"The dream reveals the reality
which conception lags behind.
That is the horror of life -
the terror of art."
(The Kafka diaries, quoted in Janouch)

Flashes from Nikita's past invaded her dreams. When she was first introduced into the Section she had blocked them out. Learned to deal with them. But now, for reasons Nikita could not explain, they were coming back frequently, and with startling clarity. The images from her past were things that not even Madeline had known about. They were so terrible that Nikita's mind had blocked them out, and she forgot about them...until now.

Nikita awoke with a cry dying on her lips and sat up strait in the mess of tangled sheets wrapped around her legs. Her body was drenched in sweat. Her hair a tangled mess. Now fully awake the images returned to her and with them brought coldness. Her body began to shake uncontrollably and a shiver was sent up her spine. To rid herself of the chill she sank back into bed and wrapped the comforter tighter around her body. Still shaking. Nothing could ward of the chill.

Looking at the clock she was amazed that it was only 11:43pm. She had gone to sleep only an hour and a half ago. Closing her eyes tightly she tried to block the images and go back to sleep. But succeeded in only a restless night of tossing and turning. The nightmare never seeming to fade away completely. She had been having the nightmares for some time now and as time went by they didn't seem to be getting any better. Only worse. Tonight's had been the worst by far and the restless nights were starting to wear on her. In the last week Nikita had only gotten about 3 1/2 hours sleep. Some nights she wouldn't sleep at all for fear of another nightmare haunting her. Other nights, when she actually did try to get some rest, it would never be for long. She always woke up drenched in sweat, frightened, and alone.

Nikita was awake still at 5 am when her phone rang. She just laid there in the darkness and let it ring. The light from her alarm clock was the only thing illuminating her dark room. 2 ring, 3 ring, 4 rings, 5 rings. On the sixth ring she could stand it no longer, picked up the phone, and answered in a groggy voice. "hello." It was Michael. "Josephine, come in. We need you here in 30." Then she heard the click on the other line and slowly set the phone back down on her night stand. "Good morning to you too, Michael." Wearily she got out of bed and hopped into the shower, trying to wash away the feeling of loneliness and desperation that the dreams had left behind. Knowing all to well that it wouldn't help any.

When she walked into Section 30 minutes later she felt no different than she had when she first woke from her troubled sleep late last night. She went directly to the briefing room and sat down in the chair in between Birkoff and Walter. Immediately Madeline and Michael noticed that there was something wrong. Nikita had a far away expression on her face as she took her seat and they also noticed that she was wearing all black. Usually Nikita came in wearing something colorful. Her clothes seemed to express what kind of mood and state of mind she was in and right now they could tell that her state of mind was dark. There was definitely something wrong.

Nikita was still staring off into space when Walter lightly touched her arm. "You ok sugar?" That touch reminded her of her past, and the hurt that touch had always brought. Lately everything brought memories of a past Nikita had tried so hard to forget. When she looked up and met Walter's gaze she knew that he wouldn't hurt her. His look was one of kindness and gentleness. Very unlike the men who had been haunting her dreams. It was always one after another until the day that her Mom had kicked her out of their crummy apartment. At the time she had felt scared and alone but being kicked out and living on the streets had actually been a blessing. On the streets she only had to worry about not having a place to sleep or having enough food to eat. But living with her Mom was terrifying. There she had to worry about them. The same men who gave her nightmares and one man in particular.

She visibly shook, and pushed the thoughts out of her mind just in time to see Ops come in and click on the blue screen. Bringing her eyes back to Walter's she replied, "I'm fine." And then she forced out a smile hoping that Walter would believe her. Walter looked away, but only because he knew that Ops was waiting and he was not a very patient man. Many years in the Section had taught him that a LONG time ago.

"As you all know this...is Stephen Wolf. He supposedly died during the mission pertaining to the CM12."

Michael looks at Ops, giving him his full attention. "Supposedly?"

"Yes, it was thought that Stephen Wolf had died during that Mission but we have Intel from a reliable source that he is indeed alive and well." Ops pauses to give Nikita a warning glance to keep her mouth shut. "And now, he has joined with what remains of Red Cell. Madeline."

As soon as Ops calls her name Madeline takes over the Briefing where Ops left off. "Wolf is a very high ranking member of Red Cell and is driven by revenge and the need to find out who his father is. Yesterday we received a transmission from Red Cell. They claim to still have part of the Directory and will start killing operatives unless we hand over one of our operatives to them."

The whole time Madeline had been switching her gaze from each operative around the table but her gaze stopped on Michael when he opened his mouth to speak. "What is it Michael."

"Why ask for only one operative when they have the Directory. They know where our people are. They could kill as many as they like before we have the chance to move to a sub station."

"Because...they feel that this one operative has some information that would be vital to finding what Wolf has been looking for all these years. That this operative knows where his father is. Wolf is a very determined man and he will stop at nothing until he learns the truth." Madeline pauses to look at Operations and after getting a nod from him she continues. "The operative that they want, is Nikita."

Birkoff and Walter had been especially quiet during the whole briefing but now Walter spoke up. Walter was very close to Nikita and felt protective whenever it came to her. He had a million questions running through his head and so did Birkoff. But to him the most important one at the moment was why. "I don't get it. Why Nikita? Why would they think that she would know anything about Wolfs father?"

"Because she does." Madeline replied with a resigned sigh. "Nikita knows his father and so do all of you."

Walter was still untrusting and was tired of all the games. He wanted the truth. "What do you mean , so do we?"

"What Nikita is about to tell you can not go beyond these walls. No one except the people in this room as of right now can know. If you tell anyone, you will be canceled. We are only telling you this now because you would find out sooner or later and its best that you hear it from us before any of you jump to conclusions. Nikita, please explain the second part of your mission with the CM12."

Nikita sat there in shock, not able to speak. She looked to Operations, silently asking him if he really wanted her to tell the whole truth.

Operations knew what Nikita was thinking and was glad that she would think of making sure that they wanted it ALL out in the open before just jumping right in and telling them everything that she knew. He didn't want to have anyone else know that he had a son but as Madeline had said, 'they would find out sooner or later.' Looking at Operations now it seemed that he had gotten older in appearance. He had more lines and wrinkles, and seemed somehow more weary than anyone had ever seen him before. With a sigh he answered Nikita's unspoken question. "Its all right Nikita. Go ahead. Tell them."

Her eyes left Operations light blue eyes and wandered to Madeline's dark brown ones. Madeline smiled warmly and encouraged her to speak. well, here goes. "The night before the briefing Operations came to my apartment. He said that he had a second mission for me." Nikita began speaking with a confidence she didn't really feel. "I was to protect Stephen Wolf, to make sure when the raid went down that Stephen didn't get hurt, and afterwards he was alive and knew nothing about his father. That night I learned why I was to protect him. It was because Stephen Wolf is Operations son." While she was talking Nikita focused on her hands that were folded neatly in front of her on the briefing table. Now she paused to look up at everyone. What she saw didn't supprize her. Operations couldn't look up to meet the questioning gazes of those around him, Madeline waited patiently for her to continue, Birkoff had a look of pure supprize and bewilderment, Walter was less supprized than Birkoff because he had always had his suspicions that operations had a son but he was still supprized none the less. And her gaze finally went to Michael. His face was emotionless as always but it was his eyes that gave him away. More and more lately Nikita had been able to read a little in his eyes every now and then and now was one of those times. His eyes showed how suprized he was at what Nikita had said but they also showed that he now understood why Niktia had acted the way she had. That he understood now why Operations didn't send back up when Nikita needed it. And he finally realized that Nikita had been more focused on this mission than anyone else was, including himself. All this she read in his eyes but as quickly as she had read it, it was gone. Michael put up his wall once again.

