"Congratulations on becoming an agent, Alex. Too bad Thom had to die to make this happen," Jaden pulled Alex into a hug when Kelly brought her to the elevator. The newly promoted agent didn't know how to react. The hug alone was a surprise. But the biting words Jaden seethed past her plastered on smile dug deep in her skin. Alex wanted to retaliate. She wanted to explode on the recruit, make her feel her wrath. Yet shame and guilt held her back. Jaden wasn't exactly wrong. Alex was an agent because she had killed the supposed mole, Thom. She deserved the hate. Graduating to agent wasn't as victorious as it should've been.
"Ignore her. Rising to the bait won't get you anywhere," Before Alex could act, Kelly led her to the elevator. The path to the outside- to being an agent- was more important than a petty fight with Jaden; though, it wouldn't have been that petty. Jaden would have deserved any punch coming her way. Yet Kelly was right. Alex should refrain herself. Not only would it separate herself further from the incident, but she could hold her position and power as an agent. She was better than the recruits. Her actions had proved as much. Her attitude had to prove that as well.
Alex was officially out of Division that day. Well, out of the bunker. She continued to be roped into the black ops organization, but at least she could breathe fresh air in her own apartment. She could be free- in some semblance of the word. In the days after her meeting with Amanda, Alex had been prepared on what to expect once she became an agent. She'd have her own place to stay in the city to rest and reset between missions. She could do whatever she wanted when she wasn't needed for an operation. It seemed like bliss. If it wasn't tied to Division, then maybe it really would have been.
She shouldn't focus on the negatives, though. Those could weigh her down and drown her out. Alex had a mission to adhere to. Her own apartment could definitely help with that. There wouldn't be any distractions; she could be alone to think. Alex wouldn't have to constantly be on edge, ready to perform as the perfect recruit, or ready to defend herself against Jaden's attacks. She could simply focus on herself and breathe. It'd be like her time reflecting in the air vents, but so much better. There'd be a wide space. There wouldn't be the fear of getting caught. And there'd be moments of peace.
Above all else, Alex hoped she would have peace in her own space. She didn't care what her apartment looked like, or how much time she'd actually be able to hide there between missions. She simply wanted a room of her own to think and plan. As Kelly drove Alex out to the city, however, the young agent stopped thinking about how little she'd care about what kind of apartment she'd have. Her handler didn't drive around the dumpier, cheaper, parts of the city she thought Division would put her up in. Kelly brought Alex to some high-end apartment buildings. She couldn't help but gasp in awe.
Once Kelly parked the car and stomped towards a beautiful high-rise, Alex gasped louder. She scrambled after her handler, hardly able to catch the keys tossed her way. The keyring not only held the keys to her new apartment, but also the keys to the car Kelly had driven. It was all Alex's. She didn't just get her own space. She also got a vehicle and the nicest, coziest place she had lived in in years. Sure, the apartment didn't have food, clothes that weren't gifted by Division, or belongings besides basic furniture. Yet Alex could fix all that. She completely intended to. After all, it was hers, even if she hardly believed it, "All of this is mine?"
"Don't take it for granted," Was Kelly's sole advice before she left. She gave Alex a debit card that would be loaded with tens of thousands of dollars each month by Division; it should've been enough to make her live comfortably between missions. Although it was the most money the young agent had seen in years, there was no way she was going to waste it all. She refused to go without money ever again. She'd only buy what she needed to be able to plan her kill mission in peace. Or, in the very least, shop to relax like she had done with her mother as a child.
"Hey," She had just exited her new apartment with her new keys in hand, intending to go shopping in her new car and with her new money, when a low rumble of a voice captured her attention. Alex's new neighbor called to her. At least, she figured he was her neighbor. He was unlocking the door to the apartment adjacent to hers. The tall, muscular man smiled warmly and brightly at Alex. After the brutishness of the recruits in Division, her neighbor seemed so kind and welcoming. She couldn't help but beam in return. The man chuckled and finally entered his apartment. Alex was left in a smiling haze as she exited the building.
