Michael had the news report rewinded back to the statement about how the suspect in an attempted assassination was shot twice by the threatened senator's security detail. The report went on to say that eyewitnesses described the suspect, Lancaster, as being in a trance-like state during his efforts to kill the senator. Although Nikita and Birkhoff recognized that whatever had happened was horrific, they weren't sure why Michael was so desperate to show them. He seemed impatient as he waited for them to catch up. When the two couldn't, he finally and anxiously explained, "This is P9."
"No way. Nobody got out alive," Birkhoff instantly shook his head. He didn't need to think hard to know what Michael was talking about. Although the mission had occurred over eight years ago, before the two men had gone rogue, the events continued to haunt Birkhoff. There was no way he could ever forget his part in the horror or the screams that shook his nightmares. A part of him wanted to destroy the black box just so he could erase the mission. Though, that wouldn't fix what had been done. That horror was long lasting.
"Apparently, the kid just suddenly changed. People said he looked like he was in a trance," Michael explained why he believed P9 was at fault for the assassination attempt. He couldn't comprehend how a young man who was turning his life around by buying an ice cream truck would suddenly try to kill a senator. He had to have been programmed. Michael was convinced of that. Birkhoff remained unsure, but he was becoming swayed. Nikita, on the other hand, was completely confused. There were gaps in her information that had to be filled in, "Do you remember Eustice, the militia group that got into the siege with the FBI in 2003?"
"Yeah, FBI raided the compound, and they burnt the whole cult down," Nikita was vaguely aware of the militia group. She had recently been recruited into Division when that had happened. The news spread across the recruits about the terrible things happening in the outside world. At the time, Nikita had felt safe to be inside the bunker. At least there, she wouldn't have been gunned down by a cop- unlike when she had been on the streets. Maybe that was the reason Division let bad news such as the raid spread to the recruits- to make them think positive of Division. Fortunately, going back to the outside world helped change minds again.
"It was no cult. That was a cover. The compound housed a program to breed assassins: P9," Michael dispelled the lie a bit awkwardly. Honestly, it would've been easier to have Nikita read about the operation on the black box. Admitting his and Birkhoff's part in the horrific mission was difficult. However, the two knew a lot of the terrible things Nikita had done in the service of Division- and the terrible things she had done since she had gone rogue. It was only fair that they told her themselves what they had done.
"An assassination program that's different from Division?" Still confused, Nikita glanced between Birkhoff and Michael. She wasn't surprised that there were more assassination programs in the world like Division. Gogol, after all, was pitched to the recruits as being the Russian equivalent of Division. Also, there had to have been more corrupt government figures like Oversight running around causing havoc just so they could have more power and control. So, of course, something like P9 could exist. But why it had been so brutally shut down, and why that had something to do with a recent assassin being in a trance-like state, confused Nikita.
"Way more X-Files. They used a super-teched-out version of hypnosis, neuro-hypnotic reprogramming," Birkhoff shared what he knew the best way he knew how. Sure, Division used spy-fi type equipment like trackers that worked all over the world, hyper-realistic masks, and killchips. But there was no brainwashing. Well, there was a form of it with how Amanda would indoctrinate the recruits. Yet that could be broken and fought against. What P9 did was something worse. There was no breaking that programming. Once you were made a killer, there was no way to break free.
"When they were done, they put those people back in the world with no idea what had happened to them. Sleepers," Michael continued. Although Division agents had no real choice when it came to their assassinations- it was kill or be killed- at least they were conscious of their actions. At least there was some autonomy. With P9, there hadn't even been an illusion of choice. Innocent people had been forced to assassinate others, and then they had been killed for being unlucky enough to have been forced into that situation. It was sick; it was wrong. And Michael hated having been a part of that more than he hated having been a part of Division.
Easily noting the anger, horror, and grief across Michael's and Birkhoff's faces, Nikita's curiosity continued to grow. There was more about P9 that they weren't telling her. If it was just an assassination program that the FBI had burned down, then the two men wouldn't have been as passionate about the subject. They also wouldn't have known as much as they did if it was just an average FBI raid. There was more to the story. And studying Michael's expression, Nikita was positive she knew what the missing information was, "How do you know all this?"