"So I did my best to protect Stephen. I went with him on his meets, and when Section came and eliminated all the targets but Stephen I shot him with a tranq-dart. Everyone thought that he was dead and after they left I stayed behind and told him to go, forget about his father, and move on with his life. But, I guess he didn't take my advice now did he?" A small smile played across her lips as she said this and looked at Operations. She knew how he felt and wouldn't make it any harder on him by blaming him for lying to her about getting out of the Section. She knew now that that would never be possible.

"Now...Nikita. We have no choice but to give them what they want so you will be handed over to Red Cell. Believe me when I say that I would rather not do this. You have become quite a good operative and it would a shame to loose you. You will go in alone and I am positive that they wont kill you. From what you have told Madeline and I it doesn't seem that he would do that. Its more likely for Stephen to torture you to get what he wants."

Michael looked over at Nikita before questioning Operations and noticed that she seemed lost some how. Closing her eyes tightly and taking deep breaths. Trying to control herself and prepare for what was ahead of her. He was worried. "How long will you leave her there until a team is sent to bring her back to Section?"

Operations sternly cast his glance at Michael. "There will be no team. The objective is to kill Stephen, get the Directory, and gather Intel on Red Cell for an up coming assault. Nikita is on her own Michael."

Seeing the defiant gaze in Michael's eyes Madeline thought it best to intervene at this point before anyone said something that they would regret. "Everyone refer to your PDA's for the tactical. Study them closely. Walter, I need you to have some of your *special toys* ready for Nikita. I'm sure you can think of something. Nikita, Michael, please meet me in my office in 5 minutes."

Then she gracefully got out of her chair and hooked her arm in Operations. Guiding him away from the table and towards his tower. She would speak to him after her meeting with Michael and Nikita.

*************

Five minutes later Nikita and Michael were sitting in front of Madelines desk. Both operatives eyes were studying Madeline, waiting patiently for her to speak. But Madeline just sat there, not making any attempt to start their meeting. She was too busy studying Nikita, looking into her eyes, trying to see the way to her soul and the answer to her silent question. What Madeline saw suprized her. She hadn't even noticed until now that Nikita was becoming more and more like Michael when it came to hiding her feelings and emotions, but that was when she was in control. Back in the briefing room Madeline noticed that Nikita was not in control of her emotions. But now she was, Madeline could read nothing in Nikita's eyes and for her it was quite upsetting. For Madeline was used to knowing all that her operatives thought and felt and for once she couldn't tell what was wrong with Nikita.

Usually it was so obvious. Written clearly on the blond operatives face for all to see. But now it was hidden from her view and she was worried that it would remain hidden. Only time could tell and she would be forced to wait. Something Madeline didn't like doing when it came to her operatives.

Sensing that it was useless trying to figure Nikita out right now Madeline got down to the task at hand. "We have contacted Red Cell again and you are to meet Stephen tomorrow at noon in a little village just out side of Baghdad. We have no choice but to send you in alone, but I have already talked to Walter and he will set you up with some transmitters that will not be able to be detected. You must not tell Stephen anything about Operations. Is that clear?"

Anger flashed in Nikita's blue eyes but only for a second. "Of course. Madeline you should know by now that I wont tell anyone about Operations. I didn't before and I certainly wont now."

"I know Nikita, but it is my job to make sure that you understand everything pertaining to a mission." Here she stopped to look at Nikita. Nikita merely nodded her head and brought her eyes back up to focus once again on Madeline. Nikita knew what Madeline's job was and would not hold it against her. Madeline was really the only motherly figure Nikita had ever had in her life and felt an uncontrollable urge not to argue with her. "We will be able to hear everything that goes on around you. Remember to look for their weaknesses and take the best opportunity given to you to escape and get to their computers. Birkoff will have a map of their head quarters ready for you to study tomorrow. That is all for now, but Nikita..."

Nikita turned around as she had gotten up to leave. Giving Madeline a questioning but weary gaze. "Yes Madeline?"

"I want you to stay in the Section tonight. Make sure to get lots of rest...you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow." Madeline gave her this last parting advice for the night and with it came a warm smile, one of concern, and Nikita knew that it was not a request for her to get some sleep but an order. One order Nikita would gladly follow.

Returning the smile Nikita gave a little chuckle. "I will don't worry. Come to think of it I am a bit tired. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight Madeline."

"Goodnight Nikita." As she watched Nikita and Michael's retreating figures Madeline silently prayed for the first time in many years. She prayed for Nikita's safety and quick return.

LATER THAT NIGHT.

Coming home from school that day she felt like she was on top of the world. That nothing could ever go wrong. The sun shone brightly and warmed her entire body. Hitting her hair and making it shine like strands of gold. Her back pack slung over one shoulder and in her hand she held her Certificate of Achievement. Upon seeing her apartment buildings she started skipping faster down the sidewalk. The smile on her face from ear to ear. She couldn't wait to tell her father the good news.

As she reached the C building she began to run in anticipation. Faster and faster. Her hair flowing out behind her and her dress shoes making soft clicking noises on the pavement. When she reached apartment number 15 she hurriedly opened the door and was able to contain her happiness no longer. "Daddy, daddy, guess what!! Today I won the spelling bee in Mrs. Clemens class and she.." Her cries of joy were suddenly cut short when she noticed the couch overturned and one of the lamps broken. "Daddy?" Over the crunch of her shoes on the broken fragments of lamp she herd a grunt and something fall to the floor. The sound was coming from her parents bedroom. "Daddy, where are you? Daddy?" Her frightened pleas went unanswered as she rounded the corner and heard something hit the wall hard. She stood frozen in her parents bedroom doorway. Unable to move. One small, quiet word escaped her lips. "Daddy." The innocence of a 6 year old girl vanished and terror took over as the attacker turned towards her, revealing her fathers lifeless body slumped against the wall. She held her breath, unable to breath. Nausea hitting her and overwhelming the girl as her eyes saw all the blood covering the walls, the floor, and her father. Multiple stab wounds in his body, covering him in blood from head to toe. His body was sagging against the wall and his lifeless blue eyes were staring wide open at the man who used to be in front of him before he had died.

The attacker coming a step closer snapped her out of her shock and she quickly dropped her certificate and backpack. Turning and running down the hallway, towards the door, hearing the loud pounding of the mans feet chasing behind her. The image of her father making her run faster. The attackers voice trailing behind her, taunting her. "Little Nikita...come and play!"

