Pam was awakened by a delicious aroma. She stretched languorously in the king-size bed. Tantalizing her senses were the smells of fresh coffee, fresh baked bread, bacon frying in its own grease and another smell that she could not quite put a finger on. She nestled herself back under the covers, intent on drifting back off to sleep. The sensations created by the aroma wafting up from the kitchen, however, were conspiring against a return to sleep. Heaving a deep sigh, and taking another giant stretch, Pam levered herself out of the enormous bed. Slipping a black silk robe over her nude form and sliding her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers, Pam padded down the stairs of the beach house.

Awaiting her arrival, was a beautifully set breakfast table. Fresh squeezed orange juice in crystal goblets and ripe melon was placed sumptuously at two places. A white linen tablecloth covered the table. Gleaming silverware sparkled from the immaculate setting.

Pam wandered into the kitchen area of the beach house. There she saw the most beautiful sight, at least to her eyes. Standing at the stove, turning over an omelet, was Davenport. He too was dressed only in a robe and a pair of slippers. Pam was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of love for this man. Every morning for the last two weeks Pam had discovered Davenport thus employed. She knew that he had shared with her his secret wish to cater to her needs, yet she continued to marvel at how sincere that wish seemed to be. Pam had reiterated to him each day for a week that she was willing to at least help with the meals, but Davenport just continued to shoo her out of the kitchen, going about his own merry little tasks. Pam smiled to herself as she remembered that upon entering the kitchen the previous morning, she had discovered Davenport shaking his tush to the rhythm of a song playing on the radio. She had quietly returned to the table to await his appearance rather than break into his jovial mood. This morning, however, Pam walked up behind Davenport and wrapped her arms around his muscular chest. She noticed that Davenport at first stiffened and then he relaxed as he realized who it was behind him. Because of this, Pam knew that Davenport had been deep in thought.

Davenport, for his part, mentally shook himself from his contemplation. He placed the omelet off of the burner and turned to face Pam, enveloping her in his arms. He loved every minute that he was being allowed to spend with her. He could not, however, tear his mind away from Section One. He had not been contacted at all since they had been gone. Several times he had examined the idea of checking in with Operations, but his desire to make sure that Pam was wholly ready to return, both physically and mentally, outweighed his curiosity.

Bestowing a spine-tingling kiss on Pam’s lips, Davenport retrieved the skillet with the omelet and then led Pam to the breakfast table. They sat and ate the delicious breakfast that Davenport had prepared, savoring the rich taste of the fresh tropical fruit with which this island was abundantly supplied. Davenport, as usual, had provided for every possible wish that Pam might have and had in fact supplied enough food for a small army. After satisfying their craving for food, Davenport threw the remains of the bread and the cheese for the scavenging seagulls to feast on. The remainder of the refuse, he dumped on the compost heap. Returning to the kitchen he assumed a spot next to Pam to dry the dishes she had finished washing.

That afternoon the two operatives took a stroll on the beach, hand in hand. Both remained quiet reveling in the nearness of each other. After several long moments of silence, Pam gave a gusty sigh. Davenport wrapped an arm around her and asked her what was wrong. Pam did not want to answer but Davenport coaxed her. Pam held tightly to Chris’ arm around her. She still did not want to tell him what was wrong but she understood him well enough to know he would not give up until she did. Davenport could tell that Pam was weighing her words carefully before she spoke and gave her the time to do so.

Momentarily, Pam seemed to come to terms with herself. She raised Chris’ hand to her lips and bestowed a kiss upon it. She stopped walking and drew Chris to a standstill beside her. Holding both of his hands close to her, Pam began to speak. “Chris, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way. I have loved every minute we have spent together on this island. There is just one problem.” The sound of the waves crashing on the shore was the only sound to penetrate the silence between them.

Davenport removed his hands from Pam’s and ran the pad of his thumb against her brow. When Pam looked up, Davenport was smiling. Before she could speak again Davenport placed a finger against her lips. “The problem is you are anxious to get back to work?” At Pam’s sharp intake of breath, Davenport laughed. “I feel the same way. I just was not sure of how you felt about it.” The two operatives laughed as they continued their walk along the beach. By the time they returned to the beach house they had decided it was time to return to Section One.

***********

Birkoff was alone in Comm playing Quake online. It was a quiet afternoon as there were no missions currently on pad. Everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the lack of activity and finding other things to occupy their time. The sudden beeping of his comm unit startled Birkoff and he muttered a curse under his breath. He had no idea who could be paging him, as there had been no recent activity. When he connected and realized it was Pam and Davenport, Birkoff buzzed Michael and Nikita’s apartment to let them know that Pam and Davenport were on their way back in.

Nikita was doing paperwork in her office when Pam entered her admission request in the door panel. Nikita happily welcomed her into her office and offered Pam some tea which was readily accepted. Nikita was curious as to how Pam had fared on her downtime. She was also curious as to why Pam and Chris had returned to Section with almost an entire week left to their vacation.

Pam looked and felt radiant. She had truly loved being able to spend time alone with Chris. They had not known each other long but true love does not necessarily need time to make itself known. She had realized Davenport’s intentions when he had added her to his team, especially after naming her as his second-in-command. No one in their right mind named a Level One operative as second in command of the lead team in Section One. Pam knew it was a decision made from his heart rather than from his head. The part that she did not understand was why Nikita and Michael had allowed the appointment.

It was not long before Nikita understood intuitively what it was that made Pam and Davenport return to Section. Pam spent the time in Nikita’s office asking about the missions that they had missed and what was currently in the works. Nikita realized that the two operatives, while enjoying their time together, missed the activity that they were used to. She could understand the problem clearly because it was so like the feelings that she and Michael shared about their work.

Pam was curious as to why she and Davenport were being allowed these unusual privileges. She knew that what they were being allowed was definitely not the norm within Section One. Relationships within the most covert anti-terrorist group on the planet were strongly looked down upon by the powers that be. She and Chris however were being not only allowed but abetted in building their relationship. Pam wanted to question Nikita about their motivation behind allowing this, but thought that later might be a better time for that sort of conversation.

After spending a nice time visiting with Nikita, Pam left her office to go and find Davenport. When she entered his office, he was working at his computer terminal. He smiled gently as she settled herself in the chair opposite his desk. He entered a few more sequences in the computer and then turned to engage the surveillance scrambler for his office. It was not until the familiar beep was heard that either operative spoke.

“So, how was your visit with Nikita?”

“Very nice, thank you. We had a nice conversation and relaxed over a few cups of tea.”

