"I'm sure this is very difficult for you," Amanda commented as she watched Alex struggle to walk on the treadmill. At the sound of the woman's voice, Alex wanted to stop her physical therapy and leave the bunker for good. After her conversation with Sean, she wasn't up for any more mind games or lack of information. She just wanted to be left alone. She was never going to find that peace in Division, however. Everyone always had to get in her business.
"I'm getting better," Alex gritted in response. Maybe her bitterness would drive Amanda away. After all, Alex couldn't leave in the middle of her physical therapy. She needed to heal from her injuries as fast as possible. Then, she could be back in the field, ready to do whatever it took to save her mother.
"Some wounds heal quicker than others," Unfortunately, Alex's tactic didn't work. Amanda continued to talk to her, studying her with a knowing stare.
Honestly, Alex would rather be talking to Sean Pierce again. At least he had no idea who she was. It was easier to lie to him and avoid talking about the heavy subjects. Amanda, however, could force Alex to open up no matter what. Even changing the subject and ignoring her look wouldn't save her. Alex still tried, though, "Something tells me you didn't come here just to talk about my health."
"I'd like you to talk to Percy about an old mission: Operation Falling Ash," Although Alex knew that Amanda still wanted to talk about her confrontation with Nikita, she thankfully got right to the point. There would be no psychoanalyzing by the new head of Division that day. She only approached Alex because she wanted something. Despite the feeling of being used, the young woman preferred it that way. The last thing she needed then was to delve into her complicated feelings with Amanda.
"Is Nikita involved?" Alex couldn't stop herself from asking. She didn't want to open that can of worms; however, the words came tumbling out of her mouth. If the rogues had raised more hell, Alex didn't want to deal with them. She wanted to keep as far from them as possible. It just kept getting too messy; she kept getting too distracted from her mission to kill Semak and save her mother. She couldn't go down their path anymore. Nikita's latest actions had made that abundantly clear.
"No. I'm sure you've heard about the attempt on the senator. Oversight is concerned an old pet project may be to blame, and Percy might be able to allay their fears," Amanda reminded Alex of the news feed she had seen playing in Operations. However, Alex didn't really care that much about it. Yes, she didn't like that the young man had shot himself after the attempt. But she didn't see why she had to concern herself with the attempt on a politician's life. It didn't have anything to do with her mission, so why care about it. Amanda got her to care though with a simple phrase, "Think of it as a favor. Friends do favors for each other."
"I don't think we're there yet," Alex attempted to brush the offer aside. But she was desperate for a favor right about then. She had stalled in her efforts to gather information on Semak. She needed a new lead. If she played along with Amanda and Oversight, she knew she'd be given what she needed. She simply didn't want to act as their puppet with Percy.
"I think your current condition is evidence of how fleeting friendships can be," Amanda eyed Alex's broken wrist and gunshot wound. Alex refocused on her physical therapy, trying not to give away her anger and pain. Her expression failed her, however. Amanda noticed and smirked. She thankfully didn't make a comment on it, yet she still knew. She still had that emotional leverage over Alex, "Our relationship is different. I'm your business partner. As such, I'll provide necessary incentive."
"I don't think a pair of five hundred dollar heels is gonna do me much good right now," Alex snarked. A part of her was aware of what Amanda was alluding to. She simply wanted to hear it. She wanted verbal confirmation that she'd be offered what she wanted. Then, she could hold Amanda and Oversight accountable for it. They wouldn't be able to trick her or string her along. Alex was their equal, not their tool.
Amanda let Alex's snark sit for a moment. She wasn't going to be quick with her answer. Either, she was torturing Alex, or she was testing to see how much she'd comply if the incentive was strong enough. Alex wanted to force her to stop. However, she knew that wouldn't help her. She simply had to be patient. And not raise immediately to Amanda's bait, "What if I were to provide you with a list of the men close to Sergei Semak- all his top brass?"
"Exactly what do you need me to find out from Percy?" Alex should've held out more before caving. But what Amanda was offering was too great to refuse. If Alex could pick off and get information from Semak's inner circle, then killing him would be so much easier. She wouldn't be up against a whole army, just a few stupid men.
"If there were any loose ends on P9 or Eustice, anything else we should know," Amanda stated simply. Alex only had to ask for information. There was nothing complicated to her assignment. Though, she would have to speak to Percy. That alone made Alex hate what she was doing. But the prize she'd receive was worth it. So, she sucked it up and went down into the depths of hell.