"NOOO!!" Nikita screamed as she sat up in bed. "No...no...no...no..." Over and over she repeated the words. Shaking her head back and forth with each word. Still caught up in the nightmare and seeing her dead fathers body covered in blood. She could see everything in detail, but the red that had soaked everything now seemed to cover her own room. All she could see was a haze of red, nothing more. She closed her eyes against the images. Still shaking and repeating the word over and over until suddenly she jumped and was snapped out of it by two warm hands encircling her waist. She turned to see who it was and even in the dark she noticed him at once.

It was Michael. He pulled her to him and held her close. Rocking her back and forth and whispering to her. Trying to calm her down. "Shhhh, its ok, I'm here now. It's ok. Shhhh." Nikita slid her arms around Michael and hugged him tightly, her head resting on his chest. Not being able to hold it in any longer she began to cry. Her tears rolling down her cheeks to fall on his bare chest. It was then that she noticed that all Michael was wearing were his pajama bottoms. They were both wearing only their pajama's. But it didn't matter as Michael continued to rock her and hold her safely in his arms. The tears and the effect of her dream shook her body even more and made Michael hold her tighter against him. Placing his hand on her head and gently stroking her hair. "Shhh, your safe, its gonna be ok. I promise."

After about a minute she stopped crying but continued to shake. "Nikita, are you ok?" The only response he got from her was the sound of her labored breathing. "Kita?"

7 minutes passed and she had not said a word, only continued to shake. Michael was becoming more worried by the minute and it hurt him to see her in so much emotional pain. "Kita, please. What's wrong?" He gently cupped her face in his hands as he said this. Looking deep into her eyes, but she continued to stare out into space, and now started to shake her head and repeat her words from earlier. "No...no...no..."

He could take it no longer and slipped his arms out from around her frail figure. "That's it, I'm calling Madeline." When he got up it seemed to snap Nikita out of her trance and she grabbed Michael's hand as he turned away from her to pick up the phone. "No, Michael...please don't." Hearing her say his name was relief and he let out a sigh. Sitting back down on the bed he looked into her eyes and what he saw frightened him. He had never seen Nikita like this before. Even in the dim light he could see that she was frightened. Her eyes seemed empty as did her soul and from the way she was sitting it seemed that she was barely strong enough to keep herself sitting up strait in bed.

Once again he slid his arms around her but this time he laid down on the bed, bringing her with him. "Kita...please, tell me what's wrong. I heard you cry out in your sleep and came over to see what happened. I thought that you were hurt...I was worried." She snuggled deeper into the safety of his arms, the images returning once more to haunt her. Closing her eyes tightly she took a deep breath. "It was just a dream. That's all. Just a dream."

Michael wasn't convinced. He knew her better than that and it sounded like she was trying to convince herself that it was just a dream more than she was trying to convince him. He laid on his back while Nikita's head rested on his chest, underneath his chin. Wrapping his arms around her and slowly rubbing her back she began to calm down and her breathing returned to normal. "Kita, tell me about your dream."

At once she stiffened. She just laid there until finally taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "It was just a dream, that's all. Nothing more, nothing less."

Again Michael pushed her about her dream. He knew how frightening a dream could be and also knew that talking about it sometimes seemed to help. "Please, tell me what you dreamed about."

Nikita wiped the tears from her eyes and held onto Michael so tight that it was like her life depended on it. "I dream about my father." She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. "Goodnight Michael."

He knew she wouldn't say anything more about her dream so he wouldn't pursue the matter. Tonight wasn't the right time. He would wait. "Goodnight Nikita." But as he closed his eyes another question came to him. When she had told him what she dreamed about she had said 'I dream about my father.' Not that she had dreamed about her father. Meaning that she had had this dream before. He opened his mouth to speak but noticed that Nikita was already sound asleep. It was best to just leave it alone. Silently he whispered to her before falling asleep. "Sweet dreams Kita."

**************

"What do you mean you never asked about her father? I thought that you knew about her past." Michael's voice carried through the spacious office. Looking at Madeline with a fire in his eyes that she had only seen once before, when Simone had died.

"Of course I asked about her past Michael. Nikita told me about her Mother abandoning her and about the physical abuse that she suffered at the hands of her Mothers boy friends. It didn't seem that there was anything more that needed to be discussed." Madeline countered softly, keeping eye contact with Michael. She was trying to make him believe her but it didn't seem to be working.

"Didn't seem that there was anything more that needed to be discussed? Didn't you ever think about her father? About what happened to him?" Michael's voice was under control but barely. The memories of Nikita last night made him angry and he had the sudden urge to blame someone. And right now that someone just happened to be Madeline.

She could see that there was some reason behind this sudden onslaught of questions but would answer Michael's questions and wait for the truth to come out. "I don't think that I should need to explain myself Michael, but I did a standard background check. All it said was that her Father had died when she was six, Mother had never been remarried, no siblings, and that there was a few times where the police had to be called for domestic abuse. I felt no need to ask about her Father. It had happened such a long time ago and it never seemed to bother her."

"Never seemed to bother her? Surely you cant say the same about last night." Michael's face remained expressionless. But it was Madeline who looked supprized.

"What about last night?" She leaned forward in her chair and folded her hands on top of her desk. Knowing that she would finally have her answers.

"Don't you have surveillance in Nikita's room?" It was a simple question that he already knew the answer to. If they had surveillance in Nikita's apartment then they would have surveillance in her room here too. There were only a few room's in Section that didn't have camera's and Michael's room was one of the few. Michael liked his privacy and would not tolerate any camera's.

"Yes. We have surveillance in her room but I felt no need to look at the tapes. Why? Did something happen."

Michael continued to stand in the middle of Madeline's office. He rarely sat down unless Madeline demanded. He preferred to stand.

"Last night Nikita had a dream. I heard her cry out in her sleep and went into her room to check on her. She was in a trance like state. Rocking herself back and forth. Repeating no, over and over. I finally got her to stop repeating herself but then she said nothing at all and continued to shake." Michael paused and looked down at his shoes. Feeling a need to break Madeline's gaze if only for a minute.

"How long was she like that?" There was a worried tone in Madeline's voice and a small smile came to his lips at the thought of big bad Maddy having a soft spot for someone. He had never heard her this concerned for anyone in all the time he had been with the Section. But now she was worried and Michael was grateful that she was finally showing some reaction to this whole thing. He couldn't see how she could remain so calm all of the time when inside he was worried. Of course he wouldn't show it but he was. And now he knew that she was worried too.

"About 7 or 8 minutes. I told her that I was going to call you and she snapped out of it. Told me not to. So I stayed. I tried to get her to tell me about her dream but all I could get out of her was that she dreamed about her Father. But the thing about it is, when I asked what she dreamed about she had said that she 'dreams about her father.' Not that she had dreamed about him."

"So she has had this dream before?"

"I would think so."

Both fell silent. Contemplating what to do next. It was 5:00 in the morning and Nikita was to leave for her Mission in 7 hours.

"Where is she now?"

"In her room. Asleep. It doesn't seem that she has gotten enough sleep lately. Maybe she has been having these dreams lately. Not just last night."

"That's definitely a possibility. We cant take her off of this mission. Its to risky to do so at this point. We'll just have to hope for the best." Madeline paused to type something on her computer. "Let her sleep for now. She need's it. In the mean time we can find out about her father and hopefully exactly what happened."