“Anything interesting that I should know about?” Davenport lifted an eyebrow slightly as he smiled.

“ Hmmmm. I think I will keep the conversation confidential at this point. Trust me when I say you will learn of all the details, in time.” Pam almost lost her composure at the look on Chris’ face.

“All right. If that’s the way you want it.” Chris’ face transformed into what Pam called his Section mask. “We have a briefing in 20 minutes. Get your pda from Birkoff and do not be late.”

Pam was rather startled with this change in Davenport’s demeanor but she relaxed a little when she saw a slight twinkle in Chris’ eye as she got up to leave his office. She understood what was going on. No matter how much they cared for one another, they always had to place business before pleasure. In their business, if they lost concentration it could mean losing a life, either yours or members or your team. Neither of them could afford to let that happen. Even if they spent the majority of their time watching each other’s back, they still had to keep up mission prospectus and make sure that missions were accomplished to the best of their ability.

Pam suddenly realized why it was that she and Davenport were being allowed the privileges they were. It was a way of keeping them in control. As long as their mission proficiencies remained high, they would be allowed to continue their relationship. If their mission proficiencies began to slip, they would be forced apart. Pam had heard rumors that this was the same way that the previous leaders of Section One had controlled Michael and Nikita. Pam did not like being used in this way but she also knew that if she had been in a position to run Section One, she would probably do the same thing. Shaking her head, she reported to Birkoff in Comm to get her pda panel to prepare herself before the briefing. She was not exactly sure how this relationship was going to work within the confines of Section One. She did however relish the thought of hanging in for the great ride it would bring.

***********

Davenport could not have asked for a more smoothly run mission. The planning for it had been perfect. Of course Davenport had Michael to thank for that. Everyone came back unharmed and they accomplished their mission with a minimum of bloodshed. If he didn’t know that Section One never did anything unnecessarily, he would have thought Michael set up that mission on purpose in order for him to get his feet wet and back into the fray. He knew that Michael had been concerned about his top operative and wanted to make sure he had recovered from the last mission he had been involved in. Davenport knew that Michael of all people understood his need to protect the woman he loved. If Michael felt that he needed a few light missions to get his head back in the game, then he would do his best to accomplish those missions to the best of his abilities. Davenport knew he needed to improve his numbers and he would take any missions that Michael wanted to feed to him in order to accomplish that goal.

Davenport was still truly curious as to why he had been allowed basically free rein with his relationship with Pam. He had been a first-hand witness to the manipulations that Madeline and Operations had placed on Nikita and Michael’s relationship. He had been their instrument of destruction too many times to not realize what had been done to the young couple. He had thought long and hard while he and Pam had spent time together on the island that when they returned he would question Michael’s motives. The friendship that Davenport and Michael had developed between them should have afforded Chris the opportunity to speak freely. However, the change in status between the two men had evaporated that opportunity. Davenport, though wanting an answer badly, decided that the situation was better left to chance.

Chris chose instead to concentrate upon the accomplishment of the latest mission. Although it had been a cakewalk, he had pushed his team mercilessly. He would not tolerate any screw-ups, anything questionable on the part of his operatives had been quashed ruthlessly. He knew he was being tested as well as his team. If he did not cut it as the top operative at Section One he knew the next step. There would be no cushy desk assignment nor any early “retirement”. He knew that the only option for him in the end would be death. He was not ready to die, and he would be damned if he would let anyone on his team fuck up and dig him an early grave.

Unfortunately, the team member he seemed to ride most in this mission was Pam. He knew she had performed up to her normal standards. She had not done anything wrong. He knew that in his heart. Why had he ridden her so hard? She had actually smacked him across the face and told him to get his head out of her ass and let her do her job at one point in the mission. He had been shocked when he felt the sting of her slap spread across his entire face. He was thankful that at that point no one else from the team had been close enough to witness the slap or the telltale redness that spread over him from his embarrassment.

He had tried to speak to Pam about the incident when they had returned to Section. She however had remained incensed and had told him to just drop the subject. He could not get the thoughts out of his head. He could not help but try to protect her. He loved her. It was plain and simple. Nobody in their right mind put their loved one in harm’s way, at least not on purpose. Was this the way Michael had felt about Nikita when they were team leaders? Was that why Michael risked life and limb to protect Nikita? To protect her body and soul? Michael had fought hard to keep Nikita as innocent as he possibly could. In the end, he had not been able to protect her completely. She had had to sacrifice a part of her soul to remain united with Michael and to accomplish the goals they had accomplished together. Davenport knew that Michael would give those pieces of Nikita’s soul back to her if he could, but he could not. How was he coping with the fact that he had been responsible for that loss? Davenport wished he could, just once, sit down and talk freely with Michael. He could surely learn from Michael’s experiences. Davenport knew he could not speak freely with the head of Section One. That was impossibility. Davenport shook his head to clear his mind some. Davenport got up from his desk and started walking toward Comm. It was time to do a little research. And the best place he knew to start was with Birkoff.

***********

Birkoff jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He had been lost in thought. Damn, he was getting tired of all these level five ops sneaking up on him. Everytime they surprised him, he was afraid he would soil his shorts. Not exactly a pretty sight in the middle of Comm. This time it was Davenport who had snuck up on him. At least it had not been Michael, catching him playing computer games again. The last time that had happened Michael had threatened to send him for a 3-week stint in DRV. He definitely did not want that to happen. Only the nerds were in DRV.

Davenport’s mouth lifted to an almost smile as he watched the color rush back into Birkoff’s face when he realized who was behind him. “Don’t worry Birkoff, I won’t tell Operations what you were doing. That is, if you give me the Intel that I need.”

Birkoff knew that he was once again stuck with no choice. Davenport was almost as good as Michael and Nikita about getting him to talk and Birkoff knew that Davenport’s threat was not an idle one. If he refused to give Davenport what he wanted, his stint in DRV would begin before he could even get the words out to tell Michael that he was sorry and would never do it again. Birkoff knew he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He did not want to serve out his nerdy sentence but then again Davenport would not threaten to rat him out to Operations unless he wanted something particularly juicy and most-likely so highly-classified that not even God himself could get to it without clearance from the top.

“What kind of Intel are you looking for Davenport?” Birkoff was cringing with the thoughts of what Davenport might be looking for. He decided to let davenport tell him what he wanted before spilling his guts about anything prematurely.

Davenport lowered his voice to a whisper. “Just how classified are psych files?”

Birkoff’s eyes widened behind his glasses and a light sweat broke out across his forehead. “Uh, Davenport? There are only two people in this place with that kind of clearance. And I am quite sure you know who those two people are.”