After an hour or so of thought, Nikita asked Birkhoff for the coordinates to where Michael had gone. Although she continued to think Lisbon and the identity of the Oversight member was important, she didn't want to leave Michael alone. He was more important to her than her crusade was, after all. So, once she realized that, she rushed to him as fast as she could. Nikita soon caught up to Michael and joined him at the burned down compound. He didn't seem to notice her there. She had to capture his attention. She decided on doing so with a tension lightening quip, "I thought this was a restricted area."
"What changed your mind?" Michael was surprised to see Nikita next to him. He had never gotten her to change course before. Once her mind was made up, she was going to bring hell with her. Yet something had happened that had made her reevaluate her position. He was extremely curious to know what it was.
"I thought about you here alone, and I didn't like it," Nikita admitted. Both Michael and Birkhoff had reacted terribly to the memory of the mission. Michael shouldn't have been alone as he faced those demons at the crime scene. Nikita should've been by his side, grounding him and supporting him. He'd do the same for her. It was the least they could do for each other. Even if they disagreed, they could still have each other's backs.
Michael stopped his search through the decimated building to study Nikita. She was serious about not wanting him to be alone. However, she didn't seem serious about his mission. Her mind was still pulling her to Lisbon. That was more real to her than the resurgence of P9, despite what he had argued, "But you still don't believe me."
"I believe in you… And in us," Nikita took Michael's hand in hers and kissed him on the cheek. No, she didn't believe that P9 was back. But she believed in Michael's instincts. If he said that something was going on, then something was going on. The team should investigate and see what they could do to help. After all, innocent people could've been used to commit assassinations against their will. If that really did turn out to be true, then the team definitely had to stop it. Just like they were stopping Division, "What are we looking for?"
"Part of the original objective here was to retrieve the research Dr. Mars kept on file, something we failed to do in 2003," Michael smiled. He squeezed Nikita's hand and led her towards where he had been searching.
"Probably because it burnt up in the fire," Speculating, Nikita examined the torched area. If no person had survived the original raid, then she doubted a piece of evidence would've. There was nothing to find over seven years after the fact. They were just chasing ghosts.
"Maybe, maybe not. But according to Percy's private notes on the box, Mars had a private safe hidden in his office," Michael continued. He had had Birkhoff send him the information on Operation Falling Ash that had been concealed on the black box. There had been more to the mission than the agents involved had known, which meant that there had to have been more in the aftermath. Though, digging through the ashes was more than Michael could take; he couldn't shake the horrific memories, "We radioed the doctor, told him to line up everyone for extraction. They thought the killers coming through the door were a rescue team."
"No wonder this place feels haunted," Nikita squeezed Michael's hand again. She could take over combing through the burned remains of the building if he needed her to. He shouldn't keep forcing himself to live through the guilt and horror of his past actions. She could burden some of the weight on her shoulders. He was never alone, which meant he didn't have to struggle on his own.
However, before Nikita could suggest to Michael that he wait by the car while she searched, a familiar voice called her name from the rubble, "Nikita?"
"Owen?" With her gun automatically drawn, Nikita whirled around to the source of the sound. She instantly lowered her weapon once she realized who it was. Though, she continued to be shocked by his presence. No one had called Owen to join her and Michael in the field. She couldn't even picture Birkhoff calling him for backup after she had left the safehouse. He was supposed to be finding his way off the Regimen, not exploring a haunting crime scene, "Owen, what are you doing here?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Owen asked in return. His eyes were trained on Michael, however. He had drawn his weapon as well after hearing someone call Nikita's name. However, he didn't drop it when he realized it was only Owen. Michael continued to glare at the former Cleaner, assessing how much of a threat he was going to be. Owen did the same to him.
"Answer the question," Michael spoke sternly. Although Owen was a part of their team, he didn't trust the man in front of him. How did he know the man who had called Nikita's name wasn't the same one who had thrown her in front of a car. Michael wouldn't risk the fact that they could be dealing with a Regimen withdrawal Owen and not the regular Owen. He wouldn't let the crazed former Cleaner hurt Nikita again. The man had to remain far away from them and their mission until he was completely healed.
