Guts Over Fear ◇ NIKITA

My Good Pal, Birkhoff

Birkhoff wouldn't let Alys stay in Division tonight. Not when Amanda was using Recruit tactics to get her to give something, anything up. The sedative had worn off but she still felt the affects of truth serum, mostly opting to keep her mouth shut. "What're you doing out here by yourself?" She turned her head and gained a half smile when she saw Noah leaning against the blacony railing.

"What I always do these days," she sighed. "Thinking of you..." She turned her eyes back to the water and kept her breathing in time with the tide, the way Noah had taught her.

"It's a bit redundant to dwell on the past, especially for you." She lost her smile and nodded solemnly, releasing a deep breath.

"You moved me, Noah. People don't just get over things like that. It takes time." She fought hard against the tears in her eyes, somehow managing to keep them from falling.

"There are more important things than me to spend your time on." When Alys turned her head again, Noah was gone, leaving her alone on the balcony as the sun fell behind the water. Not knowing how much longer she could fight her will to cry, she walked back into the room Birkhoff let her stay in and ran her fingers under her eyes, wiping away the tears before they had the chance to fall.

Her initial thoughts were sleep, but she didn't think she could handle a bombardment of emotional memories, so she instead walked out into the open hall and down the stairs, going through the doorway to her left and finding Birkhoff's computer desk empty. The whole room was Birkhoff-less for once, so she made her way over and sat down. With a smirk, she typed in 'Ronald' and got it on the first try. What have you been up to, Nerd?

With a command key, she pulled up his recently closed screens. A few popped up, and she was spared when one of the boxes read "Girls of Amsterdamn XXX" but was covered up by various other screens. Closing a few she deemed irrelivant, she began looking at the others. One looked like he purchased a jet under the same name and off shore accounts that he bought this house with.

Closing that one, she found an important one behind it. Percy left Division abruptly before Alys went to Amanda, and this screen showed Birkhoff was tracking him to Montreal. "And this is why Percy doesn't let you in Ops." Alys tilted her head and shrugged.

"Maybe. What's so important about Montreal? Both Michael and Percy are there." She turned to look at Birkhoff with a small, innocent smile. "I hear the girls of Amsterdam are lovely this time of year."

"There's no maybe, this is exactly why," he huffed, rolling the chair away from his desk and standing in front of the main screen with a pointed look. "You're too nosey for your own good."

"It is how I ended up in Division," she agreed softly, a reminisent look on her face. "I'm stupidly curious." Her mood shifted in her face and she smiled up at Birkhoff. "So how do you wanna spend our sleepover, Seymour? Watch scary movies, braid each other's hair, hack into government networks?" Alys wiggled her eyebrows in interest and watched a smile fighting to grow in the corner of his lips. "I can paint your nails, let you take a rest while I surf through Shadownet. Maybe even the Eye."

"We can't,"Birkhoff sighed. "I already broke into Percy's office once today, I can't risk any more attention right now." Alys nodded and sighed as well. He had a fair point. "From what I know, Nikita's happening in Montreal. One of the Black Boxes is vulnerable and she's going after it."

This piqued her interest, and she tilted her head. "Oh really? I thought those were just a spooky Division fairy tale." He shook his head, leaning back on his desk with a heavy breath.

"I wish they were." Alys studied his tired stature and grew sympathetic, realizing she was another big stressor on him right now. Birkhoff was the only one she could turn to these days and it was starting to wear him down.

"Could you at least give me something to jam my tracker signal?" His eyes widened in worry so she was quick to clarify. "Just for a few days. I need a step back from Division."

"You know that will take extra precaution, right?" he protested.

She nodded, "Yeah, but I know you won't get caught. You're the mighty Shadow Walker." Alys stood and rolled his chair towards him, a confident smile on her lips. Not confident in her own ability to thwart Division, but in Birkhoff's. "Worst case scenario, you can cover for me. You saw what Amanda did to me. I'd rather not be subject to another surprise attack. So," she sighed, "get to work and let me handle the rest."

◇

It was late by the time Birkhoff finished the jammer and went to bed, even later when Alys came creeping out of her room. She set her things at the top of the stairs before making her way to his room. As her socked feet silently shuffled over the hardwood, she admired all the small toys and movie merchandise decorating his space.

Birkhoff was curled on the far edge of his bed, his arms and legs held together in a relaxed fetal position. He looked softer in his sleep than he did awake, less traumatized by his time. "Thank you, boy genius," she whispered, placing a feather light kiss on his temple. "Wouldn't have made it this far without you." Alys fell silent when he stirred, only pulling the blankets tighter around himself before stilling.

Just as quietly as she had entered, Alys left the room and grabbed her things before walking to Birkhoff's desk and grabbing the jammer and the Eye contacts. The contacts were set up to a system closely mocked by the Eye, missing the main feautures that made it unique. However, even this simplistic run down of it would help her.

She stopped in the garage, carefully inserting the contacts in her eyes and turning on the jammer before walking over and stradling Birkhoff's motorcycle. She pulled her hair into a low ponytail, putting on the helmet and adjusted her hair tie under the rim. With a small, hand-held device, Alys activated the contacts and entered the information on the tracking device she had planted on Nikita. She knew she'd need it at some point. The contacts came to life with a pulsing blue strip leading out of the garage, causing Alys to smirk. It was a long drive, but the end result would be completely worth it.