There was a beeping from her laptop and then Michael heard Birkoff's voice. "Yes Madeline?"

"Birkoff I need you to look into the police data base for the Death of Nikita's Father. As soon as you have the information download it to one of my personal files and contact me."

"Ok, I should have it in a couple of minutes."

The connection was terminated and Madeline focused on Michael once more. "Michael, please, sit down." Madeline gestured to the chair in front of her.

Michael's eyes wandered to the chair and then to Madeline. "I prefer to stand."

"Michael...please. It may be a very long morning and you cant stand all day." A smile lit up Madeline's face as she battled with Michael's stubbornness. He was so hard headed and hard to read sometimes that it was infuriating. But this time Madeline had won. Michael saw the truth in her words and decided it best to do as Madeline said and sit down. For it was certainly going to be a long morning.

Doing errands for Madeline and Operations wasn't so bad Birkoff thought as he searched through the Police files. He got to find out lots of stuff that no one else would ever know about all because the two of them didn't know a lot about computers and how to get into guarded systems. Even though the police files were not that protected and fairly easy to get into. What do they want with Nikita's father? It doesn't make any sense. Finally he found the file on her father and before downloading it to Madeline he also made himself a copy to read. It always helped to know what was going on ahead of time. After sending Madeline the file he got out his copy and began to read. What he read supprized him. He had never known about this and it raised many questions. All of which he would keep to himself.

Madeline and Michael waited silently in their chairs until another beep was heard on Madeline's laptop. Michael patiently sat and watched Madeline while she opened the file and read its contents silently to herself. After seeing Madeline's jaw get tight and her eyes look away from the file and down toward her desk did he ask his question. "So what does it say?"

Madeline took a deep breath and looked at Michael. "Nikita's father was murdered when she was six years old. Stabbed numerous times and had extensive blood loss before he actually died."

"So he died from blood loss?"

"No. According to the coroners report he had been stabbed 13 times and lost a significant amount of blood but that's not what he died from. The killer removed her fathers heart while he was still alive and then ran off before anyone called the police. There were no witnesses and the murderer was never found. After years of searching the case was closed." Madeline looked at her computer screen with what Michael almost thought was disgust but then turned to him, her face expressionless. "There are pictures if you want to see what the crime scene looked like. Maybe there was a witness after all. Maybe it was Nikita."

Michael got out of his seat and walked over to stand behind Madeline. The pictures on the screen were horrible but something that he was familiar to. It wasn't like he had never seen a dead body before. That was one thing he had seen plenty of and wished he hadn't. The picture showed what looked like a small bed room. There were clothes and objects lying all over the floor and blood was covering the dead man, bed, and surrounding area. It looked like one of those scenes from a gory horror film. "Nikita couldn't have witnessed this. She would have said something. She couldn't have kept something like this from us. Especially from you. You would have been able to see right through her if she had actually witnessed her fathers murder."

"Maybe. But it was just a thought. Doesn't mean that she actually did."

"Should we ask her about it?"

"No. From what you have told me about the reaction she had to the dream last night I don't think we should just yet. We'll wait until she comes back from her mission." " I'll go check on Nikita. See if she's still sleeping."

"Good. I want to see Nikita before she leaves for her mission. Don't tell her that we know about her father. This is between you and me. Am I understood?"

"Of course." Michael hated keeping the truth from Nikita. But instead of trying to get Madeline to let him tell her he just walked out of her office and towards Nikita's room. On the way there he looked over at Birkoff and it looked like he had seen a ghost. His face was pale and it looked like he wasn't really concentrating on his work. Michael laughed to himself when he realized why. He always had his suspicions that Birkoff did a little snooping around when it came to the assignments he was given. Birkoff must have seen the pictures in the file.

***************

When Michael reached Nikita's door he looked at his watch. It was already 7:30. He hadn't even realized that he had spent 2 hours and 30 minutes talking to Madeline about Nikita's situation. He quietly opened the door a little and stuck his head in so he wouldn't wake her up. But soon realized that he didn't have to be quiet because Nikita was just coming out of the bathroom. She had already showered and dressed. "Nikita what are you doing up so soon. I thought that you would sleep at least for another hour."

"Well, I woke up when you left at 4 this morning and tried to sleep but unfortunately I woke up about an hour later. Guess sleep isn't agreeing with me lately." Nikita smiled and tried to make it look like there was nothing wrong with her. It didn't work.

"This is not a joke Nikita. You had another nightmare didn't you?" Michael took another step towards Nikita when she didn't answer. She lowered her eyes and turned to walk away when Michael grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. "Nikita answer me."

Nikita opened her mouth to speak but closed it and looked away from him. She couldn't look into those beautiful green eyes. They seemed to see right into her soul and made it hard for her to ever lie to him. The only other thing that she could do was to tell him the truth, and that was not an option. Nikita didn't want Michael to ever know the truth. She continued to look down and anywhere but into his eyes. "It was just a dream, no big deal."

Michael turned his head away in frustration. He hated it when she behaved like this. "Nikita I'm trying to help you. Why won't you let me?" His voice was pleading and soft. His French accent making each word seem to dangle in the air. It was enough to make Nikita want to accept his help but she knew that she couldn't. "Because I just can't." Pulling her arm out of his grasp Nikita walked briskly out of her room and left Michael standing there, staring at her retreating figure.

As she passed by Birkoff's station on the way to see Walter she heard Birkoff's voice calling her Back. "Nikita, Madeline want to see you in her office."

Heaving a sigh she turned to look at the young computer expert. She never really understood how someone could spend all that time with computers. "Sure, whatever."

Stopping in front of Madeline's doors she waited until they opened and entered Madeline's office. Madeline was seated at a table in the middle of the room. She gestured for Nikita to take the seat across from her and as she sat Madeline poured both of them a cup of tea. It always relaxed Nikita when she did this. She knew that every time Madeline poured both of them a cup of tea that she would not probe into her thoughts. She merely wanted to visit. Something Madeline had never done with anyone else except Nikita. Nikita was the only one Madeline trusted with her friendship. She had confined in Nikita ever since the Mission with Kessler when he had messed with her head. During those few days Madeline had told Nikita a little about her past and ever since then had continued to have her little tea sessions. During times like these they would both share a little about their past or what it has been like for them in the Section.

For Madeline it was a relief to actually tell someone and for Nikita it was a great opportunity to find out more about Madeline. The two had become very close. They both sat back and silently sipped their tea. Soft classical music floated in the background and was always heard when they wanted to relax. Nikita looked at Madeline closely. She sensed there was something wrong. Nikita had been watching Madeline closely over the years and had learned things here and there about how to know what a person is thinking and feeling. Nikita was actually getting quite good at it. Something Madeline had noticed and was proud of. "Is there something wrong Madeline?"

Madeline put her cup back down on the table and gave Nikita her full attention. "No. Why?"

"I dunno. You just seemed stressed out that's all. I'm sure that its just from the upcoming mission."

