Guts Over Fear ◇ NIKITA

Division's Heart

Instead of an electric shock induced brain aneurysm, Alys was met with a phonecall from Michael. As she hadn't said a word about her alliance with Nikita, and Nikita hadn't spilled, and that she was completely silent when he'd been reached, Alys figured he knew nothing about the role she was playing in this mission. "Hello, Michael," she greeted calmly, gaining the attention of her teammates.

"Alys, a strike team and I are going to meet you in London, Nikita has been sighted with the former Guardian, Owen," he instructed, his voice instilling fear through her spinal chord that distributed to the rest of her body.

"You expect me to go against a rogue agent and a Guardian? I thought my work with the Bratva was more important than Nikita drama." She rolled her eyes at the look the brunette gave her, listening as Michael heaved a sigh.

"It is, just not this time. Percy needs you to get on the ground and start looking." An uneasy feeling came over her and she sighed as well.

"Yeah, I'll get right on it." Hanging up, she leaned back and watched Owen stick a dust covered finger in his mouth, grasping at threads for a measly doseage. There's a detox system, she knew there was, but like the regimen, it too had been discontinued outside of Guardian sources.

"That's the last of it," he informed, tossing the empty lid so it laid beside an equally empty glass vial.

"We'll get you more," Nikita assured. "Then we'll find a way to wean you off 'em." Alys leaned her head against the wall and lazily followed his movements, not caring to deviate her stare when he removed his shirt. She'd seen a lot more than that the first time she'd met him. What caught Alys' attention though, was the heavy tattooing that spread across his broad chest and extended to his arms, each piece practically an exact copy of the drawings he'd put on the wall, distorted by the angles and rounds of his body.

They weren't new, the ink had settled fairly into his skin, a little worn, but they hadn't been there when he was completely naked three months ago. They followed the curve of his collarbone and stopped about halfway down his bicep, perfectly hidden from the views of him they'd gotten with shirts on. "Owen, what did you do?" Nikita asked as he readied another shirt. Alys, however, couldn't keep her eyes still, couldn't stop staring. It'd been such a drastic change, so many pieces presented all at once, she was a bit awestruck.

"I told you, it's so I don't forget." Alys frowned and brought her hands to her chest, fiddling with her bracelet as she examined the dragon on his shoulder.

"Look, I know what you're going through. I feel it, too, every day. It's what makes us want to do the right thing, but you can't keep punishing yourself. It has to end." He had a stony expression as he pulled a t-shirt over his head, hiding the ink from their view unlike his displeased expression.

"We're running out of time," Owen side stepped, not looking at either of the women who were keeping constant eyes on him. "Guardian knows we're here."

"Which means he called Percy, hence Michael calling me," Alys sighed in agreement. "If you're in the Guardian's shoes, with a strike team on the way, what do you do?" she asked Owen, both her and Nikita stepping closer as he examined his notes.

"First thing I'd do is secure the Black Box," he offered.

"So he'll be going to the bank," Nikita realized, turning to the information splayed on the table. "We need to get there first."

"No, I did a walk through on all the banks, they're basically just the same," he elaborated, coming over to confer with her. Alys stepped up to the table as well but didn't pour over Owen's curvy handwriting.

"In Montreal, how'd you choose your bank?" Nikita tried.

"Uhh, I don't remember," Owen informed, proving to be little help.

"Owen, I need you to focus. Why that bank?" she tried again, looking him in the eye.

Alys walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, straightening out his posture and having him relax. "Close your eyes," she directed softly. "You're walking into the bank in Montrwal for the first time." He shifted his footing and took a deep breath, allowing her to guide him. "What do you see?"

It took a moment, but from his profile, she could see his eyes moving back and forth behind their lids. "I see three guards, five cameras, time-lock vault." as Owen relayed, Nikita grabed a marker and paper to help with a visual. She turned over blueprints and looked between Owen and the table, her eyes hovering on the way Alys rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Tell me about the safety deposit room." Nikita took the wheel and Alys let her, mostly directing his calm demeanor.

"There were boxes on both sides, they went from floor to ceiling," he explained, Alys stepping back to allow him to pace the floor. "There was a back door," he realized with a pause. "Opened into an alley, it's better than the parking lot because it provided cover..." He stepped over to the table and stared at the blueprints Nikita was marking up with a red marker. "The alley."

"The Royal Birkham," she informed, "on Crowndale."

◇

Alys sighed when someone knocked on her door. They all had to wait; for the bank to open, for the flight to land. It was early morning by the time anything happened. Alys opened the door with her left hand, the other holding a mug of coffee as she was faced with Michael. "Good morning." He didn't respond as she stepped back and opened the door, letting him in and pushing it closed as she took a drink. Nikita and Owen had practically forced her into an all nighter, she needed the pick me up. "You're chatty today," she noted with a scoff.

"Are you ready?" Michael asked, taking in her slouched stature. Rolling her eyes, she drank the last of her coffee and corrected her posture, instantly bringing energy back to herself.

"Whenever you are, cheif," she nodded, almost reluctantly trailing behind him. They didn't speak any when they exited the building, but when he loaded into a black SUV and motioned Alys to get in the passenger, she couldn't help the way she tensed up at the view of a strike time in the rearview mirror, piled into the backseat with rifles pointed at the floor.

"Did you find anything?" Michael grumbled, watching the road carefully. He must not used to be driving on the other side.

"I went to the streets you'd sent me the survelience photos of like you asked, but I couldn't find signs of either of them," Alys informed, forcing herself to sink comfortably in the seat. They didn't get far before her phone screen lit up, on silence to evade the attention of anyone. Owen on his own with BB, Guardian after him. Rolling her eyes in an attempt to conceal her exasperation, Alys looked up and eyed the surroundings. "Pull over, I'll start here."

Michael turned to her with a raised brow, nodding after examining her a second and complying with her wishes. "Report in if you find anything," he advised as she stepped out of the vehicle. Nodding and adjusting her sweater around her hips, she closed the door and waited for Michael to drive off before scouring the city.