Even before the police officers walked into the diner they rested at, Michael had been on high alert. He had been narrowly missing Division the majority of the day. First, when he saved the reporter, Jill Moretti, from the hit. Then, when the two called her source at her office. It was only a matter of time before the black ops group caught up to them again. With the BOLO out on Jill, Division could use the cops' resources to help them. Birkhoff's assistance over the computers could only extend so far. The instant the officers waltzed in, Michael knew they had to run. He pulled away the 'fugitive' reporter's food and whispered, "We have to go."
To Jill's credit, she was becoming better at staying calm and not asking too many questions as she followed Michael's order. Maybe the break to eat and rest did her nerves some good. Except, the rogue wasn't concerned with that at the moment. He had to slip them past the cops to their stolen car. He also had to get a clean vehicle, but that'd have to wait until they reached a place without a police presence. Especially since Jill was spotted and they had to run. He managed to delay the cops, yet he definitely had to steal a new car then. Fortunately, as his thoughts began to spiral over that fact, a car was delivered to him, "Need a ride?"
The last person Michael expected to see was Nikita. Sure enough, however, there she was poking her head out the car window. A knife was next to her in the center console, yet there was no malice to it. The weapon seemed to have been thrown there. Judging by how low to the ground the police cruiser next to them was, Michael was going to guess she popped the tires. For a last second rescue, she really had thought of everything. He shouldn't have been as surprised as he was, though. She always had the ability to show up whenever he needed her the most. She was his saving grace, "It's alright, Jill. She's with me."
"I thought rogues worked alone," Although Jill gladly accepted Nikita and the getaway car, she had to question Michael's statement. She thought he was working alone- he had been the only person she interacted with since the hell began. Sure, he had mentioned something about tech support. And the woman's timing with the car was amazing; they were able to drive away from the diner without the police following. But all those teammates didn't fit the sullen Batman vibe she had gotten from the rogue. Maybe it was just the sound of his voice.
"You'd be surprised," Glancing over at Michael in the passenger seat, Nikita muttered. She hadn't expected to keep working with him and Birkhoff. The universe simply seemed to have other ideas. She never intended to run into the other rogues. She knew they'd probably be on the same missions, but she didn't expect to run right into them. For instance, that time, she only planned to track Jill Moretti and provide backup in protecting her. Michael and Birkhoff alone couldn't stop Division when they were on a manhunt. Nikita never would've guessed she'd save the reporter and Michael from the police. She just kept involving herself.
"Why don't you get some rest? It's a long drive to Richmond," Michael turned to Jill and suggested. He mostly said it so Nikita would know where they were headed. Just because she found the 'fugitives', didn't mean she knew what came next. She had to turn around to access the backroads to Virginia, after all. But Michael also told Jill to sleep so he could talk to Nikita in private. There were so many things the two had to discuss- what better chance than being trapped in a car for hours. It wasn't ideal, yet it was the best they had.
Jill was too wired to sleep, however. She wanted to keep asking questions- namely who Nikita was. She gave the reporter the basics ('I'm Nikita, I'm also a Division escapee'), but other than that, she didn't talk much. After a while, the adrenaline keeping Jill awake left her, and she began to drift. Within an hour, she was asleep. The rogues ensured she was in a deep sleep before they started talking. They also turned on the radio. Then wasn't the time to be overheard or interrupted, even if Nikita started with a simple question, "So, what exactly is going on?"
"Some hiker caught a Division coverup on camera. Remember that Air America plane crash in the mountains? Apparently, it was to cover up a huge cocaine smuggling ring. A cocaine smuggling ring men in black helicopters cleaned up," Michael informed Nikita instantly. It was the least he could do if she was going to assist him and Jill. She deserved his gratitude, and the right to know what exactly she had stepped into. Sharing intel easily could also help their conversation. If he was willing to share, then she would be as well.