“Yeah Birkoff, that’s about what I figured. But answer this for me. I am sure that those files were encrypted by Madeline while she was here. Who decoded that encryption when Michael and Nikita took over Section?” Davenport fought the urge to smile as he watched the range of emotions crossing Birkoff’s face.

“I...I ... I can’t get access to that! Nikita has encrypted it again with her own codes. If anyone tampers with that she will know it. You’re crazy Davenport. That would be the equivalent to breaking into Fort Knox.”

Davenport patted Birkoff on the back. “But, I have faith that if anyone can get into Fort Knox, it is you buddy. I expect a disc with the decoded strings on my desk when I arrive in the morning. Have a good evening Birkoff.” Davenport then slipped away just as quietly as he had arrived.

***********

Birkoff had been thankful that they were expecting a slow night within Section. Because of this he had sent all of his tech help to their quarters for some rest. He needed to have some time to himself so he could crack Nikita’s code. He had played computer games and pretended to work on other things until Michael and Nikita left for their apartment shortly after ten.

Once he was alone in Comm, Birkoff began decrypting the code for Nikita’s operative psych files. Birkoff noted that Nikita had gotten better at her encryption coding. He had been on her case about improving that skill since she had been recruited. Now, when he needed to break the code quickly, he could kick himself for being so persistent. He also noticed that Nikita had done the encryption on her own. If she had asked Michael for help with the process, Birkoff would have been able to read Michael’s signature within the encryption. Sometimes Michael came up with processes that Birkoff had not even fathomed yet.

“Damn,” Birkoff muttered to himself. If he didn’t stop playing around he would never get this mission accomplished before Davenport arrived. Even if he was sleeping with his new second-in-command, Davenport had a nasty habit of showing up in Section at five in the morning. And when Davenport said he expected to have the disc with the decoded strings on his desk when he arrived, he didn’t mean that the disc should still be warm from Birkoff’s sweaty palms. Damn! Birkoff hated being the top techno-nerd that all the tough guys picked to bully about and get all of their information forcefully. Just once, he would like to be simply asked to get some information. He hated being ordered or bullied into it. But no, nobody around Section had that kind of finesse. They were all too busy being ghosts to bother with civility and niceties. One day one of those bullies would push too far and he would come unglued. He was not a pushover. He was good at his job and they knew it.

Birkoff was snapped out of his reverie as he heard a faint beep from his computer speakers. This was it. He had found the backdoor to Nikita’s files. There it was lighting up his screen. Nikita had improved a lot on her encryption codes but she had made the same mistake that Birkoff had chided her for time and time again. she had left a dangling array that had been overlooked when the system had been encrypted. Birkoff smiled and took a handful of skittles to munch on as he began to unravel the dangling array.

It would take a few minutes for the array to filter through his own encryption system. When that was completed he could download the directions to the array onto a disc for Davenport. He was home free. He sat back in his chair and munched on his skittles and drinking a Dr. Pepper while the computer cycled the information. Birkoff’s mind drifted off to his last date with Lynnadaine. They had had a great time. Lynnadaine had even convinced him to leave Section and they had gone bowling. Birkoff had not been bowling in about 10 years. It was fun. He had even managed to work up the nerve to kiss Lynnadaine. Even though they had known each other for almost a year now, this had been the first time he had dared to kiss her. It had been a sweet kiss. It had curled his toes, and they had both broken away blushing. Birkoff began to think of when he would work up the nerve to kiss her again.

While Birkoff was dreaming about women and kisses, his computer was completing the cycling of the array. Just as it completed filtering and began opening the back door to the psych files, Birkoff’s attention was snapped back to the present when an alarm started buzzing. He flew forward in his chair and stared disbelievingly at his computer screen. That dangling array had been a trap. Nikita had set it there knowing that someone would suspect it as a way into the psych files for every operative within Section. Damn! Shit! That alarm would not shut off. The more he tried to do to stop this disaster was only making it worse. When he attempted to shut off the alarm, it fed itself into the general alarms within Section. Birkoff was working frantically to get everything under control, among blaring sirens in Section. He was dead. He just knew it. He could hear the sounds of shouting and running feet. Every fricking light in Section was on and flashing. Every alarm was blaring. What the hell was he going to do. He knew it would be only seconds before every operative within the compound was in front of him with guns drawn. And it would only be another few moments before Michael and Nikita were back down here. Shit! What was he going to do? They would have his head on a silver platter for this! He was dead meat.

Suddenly, Birkoff thought of only one possibility. He would shut down the entire system. The system had never been shut down before. He had no idea how much damage would be caused my doing this. He had never tried. He envisioned it not working, that when he brought the system back up, the telltale red lights would still be flashing, leering at him and telling him and the rest of Section what a bad little boy he had been. On the other hand he envisioned the months of work he would have to do if the whole system crashed. He would have to rebuild the entire system. Just as the first operatives rounded the corner on the run. Birkoff keyed in ht code to totally shut down the system. All the alarms went off and every light shut down. Section One was thrown into total darkness. As Birkoff heard the operatives shouting to each other, he closed his eyes and prayed that he had done the right thing.

***********

Michael and Nikita were awakened from a sound sleep by the blaring alarms. Momentarily, they had no idea what the alarms meant. They were both groggy with sleep. Both fumbled in the dark for their guns as they shook the sleep from their heads. What the hell was going on? Michael rushed to Adam’s room with his gun drawn. He saw his son was sleeping peacefully. Nikita went to check on Lynnadaine and she found the young woman sleeping soundly as well. Michael and Nikita met back in their own bedroom and threw on clothes hurriedly. They knew those alarms could mean only one thing. Something was going on downstairs in Section.

When they reached the elevators, they realized that they were not running. That could mean only one thing, the computers had been breached. They both took off down the many layers of stairs at a dead run. They had no idea what could be going on down there or what they would find once they reached the subterranean levels. Both were imagining horrible things. Both wanted to talk to the other about what was going on but they needed to keep their breathing regulated for their mad dash downstairs.

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, they realized that the door was electronically locked from the other side. Michael quickly hot-wired the door open and they stepped into the pitch-blackness. The two depended on their survival instincts and their knack for feeling where the other was as they split up to search around. They each knew approximately when they would meet up in Comm if neither met with any resistance.

When Michael was about one hundred yards away from the area that he instinctively knew was Comm, gunfire erupted. He quickly pressed himself against a wall and continued on his way to Comm as quickly as he possibly could. Just before he reached the edge of the wall, he dropped to the floor and began crawling toward the edge. He was praying that Nikita had not reached the area yet and had not been the one that their operatives had opened fire on.

