"You guys copy? There's a change in plans," Racing back down the stairs, Nikita bit into her com. She wasn't being harsh. She just wasn't sure how much time she and Prince Erik had before they ran into Division again. Returning for Leela was a huge risk. The Crown Prince had been free. He could've easily climbed down the fire escape and been safe. Yet Leela was far more important to him. So back to danger the Prince and the rogue went, thus putting the assistant into possible further harm. Nikita needed her team to help them out. She could do it on her own, but it'd be a struggle. With two vital lives on the line, she couldn't afford a struggle.
If he wasn't busy hurrying to reach Nikita at the museum in time, Michael would have responded. As great as the safehouse in the woods was, one downside was how far from the city it was. Nikita was right to keep her loft as a staging ground. Birkhoff and Michael both wished they had moved there for the operation. But, in their defense, they didn't think the mission would've blown up in their faces like it had. The rogues continuously had to scramble for a new plan. Birkhoff was doing his best to keep up with all the hacking. Yet it was difficult without all the information, "I'm going to try and get you in contact with Alex. Where are you now?"
"The basement. But not for long," Nikita eventually shared. She figured she and Erik could hide there for a while. The basement of the museum was a maze of storage. It'd take Division some time to navigate it once they knew that was where the rogues were. And with the amount of things stuffed underground, the noise of it shuffling would alert Nikita to any visitors. She could take some time to formulate a new scheme. She could also give Erik a moment to breathe and collect his thoughts. Then certainly wasn't the time for him to start panicking.
"Yes, for long. That wound needs to be addressed. Sit," Fortunately, Prince Erik wasn't one to panic. Unfortunately, he was one unafraid to boss Nikita around. He made her sit on a crate, then he grabbed a first aid kit he had seen hanging on the wall. The gash she had suffered on her calf had only gotten worse with time. It could get infected, or worse, if no one paid attention to it. Since Nikita had saved his life and was about to save Leela's as well, dressing her wound was the least Erik could do. He was well trained in field dressings, after all, "Don't worry. I was a medic in the service."
"Wow. A prince and a doctor. You truly are Prince Charming," Nikita couldn't stop herself from chuckling. She had never met a man like Crown Prince Erik of Georgia. He was a prince and a doctor; however, he didn't want the power associated with either of those positions. He just wanted to live peacefully with his love and help others. Although he was married to another woman, he went through with the relationship for his family and his country; that could still be admirable. He was an absolutely fantastic man. He didn't deserve to be killed by Division. Hardly anyone did, but someone like Erik shouldn't suffer because of others.
"A Prince Charming who left his love in danger," Muttering mostly to himself, Erik finished dressing Nikita's wound. He didn't mean for her to hear his self-loathing, yet since she had, she wanted to comfort him. It wasn't as though he had intentionally left Leela in a hostage situation. He had argued with his rescuer to turn back and save her. Despite what he thought of himself, or the mistakes he had made, Erik was still very much a charming prince. Not many women could say they had a man actively fighting for their love and wellbeing. Nikita definitely didn't have a knight in shining armor waiting on a white horse to whisk her away.
"I got Alex for you; though, not as long as last time," Before Nikita could say anything to Erik, however, Birkhoff chimed back in over the com. Getting the rogue and her mole in touch had become far more difficult since Division hackers were actively searching for Birkhoff. He could still out maneuver them, yet he didn't want to be too cocky- as difficult as it was for him. The black ops unit was just as frustrated with the situation as the rogues were. They were far more determined to catch their prey, which meant Birkhoff actually had to be careful.
"I need you to get Leela alone from the other hostages. We're going back for her," Quick and to the point, Nikita informed Alex of the new plan. She left it up to the young agent to come up with how exactly that'd work. She knew what was happening on that side of the mission far more than the rogues did. Besides, Alex had proven herself creative and resourceful. Nikita could trust her. She could also trust the young woman to go above and beyond what was asked of her. She was becoming smarter and more capable everyday. Soon (hopefully soon) she wouldn't need Division to get what she wanted.
Glancing between Leela, Kristina, and Stephen, Alex did her best to think of something. She definitely couldn't get Leela alone without tipping her hand. She would be discovered as a mole in less than a second. She had to do things in a roundabout way. And without being able to share much information with Nikita. After some time, Alex managed to formulate the best idea she was going to have. She could turn Division's tactics against them. What they thought were their strengths could be used against them. The young agent had to contain her proud grin as she purposefully crossed to Stephen and shared, "I think I know a way to draw out the Prince."
Stephen readily accepted Alex's idea. They'd bring Leela to a secure location and threaten her to draw out Prince Erik. There were phones that connected rooms in the museum together. If they opened up a line of communication, they could bait either Erik or Nikita into picking up a phone and revealing their location. The idea was so great, that as Stephen and Alex instigated it, Kristina tagged along. She wanted to actively be involved in the Prince's death. So much so that she made the threat, "I know you're still out there, Erik. You want to rescue your one true love. But if you don't turn yourself in, I'll kill her. Then, I'll kill you."
"They're not going to kill her. She's the only leverage they have," Firmly holding Erik back from the phone that suddenly sprang to life, Nikita promised. She knew Division's plays. Although Stephen (even if Alex hadn't told Nikita he was leading the operation, the rogue recognized his voice) cocked his gun and counted down threateningly, she knew he wouldn't pull the trigger. Leela was the only possible leverage Division had against Erik. She was the only person they could threaten to make the Prince do whatever they wanted. If she died, they couldn't make him do anything. For once, Division's death threats were absolutely meaningless.
