Alex did get a hit on the lead Sonya had for her. She managed to trace the rogues, specifically Nikita, to an underground casino run by the Russian mob. After dealing with an ego-bruised macho man, Alex found a clue that could lead Division to the rogues and their stolen black box. A part of her wanted to use that clue herself, however, she knew she had to trade it with Amanda. A lead to the rogues was the only leverage Alex had. If she wanted to kill Semak and save her mother- and she needed to do that- then she had to keep returning to Division. And she had to keep dealing with Amanda, "Alex, you look lovely."
"Thanks. I love what you've done with the place," Alex shrugged as she crossed the threshold into Amanda's new office. What used to be where Percy ran his operations was where Amanda decided to set up her new position of power. Alex believed it was very fitting. The new head of Division could watch over and have complete control over her whole domain. Nothing could get past her. She had the absolute say in everything, and she'd know if anyone disobeyed her. There had never been any hiding from the Inquisitor, and there never would.
"All I've really done is try and bring us back to basics. I'm just trying to clean up Percy's mess. Active recruitment is on hold and we're not taking jobs for money," Amanda dismissed Alex's sarcastic praise while grinning proudly. The former recruit training room had been converted into the new operations. It was filled with more agents and hackers than Alex had seen hanging around the bunker before. The black ops unit of the government seemed more like a spy organization than normal. Amanda had accomplished her goal, "Division was created to stop threats. Now, our most dangerous threat is…"
"The rogues. They can cause a lot of suffering with that black box. Especially for your bosses: Oversight," Alex wanted to roll her eyes. Nikita, Michael, and Birkhoff were not a threat to national security. They were only a threat to a few people who were terrified of losing their power. If the rogues weren't in her way, Alex never would've stopped them. Not just because she didn't give a shit about what they did or didn't do, but because taking out Division and Oversight was a good idea. That corruption shouldn't exist; they couldn't keep ripping apart families. The rogues should stick to their mission, so long as it didn't interfere with Alex's.
"For the world, Alex. Now, you said you had a lead on the rogues," Amanda stopped the argument by reminding Alex why she had even bothered stepping into the bunker. The young woman was glad for the redirect. She needed to stay on Oversight's good side if she wanted their help rescuing her mother. She had believed she could kill Semak on her own; she hadn't cared if she lost her life as well. However, she couldn't lose her mother again. Katya deserved to live. She deserved to be free of Semak's control and to have that happiness that had been stolen from her. If Alex wanted to give that to her, then she needed help, and she needed to live too.
"That depends," Stopping herself from just handing over the clue, Alex decided that she needed payment upfront for all she had done. She refused to work for Oversight without anything in return. She had waited far too long for her chance at revenge. Now that her mother was also within grasp, she refused to wait any longer. She needed Semak dead immediately, "I want you to honor our deal. I help you get the black box if you help me get the man who ordered my father's death. I need satellite intelligence, tactical support, a way into Russia and out…"
"Yeah, it's not that simple," Interrupting, Amanda instantly shut down Alex's ideas. She had done so before. When she had told Alex about Gogol working as Zetrov's security, she slowed down her revenge efforts until she was properly trained. Months later, though, Alex was properly trained. She had graduated the recruit program, and she had picked up extra skills and knowledge from her time spent with the rogues. Alex was more than prepared to take on Semak and whatever he could throw at her. Especially if she had backup from Division.
She could not understand why she kept getting delayed. Did Amanda and Oversight really need that much control over Alex. Or, did they not trust her after she had worked with the rogues. They had deserved that, though. They hadn't given her what she wanted, so she turned towards others she had thought she could trust. Apparently, she couldn't trust anyone, however. No one would tell her the truth or give her what she needed. Even with Oversight locking Percy up, replacing him with Amanda, and telling Alex about her mother, things didn't change. Alex was left constantly clawing her way to revenge, "It's one man."
"Sergei Semak is not just one man. He's head of a corporate empire whose net worth eclipses most small countries," Amanda was just reiterating things Alex already knew. Either she was trying to bait Alex into giving up what she found without payment, or she was trying to back out of the deal. If the prospect of revenge hadn't been dangled in front of her for almost a whole year, Alex would've thought it was the former. But now, she was leaning heavily towards the latter. Why wouldn't Oversight just work with her. What did they want to hold back.
"Zetrov was my father's company. I know how big it is," Angrily, Alex bit. Ever since she was a child, she had known how powerful her father's company was. Zetrov was not an organization that was easily toppled. Fortunately, Alex wasn't looking to topple the company. She honestly didn't care what became of it after she killed Semak and saved her mother. Although it was her father's legacy, she had no intention of taking it over- she never had. Zetrov was not hers to take, especially then. With all that tempting power, all it had done was bring pain to her family. Alex couldn't have that continue.