The fresh (sort of) city air outside helped snap the young woman back to her thoughts. She shouldn't be distracted by others again. Her previous distraction led to Thom's death. She couldn't allow that to happen to someone else, especially to an innocent like her neighbor. Alex had to stay focused on her objective. Since she was an agent, she should've been able to achieve it in no time. All she had to do was stay on task, hone her skills on the missions Percy wanted her for, plan, and know when to rely on others for help.
That last point was the reason she had gone outside. Alex had to contact Nikita. She still knew the number to the rogue's burner cell. She should let her know that she was okay and ready to raise more hell- if Nikita was alive as well. The new agent really hoped so. She silently begged that someone would answer the call she made on the payphone. She needed another ally against Gogol and Semak. Also, the more she practiced her duplicity, the more like a capable agent she felt. Alex simply needed Nikita to answer her phone. Thank God she did before the last ring, "Hey, Nikita. It's Alex. I'm outside. We should meet."
"Thank God. Alright, let's get together now. I'll bring some new ways to communicate with me. And a friend," Nikita echoed the sentiment Alex had muttered to herself- thank God they were both alive. Division hadn't been able to kill either of them. Yet their celebration over that fact couldn't last long. There were many things the women had to do before they could reconnect and be glad to hear from one another. A secure line of communication was one of those things. Payphones could only get them so far. Since they were both free of Division (mostly) they deserved something better and more concrete.
After Alex informed Nikita to meet her at a furniture store nearby (Division wouldn't question the charge on her new card), they ended the call. The rogue immediately told her team the update. She had been trying to do better with that since her recent escape from Division. Michael and Birkhoff had to know everything she did. When they were all in the same safehouse again, she had caught the men up on what they had missed. The three rogues wouldn't be able to effectively burn the hellhole or kill Percy and Amanda if they were kept in the dark. Any new piece of information Nikita learned had to be passed on.
Nikita also shouldn't be doing anything alone anymore. She had a team, she should act like it. The same went for Michael and Birkhoff. So when Alex called wanting to meet, Nikita thought she should at least bring Michael with her. Birkhoff could remain in the safehouse, helping the mole have secure communications with them. The two agents should be the ones to meet their mole. They had to talk, go over the changes they had faced, and discuss the new steps moving forward. More importantly, though, Alex had to know more rogues than just Nikita.
Arriving at the store Alex had instructed them to meet at, however, Nikita ran ahead of Michael. She should've had a more calm reaction to seeing the young agent, especially since her wounds were only partially healed. She also should've approached with her partner. Except, she just had to envelope her mole in a tight embrace. Alex returned the hug instantly. The two wouldn't have thought they were close enough to hug. They probably wouldn't have called one another their friend. Yet that was before they had faced death together. Afterwards, they knew they had to have one another in their life.
Michael caught up to the two women by the time they separated from their embrace. Alex's eyes swept over her friend before shifting to the strange man approaching her. Immediately, she went on high alert. Nikita sensed her tension and need to fight just as quickly. She jolted to see what it was about. Upon seeing it was only Michael, Nikita was confused. Until she realized Alex probably had no idea what the other rogue looked like. She had to calm her friend down before things got worse, "It's okay. It's okay. Alex, this is Michael."
"You're really brave," Holding out his hand, Michael didn't know what else to say. He wasn't sure if he should apologize for what Division did to her family, express his sorrow for all the pain she had gone through, promise to help her on her mission, or say a lame 'thank you' for all she had sacrificed to be a mole. None of it sounded right. He hoped sharing his thoughts about her would be good enough. The more he learned about Alex, the braver he thought she was. Surviving all she had, she was absolutely incredible. And she just kept going onward.
"Either you are too, or really stupid," Relaxing, Alex returned the handshake with a smirk. She didn't know how to take the compliment, so she joked. She might not have been shown a picture of Michael (his, Nikita's, and Birkhoff's photo were only shown to agents actively in the field), yet she knew stories about him. She knew he was the first to ever go rogue from Division. He was beyond determined to burn the hellhole, even if all the odds were stacked against him. That was a kind of drive Alex hoped to have.