"I know about this place 'cause I was on the strike team that burned it down," Owen explained with the same tone Michael had addressed him with. That seemed to snap him out of his glare and make him lower his gun. Yet Owen wasn't done glaring at him. He was just as surprised to see Michael and Nikita as they were to see him. No one else should've known about Division's involvement with P9, so why were they poking around the burned down compound, "Now answer my question."
"I quarterbacked the op," Michael didn't go into depth; though, he did finally put his gun away. Owen was still himself. He had to have been if he had had managed to draw the same conclusions from the news report as Michael had.
"So you saw that kid on the news. You came to track down the survivor," Owen assumed. That was why he had shown up at the graveyard. He had to find the survivor of Falling Ash since he had confirmation that he was alive. Michael and Nikita obviously had to as well. Though, Owen bet that their motives differed from his.
"There were no survivors," Michael glanced at Owen strangely. If he had been on the strike team, then he should've known that no one had gotten out. Division had killed everyone to cover for Oversight's mistakes. Honestly, Michael wished he would've known that at the time of the mission. Then, he would've escaped so much sooner.
Despite Michael's objection to the idea of survivors, Owen's reaction expressed differently. He knew more than the others did. Nikita wouldn't let him sit on that information for long, "Owen, what survivor?"
"The guy that invented the program, Joseph Mars, I saved his life," Owen shared his true reasoning for being there. Both Michael and Nikita stared at him in shock. That information hadn't been on the black box, at least not what Birkhoff had found and had shared. However, there was no doubt that it was true. What Owen said made sense, "Percy ordered me to extract Mars. But he didn't want anybody to know. That's why everyone else had to die. Mars knew that stimulating certain parts of the brain would improve focus, the senses. So Percy had him create something to give Division agents an edge."
"The Regimen," Nikita followed those dots perfectly. Of course Percy would go behind Oversight's backs for his own personal gain. And of course his own personal gain involved torturing Division agents. Owen had managed to dig up a lot of information while he searched for a way off the Regimen. Nikita wondered how. Though, not as much as she wondered how much of the pills he had left. She hated to think of him suffering, especially since that suffering could get him killed, "How low is your supply?"
"It's getting low," Owen replied honestly. He had hoped for a quick solution, but each new lead always led to a deadend. Locating Mars and his research was his last chance to get off the Regimen for good. Or else he was looking at another trip through crazy town.
"Want to warn us before you turn into the Tasmanian devil again?" Michael's words were light, but his tone was not. He would not hesitate to shoot Owen if he went psycho on them again. Nikita would definitely protest against that. But Michael didn't think Owen would. The former Cleaner glanced at him and his weapon expectantly, almost like a silent plea. If he did go insane again, Michael had to do all he could to stop him. Michael nodded.
"I find Mars, I find my way off of it," Directing his attention back to Nikita, Owen promised that he was close to saving himself. New leads had opened up to him, and he was going to follow every thread. He wouldn't give up, especially when he knew he was so close, "Before the attack on the senator yesterday, I didn't even know if the guy was still alive. Last time I saw him, he was trying to take his research with him. But there was no time."
With the revelation that Mars' research could still be in his private safe, Michael, Nikita, and Owen hurried to search for it. Unfortunately, when they found the safe, they discovered that it had already been opened. The research was gone. There went Owen's quick solution to his Regimen problems. And there confirmed Michael's theory about P9, "Looks like he made the time to come back for it."
Alex fought to keep a neutral expression as she approached Percy's cell, yet she couldn't wipe the scowl off her face. She hated being there, and there was no hiding it. Especially since Percy found amusement in her situation. He smiled at her as she approached, and began their conversation with an asinine question, "Have you ever read any Dostoyevsky?"
"No," Alex responded flatly. She was lying, of course. Her father had made certain she was well-versed in their country's literature. But she had no time to play whatever game Percy wanted to play. So, she shut him down before he could start anything.
"Tolstoy?" Percy tried again. Alex just stared at him. He sighed. Though, he didn't give up. He was going to avoid the real reason why Alex was talking to him and push for his own agenda, "You Russians really know your pain, don't you?"
"I need to ask you about an old mission," Alex should've known by then that trying to redirect the conversation while talking to Percy was useless. However, she still tried. Eventually, he'd catch her hint that he couldn't play games with her anymore. Though, like with Amanda and her knowing stares, it'd be forever before that became a reality.
