Alex felt stupid. She had felt so sure of herself. She had felt like she could crash the dinner, save the senator, and get Nikita to give up the black box all on her own. She had at least accomplished two of those feats. But she had frozen when she had seen Nikita. She hadn't been able to do it; she hadn't been able to take her down. She hadn't even been able to approach the rogue. She had no idea why. She hadn't been filled with rage like she had expected. She wasn't exactly sure what she had felt.
She just felt stupid. Alex collapsed on the bench in the jail cell, trying to think where it had all gone wrong. Honestly, it was possibly her pause at seeing Nikita. She shouldn't have hesitated. She should've gone after Nikita and Michael and whoever else had been with them. She also should have gone after the gunmen. Any ties to P9, Division, or Oversight that the public discovered would ruin her chances to save her mother. She hadn't done anything she was supposed to do, however. Because she had frozen, she didn't have time to go after the shooter. All she had done was tackle the senator and clear him from any potential shot.
Unfortunately, because of the confusion and panic, Alex was mistaken as one of the attackers. She hadn't had a chance to escape because of her injuries. And because the senator had still been injured, she hadn't had a chance to explain herself. She was thrown into county jail until they could decide what to do with her. That was when Alex could've escaped. She could've planned and slipped away without anyone noticing. Division wouldn't come rescue her. If you got caught, that was on you. Alex was still on her own. She would've been perfectly okay with that if she didn't feel so stupid.
After sulking in the jail cell for what felt like hours, Alex heard footsteps approach her. She didn't hear the jingle of keys or a utility belt, so it wasn't a cop. And the sure, heavy steps couldn't possibly belong to Amanda or even Kelly- that was if Division had come to rescue her. Someone else entirely had come to see her. When she finally looked up to see who it was, she was almost too shocked to speak- almost, "They sent you with the 'get out of jail free' card? Lose a bet to Amanda or something?"
"I want to know what the hell you were thinking going to that event without telling anyone," Sean Pierce responded gruffly. He didn't approach the cell any closer than he needed to. He just glared at her with an oh-so-superior look. Alex snapped to her feet as quickly and as fiercely as she could and crossed bitterly to the bars. He wasn't fazed by her movements, yet her glare gave him some pause.
"I knew Nikita would be there. I didn't want to lose another shot at her," It wasn't exactly a lie. Alex had gone alone because she had known that Division would have just fucked things up. The rogues would've spotted them easily, and everything would've become much more complicated than they already were. Alex had also wanted to go alone so she could confront Nikita without judging eyes all over her. But her conflicted emotions that she continued to not be able to sort out had gotten in the way. That was still better than if Division had shown up, though. At least no one had died.
"You mean that in a literal sense? Because I saw the security cam footage. You had Nikita in your sights, and you lost her. Her and the shooter, Oversight's only link to Mars," Sean snapped, his anger finally showing. Alex was taken aback by it for a moment. What exactly was his deal with Oversight. It had to have been more than just orders. He wasn't just some dispassionate soldier. It was personal for him. But before Alex could care enough to figure out how personal it was, Sean made a personal attack at her, "Your approach was stubborn, stupid, and tactically inept."
"And you came all the way over here to tell me that. You must have a lot of free time on your hands," Alex pulled away from the bars and huffed. If Sean was going to act like that, then she didn't need him to rescue her. She didn't need Division to pull her out of that situation. Alex could escape on her own. Or she could find a way to finally explain herself. She had saved the senator (along with Nikita). She shouldn't be punished- she should be praised.
"Like I said, I saw the security cam footage. You saved the Senator's life. I came to bring you home," Pulling keys from his pocket, Sean stated simply. The anger completely died out of his gaze. He forced his attention on the lock and on freeing Alex. She didn't say anything else after that. She was far too shocked. Just what the hell was going through his head. Because whatever it was, it definitely wasn't normal.