Just as Michael crawled into the Comm area, he felt the cold steel muzzle of a gun press behind his ear and heard the distinct click of a bullet being chambered. Michael watched his life flash before his eyes. Not much of it was a pretty sight. Most of it he regretted deeply.

“Tell me who you are!” The deep voice of Davenport whispered right next to Michael’s ear.

“Davenport, get off of me!” Michael hissed.

“Sorry Operations!” Davenport instantly pulled his gun away from Michael’s head and helped him to his feet.

“Status?” Michael was instantly back in operative mode.

“One operative dead, two wounded,” came Davenport’s terse answer.

“Nikita?” Michael’s voice caught on the name.

“She’s fine sir. Actually she was the one who killed the operative who attempted to stop her. When he did not respond to my queries we opened fire. Nikita had already gone behind some cover before we opened fire.” Davenport was still nervous about what had been going down over the last few minutes.

“All right. Give me the Intel on what is happening. Why do we not have any lights? What happened to the computers?” Michael was firing questions at Davenport as he walked into the Comm area. Nikita met him at the entrance to the bank of computers. She stopped his forward progress with a hand pressed against his chest.

“Michael, we don’t know what happened to the computers.”

“Where’s Birkoff? I want some answers and I want them now!”

“If you will stop and listen for a moment, I will tell you. “ Nikita looked searchingly into Michael’s eyes. The two leaders locked gazes momentarily. “Michael, we have lost Dobbs. Snow was shot in the leg and will be fine. The problem is, we cannot figure out what is wrong with the computers, nor can we get them up and running.”

“Give Birkoff time, he will fix things momentarily.”

“No Michael, Birkoff won’t be fixing anything. He has been shot. It is a head wound. I don’t know if he is going to make it, Michael.” Nikita buried her head into Michael’s chest as Michael’s body sagged with the shock. “Michael?” Nikita whispered against his chest. “ I think it is my bullet that hit Birkoff.”

***********

Michael pulled Nikita away from his chest and looked earnestly into her face. “What did you say?”

“He’s bad, Michael. I don’t know if we can save him.”

The fear in Nikita’s eyes forced Michael into quick action. He let go of Nikita and rushed over to where Birkoff was being tended to by one of the field operatives. What he saw there was something he never wanted to see again.

Davenport had followed Michael over to where Birkoff was being tended to. Michael turned and grabbed him by his shirt. “Get to Medical, now. Bring back a team to help Birkoff. They probably cannot get out of the doors because of the computers being down. Break in and have them get here quickly. Have them bring whatever equipment they can to help. Remember that they can bring nothing that requires using the computers. Go Now!!”

Davenport took off with two other operatives to find flashlights and get to Med Lab. Nikita joined Michael on the floor next to Birkoff. She was hysterical with her fear. Michael grabbed her and shook her, trying to get her to clear her head. “This is not helping Nikita! Get control of yourself! Focus!!”

Nikita took a deep breath and shook her head slightly. “I know Michael. I know. But I do not know what we will do if we lose him Michael.”

Michael took the luxury of holding Nikita tightly in the darkness for a moment. He knew the fear she felt. He felt it too. Birkoff was a vital part of Section and he was like a younger brother to the both of them. But he could not afford to let it affect him. He still had a job to do. Nikita had a job to do. They must focus and get things running normal again. No matter what happened to Birkoff, they must ensure the internal integrity of the Section.

As soon as Davenport arrived with the Med Team, Michael got to work. He sent Nikita back upstairs. She had to go wake up Lynnadaine and prepare her. He sent Jaron up with Nikita in case Lynnadaine insisted on coming back down with Nikita. Jaron could stay to watch over Adam as he slept. Michael then sent for other operatives to find flashlights and ammunition, just in case there really was someone who had infiltrated the Section. Everyone was on high alert.

Davenport left to find a few of the tech people who were still in their quarters. They would be needed to get the computers up and running again. Michael was sure that the computers were salvageable. He could not smell anything such as burnt wires or anything like that to give credence to the believe that the computers were fried. Hopefully it would not take the techs long to at least get the computers working enough to at least have functionary lighting in Section. It was as if they were sitting ducks with no lights here.

It did not take long for the Med Team to get Birkoff on a gurney and moving towards Med Lab. Even without the computers running, they had more equipment they could use within Med Lab. The head doctor promised Michael that he would keep him informed about Birkoff’s condition. Although he was extremely worried, Michael knew there was nothing he could do to help them or to speed up the process. So, instead he concentrated on having the techs work on the computers.

After working for almost two hours, the techs were nowhere closer to solving the computer problem. Lynnadaine had arrived completely distraught and she and Nikita were waiting in Med Lab to find out what was going on with Birkoff. Michael knew he would not get any help from either of them until they had some news. The techs were pulling their hair out and could not even get any power to the computers, much less get them up and running.

Finally Michael took the step he had been hoping to avoid. It had been five hours since all power was lost within the Section. He flipped open his cell phone and dialed a code into it. The phone rang several times before the other party answered. Michael quickly outlined the problems for George. He explained that they had no power within section One. He arranged for the other Sections to take care of their missions for as long as was necessary. The last thing he asked George for help with was what he was hoping to avoid most of all. Within the hour Michael was expecting the help he desperately needed. He hoped he was doing the right thing. He hoped he could deal with the repercussions that could come for this. Within the hour he was expecting Greg Hillinger to come waltzing in.

**********

Michael was preoccupied with the thoughts of what was going on in Med Lab. He was so worried about Birkoff. All he really wanted to do was be there for both Nikita and Lynnadaine. He knew how torn up they both were over Birkoff. But, He also knew that they had what could be considered the finest medical staff in the world. There was absolutely nothing he could do to help them. Med Lab was practically the only autonomous part of Section One. Being Operations, Michael realized, had its advantages but at times like this, it surely had its disadvantages too. No matter how badly he wanted to be with Nikita and Lynnadaine, he still had a job to do. He had to make sure that Section was up and running as soon as possible. Once the computers were up, he would have to tear Nikita away from Med Lab so that she too could get back to work. He knew he would not be appreciated for it, but there was nothing to be done about that either.

