Alex was dragged away from Nikita's body as soon as Roan and his gaggle of Division agents arrived on the scene. While the expert Cleaner examined the rogue's body, Alex was held back tightly as if she might do something. Yet she was done fighting. Her move against Nikita was the last of her espionage, her master planning, her assassinating- at least for Division. She was ready to go out on her own, kill Semak, then disappear. There would be no more trouble from her. She didn't give enough of a shit to cause anymore trouble. She, Division, the rogues, they had all done their damage. It was time for her to leave and never return.
Before Alex could, however, she was being dragged back to Division. Again, she didn't fight. A part of her had suspected that Percy would want her back in Division after he discovered that she had shot Nikita. Yet whatever he was going to do to her, she'd face it. It couldn't be worse than what she had already been through. All the death, lies, deception, betrayals had all taken a piece from her until there was nothing left. Percy couldn't take away anymore. He could try, yet she'd face him down with a steely glare- with her father's glare. Then she'd walk as far away as she possibly could.
Except, it wasn't Percy Alex was brought to in Division. While Roan set the scene for Nikita's downfall and began to clean her, Alex was shoved into Amanda's line of sight. Percy was nowhere to be seen. He must've not cared about the situation. He had wanted Nikita out of the way anyway. He could just take the victory and run with it. That left Alex more free than she thought she was, which she was perfectly fine with. Save for the fact that she was left facing Amanda, "Orders have changed. Take her to my office. But first, I have to see her for myself, the person who brought down Nikita. Tell me, did you know you were going to kill her?"
"The second I walked into her place, I made up my mind to do it," Alex dismissed Amanda's excitement over the fact that she had killed Nikita. She mostly did it so Amanda wouldn't glean the truth like she always managed to do. The less they talked about what had happened, the less Division would know- until it was too late. Alex also tried to brush past the conversation because she didn't want to think about it anymore. She had done what was asked; she had made her choice, and she had lived. So she should just be able to go.
"Even though you knew you were being monitored and Percy was ready to trigger your killchip if you deviated from his plan?" Amanda held Alex in place, though. She didn't seem to buy what had happened to Nikita. She studied the young woman with a wary, cold, calculated gaze as if she could see right through her. Alex ensured to keep her guard up. She couldn't be discovered before she escaped. Then it all would've been for nothing. She had to make sure that her choices counted. She was in charge of her life- no one else ever would be.
"Percy told me to make a choice. I did. She never saw it coming," Alex lifted her chin haughtily. She had learned that half-truths were the best way to slip past the Inquisitor's questions, yet Alex didn't need to lie then. She had made a choice. Between Nikita and Percy- between Division and the rogues- she had chosen herself. And it was a decision she wouldn't back down from. No matter what she faced next, she was glad that she had screwed everyone else over. After what they had done to her, they deserved it.
"It's ironic. Nikita sealed her own fate the day she met you," Amanda smirked. Though, she didn't seem to be completely enjoying that fact. From all their time spent together, Alex believed she could discern the Inquisitor's thoughts almost as well as she could discern hers. That intrigued, calculating light in Amanda's cold blue eyes appeared to die a bit at the thought of Nikita's death. It was almost as though she was upset about it. Honestly, that didn't shock Alex as much as it should've. Amanda had stuck her as someone who cared deep down. And the rogue was someone you couldn't help but latch onto.
Shaking that thought from her head, Alex refused to let herself get sucked back into those emotions. Those gunshots were supposed to separate her from the rogues. She wasn't going to think about them. She wasn't going to hope that they survive and defeat Division. She was just going to keep choosing herself. She had gotten that far on her own. There was no divine intervention, no helping hand that had helped her survive. Alex did all of that on her own. And she was going to keep doing that. No one- nothing- controlled her life. It was time she finally took charge of it, "I don't believe in fate."
If Nikita was being honest, that wasn't the most terrifying situation she had woken up to. Division, a mission where she had been kidnapped, Brandt, Daniel's death, certain foster homes, those were all far more terrifying. But jolting awake to see Roan hovering above her hardly even made the list; it just seemed like a pretty standard Monday for her. That was probably because her body was so riddled with shock that she could hardly comprehend what was happening. She couldn't exactly perceive the danger she was in. All she knew was that her entire body hurt, she was struggling for air, and there was a thing of acid within her reach.
Before she could even take a full breath of air, Nikita threw the acid into Roan's face. The act was more instinctual than anything else she could've done. She knew he'd kill her. The instant her eyes popped back open and she gasped, she knew she was dead. Nothing else besides that made sense. So, the rogue let her instincts take over. Roan was instantly neutralized with whatever acid she had burned him with. He ran out of the room screaming as if he was dying- maybe he was. Nikita didn't concern herself with that fact, however. She just had to force herself to finally breathe. And to move. And to think.