"Because those weren't FBI agents who burned down the compound. It was Division," Michael confirmed Nikita's thoughts somberly. Division had been called in to completely wipe out the P9 assassination program after it had gone bad. Percy had then spun the story to say that the FBI had burned down another cult. Considering the track record the FBI had, no one questioned it. Civilians had moved on as though the world had not been changed. Yet there was no way Michael and Birkhoff could move on after that. They had rained hell, not because they thought it was right, but because they were ordered too. There was no atoning for that.
"Division was sent to clean up P9 after a sleeper went awol and shot two policemen in Eustice," Amanda informed Sean. Though, he was only half listening to the briefing. Half of his mind still lingered on Alexandra and their conversation. He couldn't shake her stubbornness, or how that affected him. He absolutely should learn how to, however. If he couldn't detangle himself from Alexandra, then he'd never complete his mission. He would also never be able to escape from Amanda's annoying, knowing glances, "I take it Oversight didn't brief you on P9, one of their less successful programs."
Sean fought to clear his thoughts of Alexandra. Thinking about P9 helped, though not much. He had already been reeling from news of the assassination attempt when he had been informed of P9 and Oversight's involvement with the program. If their hands in Division weren't enough to send him spiraling, P9 definitely was. Sean could not get a grip on what was real and what was all a lie. It felt as though everything was a coverup and he was constantly played, just like those innocents, "So the idea was abducting foreign nationals and brainwashing them."
"The idea was a clean strike. Say you wanted to assassinate the president of Pakistan. Why send in Seal Team Six, when you can get the local ice cream man to do it for you?" Amanda smirked at her clever response. Sean just glared. He had enough of their conversation. He was ready to leave Amanda's office and ignore whatever he was supposed to be briefed about. He was also ready to call Oversight and demand why he had never been told about P9- and question if there were other earth shattering revelations he was going to be forced to learn.
"And then commit suicide," That was the part that made Sean the most sick. Oversight creating and funding Division and P9 was something he could compartmentalize; he could find some rationality in the programs and how they could help the country. But the operatives being brainwashed into performing assassinations, and then killing themselves afterwards was wrong. No one should take away choices like that. No one should use people as weapons. The country and the people running it should have been better than those awful actions- especially since they taught others never to think like that.
"The hits look like random acts of violence from mentally disturbed individuals. Personally, I found it disgusting," Amanda shrugged as though what was occurring had no consequence. Sean hadn't liked her when he had first started working with her. But each day, that dislike grew. It wasn't just what Oversight had said and his experiences with Amanda that had made him feel that way; how Alexandra interacted with her was a huge influence. Sean knew there could be a better leader for Division than Amanda- someone who cared about people and the country, someone who wouldn't cast agents and soldiers aside like they were chess pieces.
Who ran or didn't run Division wasn't Sean's concern, however. Oversight wanted him to observe and report so another situation like with Percy wouldn't arise again. Except, he had more important concerns on his mind. And those concerns were being seriously jeopardized by how Amanda was running things, specifically with the rogues. If she had done a better job of controlling them, they wouldn't have been in that mess. People would've been safe, and he could've been gone, "Why? Because you prefer more old-school brainwashing techniques?"
"Because the concept is flawed, just like its creator was," Amanda didn't rise to Sean's taunt. Instead, she let him know how Oversight had hired a neuropsychiatrist who had specialized in brain waves, and how he had been killed along with everyone else in the raid. Yet, somehow, P9 returned. If Sean could figure out how that happened, then P9 and Oversight's involvement would disappear again. Although he didn't want to take orders from Amanda, Sean knew he had to accept the op. Hiding Oversight was key to keeping his loved ones safe, after all. He'd do anything to make that happen, including getting involved in things he shouldn't.
Silence stretched across the safehouse at the admission. Nikita wasn't shocked by Division's involvement in cleaning P9; the black ops group was always used to sweep the government's dirty dealings under the rug. She fell silent because Birkhoff and Michael did first. Both of their minds went somewhere dark as they remembered what had happened. They couldn't absolve themselves of the atrocities. They were completely soaked in it, as Birkhoff expressed, "Man. I can still hear the sounds from that day… Screams…"
"Yeah, I… Supervised the raid from Ops," The guilt continued to choke Michael. A part of him had known how wrong his actions had been at the time, yet he still commanded the agents in the field to go through with the operation. He had run a lot of missions, yet that one continued to crawl under his skin and give him nightmares. Glancing at Nikita, he had thought she'd be terrified or hateful about his involvement. However, she looked back at him in understanding. She knew all about the guilt he felt. He wasn't alone.
