Nikita couldn't get Amanda out of her mind. She tried to. She tried to focus on the current mission. But all she could think about was what Ari and Amanda had said. She should've killed the bitch when she had the chance. Because she hadn't, things were spiraling out of control, and the team was constantly grasping at straws. Their attempt to save Stefan wasn't any different. Though, Alex at least attempted to be positive. When they arrived at their staging area, she soon smiled and quipped, "I like this. Just the two of us in an old, abandoned staging area. We should do this more often, with no boys needing rescuing. Well, maybe one."

"There's always one," Nikita attempted to joke and smirk; after all, there would always be people to save and boys to pull from trouble. However, her quip quickly fell flat. She couldn't joke about the situation when her guilt continued to eat away at her. She shouldn't let it. She shouldn't blame herself for every single thing that Amanda did. Those were her psychotic choices, not Nikita's. She couldn't control what the bitch did with her life. Though, she could've stopped it. She could've made certain Amanda never had the chance to hurt people. The evil could've been defeated before it ever began.

"Hey, are you okay?" As she unpacked the weapons from her bag, Alex asked Nikita. The other woman had hardly said a word since they had left Division. At first, Alex wondered if it was because they were alone in Switzerland. Owen couldn't help them since there was a concern that Amanda could mess with his mind and render him useless again. Also, with Sean and Ryan shoring up funding overseas, Michael was left running the mission from Ops; none of the three men were available to provide backup. The two women were on their own. That never bothered Nikita before, though. So why would it then. Something else must've been going on.

For a brief moment, Nikita considered telling Alex what had plagued her mind all day. Yet she stopped herself short. Although Alex had interacted with Amanda while dealing with Oversight and Zetrov, she didn't know the bitch like Nikita did. She wasn't sure if she explained what she was thinking, her friend would agree with her. So, she kept her mouth shut. What she thought about Amanda didn't matter for the mission anyway. They should only focus on bringing Stefan somewhere safe, "Where do you think Krieg's going?"

Alex considered calling bullshit on the brush off. Something was obviously troubling Nikita, and talking about it could help her. Unfortunately, they had more pressing matters on their hands. Maybe on the ride home, Alex could question Nikita all about her thoughts. But for the time being, they should focus on Stefan and his caretaker, Krieg. After Amanda's kidnap attempt at the high school, the two had to have been laying low somewhere. It was just a matter of where they went, "He'll want some heat to pass. Without money, he'll need to hole up cheap. It's too cold to rough it outside. Especially with the boy. Motel?"

"Close to the airport. Let's start making some calls. How's your French these days?" Tossing Alex a burner cell phone, Nikita agreed with her conclusion (she was also glad that she agreed not to press what was wrong). Krieg would want some heat to pass before he moved out of the country with Stefan. A cheap motel near the airport would be the best place for them to hide. If Alex and Nikita were to call around asking for information- possibly a bit deceptively- they were sure to get answers.

"It's très bien. How's your German?" Alex grinned proudly. Asking questions in the common Swiss languages of French and German was more likely to get them answers. The kinds of questions they asked, well, that was where they got to have some fun with it. After Nikita responded to Alex's question in German, the two began making their calls. It took a few tries and a few lies, but finally they had something. Alex got a hit on a description of Krieg and Stefan at a motel between the school and the airport, "Got them. Chalet Tranquille, thirty rooms occupied. Two paid cash. One was a father and son."

Tons of fathers and sons could've been paying cash for a motel room, but Alex and Nikita doubted it was any kind of coincidence. The events and circumstances lined up too much for it not to be their next lead. The two updated Ops on where they were heading, then they rushed out. It didn't take them long to reach the motel and hurry to the second floor where they believed Krieg's room was. Although their weapons were drawn, Nikita and Alex went for a gentle approach. They were on the same team, there was no need for force. They could just talk, "Krieg, my name's Nikita. I'm here on behalf of Ari Tasarov. I'm unarmed. Just here to talk."

There was no response. Nikita tried again while Alex investigated the area, but they didn't receive any answers. They doubted they were wrong. Krieg and Stefan had to be there. Something else was going on. Nikita soon discovered what that was when she realized the motel room was open. She nudged open the door, and saw that it was empty. The room was a decoy. Krieg had set it up incase anyone found them. Which meant he was close by, watching the two armed women. Nikita hurriedly tried to think of how they could change course, yet it was too late. Krieg suddenly appeared with a gun and she had to blurt, "We're not here to hurt Stefan."