After getting shot, Nikita's only thoughts were that Alex was compromised and that Michael was in danger. Then, things went dark for a very long time. Since her mind was racing again, she had the same thoughts: Alex was compromised, and Michael was in danger. There was a new thought circulating in her head also as she struggled to get up off the floor: she had to survive. Whatever the fuck was going on couldn't be her end. Nikita needed to get up before Roan called in reinforcements. She needed to get out of that building. And she needed to save her team from the shitstorm they had been caught in.
With her ribs screaming and the tetrodotoxin and the drugs Roan had pumped her full, it took all of Nikita's strength to get up off the floor. Fortunately, there was a table nearby to help her stand. Unfortunately, the table was full of incriminating evidence. A fake black box, the nerve toxin the rogues thought had been destroyed in Geneva, detailed plans and lists all littered the table. It didn't take long for Nikita to piece the information together. Operation Sparrow had been a setup. Percy wasn't just making a move against the government; he was also trying to destroy the CIA. And the rogues had hand delivered that weapon for him.
Frantically, Nikita pulled her cellphone from her pocket (thank God it hadn't been struck by a bullet). She had to warn the CIA. She had to stop the attack before things got any worse. She tried to call Birkhoff, yet he was in the hacking zone; he wouldn't answer her. So she tried Ryan instead. But there was no response- not even an ignored call, "Ryan… There's no cellphones at the CIA. Fuck. Ryan, it's all wrong. Everything's wrong. The box. Alex. She's compromised. It's compromised. It's a setup. Ryan, there's a nerve toxin. It's triggered by an electric charge. If you get this, don't touch the box."
It still hurt to breathe. Nikita could hardly move, and she could hardly breathe. But she had to get out of that building. Roan must've recovered by then (if he wasn't dead- which Nikita doubted he was). He'd call in an Alpha team at any moment. She had to go. But go where. Alex was compromised; Division was going to kill her next. Michael was also trapped in Division, facing death. Nikita had to save them. She had to get them out. However, Birkhoff and Ryan were in danger at the CIA. Despite her call, they were going to open the black box and kill themselves and everyone in the building. She had to save them. She had to save everybody.
Scrambling out of the building, Nikita made up her mind. As long as Division believed she was dead, and as long as they were preoccupied with what she was about to do, Michael and Alex would be safe. The two could also handle themselves extremely well in life or death situations. Nikita's attention instead had to be on Ryan, Birkhoff, and the CIA- those that didn't even know they were in danger. Calling them hadn't worked. So, she stole the first car she saw outside the building and sped as fast as she could to Langley.
Although Nikita believed there was still time to stop the nerve toxin attack, she didn't doubt the speed of Birkhoff's hacking abilities. The black box would be decrypted soon, and everyone in Langley would die. Nikita wasn't going to get there in time, no matter how fast she sped. She had to keep calling and trying to warn them. Getting in touch with Ryan and Birkhoff continued to prove fruitless. So, she just tried the CIA's front desk. They at least answered her, "There's a bio-weapon disguised as a hard drive. SCIF room, 7th floor… I'm under covert status. I can't identify myself on an open line… Aah, you're useless."
The woman who had answered Nikita's call and who had asked far too many questions was only doing her job; she needed verification before she could take the threat seriously. However, Nikita couldn't go through all that red tape. The nerve toxin was about to be released. Percy was about to win. And everyone was about to die. Nikita needed to be listened to immediately. Which was why, once she sped into the parking lot, she just walked through Langley's front door rather than sneak in, "I need to see someone in Intelligence. I understand you guys specialize in that around here."
Before Percy or Division could decide what to do with Alex, she was left in Amanda's office. She wasn't trusted enough to walk around, so she was restrained once again to that metal chair. Although that pissed her off, and made her even more desperate to leave, she was resigned to her fate. After all, she knew it'd all be over soon. Not even an hour later, and Division exploded in activity. Commands were being shouted, and agents were frantically running around. Alex couldn't help but smile. She was glad she was a part of that torment. Even more so when Amanda returned to her office with a shocked expression, "What's going on up there?"
"Nothing you don't know," Amanda shook away her shock and glared at Alex. The young woman knew exactly what was going on. Nikita had survived. She freed herself from Roan, she made her way to the CIA, and she was actively destroying Operation Sparrow. Next, she was going to be storming Division to save her boyfriend. Maybe that was when Alex could make her escape. During the chaos, she could slip away for good. No one would look for her while the rogues were raising hell. She could truly be free to do whatever she pleased.
"Kinda figured I'd know when my brain popped," Snarking, Alex reclined back in her chair. She had a feeling deep down that if Percy was to ever use her killchip against her, he'd have done it already. No, he continued to see value in her, so he continued to keep her around. She couldn't wait to see his face when she took that away from him too. Just like how he wasn't going to have the satisfaction of controlling the government, he wouldn't be able to control her. She had decided that far sooner than when she had decided to shoot Nikita. Alex simply needed to finally put that into effect.