While Michael was distracted, Hillinger made his grand entrance into Section. He brought with him one other man who stood quietly to the side as Greg walked up and took Birkoff'’s seat. He ordered all the techs to stop working while he surveyed the problem. It irritated Michael to see this ass sitting in Birkoff'’s chair as if he owned the place. Birkoff was fighting for his life while Greg was playing king of the mountain. Michael bit his tongue to keep from lashing out at Hillinger, for he knew without Birkoff there, Hillinger was greatly needed. No sense in pissing him off before he solved the problem.

After acknowledging what he found to be the problem, Hillinger informed Michael that it would take him a few hours to get things up and running again. Michael assured him that the techs were his to use, as he needed as long as they got everything back in working order. Michael figured that the computers were in capable hands and there was not much else he could do to help there. He pulled Simon aside and made sure that he kept a careful eye on Hillinger, for he did not truly trust the young man. He knew that Hillinger could easily have an agenda either of his own making or for Oversight in general. That accomplished, Michael headed toward Med Lab.

When Michael arrived in Med Lab, he found a haggard Walter along with Nikita and Lynnadaine. Lynnadaine was pacing the floor. Walter was sitting with his head against the wall, his eyes closed. Nikita was curled up in a ball with her head lying in Walter’s lap. She was asleep. Michael knew that she was exhausted. He could see the dark purple underneath her eyes. A sure sign of her exhaustion.

Michael gently touched Walter’s shoulder, so as not to startle the old man or to awaken Nikita. Walter opened his eyes and stared at Michael. Michael could see the pain in his eyes. He always thought of Birkoff as a son, and that son was in danger. Michael understood how he felt. Michael raised his eyebrows in question and leaned his head toward the operating rooms. Walter just shook his head to indicate that there was no word yet.

Michael caressed Nikita’s brow with the pad of his thumb. Walter looked down with a smile on his face, as Nikita mumbled in her sleep. Michael gently shook Nikita. He did not want to scare her, but he did want her awake. Nikita sat up suddenly. “Birkoff?” Michael shook his head at her.

“No word yet, Nikita. Come on. Let’s go upstairs so you can get some rest. It will take time before we will know anything about Birkoff. It will also be a few hours before the techs can get things running down here. We all need to get some rest. We will have a lot of work to do once the computers are up and running, assessing collateral damage and checking all of our information.”

“I do not want to leave here, Michael. I need to know what is going on with Birkoff.”

Michael began to protest but Walter’s gravelly voice broke in before he could. “ Sugar, go with Michael. Get some rest. I slept like a baby all night. Lynnadaine had lots of sleep last night too. You, however have not had much sleep. We will stay here. I cannot do any work right now anyway. No computers means no missions. You two cannot lead Section if you are sick because of no rest. Go now. I will come and get you if we need you down here.”

Michael drew Nikita to her feet before she could argue with Walter. He led her protesting away from Med Lab after giving a nod in Walter’s direction to acknowledge his thanks for the older man’s help. He knew that they would be notified as soon as any pertinent information could be gleaned either from Med Lab or from the Comm center.

The two heads of Section One headed up to their apartment to get some much-needed rest. Even if the second-in-command was wracked with tears.

***********

Arriving back upstairs for the first time in what seemed like days, Michael went in search of his son. He had missed waking his son this morning, along with Nikita. It was a ritual of theirs to awaken the boy with sweet kissed in the morning. This morning, Nikita had had the task to herself when she had come upstairs to bring Lynnadaine down for Birkoff. Michael’s day always seemed to be lacking something when he missed out on the ritual. He found Adam donning his snow boots and a heavy sweater. Jaron was lacing up the boy’s boots.

Adam ran and jumped into Michael’s arms bestowing sweet kisses across his daddy’s cheeks. “Daddy, Daddy!! Lynnadaine promised me a day in the park today. But she is not here to take me. So Jaron said she would take me! Is it ok if I go out with Jaron instead of Lynnadaine Daddy? Do you think Lynnadaine will be mad at me if I go to the park with Jaron?”

“No Adam, Lynnadaine will not be angry with you if you go to the park with Jaron. Jaron and Lynnadaine are friends, just like you and Lynnadaine are friends. She will be happy that you get to go and enjoy yourself in the park even if she has work to do. Now, give me a hug, and then go and hug Nikita. Enjoy your outing to the park my big boy and make sure you mind Jaron for me. Can you promise me that?”

“Yes Daddy, I promise. I am a good boy Daddy.”

“Yes, my precious. I know that you are a very good boy.”

Adam gave Michael his hug and then squirmed out of Michael’s arms to go and find Nikita to give her a hug. Michael turned toward Jaron and gave her a slight smile. “Thank you for this. He was really looking forward to his outing in the park. Now he will not miss it.”

Jaron smiled at Michael. “It is no problem, sir. He is a wonderful child, a bright spot in a usually dark world, if you know what I mean. It will be a pleasure for me to spend some time with him. Also I am sure that both you and Nikita could use some rest. You two have had a long night. Is there any word on Birkoff yet? Adam has been quite concerned.”

“No word yet. Also, the computers have not been fixed as of yet. Here, take this cell phone with you. I will contact you if we need you for something. My cell phone number is programmed into this phone. Call here if you get in any trouble. Adam can be a handful, please, keep an eye on him. I will call you as soon as we hear any positive information either about Birkoff or the computers. That way you will be able to ease any of Adam’s fears about his friend.”

Jaron took the cell phone from Michael’s hand. She smiled slightly at him before she walked out of Adam’s room.

“Thank you again, Jaron. We owe you for this act of kindness.” Michael’s words were almost a whisper.

After seeing Jaron and Adam out the door, Michael went in search of Nikita. He found her sitting at their dining room table with her head down resting it on the table. Michael went to her and drew her to her feet, giving her a tight hug. “Come on, sweetheart. You are exhausted. Let’s get cleaned up and then we can get some sleep.”

Nikita clung tightly to Michael and buried her head in his chest. “Michael, I am so scared. What are we going to do if we lose him?”

Michael pulled Nikita away from him and held her head up with a finger under her chin so he could look into her eyes. “Nikita, you have been in Section long enough to know that our world is not the safest. Eventually we are going to lose some close friends. We will do everything in our power to keep them safe, but that is not always possible. We may even eventually have to cancel them. That is just the way our world works. You know that! Now, I know that you are concerned about Birkoff, so am I. But, we have the best Medical staff we can possibly have working for him. They will do everything in their power to save him. There is nothing we can do to change that. No way to make them do more than what they are already doing. No, although we may both be upset over Birkoff, we still have a job to do. I need you to do your job Nikita. Please, for me? Come on, let’s wash up and get some sleep so that we can do the jobs we have to do. Deep in our hearts and in our minds, we will be thinking of Birkoff, but you know he would not be happy if we dropped everything we needed to do just because of him. He would find it so lame, and you know it!”