"At the moment, I'm more interested in your new wounds. They look like they go deep," Percy eyed Alex's gunshot wound and broken wrist with amused intrigue. She wanted to roll her eyes and march away. The last thing she needed was for him to know what had happened with Nikita. However, the allure of finally getting information against Semak kept her in place. Saving her mother was worth any hell she had to endure, including a conversation with Percy.
"Falling Ash- tell me what happened," Alex managed to make her expression neutral then. Amanda had told her what she knew about the past operation and Oversight's involvement with P9. Alex was surprised that Amanda had such a strong distaste for the whole thing. Though, she did run things differently than Percy; she at least gave agents more of a choice than he or Oversight did. Her finger didn't rest on the trigger for killchips.
"You first," Percy smirked, indicating Alex's injuries. He wouldn't open up unless he received something in return. If Alex hadn't done the same thing with Amanda, she would've been snarky with the bastard about it.
Instead, Alex took a deep sigh and thought of a response that would explain what had happened, but wouldn't give too much away. After a moment of thought, she was able to state simply, "I encountered Nikita in the field."
"She tried to kill you and failed?" Percy's surprise confirmed Alex's suspicion that Nikita never meant to kill her. If the rogue had, then she would have succeeded. Though, Alex honestly didn't need much confirmation for that. Deep down, she knew that Nikita and the rest of the rogues couldn't kill her. Just as she had realized that she couldn't kill them.
"She tried to dissuade me from my mission and failed," Alex figured that response would bring Percy back to the topic that she wanted to discuss. His pointless questions would detract her from her course. No matter what, she would get the information she needed from him.
"Her tactics seem pretty brutal. Have they made you reevaluate your own? There is a value in an eye for an eye, you know. Or a leg for a leg," Eyeing Alex's bullet wound once more, Percy snarked. Alex didn't rise to his bait. She stopped herself from saying anything else about the topic- despite the roaring thoughts in her mind. He sighed again. Finally- and thankfully- he realized he should respond to her, "But I guess that's your problem. Let's talk about mine. If Oversight wants me to fill in their missing piece of the puzzle, I will require the following: a pot of hot water, a bag of Earl Grey on the side, every morning at seven, proper English tea."
"You can smoke the tea leaves, for all I care. Just start talking," Alex rolled her eyes. She understood how quid-pro-quo Division could be. All information came with a price. Percy didn't have to make his demands so theatrical. After all, he knew he was going to get them anyway. He should simply make it easier for everyone and just state his price then share the facts. Though, where would the fun be for him if he didn't hold all the power.
Alex was aware that was what Percy was trying to maintain. Even while in his cell, he fought hard for some kind of control. That was why conversations with him took forever. He knew he had a captive audience while they waited for information, "It's ironic, isn't it, that an organization known as Oversight should have such little foresight?"
"Meaning what?" Alex sounded about as tired and fed up as she felt. She was certain another ego-stroke from Percy was about to start, and she already lost all patience for it.
"They wanted to eliminate Joseph Mars along with the rest of P9, which would have been a terrible waste. Nobody knew their way around the human brain better than he did. For two years, Mars worked for me under lock and key. And then he just disappeared into thin air," Percy finally told Alex the information she needed to know. However, it wasn't what she was expecting. The bastard going behind Oversight's orders seemed on par, but not the rest of it- not that fact that more people had managed to slip past Percy's control.
"You're telling me you have no idea where he went or how he got out?" Alex stared at Percy in bewilderment. Even when Michael, Birkhoff, and Nikita had gone rogue, Percy had known how they had escaped. So why was a random scientist any different. Was there more that he wasn't sharing. A part of Alex figured that he was. But she debated with herself whether or not she should pry. It might not have been worth it. She already had the information she needed to trade for information on Semak. So why keep digging when she could leave that conversation.
"No idea. But I can tell you this: when the next shooter makes an attempt on the senator, it'll look like a copycat- another lonely lunatic gone off the rails," Percy advised Alex on a mission Division should undertake to ensure no one else suffered because of P9. She wondered why he would even care about that- how could saving a senator save him. Then, he shared one more fact that put everything in perspective, "By the way, I saved the data for Falling Ash on the black box. Assuming she's read the file, I imagine Nikita will come to the same conclusions."
Great. So the rogues were definitely involved with the new mission. And since Alex knew that taking them down would secure her the help she needed to save her mother, she had to involve herself too. She wasn't looking forward to it.