"Who do you work for?" Krieg kept his weapon trained on the two women. They lowered their own weapons and attempted to seem as unthreatening as possible. Neither Alex nor Nikita wanted to fight him. He wasn't an obstacle in their way; he wasn't yet another bad guy they had to take down for the mission. Krieg could help them protect Stefan from Amanda. He was clearly just as invested in protecting the teenager as they were. Their combined skills and resources would save him from Amanda. They simply had to trust one another.

"Man who pays you. I can get him on the phone," Nikita responded gently, reaching for the burner cell in her pocket. Ari would instantly vouch for them. He knew there was no time for games with Amanda after his son. Whatever Nikita asked of him, he'd give it. All she needed then, though, was verification. Krieg was an excellent soldier. He'd follow his orders no matter what they were (he was still protecting Stefan even after the money ran out, after all). If Ari told him to suddenly trust Division, he would. Alex and Nikita just had to call him first.

Krieg seemed to be giving the two women a chance to make that call. But then Stefan stepped out of the motel room. His curiosity got the best of him, and he peaked to see what was going on. All the guns after the previous shooting had him instantly freaked. Krieg shouting at him to get back inside didn't help. He stood frozen. Alex instinctively moved to soothe him. That was when hell broke loose. Krieg saw that movement as an attack and tried to retaliate. He went after Alex, and Nikita intervened. She fought him off, moving automatically to protect her best friend and herself. Things soon got out of hand. And soon, Krieg was thrown down onto a car.

That was something Nikita definitely shouldn't have done. But someone was about to get shot; she had to do something. Also, they didn't have time to think about all of that. Alex and Nikita grabbed Stefan and pulled him to the car. He reasonably panicked. Yet once the two explained the whole situation as they raced back to their staging area, he calmed down. He was used to crazy things in his life thanks to his father's occupation. Besides, the women didn't hurt him and were focused on getting him out of the country, so he could trust them. He simply preferred if he had another friend with him, "We should go back for Krieg. He could be hurt."

"Krieg is ex-German special forces. He's fine. He can take care of himself," Nikita promised. There was no doubt in her mind that Krieg was fine. He was probably a little banged up from falling onto a car. But he would've been able to get up and shake it off in no time. Which meant that there was also no doubt in her mind that Krieg was trying to track down Stefan then. Division didn't have long to create the teenager's fake identity and smuggle him out of the country. The faster they did everything, the better off they'd all be.

"Guess you know more about him than I do," Stefan huffed. Since the teenager had been so trusting and compliant, Alex and Nikita let him have a brooding moment. With everything that went on in his young life, he was allowed to express how angry and irritated he was at times. It definitely wasn't fair what he had to go through. Everytime he had a taste of normal, he had to be uprooted. Division smuggling him out of the country wasn't even the first time that had happened. He was always running because of his father. He just never thought that he'd be running to his father, "So, what now? You take me to my father?"

"Don't sound so thrilled," Alex couldn't help but comment. Division didn't actually know what they were going to do with Stefan once they saved him from Amanda. Maybe they could arrange it so they could place him in some sort of protection program. They could set him up with a new identity, funds, and resources, and let him live the best life he could. Yet, even if Division did that for Stefan, his father couldn't be with him. Ari had to pay for all the crimes he had committed. He had to confess to everything he had done (and hopefully also help clear Sean from Kendrick's death). Ari couldn't escape with his son. Stefan had to be alone.

"I'm not. My whole life I've been running from the name Tasarov," Stefan seemed to already know that, though. He had resigned himself to the fact that he'd never see his father again. As soon as he was put into Krieg's protective custody, the teenager knew his life would never be the same. He had to say goodbye to everything he once knew and simply move on with his life. It wasn't ideal, yet he was used to it. His last name caused danger and disaster wherever he went. It was better to get away from it then to embrace it.

