Nikita almost had Amanda. She had engaged her in a fight while her goons chased Stefan and Alex chased the goons. She had punched her in the face. She had had the shot to kill again, and she was going to take it that time. But then Krieg intervened.
Although he had managed to track down Stefan, Krieg wasn't able to find him before Amanda's goons kidnapped him. He did find the fighting women, however. He recognized the two instantly. If he couldn't rescue the boy, then he could capture the women. They'd tell him where they had taken Stefan. If not of their own accord, then by force.
So before Nikita could correct her mistake and finally kill Amanda, the two were knocked unconscious and taken.
She didn't know how long it had been, yet Nikita eventually woke with a start. She definitely wasn't where she last remembered; her limbs bound to a chair told her that. However, she wasn't any safer in that new location. She struggled against her restraints in what grew to be a fruitless venture. She couldn't free herself. She needed a more creative way to escape. Glancing around what looked like an abandoned work room, Nikita attempted to find anything that'd help her. All she saw was Amanda tied to a chair next to her, unfortunately. She absolutely wouldn't be of any help, "Hi. This is an interesting reunion."
"Sorry about your face. When I get these restraints off, I'll even out the other side," Nikita huffed, attempting to break her bonds once more. She tried not to notice that Amanda wasn't doing anything. She should only focus on herself. She didn't care if the bitch stayed and died. Nikita just had to save herself. Then Stefan. And maybe also Alex.
As Nikita continued to fight her bonds, the reason why Amanda wasn't struggling soon came through the door. She instantly dropped her bitchy, superior demeanor and almost seemed to become submissive. Nikita found herself stopping and staring in disbelief. Amanda really was a slimy cockroach who'd sacrifice anyone just to save herself, "Thank God you came when you did, she would have killed me."
"Krieg, I understand what you're doing. I do. But you don't have to. We're on the same side," Shaking her head, Nikita tried to ignore Amanda and focus on someone else again. That time, her attention had to fall on Krieg. He had to let her go. It was all a great big misunderstanding. Nikita wasn't going to kill Stefan. She only wanted to help him. She could keep helping him if Krieg just let her go. They'd have to work together if they were going to beat Amanda and her henchmen, after all.
"Is that why you threw me off the balcony?" Krieg immediately questioned. Amanda, of course, made things worse with an unhelpful side comment.
"You attacked me," Nikita did her best to defend her actions. She hadn't wanted to hurt Krieg. All she had ever wanted to do was talk to him. But he had attacked her and Alex outside the motel, and she did what came naturally. Hopefully that mistake wouldn't haunt her like sparing Amanda had. She and Krieg could just move on and save Stefan.
"No, I defended my charge. You took him from me, and now I'm going to get him back," Krieg wasn't just warning the two. He swore he was going to get Stefan back; it didn't matter what he had to do to the women to make that true. Nikita noticed that Krieg was preparing weapons for both an attack and for torture. She had to stop the latter from happening. She'd tell him the truth; he didn't have to hurt her. She couldn't let him hurt her.
"She has Stefan. She has him now," Nikita hurriedly told Krieg the truth. Amanda's men had Stefan. If he wanted to find the boy, then he should torture the bitch. Unfortunately, Nikita wasn't able to convince Krieg of the truth. The second he asked where Amanda had Stefan, she deflated, "I don't know."
"Because it's not true," Amanda lied easily. Nikita really wished she had the evidence to prove her wrong. But it was only her word against the bitch's. If Krieg had actually known them, then he would've been more likely to believe Nikita. But to him, they were both his enemies. He had no reason to trust either of them.
Especially since they had both attacked him, "At first, you know, I thought there was one team after Stefan. Now it's clear there are two. I'm not interested in your conflict. All I care about is the boy and one of you has him. You can tell me, or I can make you tell me."
"I can prove I'm working with Stefan's father. Let me call him," Before Krieg could approach the women to follow through on his threat, Nikita offered. Maybe she didn't have to completely convince her captor of the truth; all she had to do was convince him to call Ari. That'd be enough to save her and Stefan. And, hopefully, it'd be enough to end the bitch.
"So your people can trace our location, and I can talk to a man under duress? No. How many more are with you in Geneva?" Honestly, Krieg had a valid reason to deny Nikita's offer. He didn't know if Ari was working with her of his own free will. He was also correct in assuming that he'd be tracked as soon as he called. His best course of action was to just interrogate the women. And Nikita's best course of action was to keep telling the truth.
"Just my partner, that's it," Nikita was really glad an Alpha team hadn't followed her and Alex to Switzerland. Sure, that had made things difficult when they were fighting Amanda's henchmen. But it definitely made dealing with Krieg easier. He hopefully wouldn't see her as much of a threat if he knew there weren't many people after him. He could believe that they were truly only there to help- even if they had made some mistakes along the way.
"She's lying. She has an entire organization at her back," It really shouldn't have been a surprise that Amanda would undermine everything Nikita said. But it was starting to get annoying. Nikita couldn't waste energy fighting both Krieg and Amanda. It took too much time- time where Stefan could be in serious danger.