************

Smiling she looked at her and noticed that she had not gotten the sleep that she needed. There were black circles under her eyes and although she appeared to be fine, Madeline knew that she wasn't. "Why don't you let Michael help you?"

Tilting her head down and looking Madeline strait in the eyes, she was about to let her temper get the best of her. But quickly she noticed that Madeline had not betrayed their friendship by playing mind games but was only concerned. Sighing she brought her head level again and replied softly, "Madeline, Michael is not the solution to my problems."

"He can help you. Help you to get through this." Seeing that Nikita would not respond, but merely sat their giving her the same blank stare that Michael always gave her, Madeline continued. "Nikita, all we want is to know what is bothering you, what's causing you to have nightmares. So we can help. Let us help."

Nikita still kept that blank expression on her face. "You cant help me," she then looked down and continued so softly that Madeline had to strain to hear what she said, "No one can." Then Nikita looked Madeline strait in the face and gracefully got out of her chair, took one more sip of her tea and left the comforts of Madeline's office.

As Michael walked by the mat room something caught his eye. Turning he saw Nikita, dressed in black spandex pants and a black tank top, hitting the punching bag with all her strength. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail but strands had fallen out from her exhausting, and already almost 4 hour workout. She had started at a little after 8 in the morning and now it was almost noon. Time for her mission. Michael had been sent to find Nikita 30 minutes ago but Birkoff had needed his assistance monitoring a team. The talk with Madeline had brought back all of her dreams and she needed a way to get rid of them before the mission. No matter what she did she could never forget them and after almost 4 hours of not forgetting, with each punch Nikita was getting madder at herself.

"Nikita, its time for you to get ready for your mission." Michael was standing right behind her and she jumped. She had not even heard him walk into the mat room. But then again, Michael was like a shadow. You could never hear him coming. "God Michael, you scared me half to death!" Nikita was drenched in sweat and as she turned around she saw that Michael was smiling as he handed her a towel. After she had dried her face of Michael pushed a strand of hair back for her on both sides of her face, his hands lingering a little longer than necessary. "I'm sorry I scared you." Nikita smiled, she was suprized yet pleased to see that Michael's smile still did not disappear completely. He wore a half smile and that was enough for her. She thought he looked beautiful when he smiled. Heck, he looked good all the time! Gazing into his green eyes, her mind started to wander. I love the way his hair seems to curl around behind his ears and frames his face. I wonder if its as silky as it looks? If only I had more time, I could ask Michael if he wanted to join me. Hmmm, Michael, tight pants, a tank top...or no shirt at all. To me that's a very good combination. Nikita's smile had started to widen and she seemed to be staring at Michael but her eyes had that far away look to them. Can he possible know what full effect he has on women? My god, he has to be the sexiest man alive. I can never betray him when he looks at me with those green eyes. Why is that? Well, duh, he only has the most incredible body I have ever seen! Those biceps, his chest, abdomen...that butt! Whoa, slow down girl. I think we have had enough drooling for one day. To Michael's relief Nikita snapped out of it. "Ok, sure. Umm, did Madeline want to see me before I went to Walter?" The images of Michael in tight pants still lingered and she continued to smile. "No, she will see you before you get into the van."

"All right, well, I'll take a shower and then see Walter. Bye." As she walked past Michael and out of the mat room towards the showers Michael's eyes followed her. He could never get her out of his mind. God she looked good in spandex! Michael abruptly shut of all thoughts of Nikita. He needed to concentrate on Nikita's mission. Silent as usual he walked toward Birkoff's station. He would talk with him about the mission until he saw Nikita and then would go to Walter's station with her. He needed to see what exactly this new tracker/transmitter was. Michael could never stand Nikita trying out Walters *new toys* unless he knew about them first. Just the thought of one of the devices going hay wire and hurting Nikita made him mad. But every time he thought about such things he would push them out of his mind. He had to remind himself that she was a cold op and was bound to get hurt. That was one thing he could do nothing about. Because either way, if he saved her from any physical pain during a mission, she would get hurt emotionally.

After 10 minutes of talking with Birkoff about the mission he saw Nikita. He got to Walter's work station at the same time as Nikita and noticed that she was already in civilian combat dress. The plan was to make it look like she was meeting a contact and then Stephen Wolf would take her. To make it appear as though Nikita didn't know what was really going on until it was too late.

"Hey Walter." Nikita sauntered over to where Walter was working and leaned her hip against the table. "Whatcha working on?"

"Oh, just the regular. A bomb here, field gear there." Walter eyed the two, his keen old eyes picking up every detail. Although they both hid it well, Walter could tell they were worried. Walter was worried too, as well as everyone else involved with this mission. There were just too many things that could go wrong if this mission didn't turn out right. Too many people would be compromised, too many people would get hurt. It all depended on Nikita and Red Cells ability to interrogate people, and he wished that it didn't. He wished that Nikita didn't have to be the one to go in there on her own. It wasn't like he thought she couldn't do it. That was one thing he knew she could handle. Whether or not she knew it, she was one of the best operatives Section had. Walter just didn't want to see her get hurt. She didn't deserve something like this.

Walter walked over to a near by table and picked up something that looked similar to a gun but smaller, hollow, and had a flat part at the tip. "Ok, this will insert the chip into the back of your neck, here." He pointed to a part of her neck, high up, and under her hair line. "This little baby will receive from anywhere. They wont be able to pick up the frequency, and its under the skin, so they wont notice it. Come on over here and sit down. Relax. This will only hurt for a second...well, maybe a little longer, but don't worry about it. After a while you wont even be able to notice its there." As he said this, Walter guided Nikita over to one of his stools and gently put her hair up in a high ponytail so her hair was off her neck.

"Will you be able to talk to me like with a regular com unit?" Nikita looked down at her hands and tried to control her rapid heartbeat. It was as though she could feel her heart beat through out her entire body. She had been tortured before but that's not what she was nervous about. She had never been completely on her own and alone before and that's what scared her. The fact that so much was riding on her wasn't making it any easier either. There was no room for mistakes.

"Unfortunately no. We will be able to hear everything that goes on around you but we cant talk to you. There will be someone monitoring 24/7. It was designed so you could update us on you position. That's all. I wish it could do more sugar, but it can't. I'm sorry."

"Hey, no big deal. Don't worry about it Walter. I'm sure everything will be fine." She turned around and flashed Walter a big smile and patted his hand.

"Of course it will be. Now lean forward, just a little...there. Ok, now if you want to hold onto something go right ahead."

Michael stepped forward and stood right beside Nikita. As Walter picked up the chip and put it into the inserter Michael reached out and held Nikita's hand. Gave it a reassuring squeeze and brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear.

As Walter put it up against her skin Michael and Nikita continued to hold hands. There was a quick pull of the trigger and the chip was imbedded into her neck. The only reaction out of Nikita was a slight flinch and the closing of her eyes. Michael clasped her one small hand into both of his hands as Walter wiped the blood off of her neck with some gauze.

"Ok, that should do it. You're all set. Good luck sugar."

"Thanks Walter." As Nikita slid off the stool they both exchanged warm smiles. Nikita could see that he was worried and quickly gave Walter a peck on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "don't worry. I'll be fine." Walter heaved a sigh and sat down as he watched the two leave.