Nikita smiled up at Michael. “I know it, baby. You are right. It is just hard to do. Come on, let’s get some rest. I am afraid that we are going to need it desperately in the hours and days to come.”

That said, Michael pulled Nikita’s hand to lead her toward their bathroom for a nice warm shower.

**********

Michael helped Nikita to wash. She had been soaked in Birkoff’s blood for hours. It had dried and caked onto her arms and it had even caked in her hair. When Michael had undressed Nikita he had made a mental note to just throw those articles of her clothing away. He figured they were too stained to be saved.

Although Michael had the water as hot as they could both stand it, Nikita was shivering. Michael knew that she was in shock. She was not much help with the washing, preferring to let Michael complete that task. Michael wished he had better circumstances in which to wash Nikita’s body, but he restrained himself to just cleaning her up. He spent a lot of time washing and rinsing out her thick hair. He wanted to make sure not to leave any traces of Birkoff’s blood on Nikita. Given time, Michael knew that Nikita would get over her shock but if she smelled or saw Birkoff’s blood on her, it would definitely not help the healing process.

After washing himself as well, Michael led Nikita out of the shower and dried her. Even now, Nikita was not very cooperative. She just stood there and let Michael work. Michael wrapped Nikita in a thick terrycloth robe and put her hair up in a towel. Then he led her to their bed and pulled the covers back. As Nikita lay down, Michael noticed she was shivering again. He pulled the covers up and tucked them under her chin. He then quickly pulled on his own terrycloth robe and climbed into the bed next to her. He scooted behind Nikita and pulled her close to him, spoon-fashion.

Michael was just drifting off to sleep when he felt something strange on his arm. He raised his head and looked down at Nikita. She was lying wide-awake. She was still shivering slightly. The feeling on Michael’s arm was from the warm tears that had fallen from Nikita’s lashes.

Michael sighed. “All right Nikita, I know how you are. You will not get the rest you need until you talk this out. I know you are upset about Birkoff, but there is nothing we can do to help him right now. The only thing we can do right now is to get some rest so that we can focus on our job of getting Section back to running order. Now, please Nikita, I cannot do this on my own. I need you. I need you to be able to do your job. You will not be able to do that if you are exhausted or if you are all broken-up over Birkoff. You know he would not want you to act this way. He would expect you to go on with your job. The same thing we would expect him to do if it were one of us down there in Med Lab.”

Nikita nodded her head in agreement with Michael’s words. She knew he was right. They both needed to get on with their jobs. And neither of them would be any good at their jobs if they did not get any rest. She knew he was right, it just hurt so much. She chastised herself for her wimpiness and willed herself to go to sleep.

Michael stayed awake for several minutes. He could tell when Nikita had come to terms with all the things that were racing through her mind. Eventually her body began to take on a relaxed state. In time, Michael sensed when Nikita had finally drifted off to sleep. Michael too was concerned about Birkoff. That morning, with Nikita ensconced firmly next to him, Michael did something he had not done in a long time. He said a prayer of fervent hope for the recovery of Birkoff. For he did not know how he was going to deal with Nikita if they lost that young man.

**********

Michael was awakened suddenly by a hand covering his mouth. He was about to attack when he heard a gravelly voice right next to his ear. “Easy, amigo! I need you downstairs. Don’t wake Nikita.”

Michael slowly slid out of bed, making sure not to waken Nikita, and turned to face Walter.

“What is it?” Michael whispered the words.

Walter placed a finger over his lips and motioned to Michael to dress and follow him. Assured of Michael’s compliance, Walter turned and left the bedroom.

Michael dressed quickly and walked out to meet Walter, making sure to quietly close the bedroom door.

“What is it?” Michael repeated his query.

“Birkoff came to. He is fading in and out of consciousness, but he wants to talk to you. Hurry! Maybe we can catch him before he drifts off again.”

Michael and Walter took off for the stairs.

“Walter, how is it going with the computers? I am getting really tired of running these stairs.”

“What’s the matter Operations? Getting too old for this? Getting too out of shape?” Walter laughed, as he was the first to hit the stairs. “No word yet on the computers, Michael. Looks like old Hillinger just can’t cut it this time.”

By the time they reached Med Lab, both men were winded. Michael made a mental note to go and check on the computer situation as soon as he had talked to Birkoff. It was not good form to be forced to run stairs like that. Maybe Walter was not too far off with his remarks about being too old and too out of shape for this.

Walter stayed out in the hallway as Michael walked up to Birkoff’s bed. The young man’s head was swathed in bandages and his face was swollen from the surgery. Birkoff looked to be asleep. Michael closed his eyes and said another small prayer. This one of thanks that Birkoff had made it through this far.

When Michael opened his eyes, he noticed that Birkoff was looking at him through the tiny slits that the major swelling in his face had allowed. Michael watched as Birkoff’s throat began to move up and down. He was trying to talk to him, but no words came out. Michael quickly poured some water into a glass and placed a straw to Birkoff’s lips.

Birkoff took a couple of sips of the warm water. Yuck, he thought. Water. What he wouldn’t do for an ice-cold Dr. Pepper right now. When Michael pulled the glass away, Birkoff’s tongue snaked out to wet his parched lips. He then coughed to clear his throat some. Man that pain in his head sucked.

Michael waited patiently for Birkoff to begin talking.

“Michael,” Birkoff croaked out. He cleared his throat again. “Michael, what I have to tell you, you are definitely not going to like. In fact you may decide to put me out of my misery because of it.”

Michael raised his eyebrows at Birkoff’s last statement. He started to comment about it but Birkoff raised his hand to signal that he wanted Michael to let him finish before he spoke.

“ The computers going down is my fault. I was somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be and the alarms went off. I thought I could turn them off quickly, but I couldn’t. Then the alarms shifted to the main alarms in Section. I heard the operatives running toward Comm to see what was going on. I knew I was going to get busted somewhere in the computers I wasn’t supposed to be. So I pulled the plug. I can’t tell you what it will do to the system. It may wipe out the whole system. It may come back on and there will be the alarms flashing, ratting me out. I just don’t know what damage was caused Michael. I have no excuses.”

Michael laughed. Michael almost busted a gut laughing so hard. “Don’t panic Birkoff. Let’s just see what kind of damage there is to the computer. You have been talking for months about overhauling the system anyway. You know we have everything saved on backup disks. If the computer got wiped, then we can start with the new system you have developed. If not, then we may just have to replace a few things. You need to concentrate on recovering, then you can worry about your precious computers. I can’t wait to go and show Greg how easy it will be to get the computers running again.”