"But I saw you at the school. And you had, what, five men? Mercenaries, by the look of it. Not exactly top of the line. I suppose you were also trying to protect the boy. You don't protect someone by shooting at them," Catching onto Amanda's tricks, Krieg called her out. She wasn't the innocent one in all that mess. She was just as much his enemy as his other captive. And if no one told him the truth soon, they were both going to feel his wrath.
Nikita fought to contain her smug smile. As much as she enjoyed watching Amanda get put in her place, she had to keep talking, "Exactly. Krieg, let me go and we'll make her take us to him. Do it now before her people move him."
"You'll be walking into a trap. Your money has run out because she's taken Ari prisoner," Sitting up straighter in her chair, Amanda continued to lie. Krieg did an excellent job of ignoring her- and Nikita's muttered reply. But that didn't stop the bitch from trying to get her way, "I know things only Ari knows. I know when he hired you. He told me about Berlin. Even what happened to your wife. And I'm so sorry. I would never disrespect her memory but, please, you have to believe I am telling the truth. If Ari didn't trust me, how could I know these things? Let me help you. For your sake, for Ari's and for Stefan's."
It was a low blow that landed well. Krieg stilled and stiffened at the mention of his late wife. Nikita felt a pang of sympathy for him. He shouldn't have to face that while he was so anxious about Stefan. A part of Nikita wanted to soothe him; she knew what it was like when Amanda went straight for the heart like that. Yet there wasn't anything she could say, besides asking him to believe her, "Why don't we ask Ari? I'll get him on the phone and then he can tell you about his friend here, Amanda, the sociopath."
"Yeah. You have ninety seconds before any kind of trace can find us," Finally accepting the offer, Krieg handed Nikita a satellite phone. She assumed he had changed his mind because of what Amanda had said. But she would dwell on it. She had a lifesaving call to make.
After punching in her Division code, Nikita's call went straight to Birkhoff's computer. Michael answered immediately. Although Nikita could hear the panic and desperation in his voice, she didn't have the time to comfort him. She simply had to get straight to business and pray that they'd have a chance to talk later, "Krieg has me and Amanda. He needs to talk to Ari. He'll end this call in eighty seconds."
Thankfully, Michael understood her urgency. He pushed aside his worry as he hurried to Ari's Medical room. He was still unconscious from Owen's earlier attack, so Michael had to order that he be woken. That ate up too much time. It shouldn't have, yet Ari wouldn't wake. Frantically, Nikita warned Michael of how little time they had left. He kept his own panic at bay as he replied, "He's coming around. There was a thing with Owen."
Krieg glanced at his captive disgruntled while Amanda was amused. Nikita honestly had no idea what to say. She could only stare in disbelief as the timer counted down to zero, "Michael. I'm out of time."
"Krieg, I know you are listening to me. Just give me one…" Michael tried to get Krieg to listen to him. Ari had almost gained consciousness. He only needed a few more seconds, then the two could talk. Krieg wouldn't give him that chance, however. He ended the call before Michael could even finish his sentence. Filled with rage, threw his cell and stormed across the hall to Owen's room. That was all his fault. Ari would've talked and Nikita would've been free if it hadn't been for him. Michael was going to make Owen pay. He swore to it, "If anything happens to Nikita, I'm going to kill you."
Roughly, Krieg took the phone back from Nikita. She didn't put up a fight. She just slumped in her chair and tried to think of anything else she could do. She had nothing. Amanda, on the other hand, smirked proudly and used Nikita's defeat to bolster her lies, "There, you have your proof. Let me go. The sooner you trust me, the sooner we can use her to get the boy back."
"Oh. There are other options. Both of you are trying to convince me you're telling the truth. I just want to find Stefan. You will only need so much. The rest, I will take from you. Piece by piece," Grabbing one of the sharp, deadly tools on the workbench, Krieg threatened. He had had enough listening to the women's constant lies and attempts to sway him to their side. He needed the truth; he needed to rescue Stefan.
"Krieg, you don't wanna do this," Nikita flinched unsuccessfully against her restraints. She was telling the truth- she swore she was telling the truth. Torture wouldn't reveal anything else. It'd just be a waste of the time Krieg didn't have if he harmed her. And it'd be a whole lot of unnecessary pain for her.
"No, I truly don't. But I will," Krieg continued. He wasn't one to enjoy torture, but it was a necessary evil of the job. Information needed to be extracted by any means possible.
"There are other ways," Nikita knew she was desperate and begging. Yet she also knew that if he tortured her and she continued to say the same things, the pain would never end. That wasn't going to help Stefan. In fact, it just might make things worse.
"You're right. This is one," Krieg reached for Nikita. She prepared her body for the pain. However, it never came. An alert on Krieg's computer stopped him. He instantly returned to it to see what was the matter. Nikita knew better to sigh in relief. She wasn't out of the woods just yet. Another obstacle was headed her way. Krieg's satisfied smile helped her realize that, "Looks like someone found the breadcrumb I left."