"Believe it or not, I know how you feel," Alex shared. Even before Operation Pale Fire, being a Udinov had been dangerous. The second Zetrov became as powerful as it had, the second a target was painted on the family's back. Maybe Alex's father was a bit paranoid in the precautions he took to protect her and ensure she'd stay safe. But, in hindsight, she couldn't blame him for that. It was a dangerous world out there, especially if one was powerful and corrupt. And that danger always happened to fall on innocent children.

"Because you're a Udinov?" Stefan didn't need Alex to explain how she could empathize with him. He knew who she was the instant he saw her. Whereas Alex was somewhat shocked by that, Nikita bit back a chuckle. She had told the heiress that there were going to be times where she'd be recognized easily, especially after her infamous resurrection press conference. So of course a fellow Russian in hiding because of his father would recognize her then. He also didn't think much of it. Stefan soon shrugged off Alexandra Udinov's presence and continued with more urgent questions, "So tell me, if my father wanted to rescue me why isn't he here?"

Rather than answering Stefan right away, Nikita focused on completing his fake identity packet and sending it over to Ops so they could solidify everything. A part of her wanted to tell the teenager the truth. He deserved to know why exactly he was being hunted down and why he had to go into hiding for the rest of his life. However, Nikita couldn't bring herself to tell Stefan. He shouldn't have to carry the burden of knowing about Division and the full extent of Gogol. It was better if he was kept in the dark. It'd at least keep his mind clearer and his nights less filled with nightmares, "It's complicated."

"Funny, that was the answer he always gave me," Rolling his eyes, Stefan grumbled once more. Neither Alex nor Nikita said any more. Stefan had a right to think of his father that way. He had let him down too many times. And although he was always desperately protecting him, there was nothing Nikita or Alex could say that'd put Ari in a better light. He'd just have to talk to his son himself. In the meantime, the two women could confer with Ops that everything was ready for an exfil and that they'd be wheels up in an hour. They could also deal with some of the things that were soon creeping up from the shadows.

"I thought I saw something," Glancing out the window of the abandoned warehouse they were holed up in, Nikita muttered. Nothing had pinged on Division's radar besides police in the area. But what Nikita swore she had seen wasn't the cops. She moved to get a closer look, her weapon at the ready. She wasn't taking any chances. And it was a good thing she wasn't. Somehow, Amanda and her goons tracked their location. They were swarming the place, ready to attack. Nikita instantly cocked her gun and yelled at Stefan, "Stay here and don't move!"

For the most part, Stefan did as he was told. While Nikita and Alex sprinted into danger and did what they could to take down the army Amanda had brought with her, he hid behind all the equipment in the room. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough. Without a weapon, he had no chance of fighting back. So he had to run from the many bullets flying around. He figured he'd be safe in the stairwell. Yet that was where he was finally grabbed. Alex witnessed the capture and tried to go after him, leaving Nikita behind, "They've got Stefan. They're driving out!"

"Get after them! I'll catch up with you," Nikita snapped back into the com. Although Alex didn't like separating from her partner, she was already chasing after Stefan. She trusted Nikita to handle herself and the rest of the goons. Maybe- and hopefully- she could also kill Amanda as well. That'd be the ideal. Yet Alex couldn't get hung up thinking about Nikita. Again, she'd be fine. The young agent's only focus had to be Stefan. He wouldn't have been fine. She had to cut the goons off and pull him from the car.

"Dammit. I lost Stefan," Unfortunately, Alex soon cursed into the com. She had been so sure she had seen Amanda's goons hurry off with Stefan in a certain direction. But as she followed, she quickly realized she was wrong. She'd have to double back with Nikita, have Birkhoff work his satellite magic, and convince Krieg to work with them- even after what they had done to him. However, when Alex attempted to put all of that in motion, she didn't hear anything back from Nikita. It was dead silent on her side of the com, "Nikita, do you read?"

Although Alex heard a crackle and pop over the com, she didn't actually hear Nikita. Instantly, she pulled the car over and scrambled for a tablet. She didn't believe her best friend was dead. If Nikita had been killed, Ops definitely would've known about it, and Michael definitely would've been screaming something. No, Nikita wasn't dead. Yet, something had happened to her. Alex could locate her tracker on the tablet, but she still wasn't getting a response on the com. Deep, dark dread filled Alex's gut. If Amanda and her goons had managed to grab Stefan, who was to say they didn't grab Nikita as well. She was gone, "Nikita?"