"So the CEO hired Percy to clean up his mess," Nikita nodded, her eyes remaining on the road ahead. She was too fed up to be pissed. None of what Michael told her was that surprising. If a reporter was on Division's kill list, then obviously there was a coverup involved. And since the black ops unit had turned more into rich men's weapons than a tool for the government, of course a corrupt company and CEO was involved. Percy was certainly making a killing financially. He could continue his actual killing with no dent to his wallet. God, Nikita hated the bastard. She couldn't wait to kill him.
"The guy who captured the footage is scared. He reached out to the one person he could trust, now look what's happening," As important as it was to stop Division, Michael was more focused on the innocents who had gotten roped into the madness. It was easy to forget about them when hunts for black boxes and nuclear materials became more important. But there were so many people out there being hurt by Percy and Amanda. They needed to be protected. That was all Michael was ever trying to do, even if he made mistakes and bad choices along the way. Those caught in Division's schemes had to be helped. He needed to be the one to save them.
"Where's the meet?" Sharing another glance at Michael, Nikita understood what he meant. Jill and the poor hiker who recorded the Division mission were scared beyond belief. They just wanted the truth to be revealed to the public. Air America was dirty, and the world had to know. It was a noble act. Far more noble than Nikita. She knew the path of revenge wasn't the act of a hero. Jill, the hiker, Michael- hell, even Birkhoff, were the heroes. She was simply necessary. The evil had to be defeated, and she was the person to do it.
"The college up in Richmond. I think he's a student," That conclusion was simple to make. He wanted to meet in the middle of the day. He went hiking in the afternoon. Only students were free at those times, not people with jobs. It was a fact to keep in mind as the rogues confronted him. In the meantime, they just had to figure out how to reach him. Michael was able to find a map in the glove compartment of the stolen car- the joys of making sure they didn't steal a vehicle with GPS. He helped Nikita make some course corrections, and helped determine the best route they could take on the backroads.
Giving directions filled the silence the two had fallen into. Nikita was caught up on the information pertaining to the mission, all that was left was to share information about themselves. That, of course, was where they stalled. Nikita began to tap her thumbs on the steering wheel to the beat of the radio. Michael stared out the window. Their awkwardness to start talking wasn't helping. They were delaying the problem. One of them had to say something. They wanted to fix what was between them- didn't they. Or, as her comment suggested, they were fine dancing around each other, "So, Birkhoff's got a new algorithm going."
"Yeah. Shadownet. It tracks Division patterns based on all our information," Michael admitted. Upon learning the name of the program, Nikita burst out laughing. She was well aware of Birkhoff's obsession with naming his tech creations after himself. He was the famous Shadowwalker, after all- the best hacker in the whole world. The brilliant things he created had to be attached to his name. She couldn't wait until she saw him again. She was going to taunt the nerd so much for the stupid name. However, the thought of that sentiment made her pause. She and Birkhoff hadn't returned to that point yet. There was still so much hurt between them.
There was hurt between Nikita and Michael too. But they had had the time to make some improvements. The conversation in the hallway, his efforts to help her, and the two partnering on missions allowed them to return to where they had once been. Where exactly that was, however, remained a mystery. Their relationship had always been loose in definition; it was always more than whatever they could label it. That was why they could jump so easily back into things. He could ask her for the truth, and she would give it to him, "How'd you know how to find me?"
Nikita was lucky she was driving. She could stare at the road instead of at Michael as she figured out what to tell him. She couldn't just say she had a mole. She and Alex didn't have that much trust between them. Maybe they could if they continued talking. But for the moment, Alex was only a recruit who needed help. Nikita couldn't turn her back on her or let her down. Although she was only talking to Michael, she couldn't reveal Alex's secret. Nikita just had to give him a half-truth, "Remember when Birkhoff made us make those Shell programs when I was a recruit? I never took mine down. And I remembered the access code."
"But those are just chatboxes…" Letting his sentence drop, Michael attempted to rationalize what Nikita was telling him. Shell programs couldn't have supplied her any information- he knew that much about computers. Unless, of course, there was someone on the other end of the program giving her the intel. That was the only way the Shell could be operational. Nikita had someone on the inside. Michael's head whipped around to face her so fast. He couldn't believe it. She had a mole, "Wait. You have a mole? How? When?"
