Once Michael caught Birkhoff up to speed, the rogues continued to search for Tony Merrick's son. Birkhoff had also managed to grab the supplies Michael and Nikita had at the motel, so they weren't completely starting over. They simply had to change gears, knowing Division had a lot more help and resources than they should've. Although Michael and Birkhoff were shocked by the turn of events, they continued with their mission. Nikita helped plan for a bit, but she soon pulled away. Aware she needed a moment to herself, no one chased after.
Eventually, though, Michael needed to draw Nikita out of her thoughts. He waited until she was standing still and staring out the window before he approached. The fact that she wasn't pacing was a good sign; she was calm enough to continue forward. With Division tied so closely to that mission, the team needed her to be completely focused on her part of the plan. Miraculous and expensive drones couldn't save them a second time, "You're all set. Birkhoff located Tony's son and has graciously agreed to let us use one of his nicer cars so you'd be unsuspected at the club. I think he's second-guessing rescuing us."
Michael had hoped his quip about Birkhoff begrudgingly spending money on the team would crack a slight smile on Nikita's lips. Yet she hardly looked at him as he approached. Her thoughts remained on seeing Alex outside the motel right before Division attacked. What had she even been doing there. She was supposed to have gotten out. She was supposed to have been on her own path. She was supposed to be safe and finding her own happiness. So why was she back in that mess. Why was she working for those she knew would only hurt her, "Maybe he shouldn't have. The game's changed, and I didn't even see it."
"Look, there's no way you could've known Alex was working with Division," Michael instantly understood what she was weighing so heavily on her mind. He was also shocked to know that Alex was working with Division again; it was also upsetting to think about what could've possibly led her to that point. However, it wasn't worth carrying the weight of the world. Alex was a grown woman making her own decisions. Her involvement with Division after everything they had done was her choice. The rogues couldn't have done anything to stop that. Especially since they had no idea that it had happened.
"It doesn't make any sense," Nikita muttered. Alex had said that she wanted to go on her own. She had said that she wanted out of Division and away from the rogues, and that she had to chase Semak on her own. She'd rather be a lone wolf than trust another person. If there had been nothing Nikita could've said to change her mind, then what had Division said. How were they manipulating Alex to continue working with them. She should've been smart enough then to know what that hellhole was really doing. She shouldn't have gotten sucked back in. Nothing could've been worth that pain.
"She wants revenge for her family, and she's hoping they can help her out. It makes perfect sense. Especially when that's all you can think about, trust me," Softly, Michael replied. Although Alex knew that Division had been the weapon that killed her family, the black ops organization still had the resources, weapons, and connections to get her what she wanted. She couldn't surmount a kill mission against Semak with Gogol and Zetrov at his powerful fingertips on her own. She needed help- far more help than the rogues could provide. Division was her only choice, even if it was the worst one.
"But when you entered Division, you didn't know the truth about them. Alex does. It's like she's so lost, she follows the first trail she finds. Even if it's the one that leads her straight to hell," Finally turning to look at Michael, Nikita gently caressed his cheek in an effort to comfort him- and also in an effort to comfort herself. Michael's reliance on Division to kill the man who had killed his family had ended the instant he had known the truth. Alex, however, continued to get mixed up in things she knew she shouldn't. Nikita should've done a better job of helping her. She should've told her the truth. It never would've hurt Alex; it would've saved her.
Wrapping his arm around Nikita's waist, Michael tried to dispel the weight that had settled on her shoulders. Alex's choices were not something she had to take responsibility for. They never had been. From being a mole to separating herself from the team, every choice had been Alex's. Yes, Nikita should've done things differently, like telling the truth. But so should've Michael and Birkhoff. No single person was responsible for what had happened except for Alex. Her path was her own, Nikita didn't carve it, "Nikita, you are not responsible for her, okay?"
"Or, I'm responsible for her for the rest of my life," As much as Nikita wanted to believe Michael, she knew better than to take the blame off her shoulders. She had saved Alex from Pale Fire. Since that day, she had been responsible for her safety and well being. And since that day, she had dropped the ball consistently. When she had trusted Alex with her father's driver, he had sold her to sex traffickers. When she had the chance to break Alex out of Division, she had failed drastically. And when she should've focused on getting Alex out, she had lied. Nikita had always been responsible for Alex's safety, and she always hurt her worse than before.
Pulling Nikita into a hug, Michael did his best to comfort her. Unfortunately, he wasn't given much time to hold her. Birkhoff had narrowed down Tony Merrick's son, Justin, to a specific club in Manhattan. He wouldn't be there long, especially with Division possibly after him. Nikita needed to grab Justin and bring him back to the safehouse while Michael and Birkhoff distracted Division. She quickly got herself together, changed for the club, and raced to the location. As soon as she was on site, Birkhoff once again confirmed that Merrick's son was nearby, "His credit card was charged a couple minutes ago. He's there."
Nikita fought to keep her head clear as she searched the club for Justin. The car ride into the city had helped her focus on the mission. But being in a club full of alcohol and drugs wasn't helping her clarity. She felt so twisted up that her mind was screaming in a way that she had only ever known one way to shut it up. It took everything in her not to fall down that path. Honestly, seeing Division at the club helped her stay on target, even if who she saw was Alex, "Michael, Division's on-site, possible grab team… we need to adjust."
"Okay, copy that. Setting a smoke screen. Make that call," Michael responded to Nikita then ordered Birkhoff. While Nikita secured Justin, the others would ensure that Division couldn't interfere. There were too many agents for the rogues to take on in a crowded public place. But if Michael and Birkhoff called Ops and led them to believe that they could trace the rogues' location, then that'd give Nikita the freedom to operate in the field. Hopefully, she didn't run into the same surprises she had at the motel. They wouldn't be able to handle more shocks.
