worth remembering anyway. Yet no one should've had their memories- their choices- stolen from them. Amanda had played a sick game with him, and she needed to pay.
Alex didn't know Owen that well. They had only met some months ago, and they hardly interacted with one another. That should definitely change since they were on the same team. After all, he seemed to continue struggling with what Amanda had done to him. He needed more support from friends in order to get through it, "You still don't remember any of it?"
"Part of me's not sure I really want to," Owen admitted with a shrug. A part of him was okay with never knowing about his past. As long as Amanda was killed, he could let his past lie. But the brief flashes he had about who he used to be tormented him. Could that have really been his life, or was Amanda only messing with him further. That was something he wanted answered. How much were his memories, and how much was her manipulation, "Only thing I do remember is Amanda said I used to be a soldier. My name was Sam. And I killed all my friends."
"Owen, don't let her define you. Don't let anyone," Alex offered gently. Although she barely knew Owen, she knew from the stories that she had heard that he wouldn't willingly hurt his friends. He was a good teammate and a great agent when given a chance. And he had the chance to prove that to her as they refocused on the bombing. Amanda needed to pay for what she had done to the innocent people first. She and the terrorists needed to be stopped, and the world needed to be saved. Then the team could have their revenge.