************

Michael and Birkoff sat in the van watching as Nikita made her way through a park in the middle of the city. A team of five operatives were stationed at various places in the park to make sure that all went as planned.

Nikita's rose colored sunglasses did very little to shade her eyes from the blaring sun overhead. It was ten after 1 in the afternoon. Nikita was supposedly meeting her contact in five minutes. As she walked by the fountain she spotted Alex and made eye contact with him to signal that everything was ok so far.

Three minutes later Michael and Birkoff watched as four men simultaneously moved in and dragged Nikita into the nearby woods and out of site. "Ok, contact Madeline. They took her."

After walking down the path to one of the other sections of the park Nikita felt hands grabbing her from behind her and on each side. She kicked out at the one on her left and felt him bend over, then the only thing she remembered was seeing the butt of an assault riffle hit her head and then darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While slowly regaining consciousness she felt the cold of concrete and opened her eyes to darkness. Realizing at once that she was not in a cage as she had been during her last visit with Red Cell but was in a cell. No windows, only four walls of solid concrete and a solid metal door. A wave of dizziness washed over her as she sat up and leaned her back against the wall with a moan. Nikita leaned her head in her hands to control the nausea she felt and her hands came away wet and sticky with blood. The riffle had produced a cut over her right temple, one and a half inches long, that was bleeding freely now with her sudden movements. With her hand she applied pressure to the cut to stop the bleeding as best as she could.

Sitting on the floor, she looked around and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. There was only a little light that came shining through the crack at the bottom of the door but that was enough for her to see by. Using the wall for support she got up and walked around, surveying what was to be her confinement for however long it took to get what she needed.

Nikita had only been walking around her cell for a few minutes when she heard the jingle of keys being inserted into the lock for her door and quickly moved back till she was standing against the wall of her cell. The door was opened and bright light flooded her once darkened room. Shielding her eyes from the sudden change in light, she was able to make out 4 guards holding AK47's entering and then another man that stood in the doorway. Her eyes adjusted to the light quickly, allowing her to identify who the man in the doorway was. She didn't really need to see the man to know who he was but could guess. Light build, short dark hair, brown eyes. The man in the doorway was the one who had wanted her here, Stephen Wolf.

"Good evening Nikita. You've been unconscious for quite some time now. It's such a pleasure to see you again." Stephen said this with a smile and a tilt of his head. All the while stepping closer to Nikita till he was right in front of her. Both of them at eye level, staring at each other.

"Why am I here?" Nikita still continued to look him strait in the eyes. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of thinking that he could intimidate her.

"Don't you know why? I would have thought that your beloved Section One would have told you. What did you think you were doing on your last mission? Going for a walk in the Park?" Stephen thought he had the upper hand and said this in a sarcastic tone.

"I was meeting a contact of mine. That is I was supposed to until your men grabbed me and hit me over the head." Nikita was now glaring at him and at the character he seemed to be portraying. He was so much different than the last time she had saw him. He used to be almost innocent. Stealing and selling things so he could find out who his father was...but now he had a ruthless look in his eyes. Something that Nikita couldn't quite explain but her intuition told her that he was definitely not the same person he used to be.

Nikita looked at the four men who all had their guns trained on her, ready to shoot if she made one false move. Noticing that they still wore the same attire. The same urban camo jackets, black pants, and a red scarf tied around the neck. "You're working with Red Cell now. You would think that they would at least change their taste in clothes after Section destroyed them the first time." Giving Stephen a little grin she continued to stare at him. Knowing that her lack of fear towards him and Red Cell was starting to annoy him.

"Do you think that this is all one big game? Well it isn't."

"I never said it was."

Giving a little chuckle and a shake of his head he looked at her, in what some people who looked close enough would call disbelief. He couldn't believe it. Here I am, about to have her tortured and she's standing up to me and cracking jokes! Well then, I'll just be that much harder on her. Make her see that this is no laughing matter. He motioned to the guards and stepped out of the room, walking down the hall and into the interrogation room as his guards grabbed Nikita and guided her into the same room.

Two guards grabbed Nikita on each side and lead her down the hallway while one guard stayed in front and the other behind. She was lead into a room that was dark just like her cell but only in appearance. This room actually had light and electricity. Remembering what the Legion had done to her when they captured her, Nikita thought she could do without the electricity part. The light coming in through the windows would be just fine with her. Nikita was lead over to a chair that was bolted to the ground and was strapped in. The straps restrained both of her wrists and ankles and dug into her flesh whenever she moved. Stephen moved to stand in front of her, a look of pure determination on his face. "Since you helped me out and spared my life the day that you killed my entire team, I don't want to make this too unpleasant for you. I want to make it easy on you. All I want is for you to answer a question for me. Where and who is my father?"

Nikita gave him a blank stare in return. Silently telling him that she wouldn't talk, that he would never get his answers. Stephen's calm face that he wore slipped for a moment and showed frustration boiling in his dark brown eyes. In two strides he was right next to Nikita and hit her across the face, splitting her lip. "Who is my father?"

Looking him strait in the face she continued to give him a blank stare, no emotion what so ever on her face. It was a look even Michael would have been proud of. Licking the blood away from her lip she spit it out near his feet and brought her head back up once again to look into his eyes.

Stepping away from Nikita, Stephen moved to the other side of the room and motioned with a point of his finger for two guards to start in on her. Turning he looked at the guards and gave them his last command before leaving the room, "and don't stop until I say." After that he was gone. And the torture began.

Back at the Section Michael, Walter, and Birkoff were all huddled around the computer screen with com units in their ears. Silently listening as the first of Nikita's torture began. Birkoff was the first to take of his com unit and get back to work. He couldn't take listening to them beat Nikita. In many ways she was like a sister to him, and it hurt him to know he couldn't do anything to help her.

Walter stayed longer than Birkoff but found it to difficult to listen and not be able to do anything. To not be able to give her any encouraging words. Getting up to leave he turned towards Michael, "you'll tell me if anything happens, right?" Looking up into the Older mans eyes Michael could sympathize with what he was feeling, for he too felt the same way. "Of course." Turning Walter went back to his station and began his work once again.

With each punch Michael could hear the impact of it hitting Nikita's body. Sometimes he would hear the expulsion of air that came with the punch after it hitting her abdomen and knocking the wind out of her. But not once did he hear her cry out or make a sound. The only sound heard from her was the sound of her heavy breathing after trying to catch her breath. Nikita had come a long way from those first three years she had been with the Section. After her return from six months of freedom Nikita had slowly progressed into the operative Ops had always wanted her to be. She still looked out for the innocent and still refused to give up her soul, but she had found a balance somehow, and also learned how to live life inside of Section. How to follow the rules and stay out of trouble. He was proud of her. She was learning how to take the pain and show her captors who was really in control. For they may think that they are the ones holding all the cards, that it is easy to break someone who looks so frail, but in the end they realize that looks can be deceiving and that its not as easy to break her as they thought. Each punch tore at Michael's heart. What they were doing to her and the situation she was in was slowly putting cracks in his wall, and where those cracks were, compassion was seeping through.