"God, I'm so stupid! I should've remembered the tones. She doesn't deserve to go out like this, Mike," Birkhoff continued frantically. He was still chasing after Alicia, trying desperately to think of a way to stop her without killing her. She had only gone to the Vory clinic to finally find a way to beat her addiction; she had only wanted help. She didn't deserve to be used as a weapon and then die in a vile man's revenge effort.
"Alicia's been re-triggered. Two guesses where she's headed," Michael's bitterness was only a thinly veiled attempt to cover his agitation. He didn't like that there were still several people brainwashed under the P9 tactics. The ones in the clinic didn't have any orders, but what about those roaming the Earth believing they had been completely cured of their addiction. How were they going to be hurt in a twisted man's way to hurt others. Yes, Mars was dead. But what about his partners. How many more innocents were going to be used and abused. Even if the rogues stopped Alicia, would she really be the last one.
"St. Joseph's hospital, where the senator is recuperating. Michael, he'll be crawling with security. She'll get herself killed," Nikita joined Birkhoff in his franticness. Before Alicia could even finish her orders, the security team would execute her. They wouldn't ask questions; they wouldn't know that she had been brainwashed. She was going to die and be branded a villain forever, just like that poor kid trying to sell ice cream.
"Or Birkhoff: he's right behind her," Michael added one more problem to the situation. He knew Birkhoff. He knew that the hacker would step into the line of fire to try and save Alicia. He also knew that despite the many things he had taught him over the years, the nerd still wasn't capable of stopping a trained assassin without getting himself hurt in the process. Both Alicia and Birkhoff would die the instant they stepped into that hospital room- unless the team could get to them first.
"You guys go. I'll stay here. I know a little something about cleaning up crime scenes. I'll tee everything up for the cops- that Mars is the bad guy. I'll get everybody the help they need," Owen urged Nikita and Michael to follow Birkhoff. He could clean up the clinic, point the evidence towards Mars, and help the victims in the building and the ones he could find in the files. He could also continue to search for Mars's research on the Regimen. Though, that wasn't as important as his other steps. He had to help the others before he could help himself.
"Might want to erase the Venezuelans as well. No need to create an international incident," Pointing to the men she had taken out, Nikita added. She still had no idea what the Venezuelans had to do with P9 and the assassination of a U.S senator, but no one else should be able to make that connection. The last thing any of them could afford at the moment was an international incident. That'd definitely go against the rogues' plan to save the country from threats, and it might paint bigger targets on their backs with Oversight for exposing the secret.
"Well, that goes without saying," Owen chuckled dryly. He was already planning on how he could clean the scene, and the Venezuelans definitely didn't belong in his setup for the cops. Mars had to be the only villain. It was the best way to help his victims get quickly deprogrammed without any questions. It was also the fastest way Owen could clean so he could devote the rest of his time to finding the information he needed.
Nikita and Michael wished him luck, then scrambled to catch up with Birkhoff. Michael took the fastest route he knew to the hospital, while Nikita took a tablet and tried her best to hack the streetlights so they'd go faster. The two didn't say much as they drove; they were too worried about the possible outcome of Alicia's activation. Though, Nikita's thoughts kept wandering towards the Venezuelans. What was their involvement in that situation. The senator had no real power. So why did they need revenge, "I can't figure out why the Venezuelans would target a junior senator from Connecticut. Even if their motive was straight revenge…"
"Hang on," Michael cut Nikita off. He knew she was asking the right questions; they should be wondering why the Venezuelans were working with Mars to attack a senator. However, he was too distracted by the fact that he didn't see Birkhoff's car anywhere. They should've ran into him by then; they were on the only road out of the city that led there. But Birkhoff and Alicia were completely out of sight, "Where are you?"
"I was about to ask you the same question. Somewhere in back-ass country Greenwich. Probably gonna lose my signal," Birkhoff responded choppily. The one drawback of being a rogue was that they didn't have the same tech as their enemies. Whereas Division's coms worked worldwide, except for anything underground. The rogues' coms were limited to what could be covered by cellphones. In a terrible service area, they'd lose each other. That was something Birkhoff should fix. Yet he'd worry about that later.
