The news spread across Division like a wildfire. As soon as Kelly and the Alpha team returned from China, everyone knew what happened, including the recruits. Michael and Nikita slipped past Division's grasps again. They escaped awaiting agents, took down a Triad leader, and exposed the fact that a Homeland Security agent worked for a mob and faked his death- an act Division helped with. That part didn't make the news, but it spread throughout the black ops organization. It became no secret that Percy had made a deal with the Triad. The missions the agents were sent on weren't all sanctioned by the government.
Some agents struggled with that fact. They knew Division wasn't perfect, but weren't they not supposed to be criminals anymore. Others were completely alright with that fact, however. What did it matter to them what Percy did; as long as they lived, who cared. Kelly struggled between those two thoughts. On one hand, she didn't care. On the other, she hated having her world rocked with new information. What she believed continued to slip away from her. It was as though she kept spiraling. Maybe that was why Nikita kicked her ass so much in the field. At least, that was what Kelly told herself. She had to get her head straight.
Alex clearly saw Kelly's conflict, even from across the training room. Though, that was mostly because she felt the same. Division could do whatever. If she could kill Semak, then so what. However, she couldn't ignore that Percy made a deal with the Triad. He was involved with a criminal organization that was similar to the one that forced her into sex slavery. She couldn't move past that. What Percy had done was unforgivable. She still needed Amanda and Division to get what she wanted, but the bastard should go. Fortunately, as she watched him leave the safety of the bunker, Alex had someone to reach out to for help, "Percy's going to Montreal."
Nikita jolted away from cleaning her equipment at the chime of her computer. She hadn't expected a message from Alex. After Han and China, she thought Division would slow down and recoup. No doubt, Percy had to do damage control. A new mission so soon that Alex deemed important enough to involve her was surprising. Yet the rogue didn't question it. Immediately, she checked the young recruit's message- good thing that she did. Percy finally left his hideout. Nikita had to chase after- just as soon as she expressed her gratitude, "Thanks."
After a moment of thought, Nikita also sent Alex her burner cell number. It was for emergencies only, just in case something happened. If Percy was going out into the field, then the rogues' game was ramping up. She didn't want any blowback to land on Alex. She had been through so much already, and she continued to involve herself in the thick of it. If Nikita could lessen things for her, she would. Yet, as soon as she received an answering 'thanks', she dove into her mission. There had to be a reason Percy was risking leaving the safety of Division. Hopefully, the news would give her some clue, "Alright Percy, what's in Montreal?"
Telling Michael and Birkhoff what was occurring probably would've helped her. But Nikita didn't want them ruining her plans to kill the bastard. She had a great thing going with the other rogues. They worked amazingly together to take down Han; all their planning was perfect. She didn't want to ruin things by going against what Michael wanted for her. Nikita had to forge her own path. For her, that meant destroying those in charge of Division. She might have her chance if she could locate Percy in Montreal. Scouring the news, she was fairly certain she found something. The way a man turned on bank robbers and the police screamed Division, "Gotcha."
"Mikey, text from Nikita. She thinks she has a line on a black box," Birkhoff called for Michael the second he received Nikita's text. He had attempted to have a relaxing morning with his energy drink and updating Shadownet. But, of course, Nikita had other ideas. Although she kept running to her own safehouse and distancing herself from the others, she continued to ruin their peace. She should just live with them if she was going to be a part of their team. Though, honestly, Birkhoff was alright with Nikita staying away. He knew she was okay with that too.
"What? Where?" Michael, however, wanted them all together. It was his idealized team. They could work as one, be great, be friends again. The missions they had worked together had been nearly perfect. The three were making great strides against Division- much more than when it was only Michael as a lone rogue. They could be an indomitable team. There were just things they had to work out first. If Nikita finally joined the other two, then they could start working on that. It could be quick work. She was already involving them in her schemes, after all.
"Percy's going to Montreal. Nikita believes it's connected to a bank robbery and a man freaking out. He attacked both the robbers and the police," As he received more texts over the burner cell, Birkhoff shared. He didn't understand how Nikita knew all that. It wasn't as though she bugged Percy. It also seemed like a leap to connect a black box to a bank robbery. But, if Percy was leaving the safety of Division, then it could be over something as important as a black box. And, a man going crazy at a simple bank robbery could be a paranoid agent.
