While Michael stood stock still, Nikita was already on the move. She threw some snide remarks at Victor Han, and tracked where his video call was originating. By the time Division arrived on the scene (Percy was probably called after the mess the rogues made at the sweatshop) Nikita had everything she needed. She pulled Michael along with her as she escaped. There was no doubt that she was handling the news of a former Homeland Security agent working for the Triad better than him. He couldn't shake his shock and feeling of betrayal. It wasn't until the two were rushing down the street that he came to his senses, "Where are you going?"
"To get Han," Nikita stormed down the sidewalk, searching for another car they could steal. They had to abandon their vehicle at the scene, and Division would easily track their movements in a taxi or on the subway. As long as they didn't hold onto the car for long, stealing one was always better for rogue activities- especially in a city like New York. No one would think twice about a stolen car. But Nikita knew that wasn't what occupied Michael's mind. He was distracted by more important things- things she didn't want to think too hard about.
"Without a plan?" Stopping her in her tracks, Michael finally got his thoughts to work for him. The situation was rapidly getting out of control. Obviously, Victor Han still had Percy working with him if Division was tipped off to the rogues' presence. The two must've had a long standing deal. Han had his death faked to cover his dirty dealings. He probably took the job with Homeland to gather information for the Triad. When it caught up to him, he reached out to Percy. That was a kind of cover up and scheming the rogues couldn't handle on the fly. They had to be smart. They had to be safe if they were going to see things through.
"I have a plan. It's called 'follow your guts'," Quickly, Nikita broke away from Michael and hurried to a potential car they could steal. He sighed as he followed her across the street. He should've expected something like that from her. Men in power being corrupt and people getting screwed over as a result always pissed her off. The fact that she believed she had killed the man involved, and had carried that guilt around for years, didn't make it any better. She wanted heads, for herself and for all the others that had been hurt. Although Michael agreed with Nikita about revenge- he was pissed too- they wouldn't be able to do anything if they got killed.
It'd take a miracle to stop Nikita, though. Her murderous gaze was set. Michael should've learned by then not to mess with her when she was on a warpath. But he wasn't going to hinder her; he was going to help her. The first thing he had to do was get her to think. However, that was a mission all on its own. For starters, her focus was entirely on stealing a car. He helped where she would let him. She kept shoving off his attempts to assist her. So, to get her to listen, he forcefully turned her to face him, "Nikita. You can't go after the head of the Triad."
"Yes I can. We have to do this, Michael. We're the only ones who can. We get justice for the wife and daughter he just abandoned here. We take a shitty man out of his position of power. And we fuck with Percy. We take out Han now. It's what his family deserves," Once again, Nikita ripped away from Michael. She jumped into the car and began to hotwire it. Once they returned to the safehouse, they'd have to find a way to ditch the car. Maybe she could take it to the airport with her and ditch it there. That'd certainly kill two birds with one stone.
"I'm not arguing with you. I agree, we have to do this, and we're the only ones who can pull it off. But we have to have a plan first. We can't just waltz into China and start shooting. They know we're coming. The instant we land, the Triad will know we're there. And they'll kill us without a second thought," Michael hopped into the car before she could drive away. He'd have to remember to text Birkhoff so he could help wipe them and the stolen vehicle from street cameras. Yet stealing a car still wasn't his concern at the moment. Being rash wasn't going to work in their favor. Going after so much power required a lot of planning.
Nikita sighed as she peeled off. She knew Michael was right. Rushing to the airport immediately wouldn't get her anywhere. Even if she schemed on the long plane ride like she planned on doing, it wouldn't get her far. She had to start thinking then. She had to start thinking several steps ahead of her enemy. Fortunately, a criminal group like the Triad was easy to predict. She knew the sweatshop guard would run to his leader, after all, "You're right. They'll know we're there. But they won't kill us immediately."
"I know that look. What are you thinking?" If Michael was being honest with himself, he was excited for the mission to continue. Yes, the situation was beyond awful. Someone in their government played the system, abandoned a family, and got away with it- again. But he and Nikita were working together to knock people out of their corrupt positions of power. The two were actually working as partners, not two separate people who were forced together because the circumstances called for it. They were planning and listening like they were a team. He hoped there were more moments like that in the future.
"Han will want to handle this himself. So, he'll have his men take us from the airport, and probably bring us down to the docks. There, he can kill us in private, or sell us to a sweatshop. Really anything to keep us quiet. Men in power will do anything they can to stay in power… they'll take what they want…" Nikita had started out rational (and angry) but the more she spoke, the more new ideas came to her. Alright, she had to admit that having Michael with her was a huge help. Although they had to move slower than she liked, he got her to think. That was a good thing. She was fairly certain she had a brilliant idea.
"Nikita?" As she grew silent, Michael grew concerned. He knew nothing was wrong. He was just all too aware of what Nikita was thinking. She definitely had a plan in mind. Whatever it was, it was going to be a great one. However, it was also going to be risky. If everything didn't go perfectly, then it was going to all fall apart. She was smart enough to ensure it went perfectly, though. No risk, no reward- that was what she always said to him whenever he called her out for being reckless in Division. Without having anyone to keep her in check, her insane plans had grown exponentially. He'd just have to go along for the ride.
"What are the chances Han will finally want his way with the young, attractive nanny?" Stopping at a red light, Nikita flashed Michael a sly grin. He quickly abandoned his text to Birkhoff to gape at her. She nearly laughed. She forgot how easy he was to mess with. Despite being a very serious man, he was always the best to joke with. He either had the best reactions, or fired back with his own teases. At that moment, though, she was just looking to get a rise out of him. Of course her plan didn't exactly involve what she had insinuated. That was only a part.