"Well, Percy's a little busy right now. Otherwise, I'm sure he'd trigger your killchip himself. Instead, he sent me," Although Amanda stared Alex down, she didn't move closer to the killchip trigger on her desk. Alex wished she could've been able to read her expression like she had been able to before. However, the young woman was staring at stone. Whatever Amanda was thinking, she wasn't going to let it show on her face. Alex would have to guess or poke around. Or continue to tell herself that she didn't care.
"That's too bad. I would have loved to see his face one last time," Alex would've loved to see Percy's angry, bewildered face one last time before she threw that deal he had made back in his face. She was going to kill Semak on her own without the help of anybody. So what if that got her killed in the process. It was her choice. And it was her gain. She was through letting people use her for their own gain. She wasn't a pawn in someone else's chest game. No deals, no partnerships. Just her. The men who thought they ruled the world were going to hate that.
Amanda continued to keep her distance from the killchip trigger. Her gaze, however, remained trained on Alex. She was definitely scrutinizing her. She was trying to see through all the walls Alex had built to protect herself. For a second, she believed the Inquisitor could do it. There had been numerous times where Amanda had seen right through her before. She had called her out, she had read her mind, and she had assessed her emotions to a tee. Why would then be any different. Amanda could get the answers she wanted from Alex with just a few words. There was no need to threaten the press of a button, "Before you go…"
"Let me guess. You'd like to ask me a few questions," Alex smirked. Of course Amanda couldn't near the killchip trigger. Her curiosity was outweighing her orders to dispose of the mole. Alex could play on that until she was able to escape. She'd answer anything the Inquisitor wanted to know, no torture required. Alex had the feeling that Amanda knew more than what she was letting on, though. Maybe that was just a lingering effect from all their sessions. Amanda wasn't all knowing; she couldn't always tell when someone was lying. She was simply another person that needed to be taken off her pedestal.
"Actually, just one," Amanda smiled sweetly, startling Alex. What the young woman wouldn't give to be able to read the Inquisitor's mind then. Was she playing some type of game; was she trying to manipulate her. Did she have her own plan in mind that she wanted to enact. If only Alex could figure it out. If only she wasn't constantly thrown for a loop, "Why? Surely there were other ways you could have handled this. You could have warned Nikita with a note while you were in the lair."
"Percy had me bugged. If I tried to warn her, he would've dropped me where I stood. If I was going out, I was going out my way. Besides, Nikita had to be surprised to sell the act," Alex blinked. There was no way Amanda was simply asking about her decision to shoot Nikita. Wasn't it obvious. She had to shoot the rogue. It was the only way she could get what she wanted. No other plan could've worked- not in the short amount of time she had anyway. Alex had to shoot Nikita, and Division had to believe she died.
"But it wasn't all an act, was it? You needed to see the look in her eye when you asked her if she killed your father. You needed to know the truth. That's why you didn't warn her," Amanda acted like she easily saw right through Alex. She acted like her assessment was entirely correct and there was no room for any other answer. And maybe she was right. Maybe Alex did want to shoot and kill Nikita. She definitely hated the rogue enough to do it. Her constant lies had sent her over the edge. Yet Alex didn't want to give Amanda the pleasure of being right. She didn't want to admit that she had so much anger and it wasn't all directed at Semak.
"I didn't warn her because…" Alex actually paused to think. Honestly, she had never thought to warn Nikita. She hadn't even thought to warn Birkhoff or Ryan. Words didn't seem like the right choice. She just had to act. Besides, it wasn't as though Nikita or any of the other damn rogues had told her every little bit of information. Even when that information was about her life, they kept it from her. So why should she have returned the favor by being honest with them, "Because fuck Nikita."
Based on Amanda's reaction, that was exactly the answer she wanted. She crossed closer to Alex, smiling wickedly. Alex wouldn't give her the satisfaction of a glare. She simply kept her stern expression. She had meant what she had said. However, Nikita wasn't the only one who should feel the brewing wrath in the pit of her stomach. Amanda, of course, knew that. Yet she just continued to push. She wanted to make the young woman snap, see her really angry. The way she smiled at Alex, though, was enough to make her blood boil, "If you feel that way, then why fake her death? Why save her life?"
"Because fuck all of you too!" Snapping upright in her chair, Alex seethed. She had grown so sick and tired of it. How were there even two sides of that war. Both Division and the rogues were harsh, cruel, liars and killers with more sins than anyone could count. There was no hero or villain. Everyone was a piece of shit. Everyone could go fuck themselves. Why had Alex doublecross Division but didn't tell the rogues about it, because both needed to lose. There were no good guys to fight for. It was all about surviving on her own. As it always was.