Spying his computer, Nikita realized that the breadcrumb he had left was her com. Alex must've found it and was using it to try and find her. After Division was a bust, it was up to her to save her partner and then Stefan. The first part of her plan had already worked. She was able to get in touch with Krieg, "Krieg? Where's Nikita?"
"That depends. Where's Stefan?" Krieg asked. Alex lied. Nikita didn't actually know if Alex had managed to grab Stefan from Amanda's henchmen or not. However, she knew that her partner had lied. She was trying to draw Krieg away so Nikita could escape. And, although that shouldn't have been Alex's priority, her idea worked, "Stay where you are, I'll meet you. Then we'll discuss a trade."
"I wouldn't trust that one either," Amanda finally spoke. She wouldn't draw attention to herself when it came to torture, but to keep selling her agenda, absolutely. Nikita struggled not to roll her eyes in annoyance.
"I don't. She could have Stefan in a secure location," Krieg readied his weapon. Nikita surged against her restraints again.
"Krieg, listen, don't make this about her. If she's lying, she's lying to help me," Nikita attempted to stop Krieg. Alex would do anything to help her, even if it meant putting herself in danger instead. Nikita could let that happen. She couldn't let Alex get hurt for her again. Taking a bullet for her had been more than enough. Alex couldn't paint another target on her back just because of Nikita's mistakes. Those were for her to atone for.
"If she's lying, she dies," There was no room for argument. Krieg let that warning hang in the air as he left the room to ambush Alex and rescue Stefan. Nikita became frantic as she yanked and pulled at her bonds. She had to get out of that room. She had to stop Krieg, make him listen to her, and rescue Alex and Stefan. She didn't have any miracles or saving graces that'd help her. It was all up to Nikita to free herself. And she wasn't going to give up. Even when it seemed hopeless, she wasn't going to stop.
Amanda, on the other hand, remained still. She glanced at the frantic Nikita in annoyance. There was no use in fighting. The better option was to wait and save herself. There was no use in saving others, "It's too late. You'll never make it."
"Yet I'll die trying. That's what you do to save someone you care about. You definitely wouldn't know," Nikita bit angrily. She wasn't going to take any advice from Amanda. After all, what did she know about helping others. She had always been self-serving and cruel. She never cared about another person, even when she was with Ari or the recruits' mentor. Amanda was just a bitch. And Nikita was so much better than her. She at least cared for and fought for those she claimed she loved.
"What are you doing?" Sighing, Amanda watched Nikita start to slam her chair against a wire on the floor. Of all the desperate acts she had done that day, that was possibly her most insane one. What could that have possibly done. They were still going to be stuck.
"Just watch. You could learn a thing or two when you leave your lair. Now, I need you to cut me," Holding out her open palm, Nikita replied. The chair of her leg had burst open the covering protecting the wires. If she could short circuit them, she could start a fire with the oil cans left in the abandoned workroom. It definitely wasn't her best plan, yet she knew it'd work. She could escape and save Alex and Stefan. If, and only if, Amanda helped her, "Blood, it's basically salt water. A conductor. It'll short the wire and ignite the oil cans."
"You must be joking," Amanda stared at Nikita in disbelief. A fire would only add to their problems, not solve them. She knew Nikita to be senseless, but not stupid.
"I am not. I can't do it alone; I need your help. So dig deep, unless you want to volunteer your own blood," Bearing her palm to Amanda, Nikita sighed and prepared herself for the pain. Glaring at her, Amanda dug her nails harshly into Nikita's skin. She did her best not to wince. Instead, she focused on ensuring her blood dripped on the exposed wire. As soon as it did, a spark traveled across the cable until it ignited on the oil cans. A small fire began to blaze.
Watching the fire burn across the room, Amanda began to nod. She understood what Nikita had been thinking then. Although dangerous, it was actually a pretty solid plan. They'd be free in no time, "Okay, I get it. The fire ignites the oil, the oil combusts, the explosion blows the door, then we get out of here."
"No, I just started a fire. Hopefully, someone will call the fire department," Nikita corrected. A part of her had to admit that she was grasping at straws with that plan. However, she couldn't get out of her restraints on her own. She needed someone to cut them out. A firefighter was a great choice. After all, they'd get there far sooner than anyone in Division.
"Hopefully? What if they don't get here in time?" Amanda couldn't help but shriek. The fire might've been small then. But it'd soon consume the entire building. Once it did, the two would die. If not from the flames, then at least from the smoke. There was no plan in starting a fire. It was useless. They were going to die and then no one would win.
"Then we both die a horrible death. And in my book, that's a glass half-full scenario," Continuing to tear desperately at her bonds, Nikita replied. She'd prefer it if she was able to escape, save Alex and Stefan, go home, and live happily ever after with her husband. But if she suffered and died in that fire, well at least Amanda would be dead too. The world would be a better place without her in it.