He would give anything to trade places with her right then and there. It should have been him that Ops told about his son. But he knew why Ops had told Nikita and not him. Why he had chosen Nikita to protect his son. Its because Nikita is so full of innocence and the need to do what is right. Protecting Stephen would be right. But Michael would have wanted to go by the mission profile. In the end Michael realized that the only person he would ever trust in the Section would be Nikita. And maybe for the first time Ops saw that Nikita's strong will and her need to do what is morally right is what gives her strength. He hadn't been lying to her when they were in the cages. There were so many thing he wanted to tell her. How she was the only true light in Section One. So many things he had said to her that because of his actions had made her believe that he was lying. But he wasn't. He wished she could see that he had been telling the truth. Like when they were in the cages and he had told her, "the only part of me that's not dead is you." It had been the truth. Now he knew that he needed to tell her the truth. He couldn't keep doing this to both of them. When she got back he would tell her the truth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10 minutes later Stephen came through the doors to see how things were progressing. He looked down at her figure, bloody and broken, but still full of spirit. They had already broken three of her ribs, bruised her face and abdomen, and had cut her face with the brass knuckles they were using. He watched as punch after punch she continued to not utter a sound. Knowing that it was her intent to not give up. Or as he thought, to not give up easily. "That's enough."

The guards backed off and Stephen came closer. Bending down to be at eye level with her he lightly traced the outline of her jaw and lifted her head up to look at him. Tired and filled with pain she looked him in the eye and gave him no emotion. Just a blank, expressionless mask held firmly in place. Something she learned from Michael and was glad that she had been paying attention all those years. He continued to caress her bruised face as he spoke softly to her. "I can make the pain stop. It will all go away. Tell me who my father is and I will help you."

Nikita's eyes never wavered from his. Nor did she ever speak. Only stared at him. Her cool, light blue eyes seeming to burn into him and reach to the very depths of his soul. He felt as though those translucent blue eyes could read his mind, his every thought. It sent a shiver up his spine as his eyes flickered away from hers.

"Fine. You don't answer my question so we will continue." He turned around to talk to one of his guards. "Get Stewart. Tell him its time."

************

A man about six feet tall with sandy blond hair and strikingly deep blue eyes entered the room. He wore a white lab coat and carried with him only a bulky brief case. He sauntered over to where the two were, whispered something into Stephen's ear and shortly later Stephen left the room along with two of his guards. Leaving only himself, Nikita, and two other guards in the room. He slowly brushed a strand of hair out of Nikita's face and behind her ear. "Hello. You must be the beautiful Nikita that I have heard so much about. The people in Red Cell know me only as Stewart. I am sure that it will be a pleasure to...work...with you." Nikita studied him closely. He seemed educated, talking in only proper English, very unlike everyone else in Red Cell. Knowing all too well that even if he seems to be nice, he will be one to watch closely. Taking in his attire he seemed to be something along the lines of Sections Frick and Frack.

Stewart kneeled down and opened his brief case, the back of it towards Nikita, keeping its contents out of her view. He extracted only a syringe and a bottle of clear liquid. He filled the syringe to give her a full dose and injected it into her neck. From there it would have the quickest effect. Stewart continued to stand before her and observe. Only taking his eyes off of her face to glance down at his watch every few minutes. As the minutes dragged on Nikita could see everything begining to get blurry, her vision starting to fade in and out. Stewart noticed her condition as well and a smile spread across his face. "Well, it seems to be taking effect. Now, who is Stephen's father?" As he said this his posture straitened and he clasped his hands behind him. Nikita opened her mouth to say something but quickly pressed her lips firmly back together. Noticing at once that what Stewart gave her had to be something along the lines of Sections truth serum but more powerful. She took deep breaths to contain the growing feeling of telling the truth. Giving in was not an option. Gaining control once more, she locked eyes with him.

He started to walk in circles around her but Nikita continued to stare at where Stewart used to be standing. Knowing that he was trying to get a reaction out of her but Nikita was determined that he would not succeed. To turn her head or let her gaze waver would mean that he was in control, Nikita knew she couldn't let that happen. "Who is Stephen's father?" Stewart repeated himself again after receiving no reaction. Every time he asked, his voice would get louder and more angry, but only slightly. The drug he used on Nikita was new and had a high success rate. Only one person before her had ever fought their truth serum. He was not prepared for her lack of emotion and her over all control. Stewart came into the interrogation room thinking that it would take only one dose and she would tell him what they wanted. Thinking she would be too weak to fight it after her beating. For him this was like a slap in the face. An insult to him and his abilities to find the truth.

Sighing and breathing in and out a couple of times he calmed himself again and opened his brief case. Once again filling the syringe but this time giving her the highest dose. He had confidence in his serum and would not let her mock him with her strong will. Standing beside her he injected her in the neck again and gave her the full contents of the syringe. Flinching at the the prick of the needle, Nikita closed her eyes and they remained closed until she heard the sound of his deep voice speaking to her. "You will talk. I promise you." After hearing his threat Nikita opened her eyes to see him walking out the door along with the remainder of the Red Cell guards.

Closing her eyes again, Nikita was relieved that they had left. This would allow her to concentrate only on fighting the effects of their serum. Only five minutes after they had left did the effects of the drug begin to kick in. The change in dosage made it even harder to control, and she found herself struggling. She knew that the next dose she wouldn't be able to fight and prayed that the serum would end here. It had already been too long of a day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael sat in a chair at Birkoff's station, the same place he had been for the past six hours since Nikita had been taken. Listening closely he heard the door close and what sounded like Nikita breathing a sigh of relief. Deep down he too was relieved. She was finally being given a break from the torture. Who knew how long it would be, but a few minutes was better than none.

As Birkoff propelled himself across the workstation in his chair to where Michael was, Michael recalled Operations coming up to him ten minutes ago to tell him that there was going to be a briefing in 25 minutes. He knew what Operations was trying to do. He was forcing Michael away from Nikita, reminding him to, once again, not become emotionally involved with another operative. But Operations was wrong. All the time he had told Michael not to let himself get emotionally involved, it was already too late for that. He had become emotionally involved with her from the moment he met her. There was something about her that made him sorry for every lie that was passed between them, want nothing more than to protect her. Even though he hid his feelings for Nikita so that not even she could see the truth of his actions...it didn't mean that those feelings weren't there. They were and always would be.

Snapping him out of his revere, Birkoff handed him the file on Stewart. They had taken what little information they had heard and done a voice search. Barely coming up with anything more that what they already knew. There wasn't a lot of information on this Stewart. He was a ghost like everyone in Section, but Red Cell had gone to even greater lengths to keep him hidden. No one knew anything about him or his new truth serum.

Taking the file from Birkoff he studied the young mans face. Not even having to look at the file to know that there wasn't anything on it. Birkoff flickered his eyes away from Michael's gaze and slowly brought them back to focus on his green eyes. "What's going on now?"

"It's not so bad. They are using the truth serum now but walked out to give it time to take effect. She still hasn't said a word."

He watched as Birkoff gave a slight smile at hearing his words. Nikita had learned well since her last time with Red Cell and they both knew she wouldn't make the same mistake twice. She wouldn't talk.