"Well, when you don't fake your death before leaving, you don't burn bridges. People still care about you," Nikita knew she shouldn't have said that. It was unfair of her to try to wound Michael like that. Faking his death was the only way he could secure his escape. And he had to escape. Staying in Division would've killed him in every possible way. However, she couldn't deny that there was still a sting of betrayal cinching around her heart. Despite how noble or understanding his intentions, he still left her. He didn't give her an explanation; he just left. Although she forgave him and stopped hating him once she knew why, the fact continued to hurt.
"Nikita, you know I had to," Shifting to face her better in his seat, Michael kept his sincere gaze locked on Nikita. They had already had that discussion. He didn't want to leave everyone in Division behind, but he had to. He had to escape the place that killed his family and used him. Percy, Amanda, Oversight, the whole organization had to pay for what they did. And they had to not destroy any more innocents and families. Being rogue was his only solution. He was doing good work on the outside. He was in control of his own destiny for once.
"I do," She squeezed the steering wheel tightly in order not to look at Michael. It was so tempting to look over, but she couldn't. Nikita knew looking at him would cause too many pent up thoughts and emotions to spill. She didn't need that dam to break. Not while she was trapped in the car with him. Not while a reporter was asleep in the backseat. She had to keep herself in check. Understanding her feelings with Michael wouldn't have been the best move for her. Too many things about herself and them had to be fixed first.
Finally turning his gaze away from Nikita, Michael nodded. There was understanding between them, at least. She knew why he left and pulled Birkhoff along with him. And he knew why she relapsed. That could be enough for the moment. The silence of the car, however, caused him to fidget awkwardly. The two had to keep talking. If not to discover something new or break better ground between them, then to at least keep their relationship moving forward. They had to keep smiling and laughing, "Someone who cares about you, huh? So not Kelly."
"The second that girl goes rogue, the second Hell freezes over," Nikita couldn't help but laugh. Michael easily chuckled along with her. The sound of it made her relax in her seat. As he laughed, she didn't feel the need to be so tense or check over her shoulder. She could be at peace. She could be reminded of what joy was like. That was another reason the two were mending bridges so quickly between each other. They had a hold over one another no one else had. However, they didn't want to explore it; they simply wanted to feel it.
"There was a point when I thought the same about you," Although he wanted to keep the light banter going- laughing and smiling with her again felt amazing- Michael had to say it. Nikita needed to know about his and Birkhoff's previous thoughts. When she had smashed the hacker's hand and tried to kill the rogue on that mission half a year ago, Michael thought she was long gone. Obviously, he had been wrong. Thank God he had been wrong. She was just as rogue as they were then. She had helped them and saved them. Whatever Division did to her didn't last. It couldn't last, not when she was so strong.
"Then you didn't know me that well," In a low mutter, Nikita bit. Well, she wanted to yell and snap at Michael. Instead, her tone was muted. There wasn't as much anger inside of her as she believed. That was possibly because her mind and body were finally readjusting after her relapse. She could think more clearly. Her emotions were in better control. And she could rationalize the information given to her. She couldn't stay mad at Michael and Birkhoff when she knew why they did what they did, and why they thought what they thought. The two were just being human. They were driven by their heart- like she was.
Michael shouldn't have opened his mouth. Nikita didn't need to know that. He had been wrong. Sparing a glance at her, however, he noticed that she was alright. Well, as alright as she had been recently. It was his honesty that didn't make her rip his head off. Him being honest meant he trusted her. She needed that. After being alone for so long, she needed friends and a partner. So, he was going to give her that, "We should probably rest and switch drivers about half-way. We don't want to be exhausted in case Division catches up to us. Also, I'm going to need to take over the radio. Your music taste hasn't improved over the last few years."
"Hah. Yeah right. You get to listen to this all night long, Mikey," Flashing him a wry grin, Nikita turned the radio up louder (well, loud enough to annoy Michael, but not loud enough to wake Jill). He chuckled. She tore her eyes away from the road for a second. His green eyes met her brown in a spark. She thought that would've made her jolt away. Instead, she smiled brightly.