"Michael, isn't St. Joseph's in Stamford?" Bewildered, Nikita asked. She could've sworn that had been what the news report and the map they had looked at had said. So what were Birkhoff and Alicia doing in Greenwich. There was no way to get to the senator or even Stamford from there.
"Yeah. Birkhoff, tell me exactly where you are. Birkhoff…" Michael tried to get more information out of Birkhoff, yet it was too late. He lost service, and his com cut out. Whereas Nikita tapped away on the tablet in an attempt to bring Birkhoff back, Michael began to turn the car around. They had been wrong about Mars's and the Venezuelan's target. They weren't going after the senator at the hospital. They had always had another victim in mind- someone who lived in Greenwich, "Alicia's not headed for the hospital."
"What if the Venezuelans were targeting someone else? At the dinner, and the picnic. It was the same charity. They have to have the same guests," Nikita echoed Michael's thoughts. The senator had just been collateral damage at the dinner, and the mistaken target at the picnic. Someone else had incurred the Venezuelans' wrath. After hacking the guest lists to the events, it wasn't difficult for Nikita to figure out who, "Judge Kathy Bridges sits on the board of Read & Unite. Rumor is she's about to rule against an oil company for price fixing."
"A Venezuelan oil company?" Michael assumed. If the judge was going to put sanctions on an oil company, those involved would undoubtedly try to stop her. And the easiest way they could hurt her would be attacking her at the two functions she would be attending for the charity program she supported. Michael and Nikita had found Alicia's real target. All they needed then was her location
"Venezuelan, Baby, Petroleos Orinoco. And I bet the judge has a nice place in Greenwich," Nikita confirmed Michael's theory and began searching for the judge's home address. There were no more events scheduled while the senator was recuperating; there was a chance the judge was at home. Nikita soon had the information she needed in no time, and directed Michael towards the address in the middle of nowhere Greenwich.
Birkhoff continued to not see Michael and Nikita anywhere, yet that didn't stop him from completing his mission. As soon as he caught up to Alicia, he sprinted out of his car and grabbed her by the shoulders. She tried to fight him, but he held on tight. He wouldn't let her go through with her brainwashed orders. She could fight them. She could survive, "Alicia! Alicia! Wait, stop! You don't know what you're doing. Listen, I know. I know what it's like to get orders that feel so strong, you think you're gonna die if you don't follow them. But deep down, there is a part of you that knows this isn't you. And that part of you can choose to stop."
For a brief moment, it appeared that Birkhoff had managed to break through to Alicia. Then, she saw her target through the window, and she continued marching forward with her gun raised. There was nothing Birkhoff could do to stop her that wouldn't lead to both of them getting hurt. Thankfully, he wasn't alone. The other rogues finally arrived, and Nikita immediately sprung out of the car. She knocked Alicia unconscious, effectively stopping the assault. Birkhoff was extremely grateful for the assist. Though, his snarked words expressed otherwise, "You guys took your sweet time."
"Birkhoff, if you want to be conscious for the car ride home, shut up," Nikita huffed. It had been a miracle that she and Michael had arrived when they had. Birkhoff shouldn't jinx it by pissing her off. He wisely agreed with her and didn't say a word the entire journey back to the safehouse. He only made certain that Alicia was okay and would be alright. An update from Owen confirmed the latter. The cops bought the story and doctors were coming to deprogram all of Mars's victims. Alicia could be brought to a hospital as soon as possible where she'd finally get the care she needed.
The rogues waited until Alicia was awake- and clearly not under her trance- before they told her the good news. She was beyond ecstatic, and asked to be taken to a hospital right away. Since he had been the one to put everything into effect, Owen drove her. He made sure things would be perfectly safe for her before he returned to the safehouse. It was weird hanging with the team that night, debriefing about the mission (Michael had a lot of questions about the expensive guns the former Cleaner had used) and attempting to joke around. So Owen decided he should leave in the morning. He simply needed information first, "Hey, computer guy."