"Do you? Zetrov holds the bulk of Russia's oil and natural gas leases. As well as finance, media, aviation and sports. Sergei Semak has allies in the Kremlin, and he practically owns the Russian mafia. He's one of the hardest targets on this planet," Amanda clarified. Okay, Alex had to admit that she hadn't known about Semak's allies in the Kremlin. That definitely made things more difficult. But that was even more proof for why Alex needed Division's resources. Waiting would only let Semak form more allies and gather more resources. Alex had to stop him well before then, while he was only remotely hard to take down.
"So are the rogues," Before Amanda could continue listing all the obstacles in Alex's way, the young woman threw out the obstacle in Oversight's way. Michael and Birkhoff had been rogue for years, and the two plus Nikita had reigned absolute hell for nearly a year, without ever being caught. Despite being severely outnumbered and outgunned by Division, the three couldn't be stopped. Didn't that make them even harder targets than Semak. They were definitely more of a threat. And if Alex was trusted to handle them, then she could handle Semak.
"Alex, if you help us, we will help you. Trust me," With that sickly sweet smile, Amanda promised Alex. As a scared and lost recruit, that smile had worked on her. But then, Alex knew what was behind that grin. Amanda had her own motives when it came to the deal with Oversight. What exactly it was, Alex couldn't figure it out. She also couldn't figure out if that meant she couldn't trust Amanda. Despite her ties to Division and Oversight, Amanda had always tried to help Alex. She had permanently deactivated her killchip for God's sake. Maybe she was worth listening to- if only for a little bit.
As Alex contemplated how much she should trust Amanda- and how much weight she should put into the fact that she had forever saved her from the killchip- her thoughts were interrupted by someone else entering the office. She had thought she had completely left him behind after Sony had told her about the potential lead on Nikita. She had wanted that to be their last interaction. But nothing was going Alex's way- just as she had suspected. Sean Pierce entered the room and looked to her expectantly, "Am I interrupting?"
"I was just leaving," Alex moved to harshly brush past Sean. After their conversation in Ops, she was not in the mood to speak to him again. She didn't even want to look at him. His presence was more annoying than Amanda and Oversight still preventing her from going after Semak- even though her mother's life was on the line. Why couldn't Sean leave her alone. Or, get out of her way. As Alex moved to leave Amanda's office, Sean stepped in front of her. She was tempted to slap him or kick him in the groin. Instead, she managed to compose herself and glare, "You said I was free to come and go. Amanda, tell your boy to get out of my way."
"How would you get past me?" Sean dared. He wasn't exactly sure why he had decided to bait Alexandra into a fight. Maybe he was just looking for an excuse to prove that she shouldn't have been there. If she couldn't get past a Navy Seal, then there was no way she could take down Sergei Semak. She should've gotten out when she had the chance. Everyone involved with Division should've gotten out when they had had the chance- and that included the rogues. It was too dangerous to be there- too volatile. Why keep going back to the danger if you could escape. Why keep risking everything for corruption and revenge.
Alex half-considered punching Sean out. If she did it fast enough, he wouldn't be able to block her. Except, no matter how satisfying that would be, that'd just be stooping to his level. And she was absolutely above Lieutenant Commander Sean Pierce. So, while maintaining her glare, she took out the phone she had taken from the casino and shoved it into his chest. He stumbled back from the force, and she smirked, "This is the phone Nikita and I used when we were partners. Pre-paid, no GPS. All the data's been wiped, which confirms it's hers. Re-trace the tower ping history, it'll get us the point of sale which could lead us to her current location."
"Sean, you did ask her," Amanda chuckled dryly. Compared to when Alex discovered when her neighbor Sean had really been an Oversight plant, and the two had held each other at knife and gun point, that was a calmer standoff. Yet there was still annoyance and anger shining brightly in both their eyes. They wouldn't let that situation go. They wouldn't let anything about Division go, not until they got their way. Although they were both stalled in that department, it was more likely that Alex would get what she wanted before Sean. She had more allies, after all- even if she didn't trust them completely, "Don't worry, Alex, I keep my promises."
After spending most of the night hugging her boyfriend and talking to him, Nikita felt better about delving into the black box. Though, she wanted to have the definite say on what missions the rogues attempted to rectify. Birkhoff and Michael were okay with that stipulation. Nikita then spent the next morning flipping through files on the black box. Michael, meanwhile, went to replenish their depleted stock of weapons and equipment. By the time he returned to the safehouse, it appeared as though the others already had a new mission. He dropped everything to join them at the computer, "Alright, I've purchased all the gear, let's go over the mission."
"Operation Game Change. January, 2004. Approximately one billion dollars in Iraq reconstruction funds was heisted by terrorists. At least that's what the world was told. The terrorists were really a Division strike team," Nikita selected the archived operation on the black box that they had decided to unravel. Birkhoff had developed a new code that combed through the box and spat out information relevant to their search. That time, the rogues searched for a mission that would lead them to Oversight. Operation Game Change popped up almost instantly. It was the perfect op for the rogues to expose; they'd even get to help innocents in the process.