Alex knew what Nikita was thinking. She had thought it herself. The gun pointed at Leela's head wouldn't do anything. Yet there were other ways to get a message across to the rogue. Without thinking too much about what she was doing, Alex marched up to the captured woman, grabbed her hand, and broke a finger. She tried to ignore her painful screams. She had to remain tough and imposing; that was the only way to reach Nikita with Division around, "This is your last chance, Nikita. Each minute you don't answer, I break another finger. That gives you about ten minutes. I'd take the offer if I were you. There's three of us and only one of you."
"Come on. We got ten minutes, and three agents are coming," The second the phone line closed, Nikita dragged Prince Erik after her. Alex's meaning rang loud and clear. Division had located the rogue in the basement, and they were coming for her and the Prince. The two needed to hurry if they were going to beat their oncoming assault and rescue Leela. The information Alex gave Nikita should be sufficient. The rogue could take on three agents without problem. It was only a matter of time before Leela was safe, and she and Erik were free of that hell.
While Nikita battled her way to Leela's location, Alex put another part of her plan into action. She had opened up the phone call to the cops outside as well. The authorities were well aware of Kristina's plot. However, that might not be enough to stop her. The Princess could bypass local cops. International news outlets, on the other hand, not so much. Alex just had to make sure the truth got out there. She couldn't do it on her own. Yet she knew the rogue hacker had been listening. If she could contact him the same way he reached out to her, she could make him release the information, "Hey, B. Did you get all that?"
"Uh. Yeah. I did. I'll release it to the press when you guys are clear," Birkhoff was surprised that Alex had contacted him directly. He was also surprised that she had called him by a nickname (though, he supposed that was because she had forgotten his actual name). But he was glad she had checked in with him. Exposing Kristina as the villain behind the assassination plot was as important as saving Prince Erik. She couldn't be allowed to return to Georgia. She'd just try to kill the Prince again. Her crimes had to be known. She had to be stopped. And- hopefully- as a result, Division would be deterred.
It wasn't long before Nikita burst into the room Leela was kept in. She was able to take out the agents that had come her way and divert Stephen and Kristina from the room. She and Erik could rescue Leela and escape without anyone noticing- for a while, anyway. Alex had remained in the room with the assistant. She helped the rogue and the Prince secure Leela's safety; though, she'd have to report what had happened soon. She could at least give the others a few minutes head start. That would be all they had anyway before Kelly decided it was time to bust up the operation. The rogue and the innocents had to clear the building immediately.
"Go. I got this. And watch out for the FBI," Alex waved away any gratitude and urged them along. She could see the concern in Nikita's brown eyes. The rogue didn't want to leave her to Division; she was worried the agents might learn of her treachery. Except, there was nothing to worry about. Alex had everything well under control. She ensured there was no evidence that she had helped the rogues and had released Princess Kristina's assassination attempt to the police. The black ops unit would remain completely oblivious of her identity as a double agent. And Alex could keep proving to herself that she was smart and strong enough to take on Semak.
With Division occupied by Kelly and other agents storming the museum posed as FBI agents, Nikita made a clean break for the rooftop. Prince Erik and Leela stayed close to her. They didn't stop for breath or to be concerned about injuries; they just ran to the fire escape. Luckily, the three arrived there safely. Once again, Nikita warned not to trust the FBI but to go to the cops instead. She wished the couple the best. But before she could run off to divert Division's attention, Erik and Leela wished her the same. The rogue smiled at them, sincerely. Then she sprinted back to the basement, drawing away attention and saving herself from the cops.
"Come out, Nikita. I know you're here," As the museum cleared out upstairs, it wasn't difficult for the strike team to catch up to their rogue in the basement. Kelly's voice soon rang throughout the maze of boxes and storage. She didn't have a teasing or playful tone like she was trying to bait the rogue into engaging. Kelly had every intention to kill Nikita in the worst ways possible. The rogue wouldn't even dare mess with that. A part of her wanted to fight her old partner and be as brutal as the Division agent wanted to be. But she knew it wasn't smart. She should focus on escaping the museum and any awaiting authorities- real or fake- instead.
Using the complexities of the basement to her advantage, Nikita snuck around and silently took out the first Division agent she came upon. She dragged his body out of sight of the others and quickly ripped off his gear. It didn't matter that the agent was far bigger than her. She couldn't stalk around in her dress any longer; she'd be caught so easily. In a fake FBI tactical suit, she could pass by unseen- even by Division. Kelly didn't notice what Nikita had done until it was too late. Everyone was outside the museum, and the rogue continued to run away.
Ripping off her stolen headgear, Nikita studied her surroundings to find an escape. Over her shoulder, she spotted Kelly exiting the museum and doing the same. Her eyes roamed the crowd, and once they landed on Nikita, they became murderous. The rogue had to disappear. She used the crowd of nosy pedestrians, released hostages, news reporters, and emergency responders to her advantage. Nikita concealed her escape with a throng of people and ducked into a nearby alley. Quickly, she disposed of her stolen gear and searched for a true escape.
Michael's sudden and smoky voice in her com told her to run behind the museum. Nikita didn't hesitate. She made a break for it, tearing her dress further as she hopped over a fence. She didn't care; she just had to leave the scene. However, when she sprinted along the back of the building, she was met with an unknown man on a motorcycle. She backed away immediately. Division finally caught up to her. Kelly must've seen her slip away, and she had called for backup. Nikita finally caught the end of her luck. Except, while she prepared to run, the man lifted the visor of his helmet- exposing his bright, evergreen eyes.
Nikita would've recognized those green eyes anywhere. They seemed to smile at her, sparkling and shining even in the dark. She smiled in return. Michael straddled the motorcycle and held a helmet out to her. Although it took him longer than he had wanted, he finally joined his partner in the field- just in time to whisk her away to safety. Nikita rushed over to her getaway vehicle and accepted the helmet. Once she was atop the seat and had a secure hold on Michael, he sped off towards their safehouse. She held tight the entire time.