Michael patted Birkoff’s hand as he turned to walk out. He was chuckling to himself. When he reached the door, he sobered slightly, and turned to face Birkoff. “You know, Nikita will want to know what files you were attempting to access. I don’t envy you that chore. And Birkoff, I suggest that you tell her who put you up to this, before she gets too inquisitive.” Turning, Michael strode out of Med Lab to fix the problem in Comm.

**********

Hillinger was ensconced in Birkoff's chair, with his feet propped up on the console. He was ordering techs around like he was the king of the hill. He was even munching on Birkoff's stash of peanut M & M's. The other techs were following his orders but they were bestowing him with evil glares when he wasn't looking. If they had their way they would each snap his scrawny neck.

Michael had halted at the nexus between Med Lab and Comm. He was silently watching Hillinger "work". It disgusted him to see that rat-bastard in Birkoff's position. As if he owned the place. Michael could understand the other techs desire to snap his neck. If he didn't get control over his emotions, he would do that job himself. Finally he tired of watching Hillinger ordering others around.

Michael walked into Comm, calmly and quietly. When one of the techs attempted to say something to Hillinger, Michael quieted him with a shake of his head. Michael stood in the middle of Comm for one full minute. The techs had slight smiles on their faces and were a little more lightness in their step as Hillinger continued to give orders. When Hillinger cursed one of the techs for not doing what he was told, Michael had had enough.

Michael stood directly behind Hillinger and cuffed him across the ear. Hillinger choked on his M & M's as he almost fell out of the chair he was in. He looked up into what some had often called the eyes of death. Michael was furious, but the only way you could see it was in his eyes. Outwardly, Michael was as calm as ever. Inwardly, he was seething.

"How are we coming along with the computer problem?" He had kindly helped Hillinger to straighten up in his chair, and had placed his hands lightly on the younger man's shoulders. Hillinger, however, was not calmed by the touch.

"Uhhh.. Nothing new to report. We have still not found the problem….sir." The last was added on as an afterthought. Probably because Michael still had not removed his hands from his person.

Michael surprised everyone by dumping Hillinger completely out of Birkoff's chair. Hillinger landed unceremoniously on his hands and knees with his head under the console of Comm. "While you are down there, Mr. Hillinger, would you mind plugging in the computer?" Michael said this with the softest but deadliest voice.

All other techs had come to a complete standstill when Hillinger hit the floor. Their jaws dropped when they heard what Michael had said. It couldn't be something as simple as that, could it? Hillinger had been sitting right over the problem for nearly eight hours, and it had never dawned on him to look under the console. Their fears were confirmed when the computers suddenly whirred to life.

Michael spun on one heel and headed out of Comm. Just as he reached the nexus heading to the apartments, he turned back. "I expect everything running normally within the hour Mr. Hillinger." That said, Michael went to wake Nikita so that she could question Birkoff.

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

Michael quickly climbed the stairs, for what he hoped was the last time that day. He opened the door to the apartment to find snow boots littering the hallway along with other articles of clothing. He smiled to himself as he realized that Adam and Jaron must be back from their outing to the park. He quietly closed the door, on the off chance that Nikita might still be sleeping.

She was not sleeping however. When Michael walked further into the apartment, he found Nikita, along with Jaron, happily fixing large sandwiches, and he could smell home-baked brownies. Adam was sitting in front of the TV playing video games. When he noticed Michael standing in the doorway, he dropped his controller and launched himself at his father. Michael smiled as he caught him and held him close. He reveled in the smell of the out of doors on his son as well as at his rosy cheeks.

Nikita turned when she heard Adam’s squeal of delight. She had been happily pulling the pan of brownies out of the oven. When she too saw Michael, she froze momentarily. Then she recovered herself and carefully replaced the smile on her face. Jaron too was careful not to let her face show what she was feeling. Michael knew that both were afraid of what he would have to say.

He hugged Adam close to him once again and then set him down on his feet, laughingly sending him back to his video games. Michael then walked into the kitchen, smiling slightly to the two women. He was much more restrained than usual owing to the fact that one of their operatives was now in his kitchen. But, Michael knew that both women were concerned about Birkoff, so he quickly informed them that Birkoff was doing better and that he was talking. Michael also informed them that he expected the computers to be running within the hour.

After they had lunch, Michael sent Jaron back to work downstairs, helping with the cleanup of the computers. He also wanted her to begin checking on any upcoming mission profiles as soon as the computers were running. Nikita went downstairs to talk with Birkoff. She needed to find out what he had been digging in and who had convinced him to do it.

Michael intended to spend the afternoon with Adam. Adam, however, was tired after his romp in the park, and it did not take him long to fall asleep after lunch. Michael found him asleep in front of the TV after seeing Nikita and Jaron to the door. Michael gently picked his son up and carried him to his bed, where he quickly tucked him in for an afternoon nap. Michael decided his son had the right idea and curled up on the couch to nap.

It was not long before Michael was awakened by a high-pitched squealing. He ran to Adam’s room, where the noise was coming from. There he found Adam thrashing about in his bed. The boy was obviously in the throes of a horrible nightmare. Michael gathered him in his arms, but Adam would not awaken.

Michael rocked with his son in his arms. He kept trying to get him to calm down, but could not. He was afraid Adam would hurt himself the way he was thrashing about. Adam had always been prone to violent nightmares. Luckily, he had not had them often.

There was usually some outside cause that triggered these nightmares. Michael wondered what was going through his son’s head.

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

Eventually, Adam drifted off to a more restful sleep. Michael pondered for a long time what was causing Adam’s nightmares. He knew that the boy was close to Birkoff, but he didn’t think that Adam fully understood that something was wrong with Birkoff. Unless Lynnadaine or Jaron had said something to him about it. Michael would have to question both of them about their conversations with Adam that day.

Michael was awakened about an hour later by a gentle touch on his arm. He opened his eyes to see Lynnadaine peering down at him. He turned over and glared at her. Softly he whispered, “Surely you know better than to approach me so quietly, Lynnadaine?”

Lynnadaine smiled and nodded at him. “ I know, Michael. But I did not want to wake Adam. He looks so cute nestled there in your arms.” She motioned to him to come out of the room so they could talk more freely.

Michael gently kissed the top of his son’s head and slid his arm from underneath him. He was tired. He walked out to the kitchen where Lynnadaine was helping herself to a sandwich that Nikita had made earlier.