"I'm going to meet her at the airport. Look into the robbery for us," Grabbing the burner from the hacker, Michael texted Nikita where to meet him. He was taking her keeping them in the loop as a good sign. She could've easily slipped away to Montreal and killed Percy; it was what she wanted most. Instead, she told the others about her hunch. She actually intended to follow what Michael had said. Destroy the black boxes first, then they'd destroy Division. It was the only way to keep saving innocents. Thankfully, she was starting to understand that.
"Already on it," Typing away on his keyboard, Birkhoff nodded. He didn't need to be instructed to dive into the bank robbery. As soon as Nikita mentioned her suspicions about it, he pulled up the news report. He didn't necessarily do it because he trusted her instincts again; it was mostly to prove her wrong. The more he read, though, the more he doubted he would. The crazy man on the news coverage definitely moved like a Division agent. Something was going on in Montreal. How did Nikita get tipped off to that when Shadownet, which scoured the news, didn't, "Hey. Is she getting this intel from her mole? How does that work?"
Michael paused. He had been gathering his mission gear, and ensuring Birkhoff's private jet would be ready for him and Nikita. However, the hacker's question made him stop to think. He knew he had to tell him about the mole inside Division. That wasn't information to keep secret. Yet Nikita hardly shared anything about it, and she seemed hesitant to even tell Michael. It was a sensitive subject. But he was just telling Birkhoff. If they couldn't trust him, they couldn't trust anybody, "I don't know. Nikita hasn't said much about it. Only that she left a shell program open and that's how they communicate."
"A shell program? From when she was a recruit? How did I not notice that?" Birkhoff had way more questions than that one. He wanted to know who the mole was. How Nikita had maintained solid relationships in that hellhole. And just how much information was being shared between the two. However, Michael wasn't the person to ask. Birkhoff would simply have to interrogate Nikita the next time he saw her. He had more things to ask her than just about her mole. So that might work out for him.
"Maybe that's why she didn't tell you. She didn't want to break your fragile ego," Michael quipped, a crooked smile lighting his features. The jab brought Birkhoff out of his confused musings. He glared at the agent and tossed a desk toy at him for good measure. Michael just laughed. Birkhoff had to hold back a smile. It was a good joke; he just didn't like the idea of Nikita one upping him. Fortunately, he didn't have to dwell on it long. Soon, everything was ready for their next mission. That could steal all their attention once again.
As Michael hurried to meet her at the airfield, Nikita sighed. She didn't know what she was doing there. She should've just raced after Percy on her own. Except, when she began to suspect the black box's involvement, she knew she had to inform the others. Killing Percy was their mission too; they simply had more steps. She would've ignored them, but after their great work in China- when hers and Michael's plan to take out Han went exactly as they said- she knew she needed the two. Just as they needed her, "Hey. Thanks for believing my hunch."
"Hey. Of course," Michael greeted instantly. After all, the more he read about the bank robbery and the man's strange reaction, the more he suspected Nikita to be right. A person moving and acting like a Division agent in Montreal right before Percy flew there couldn't be a coincidence. The bastard never went out into the field. He'd leave the safety of Division to go to congressional meetings or other governmental bullshit, or even to make a deal with a powerful 'client'. But he'd never meet an agent in the field. Unless, of course, it was a threat to his power.
On the jet to Montreal, Michael and Nikita further discussed their ideas of what was occurring. They were on the same page in regards to Percy and a potential black box. How it all connected to a robbery, however, that was where they differed. Instead of arguing, the two decided to stake out the robbed bank and see what kind of intel Birkhoff could dig up for them. They didn't have to wait too long for the latter. As soon as they reached the bank, Michael's phone buzzed, "Birkhoff got the owner of the safety deposit box that went berserk. His name is Owen Elliot. He's a landscaper, who lives near the bank. You think that's a Division cover?"
"I know that is. Owen Elliot's definitely Division," Ripping the phone from Michael's hand, Nikita seethed. She had no direction of where she was going. She simply stormed off towards Owen's address. She never thought she'd hear that name again. She thought she had seen the last of him years ago. Of course that little rat had to resurface. And of course it was doing something stupid. Percy was right to have the need to go after him. Left to his own devices, Owen's stupidity could lead to the downfall of them all.