Michael, however, couldn't read Nikita's mind. Her question had completely thrown him off guard. He didn't know how long he gaped at her until she started driving again. Finishing his text to Birkhoff, he tried to shake himself out of his shock. Surely, she wasn't seriously thinking about what she said. There was no way she'd suggest seducing their target. She always hated those missions. Nothing could've changed her mind all of a sudden. The thought that something might've had him choking on air, "You're going to seduce your way out of this?"
"No. But I remembered that Han is allergic to peanuts. If I put peanut oil on my lips then get him to kiss me, he'll go into anaphylactic shock. We can take out the guards in the distraction, and then deal with him," Since their target was a supposed dead man, the two couldn't get new information on him. Luckily, Nikita had spent many weeks with Han in the past. The intel she had gathered then could help her and Michael with their mission. After all, sometimes the simplest of things could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
"Good in theory. But, that might work better if you're alone. The two of us bring more complications and more unpredictability," Nodding (and a little relieved that he was wrong), Michael tried to think of the downsides of her plan. What Nikita had was brilliant. He was sure it would work. He just wanted to ensure it was airtight before they put it into action. As rogues, they didn't have the same resources their adversaries had- they just had stolen equipment, a couple safehouses, a computer nerd, and an anonymous mole. None of those would do them any good if they made a mistake against the Triad. They had to be more than perfect.
"Birkhoff has a private jet, right? You fly in privately, then follow wherever Han takes me," Nikita was fairly certain she had heard Birkhoff mention that he had his own jet. When they had staked out the hotel before the Safwani mission, he told her about the things he had purchased on Division's dime that they didn't even know about; mostly so she knew how they got the safehouse, and to brag about how good he was. A plane was among those items. If that was true- which it more than likely was- then Michael could use that to get into China while she flew commercial. She'd be the bait, and he'd reel them in.
"And provide support with a rifle," Finishing her thought, Michael was completely for that amendment. Birkhoff could give Nikita a com when they geared up and finalized their plan at the safehouse. Michael would be able to follow her and the Triad easily. The two agents could also communicate in case anything went wrong. Both doubted it would. They were on the exact same page for that mission. When their capabilities were combined like that, they were unstoppable. It was almost like old times. They were partners in crime once again.
Alex had already been having a rough day. That morning, the recruits had a training exercise where they had to diffuse a bomb underneath a car. The stress of that mixed with a person stalking around her hiding place nearly drove her to a panic attack. She managed to fight it off in order to finish the training. But immediately afterwards, she ran away. Once Amanda talked to her, there would be no denying that she was still fucked up from what happened to her family. She couldn't keep her emotions in check. And getting her ass handed to her during the sparring session later that afternoon wasn't helping. She was ready to explode.
She almost took her anger out on Thom. He was only trying to help her. But Alex was so stressed and overwhelmed with everything that was happening. Running only on the thought of revenge was catching up to her. She didn't give herself time to think or breathe about anything else. If that kept driving her towards more panic attacks, she was screwed. She had to get a handle on herself. She couldn't allow her past to continue fucking with her head. She was in control then; no one else. When she was going to put that thought into action, however, Thom got distracted by the commotion around them, "You know what's going on?"
"Something with Nikita, Michael, and Birkhoff I'm sure," From the sparring mat, Alex watched Kelly and two agents rush out of Ops. The head agent seemed rattled. Whatever was occurring appeared to have shaken her to her core. A part of Alex wanted to sneak off to the computer lab and ask Nikita about it over the shell program. But she managed to shut that part up pretty quickly. The rogues didn't need her involvement. They were obviously handling it just fine. If anything, Division needed her more in that situation. She should simply play her part as a loyal recruit. She was bound to be more rewarded for it.
"The second I'm out in the field, they won't even be a problem. Division needs someone who's not afraid to give the rogues what they deserve," Jaden's comment was ignored by Alex. The other recruit was probably making good points about how some Division agents were clouded by their emotions for Nikita, Michael, and Birkhoff, yet the young woman didn't care. She seriously had to only focus on herself. If she got herself in check, if she got herself in order, then things would go her way. Playing rogue was just a death sentence.
Though, helping Nikita and working against Division was the only time Alex felt calm. She was sure of herself in those moments. She was in control. The stress of being discovered as a liar tore her up inside. But it was outweighed by the sense that she had done something right. She wasn't stupid. She knew how terrible of a place Division was. They weren't the heroes of the story, but the villains. Even if Percy and Amanda helped her get revenge, it wouldn't erase the evils they had done. The rogues were in the right. However, Alex quickly shook that thought away. She couldn't be distracted, "They're not our priority. We need to train."
"What's changed your mind?" Thom shot her an odd look. His confusion was warranted. Alex was usually the one to push off training to talk about the rogues or break some kind of rule instead. She had never been a model recruit, despite her skills. Jaden and Kelly would be the first to tell her that. She was stubborn; she fought back. Maybe because that part of her that knew what was happening was wrong kept fighting for dominance inside her. If that was true, she had to silence it. She had to focus on her goal. Amanda made a promise to her, after all. It would only come true once Alex calmed down.
Her revenge was so important to her, of course she had to calm down. Sometimes, getting vengeance was the only reason she still breathed. Alex needed to focus, play along, and train both her body and mind so she could kill Semak. He had taken everything for her; she had to do the same to him. Since he had used Division to get what he wanted, then so would she. It was all a matter of control. If she controlled herself and her emotions, she'd control her surroundings. Then, she'd control the outcome of her mission. That was what mattered. Not rogues, not other recruits, not Division's actions, but Alex and her revenge, "I know what's important."