Unfortunately, Nikita already encountered a shock. Alex was the lead agent for the grab team. She had approached Justin at the bar, flirted with him, and led him outside. Nikita immediately followed. She couldn't let Alex complete her mission. She couldn't let Division hurt Justin and kill Merrick. And she couldn't let Alex go down that path. So as soon as she caught up with the pair, Nikita took Alex down and urged Justin to run towards her car. Michael and Birkhoff's smoke screen should take care of the grab team. Justin was free to run, as long as he stuck to Nikita, not Alex, "Move! I'm getting you out of here."
"Nikita!" Quickly recovering, Alex drew her weapon and shouted at Nikita. The rogue pushed Justin out of the alleyway behind the club before she turned to face Alex. Nikita's gun was drawn in an instant. Alex knew it was because she had her own gun drawn; the rogue was only acting on instinct. But she couldn't help but become infuriated. Why did Nikita have to keep getting in her way. If she just dropped the gun, if she just stepped aside, if she just told the truth, Alex would have the black box and then her mother. She could be happy again if Nikita just stood down, "Drop your gun."
"What are you gonna do, shoot me?" Nikita was only half-certain that Alex wouldn't shoot her. If she had planned to, she would've done it while the rogue was distracted with Justin. Considering Alex was working with Division again despite everything that she knew and everything that had gone down, Nikita wouldn't have put it past her to shoot while her back was turned. Alex would do anything to get her revenge; that much had always been abundantly clear. Nikita just never knew that it'd also involve becoming the enemy. That was a line that she thought the young woman was too good to cross.
"I've done it before," Alex spat bitterly. However, as she trained the barrel of her gun on Nikita, she didn't actually believe she could pull the trigger. Last time, Nikita had been wearing her Kevlar lined jacket. She had been able to survive the worst of Alex's anger-filled actions. That time, however, she was only wearing a tanktop. If Alex shot her, she could die. Unless, of course, she shot her in a non-essential area. But just the thought of that gave Alex pause. Besides Semak, she didn't want to hurt anyone else. She didn't want to be like Division and the rogues, constantly hurting others to get what they wanted. She wanted to be like her mother.
"To save my life, right? Who's it gonna be for this time? Do you even know, or does Amanda have you so twisted you don't know what to believe?" Daring to approach Alex, Nikita dared her to think. A part of her knew it was pointless. Not that long ago, Amanda had had her claws sunk so deeply into her that she had turned against Michael and Birkhoff. The bitch, Amanda, had that disastrous effect on others. Although Alex was strong and smart, she couldn't fight that manipulation. Nikita didn't know anyone who could.
"I know what I believe and what I want. I'm using Division to get it," Alex knew exactly what she wanted from Division. No one was manipulating her; they never had been. She was going to use Division's resources and connections to kill Semak and save her mother. It was that simple. Amanda, Oversight, Sean Pierce, the rogues, no one could take her off course or make her do anything she didn't want to. She had the control in the situation. And she was going to do all she could to save her mother and be happy.
Loosening her tight grip on her gun, Nikita stared at Alex in bewilderment. Hadn't she already come to the conclusion that she didn't need Division to kill Semak. Hadn't she told Nikita that she didn't need anyone but herself to get revenge. What could've possibly changed to make her take all that back. What could have Division been holding over her head to make her keep changing sides. Was her revenge seriously that important. Or was there more going on than she was willing to share, "Why are you still on this, Alex? They are using you. It's what Division does. You can't trust them."
"I don't trust anybody!" Furiously, Alex snapped. She had enough of talking. All Oversight, Amanda, Sean, Peirce, Nikita, and Percy wanted to do was talk. But Alex was ready to act. She lashed out to knock the gun out of Nikita's hand. Although her move was successful, the rogue immediately retaliated. Alex's gun scattered along the ground. The two women began to fight in the alleyway, completely ignoring the fact that they could be discovered by Division or a civilian at any moment. They simply traded kicks and punches without holding back.
"Stop," Nikita soon slammed Alex against a dumpster. If Alex just quit right there, then they could both be happy. Going down her path the way she was would only get her hurt. Alex had to learn that then before things got much worse. Yet the young woman wouldn't quit. She had to hurt Nikita so she could reach her highly coveted goal- whatever it was at that point. Nikita kept stopping her however. She wouldn't let her go until she thought first. Free of Division and the rogues, Alex had to stop and think, "I said, stop!"
Having sparred with Alex and Nikita knew where her weak sides lay. She had tried to teach the young woman how to correct that. But in the heat of the moment, she wasn't going to heed the advice. Nikita could take advantage and force Alex to stop. She didn't want it to come to that. She didn't want to hurt her friend. Yet with how much she was fighting- how much she was careening towards death by working with Division- Nikita had to forcibly put an end to Alex's attacks. So, when Alex threw her next punch, Nikita captured her arm in her fierce grasp, "Remember this: I did this because I care."
Without allowing herself to think too much about what she was going to do, Nikita broke Alex's arm. The young woman shouted in pain and collapsed on the ground. She held her injured arm and tried not to cry. She also tried to get to her feet. Nikita grabbed her discarded gun. The thought to shoot Alex had never crossed her mind until then. And even then, she tried to push it out of her mind. However, she quickly realized that the only way to make Alex stop and think was to make her useless to Division. A broken arm could still allow her to perform some functions. But a gunshot wound would take her out completely, "Get out while you're still alive."
Nikita shot Alex in the thigh. Her screams rattled in the alleyway and in the rogue's mind. There was no escaping the pain she had inflicted.