"Do you know him?" Hurrying to catch up to her, Michael wondered. The instant he said Owen Elliot's name, Nikita became livid. Her rage was clear, and not just in the way she clutched his phone. She must've had a past with the other Division agent. Michael didn't know much about what happened inside the hellhole after he went rogue. Birkhoff told him some things, but he only stayed a year after him. Nikita had nearly five more years on him. A lot had happened to her and those around her. Owen Elliot must've been one of them.
"He wouldn't go back to his apartment. But I bet we can find a phone bill that'll let us trace his number," Nikita ignored Michael. She didn't want to explain herself to him- not then, not while she was so angry. She'd rather just track down Owen and force him to give them the black box. Michael attempted to be the voice of reason there. They couldn't rush to Owen right away. Both the cops and Percy were looking for him. Nikita didn't care, however. Her mind was set on her mission, "Good thing we have Birkhoff."
While Nikita rushed to Owen's apartment building and slipped past the police guard, Michael was left to follow her lead. He searched for a bill in the Division agent's mailbox that he could give to Birkhoff for intel. It was a long shot, yet they didn't have anything else to go off of. Nikita didn't gain anything from talking to Owen's neighbor- other than a sense of normalcy she knew he was bound to destroy. He was great at destroying normal happiness. Before she could spiral into that thought, however, Birkhoff responded to Michael's text. It was time to rush off again, "Got him. Owen's in an abandoned school on the outskirts of the city."
"Probably the best place to hide and recover from an injury," Once outside the apartment building, Michael decided it was better to roll with Nikita's rashness than fight against it. They didn't have time to think or accurately plan. Soon enough, Percy would know they were in Montreal and after the black box. All hell would rain down on them once that occurred. The two rogues had to be quick as well as efficient. That was where Nikita's skills could come into play. Michael would improvise along with her. He just had to trust she was as deadly fast as ever.
"Great. He's injured. We can use that to our advantage," Nikita nodded in determination. If Owen had been injured during his fight with the robbers and police, then that'd explain his need to hide in an abandoned school. Stealing medical supplies from a hospital or drug store would be noticed. But taking things from a forgotten science classroom, not so much. No one would look for Owen there. That boded well for the rogues. They could take out their target and easily grab the black box Then, they could escape the city before Percy even became aware.
If Nikita was being honest, having Michael with her helped settle her lividity. She thought more clearly with him by her side. She could also focus on her main goal. Yes, she wanted to hurt Owen for what he had done. But she also wanted the black box so she could kill Percy. She had to take it one step at a time- something Michael was great at doing. She had to follow his example. The two worked together to break into the school and locate Owen. Soon, they had him in their sights and Michael commanded, "Relax, man. We just want the black box."
"Give him the box, and I'll make it quick and painless," Cocking her weapon, Nikita dared Owen. She didn't spare a glance at Michael. She knew he didn't like her choice of words. Except, she didn't care. She wasn't going to listen to the better rogue. She kept telling him she wasn't a hero like him. Then was just when she proved it. After all, Owen only had his eyes on her. Horror struck him the instant he saw her. He knew what was coming, and it wouldn't go well in his favor. He just had to hope he could slow Nikita down.
So far, that didn't work for Owen. He might've been able to disarm her and Michael, but Nikita struck him instantly. She tossed her partner the abandoned black box and attacked her target with all her might. Michael attempted to help, yet he was shoved away by them both. He should've used that to his advantage and ran off with the black box. But he couldn't leave Nikita. Especially since Owen seemed to have the skills, stamina, and strength they didn't. She needed a partner to help fight him. Except, even with his intervention, their target managed to take back the box. And, surprise backup crashed in to help the Division agent, "Nikita! Division!"
Cursing, Nikita regretfully followed Michael's order to run. They lost that time, she had to admit it. The two couldn't take an agent that seemed to be on steroids plus an alpha team led by Roan. They had to regroup and rethink. At least they had been right about Owen having a black box. Maybe they could use other information they had gathered to make another attack. After escaping to safety, Nikita believed she had that intel. Owen had overreacted when he saw the butterfly sculpture she had taken from his neighbor slip from her pocket. She could definitely use that to get to him, "Come on. I know how we can still get the box."