"I've finished most of my work. If you want I could take over for you while you are on the mission."

Nodding and slowly rising out of his chair, Michael took the com unit out of his ear and laid it beside the computer. As Birkoff moved Michael's chair out of the way and switched com units so that he could monitor Nikita, Michael turned around and called to Birkoff. "Contact me if anything changes, or if something doesn't sound right." The two of them stayed where they were and looked at each other until Birkoff spoke. "If something around Nikita doesn't sound right, or if Nikita doesn't sound right?" There was a hint of Madeline's tone in his voice but Michael let it slide and answered him truthfully. "Both." ************

Stephen walked in with the same four guards trailing but Stewart did not return. His eyes burned into Nikita's. "Who is my father Nikita."

She would have rather kept quiet but the drugs were starting to take their toll, quickly finding that she couldn't help but talk. "You told me that he was a POW during the war. Your father's dead Stephen. There's nothing I can do or say to bring him back. I don't know who he is because he's dead."

In all reality Nikita was telling the truth. Nikita guessed that Operations really had died in that camp. Not in Body but in Soul. And over the years Ops had regained some of his soul, but not completely. She doesn't know who his father is because she doesn't know what he was like before the Section. Doesn't know what kind of a man Stephen had known. Only the man now known as Operations.

Straining to hear his reaction, Stephen let out a small sigh. He studied her intently, just as Nikita was studying him. "Fine. Have it your way." Turning his head he looked in the direction of his guards. "Take her back to her cell. But Nikita....this is far from over. Don't forget that." "Ah, how could I forget?" She smiled at him as the guards took her away. Leading her down the same hallway she had come from, pushed roughly back into her cell, back into the silence and darkness.

As Nikita leaned against the wall and curled up, hugging her knees to her chest, trying to fight off the cold, she couldn't help but close her eyes. The past few weeks had been both mentally and physically draining for her. She tried to keep her eyes open but knew that to keep her strength through out the interrogations she would need to get some sleep. Quickly finding out that there was no fighting it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ma, I'm home," Nikita called out as she shut the front door to their apartment. It had been the seventh apartment they had moved into since her fathers death 3 years ago. The longest they had ever stayed in one place after that had been eight months. Her mother was constantly changing homes, constantly changing boyfriends.

Nikita sauntered into her room and dropped her backpack and lunch box on the floor beside her bed. She clicked on her music and listened to the soft melodies flow through her room while laying on her bed and closing her eyes. The kids at school had been teasing her again like they always did. Taking deep breaths she started to let all her tension out. She had relaxed so much she was almost asleep when the radio was shut off, whining in reply, "Mom...turn it back on." When there was no reply she called out to her again without opening her eyes, "Mom, please! I don't have any homework."

"Oh Little Nikita...I wanna play." Hearing his words and the sound of his voice her eyes flew open and she stared at him in fear. She quickly got up into a sitting position on her bed. "It's been such a long time since I saw you! How old are you now anyways? What, eight...nine?" With each word he stepped closer to her bed until he was right next to her. She froze. She couldn't speak even if she wanted to. The sight of him had brought back the memories of her fathers death and she remembered the way he had held the bloody knife in his hands, standing over her dead fathers body. She hadn't seen him since that day.

Another flash came to Nikita. The day of her fathers murder, he had been chasing her. He was so much faster than her but she still ran anyways. They got around to the back of the building when he caught up and tackled her to the ground. She screamed out in fear and pain as he pinned her down, covering her mouth with his callused hand, still wet and sticky from her fathers blood. Taking the knife he had placed it at her throat and pushed just far enough to make her bleed a little. "Sweet, sweet, Nikita. You're not going to tell anyone who I am or who hurt your daddy now are you? Cause you see...if you do tell...I'll find you...and I'll kill you...and your mom. Got it?" Nikita's eyes were wide and she strained to breath against his hand covering her nose and mouth. Beginning to cry she nodded her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lisa looked up from Red Cell's video feed of their prized Section operative. It was her job to watch her and see if anything came up that they could use against her. There had been nothing until only a few minutes ago. Lisa had watched as Nikita lowered herself to the ground and fell asleep. After only a few minutes, the Section operative had started to turn her head and body, covering her face with her hands, and mumbling in her sleep. Motioning to Stephen with a wave of her hand, she slouched back in her chair and waited for him to come over.

Stephen walked over to where Lisa was sitting. She had light brown eyes and shinny, shoulder length brown hair. She was beautiful with her small frame and delicate face and hands. When first recruited she had been assigned and trained to seduction. But they had quickly realized her other talents were more than just good looks. Lisa quickly became one of their best technological operatives. He both respected her and found her attractive. "What? Has something changed?"

Lisa pushed her chair back in towards the computer and pointed at the video screen. "Yep. I think we might have something. She is having nightmares, and remembering what you had said earlier about her having the appearance of not getting enough sleep, that maybe Section has been putting her on back to back missions...well, I think you may be wrong. My opinion is that she suffers from nightmares."

Smiling, he looked away from the screen and at Lisa. "And we could definitely use that to our advantage. If we found out what she dreams about then we could use it to break her mentally, since its proven harder than we thought to do so physically."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As quickly as her mind had flashed back to the day of her fathers murder, it flashed back to the day 3 years later. Nikita remained silent. Her mind a blank as she sat there in shock. The only thing she could think of now was the name that her mother had called him. Dimitri.

Before she had time to realize what was happening, Dimitri slapped her across the face and pinned her to the bed. His own body covering hers, his hands holding her wrists down to the bed and above her head.

Nikita was jolted out of her nightmare and back to the present as two pairs of hands roughly grabbed Nikita and hauled her to her feet. Dragging her out of her cell and down the hall. She was suprised when instead of going into their regular interrogation room they continued to lead her down the hall even farther. Stopping in front of a large metal door one guard let go of Nikita's arm to enter the code, opening the door both guards grabbed Nikita's arm and lead her inside. Strapping her down to a table and securing a device to her head that resembled something the fazing shell would have used. After hooking her up to the monitors the guards left her side to stand in the back of the room. Her eyes wandered around the fairly small room. There was really only enough room for the one bed they had placed in the center and monitors on the side of the bed. On the wall to her right was a mirror that she recognized at once as a monitoring room behind. After a nod from the guards, which was directed towards the mirror, Stewart came in and gave her an injection. Quickly, Stewart exited the room and the lights dimmed.

Nikita laid there upon the table for what seemed forever but was only a few minutes. Just when she was about to speak to one of the guards to ask what was going on her eyes started to get heavy. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep them open. At the same moment that Nikita had figured out what they had given her, Nikita's eyes closed and she drifted into a deep sleep.

Stephen watched Nikita from behind the mirror, along with Lisa who was busy typing away at her computer and monitoring Nikita's pulse rate and other vital stats. After a matter of minutes they got what they wanted. "REM patterns have begun."

"Good. Bring it up on the screen." At his command Lisa typed in sequences that activated the link between their screen and the object placed on top of Nikita's head. It was a device they upgraded from the fazing shell. 30 seconds later they were watching as Nikita's dreams came into focus on their screen.