Although the rogues had read through parts of the black box before- how else would they have known about the corrupt operations to steal money from- reading about Operation Game Change was different. So many people were hurt who should've never been in the crossfire, all because Oversight needed one billion dollars. That level of greed and corruption was inconceivable. And Division's hand in it was worse than normal (though, not the worst thing they had done). No matter how many times he read the file, Birkhoff continued to be shocked, "I've seen Division cover their tracks, but this is…"
"The bigger the lie, the easier it is to believe," Michael repeated a phrase that had been repeated in Ops ad nauseam. Wherever Division needed to cover their tracks, Cleaners either made the scene completely invisible, or Ops spun a story so wild it had to be true. Little lies could be picked apart easily by plucky reporters or conspiracy theorists on the internet. But big lies with a complex story to weave would be believed. Hardly anyone questioned terrorist attacks, for example. Division could consistently pretend to be terrorists without question and with anyone believing the story.
"Fortunately for us, there was one man who saw through it all, even back then. Pentagon sent in an investigator, Captain Tony Merrick. Evidence that pointed to the terrorists was left for him to find, but he found his own evidence that proved it was an inside job. Percy couldn't afford to let that come to light, so he buried it and Merrick. Killing the lead investigator would draw too much attention, so he framed him for the beating of an Iraqi civilian to death. He is currently serving year seven of a thirty year prison sentence," Nikita read. None of the information surprised her. It all seemed standard for the evil corruption that was Division and Oversight.
"This guy has evidence, why isn't he using it to clear his name?" Clinging to that part of the story, Michael questioned. If he had had evidence that revealed such a conspiracy and kept him out of life in prison, he would've shared the information with anyone he knew. Sure, he wasn't revealing what was on the black box. But that was different. If the rogues didn't do things the right way, the world would burn rather than be saved. Merrick wouldn't be starting World War III if he told the truth, however. So what was holding his tongue.
"Tony stashed evidence before his arrest. He must've known he was in danger," Birkhoff shrugged as he guessed what was going on. There was no telling what had been going through Tony Merrick's head as he uncovered Oversight's conspiracy and as he was forcibly silenced. The black box only told Percy's side of the story. If the rogues wanted a full grasp of everything, then they'd have to talk to Merrick themselves. Fortunately, the plan Nikita had voiced before Michael had returned would allow the rogues to do that. Unfortunately, once Division discovered what they did, they were going to face a lot more adversity.
"If we find Tony's evidence, it will expose Oversight. This could be the first step to bringing them down," Without knowing what Nikita had spitballed with Birkhoff earlier, Michael unwittingly agreed with her thoughts. Talking to Tony Merrick would not only reveal the whole story of Operation Game Change, but it'd also allow the rogues a chance to take down Oversight. Once their conspiracy and billion dollar theft were revealed, real cracks in Division's surface would begin to form. The black ops group and those that sanctioned them would crumble at the seams. And the rogues would be one step closer to the finish line.
And all we have to do is break someone out of military prison to do it," Birkhoff glanced at Nikita as he shared what else she had thought about. Everything else the rogues had hoped would come from their mission seemed possible, except breaking someone out of military prison. The three had done amazing things with their limited resources, but after their failed attempt to break into and run around the CIA, they should not be setting their sights on a military prison. They were only going to set themselves up for failure and more trouble.
Despite Birkhoff's reservations, Michael and Nikita shared their thoughts with one another and began to plan a prison break. Thanks to Birkhoff's reluctant hacking skills, they discovered that another prisoner was planning on being released that day. All Michael and Nikita had to do was switch the information, and they could sneak Merrick out instead. Compared with other risky stunts they had pulled, it was fairly simple. In fact, after Nikita and Michael managed to sneak into the prison, she beamed at him. He caught the smile instantly, but completely misinterpreted it, "No. You're not going on this one. You took the casino, this one's mine."
"Not why I'm smiling. I just love a man in uniform," Nikita continued to beam at Michael. Although he rolled his eyes, he smiled back at her. Their smiles soon faded, however, as she waited in their getaway vehicle, and he went into the prison to speak to Merrick. Tony absolutely did not want to talk to Michael. As soon as he saw him, he yelled for him to leave. When the rogue agent tried to reason with him, Merrick doubled down- he even admitted to the false story to make him leave. Michael couldn't do that, though. Regretfully, he knocked Merrick out with a punch to his jaw. He also knocked out the guard that came to check on them.
It was a rush of an escape after that, but the rogue agent didn't have another choice. Tony refused to cooperate for some reason. That only left violence as the answer. Thankfully, by the time Michael reached the getaway car, Nikita had pierced together enough from the chaos to know they had to go immediately. As soon as Michael and Merrick were in the car, she took off. They barely escaped the prison, yet they didn't escape their problems. There was definitely more to Operation Game Change than they knew, "He didn't want to leave. He said he was guilty. Something else is going on here."