The fact that the rogues understood each other, however, didn't help lighten the mood. Thoughts of P9 and its possible return weighed them down. Except, P9 might not have actually returned. Michael only assumed it had because of the similarities. Similarities weren't proof. It could all just be a coincidence- a terrible, horrific coincidence. There was no need to drown in past actions and assume the worst. The suspect could've shot at the senator for a number of reasons. The rogues didn't have to be so fearful. They could move on, like Nikita tried to do, "What happened to those people is terrible, but the chances of this being P9, I mean…"
"They said Lancaster was happy. He was doing well. He just put ten thousand down for an ice cream truck. Does that sound like somebody who's planning to commit an assassination?" Michael wouldn't let go of his theory. He knew he was right. He had seen the effects of P9 firsthand, and he recognized the same horror with the young man. More innocent people had been brainwashed into becoming assassins against their will. He had to stop it. He had to save the victims that time, "Birkhoff, transfer the schematics for the Eustice compound to my phone. That should give us an hour or two to get there."
"Michael, we leave for Lisbon tonight," Nikita argued. She hadn't actually told Michael about her lead. If she had, then maybe he'd agree with her plan. Birkhoff was right: she should've shared what she had been doing. However, it wasn't like she thought they'd argue about what their next move would be. Exposing and taking down Oversight was the most important thing they could be doing. P9, though awful, wasn't their responsibility. The rogues had to stay on mission- preferably before things got worse, "We can't just drop everything because you have a hunch, okay? My contact is waiting. If I don't show, he will get spooked."
Glancing at Birkhoff, Michael tried to comprehend what Nikita was talking about. Yet Birkhoff only rolled his eyes and shrugged. Whatever contact Nikita suddenly had must've been what the two had been arguing about when Michael had called for them. Nikita had started off on another mission on her own, and she was dragging the others for the ride. Although that was something to discuss- especially before Nikita's need to solely carry the weight of the world got worse- the rogues' focus had to remain on P9. The supposed-to-be-defunct assassination program was the more looming threat, "I understand. But if P9 is back…"
"If P9 is back. Lisbon is real. We've been waiting months for a shot like this," Nikita would admit that if P9 was really back, the rogues should do something about it. They should correct the sins on the black box and save innocents. Yet P9 was only a hunch. There was no confirmation that the assassination attempt had anything to do with the old program. Michael was probably just letting his guilt and anxieties get the best of him. That was something they should talk about, not use as fuel to rush off on an unimportant mission.
"If you think Lisbon is more important, then you go," Michael, however, was just as stubborn as Nikita. He was going to follow his gut on that mission. There was a chance for the rogues to do something right after all the hell they had brought- both involuntarily and voluntarily- and he was going to follow it through. More people than Lancaster could be suffering. He couldn't sit by and do nothing when he knew he had the knowledge and power to stop it. Nikita could do whatever she wanted. Yet Michael knew where his focus should lie.
"If I think Lisbon's more important? Wait a minute. So taking down Oversight, putting a dent in them, all of the sudden, that's not a priority for you?" Nikita chased after Michael. He had wanted to burn Division for a lot longer than she had. He had wanted revenge for what Percy had done to his family for years. Yet, all of a sudden, he was willing to give it up to chase some lead that might not have been real. That didn't make any sense. What could've possibly been going through his head. What kind of effect did the P9 mission have on him.
"If I'm right, God only knows how many sleepers are out there and how many assassinations are planned. Oversight can wait. This can't," Michael had made up his mind to follow his theory as soon as he had seen the new report. Exposing and burning Oversight would be a long game; the rogues had time to plan their next moves and attack. But P9 was volatile and unpredictable. If the rogues didn't do something about it then, so many innocent people could get hurt. Michael hadn't done anything to save them the last time P9 had surfaced. However, he could that time. He could save people who needed to be saved before it was too late.