"It's Birkhoff. Seymour Birkhoff," Birkhoff huffed. Seriously, he and Owen had known each other for months, and he still couldn't be bothered to remember his name. Honestly, sometimes Birkhoff thought that Owen was more concerned about Nikita than the rest of the team. They all worked as a team, yet he singled her out. The hacker wondered what her boyfriend thought about that. It'd definitely make for a fun conversation- well, fun for Birkhoff.
"Right, Seymour Birkhoff. Nikita says you have a thingy that can look for black boxes?" Owen continued regardless. Since he had the information he needed to get himself clean of the Regimen, he could continue with his original mission. There were still three more Guardians to kill and black boxes to destroy. Once that was complete, Percy could die and Division could end. Then, Owen would truly be done; he'd truly have his revenge.
"Shadowbot. And it doesn't look for black boxes. It runs a twenty four hour news feed against every piece of data in the black box. Any story correlates with an old Division mission, that bad boy pieces it together for us," Rolling his eyes, Birkhoff corrected. He wasn't sure if Owen had misheard Nikita, or if Nikita had the information wrong, but it honestly didn't matter. Shadowbot couldn't find the rogues the information they desperately needed. The location of the black boxes would constantly be a mystery and a pain in the ass.
"So you don't know where they are?" Owen felt his determination drain out of him. The rogues had their own black box; it should've been easy to find the rest of them with that. But apparently, not every piece of information they needed was stored away on that damn thing. The rogues still had to struggle to get ahead.
"Is that where you're going next? Still tracking down the black boxes?" Joining the conversation, Nikita wondered. She had thought that once Owen had a way to get clean of the Regimen, he'd join the rogues for good. They needed another agent to help them in the field, especially if it was an agent who could help them clean the scene and keep their tracks invisible. That'd be incredibly helpful as they continued to correct the sins on the black box, and as they eventually broke Ryan out of prison. They couldn't have new targets painted on their backs. They faced enough obstacles as it was. The rogues could use more help.
"First things first: this is everything on the Regimen. I pulled it off Mars's computer. It includes a way to chemically detox. It's, uh… It's the answer I've been looking for," Showing Nikita the information he had been able to find at the Vory clinic, Owen explained. He could finally get off the performance enhancers Percy had forced upon him and have a clear head. He wouldn't be dependent on anything Division related ever again. He could be free.
Nikita smiled softly at Owen. She was so relieved that he had found a way to detox from those deadly chemicals. She didn't have to worry about him going insane and hurting himself or anyone else. She also didn't have to worry about him being alone. He could join the rogues in the safehouse and officially be a part of their team, "You know it could take a while for all that to get out of your system. Maybe you could stay here."
"Absolutely not," Owen answered immediately. The urgency with which he responded surprised Nikita, and she opened her mouth to question him. That wasn't necessary, though. Owen had his reasons for staying away from her and the others. It was safer that way- in more ways than one, "Yeah, it's, uh, probably better I get clean on the road. The longer I wait, the colder those Guardian trails get, you know."
"Good luck. Owen. If you ever need anything, I'll be around," Although she thought his abrupt need to leave was strange, Nikita accepted that it was what Owen had to do. After all, a former Guardian hunting down the rest of the Guardians was probably the smart thing to do. She gave Owen a hug before they parted, and he squeezed her tightly in return.
While Owen left, the other rogues watched the news coverage of the follow up on P9. Alicia was giving an interview, discussing how the doctors were deprogramming her. Unfortunately, the only side effect was that her memory had gone a little weird. She could barely remember the last couple months… Every place she had been, everyone she had met. She couldn't remember anything. Which meant she had absolutely no memory of the rogues who had helped save her.
Although that was good for their anonymity, Birkhoff was upset by that fact. Nikita gave him a quick hug and kiss to his crown in comfort. He shrugged her off, but he did appreciate it. She gave his shoulders another squeeze before moving to find her boyfriend. She had to apologize for arguing with him about P9. He had been right all along. She should've trusted his instincts from the very beginning. They were great ones, after all. Because of him, so many innocents had been saved, "You were right about P9 being back. You saved all those people."