"The second one," Nikita soon shrugged, breaking any lingering tension between the three. In all seriousness, she wouldn't admit that Michael was stupid and not brave. He had his stupid moments, yet he was still brave. Alex was incredibly brave as well. But they could spend all day complimenting one another. They should stick to what they had intended- meeting, planning, and sharing communication. They didn't have all the time in the world to chat aimlessly in the furniture store. Something was always bound to happen to them.
On the other hand, Michael believed that they should be able to just relax for a moment. Alex had become an agent. She and Nikita had both survived the fresh hell they had just gone through. And all of the rogues were working with the mole. Although a new mission against Division was potentially soon, the three should take a moment to simply be together. It would help build their connection and trust. It could also help them relax as they thought of more pleasant things, like being somewhat free, "What's it like back on the outside?"
"Awesome. I feel like I can breathe again. Though, it'd be better if I wasn't still so sore from surgery," Alex admitted to Michael brightly. She was beginning to love the freedom being an agent brought. It wasn't exactly real. It wouldn't truly be real until she killed Semak and left Division to rot. But Alex did enjoy breathing freely; though, taking a deep breath of air made her tender muscles pull. She was told that the surgery would cause her slight pain for a few days. Yet she hadn't imagined it to be that annoying. Hopefully, the days passed by quickly.
"Surgery?" Michael and Nikita glanced at one another in alarm. They didn't remember surgery after they had become agents. Yes, Michael became an agent differently than everybody else. However, as a handler, he didn't remember recruits going through surgery before graduating. Nikita didn't remember that either. The closest thing to surgery was having a tracker embedded in their hips, but it didn't leave them sore- it was hardly intrusive. Something else must've happened. The rogues prayed it wasn't anything life threatening.
"Yeah. When they put the tracker in me," Turning her back to the rogues, Alex moved her long, wavy hair off her neck. At the base of her spine was a thick bandage. She had been unconscious when they implanted her tracker in her neck, so she wasn't sure exactly what was done. She just knew she was still bleeding, she was sore, and Amanda had been pissed once the tracker went active. The former two things made sense. However, Alex couldn't figure out why Amanda would be so mad about her being tracked. Didn't she want to keep tabs on her. Maybe the rogues could figure that out, "You know, it's weird. Amanda really didn't like that I got one."
"Probably 'cause they put it at the base of your spine instead of your hip," Nikita's voice was hollow. The tone seemed to match how quickly her bronze skin paled. Her reaction had to be because of more than just the weird placement of the tracker. Michael knew that. And Alex was starting to suspect that as well. However, once she grew worried, Nikita shook herself out of her shock. She attempted to be calm for the young agent. She even went so far as to etch a fake smile across her lips, "It could just be the new protocol after our escape. Don't worry about it. Just focus on your freedom and on enjoying yourself."
Although Alex very much wanted to worry about it, Nikita distracted her with the order to go have fun and enjoy her 'freedom'. The young agent didn't want that; she wanted to plan her kill mission. Again, Nikita distracted her with the order to clear her head and relax before she schemed. Michael stopped Alex from arguing against that as well by passing over a burner cell. Birkhoff had ensured whatever calls were made from the device were completely untraceable and encrypted. If the mole ever needed the rogues, or she had intel for them, she should use the burner. Alex's attention remained on that as she finally left the store.
Meanwhile, Nikita's thoughts were running everywhere. She kept thinking about a Division mission she had performed years ago. She had placed a chip in a North Korean official's head, allowing Percy to kill him remotely. The kill was instant. Afterwards, Percy snidely remarked about merging the chip with agents' trackers; that would certainly keep them in line. Nikita didn't think that was possible. But looking at Alex's tracker in her head, she realized she was dead wrong. Michael had realized that too, "You're worried, though."
Of course Michael could read Nikita's thoughts. Since that moment between them in his motel room, the two had been able to decipher each other's thoughts and body language far more accurately than they used to. Neither tried to acknowledge it. They didn't want to discuss what had happened, or the lingering effects, unless there was something they could do about it. At that moment, there wasn't. They had both agreed to not go anywhere with their relationship. There were far more pressing matters to worry about. Muttering harshly, Nikita expressed just one of them, "The fucking bastard, Percy, put a killchip in her head."