"We did: all of us. And I know what it took," Michael wrapped his arms around Nikita and kissed her sweetly. She shrugged, not caring that they had lost the lead on Oversight anymore. They had saved all those innocents- all those people trying to get help. How could anything else have been more important than that.
Alex was welcomed back to Division with applause. Everyone congratulated her for saving the senator, especially Amanda. Although Mars and P9 were still out there, saving the senator was a great thing to do. She was a hero. Alex didn't really feel like one, however. She felt as though she had just stumbled upon the title. She hadn't actually done anything. She knew that it was mostly the rogues. After all, as the news of P9 progressed, it was discovered that they had been the ones to effectively shut it down and save the victims. Division had done nothing to prevent the tragedy. Alex had done nothing.
She was determined to change that. As soon as she had finished debriefing with Amanda, Alex dove headfirst into the information she had on Semak and her mother. She was determined to have a plan in place as soon as her injuries were healed. Then she could save her mother immediately. She couldn't wait any longer. She had to truly be a hero. Unfortunately, as she studied and schemed, Alex was interrupted by sure, heavy steps. She was already sighing as Sean Pierce spoke, "I know why you lost Nikita at the dinner. You didn't blow your shot. You were never gonna take it. Tell me I'm wrong."
Alex only looked away from her research in order to roll her eyes. She had thought that the conversation about the dinner was over once Sean had freed her from the jail cell. It at least had been over for her. So why was he so hellbent on bringing it back up. Did he want to piss her off, "What difference does it make to you? As long as I am committed to the mission…"
"I just want to give you some advice," Sean interrupted Alex. He wasn't as angry as before, but he was just as stern and serious. He wanted Alex to hear everything that he said. His advice wasn't something she could just shrug off and ignore. It had to sink deep, especially after what he had just discovered.
However, Alex didn't want to listen to anything Sean had to say. There was no advice he could give that would actually help her. After her training with Division and the rogues, she had all the skills she'd need to kill Semak. And with the new information from Oversight, she'd soon have all the intel she'd need. Sean couldn't add anything new. He'd only be annoying, "Look, I don't need a lecture on when to…"
"Will you shut up for a second?" Sean snapped. Alex was close to springing to her feet, slapping him, and shouting that she'd never shut up. But the pain swimming in his hazel eyes made her go still. She had to listen to whatever he said; she needed to understand that sudden guilt, "When I was a Navy Seal, if you knew that your comrade faced certain death, you were supposed to take his life first. So one day I'm in combat, and my partner gets grabbed. And I had a gun, but I couldn't pull the trigger. I froze. And I later found out that he was tortured for months and then slaughtered. And I could've prevented it."
"He was your partner. No matter what the situation was, you didn't want to play a part in his death," Softly, Alex replied. She had thought Division's rules regarding captured agents had been harsh. But the Seals seemed a whole lot worse. She couldn't believe that Sean had been put through that. Maybe that was why he was with Oversight instead of the Navy; he wouldn't have to deal with losing another partner.
"He suffered because I was weak," Sean continued quietly. Instinctively, Alex reached for his hand. Despite what she usually felt about him, she had to comfort him in that moment. He shouldn't have to carry that pain and guilt on his shoulders; it wasn't his fault. But before she could touch him, he wisely pulled away from her, "Do yourself a favor. Next time you have Nikita in your sights, take the shot, because once she falls into Oversight's custody, she will not be afforded any mercy… by anyone."
The first thing that came to Alex's mind was that Sean Pierce was not weak. He simply hadn't wanted to kill his friend; he had led with his heart. That wasn't a weakness. That was an incredible strength that Alex had only seen a few people possess. Whoever had told Sean otherwise should get punched in the face. Alex would gladly do that.
The next thing thought in her head was what she really should've been focusing on, however. If Oversight caught the rogues, they wouldn't just be killed. They were in a lot deeper shit than they ever could've imagined. And all they had done was try to save the world. What kind of justice was that. How could Sean work for a group like that- how could Alex.