“What is going on?” Michael queried.

“Nikita sent me back here to wash up and rest. She needs to talk to you. Birkoff is steadily improving.”

“I guess she got him to talk.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yeah, she got him to talk, all right!”

“Ok Lynnadaine, I am going down to Section. Adam has had a rough afternoon. He will probably sleep while you are showering. He may be a bit clingy after he wakes. If you are lucky he will drift back off to sleep if you try to nap.” Michael smiled. “Oh, by the way, how much did you tell Adam this morning about Birkoff?”

“ Not much, Michael. The only thing that Adam got from me was that Birkoff was in Med Lab and I had to go check on him. Why?”

“ Just wondering. Adam had nightmares during his nap this afternoon. I am just trying to figure out what triggered them.”

“Well, I will watch him closely. Maybe he will tell me what is bothering him. You go on and see what Nikita needs. I will take care of Adam.”

Michael turned and left the apartment. He was happy to note that the elevator was running. He was sort of preoccupied with Adam but he was also cognizant of the fact that the computers must be up and running. He would have to see what was going on there once he had talked to Nikita. So many things to take care of. What he really wanted to do was lay down and take a nap for about twelve hours. But, that was not to be, for he had a job to do.

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

Nikita was waiting for Michael in her office. He could tell she was relieved because Birkoff was improving. But she was still tense. He decided maybe it was better if he sit before she told him what she had to say.

“What is it Nikita? What did you get from Birkoff?”

“I found out what he was attempting to access when the alarms went off. He was trying to hack into my operative psych files.”

“The psych files? What on earth for?”

“It seems, he was asked to do it. Well, more along the lines of bribed to do it. It seems that someone caught him playing computer games when he was supposed to be sorting sims, and they convinced him that if he hacked into the psych files, they would not tell you what he had been doing. It makes sense since you had just chewed him out for playing games last week.”

“Who bribed him?”

Nikita waited a moment before she answered. She was trying to gauge what Michael’s reaction might be to what she had to tell him. “It was Davenport.”

“Davenport? Why?” When Nikita just shrugged her shoulders, Michael knew he would have to question Davenport to find his answers.

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

Michael sat in his office waiting for Davenport to show up. Nikita was pacing the floor of the aerie. Michael smiled. She could never sit still. He wondered how she managed to sit calmly and question the operatives when it was necessary. He, however could sit as still as he willed himself too. He was a master at minimalism. He know how it affected people, especially when they were nervous, to see him so calm and serene. Little did they know, most times he was seething inside.

Davenport entered the aerie, and immediately sensed that something was wrong. He had been regretting forcing Birkoff to spy for him, ever since the computers had gone down. He thought he might have gotten away with it when the computers came back up and no incriminating evidence was there. He now knew that Birkoff had ratted on him. He attempted to remain aloof, but he knew he was in deep trouble.

Michael asked Davenport to have a seat. When he announced to Davenport that he knew he had bribed Birkoff, Davenport had admitted it. There was no sense in trying to deny that fact. Just as Michael had begun questioning Davenport as to why, his cell phone began ringing.

“Yes?” Michael paused to listen to the caller. “Are you sure?” Michael’s inflection had caught Nikita’s attention. “Yes. Please do that. Let me know if you find something.” Michael closed his phone slowly.

Michael turned to face Nikita. “We have a problem. Adam is missing.”

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

Nikita left immediately to help Lynnadaine look upstairs. Michael turned to face Davenport. “We will finish this discussion later. You are confined to Section in the meantime. Get your team and scour Section. He may have just wanted to come down here to find us.”

“Yes, sir,” was Davenport’s only response.

“Send Jaron to me. I want to speak with her before she begins searching.”

“Yes, sir,” came Davenport’s answer as he turned and hurried out of the aerie.

Michael was pacing the floor. Where was his son? Adam had remained asleep until after Michael had returned to Section. Michael had not been able to question Adam about his nightmares this afternoon. Was he just playing hide-and-seek with Lynnadaine? Had he attempted to come below ground to find his daddy and Nikita? Had he wandered out of the building entirely? Had someone managed to get in and take him? All of these thoughts were racing through Michael’s head as he paced the floor.

Within minutes, Jaron had arrived at the aerie. She had never been summoned there before and her face was a little ashen. Add to that the fact that Davenport had told her Adam was missing, as she was one scared operative. Understandably so.

“Come in, Jaron.” Michael attempted a small smile for her, even through his fear.

“Yes, sir,” Jaron responded.

“Jaron, while you and Adam were at the park this morning, did anything out of the ordinary happen?”

“No, sir. Nothing strange. Just an ordinary outing at the park. I mean, as ordinary as can be for an operative from Section One.”

Michael smiled. He of all people understood her sentiments exactly. “No strange people around Adam?”

“No, sir.”

“Any strange conversations with Adam today? Ghost stories perhaps?”

“ No, sir, Why?”

“Adam was having nightmares at naptime this afternoon. I am trying to figure out what could have triggered them.”

“ No. Nothing like that. He did ask me how Birkoff was doing in Med Lab. I told him that he was much better. That was all there was to that little conversation.”

“OK. Thank you Jaron. That will be all. Join your team now in searching for Adam. They are remaining inside of Section in their search.”

“Yes, sir.” Jaron turned to leave. As she reached the stairs to the aerie, she turned back. “Sir, now that I think about it, there was something strange in our conversation today.”

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

Michael turned to face Jaron, his face alight with hope.

“As we were walking to the park, we decided to walk the long way, so we could enjoy the nice weather longer. We passed a graveyard on our way. I thought it might spook Adam, him being so young and all. But it didn’t. He was actually curious and was wondering what it would be like to sleep all the time. He was wondering if there was another place to go after we leave here or if we came back hire in just a different way. I thought that was a pretty deep subject for a six-year-old, so I got him talking about other things.”

Michael thanked Jaron again and nodded his dismissal of her. He needed to think. Why this sudden fascination with morbid things? He could not fathom a reason for it.

While Michael was pondering, Walter came in to say that Adam was not in munitions. He often came down to sit and talk with the old man. But he had not been there in a few days and Walter had checked all of his secret hidey-holes, Walter knew that Michael was worried so he stayed with him in the aerie.

Michael began telling Walter about Adam’s strange behavior of this day. He had been so exuberant to go to the park. The strange conversation he had had with Jaron. The exhaustion he had experienced after playing in the snow all morning. The naptime nightmares. By talking all of this over with Walter, Michael hoped it would give him some insight to what was going on with his son.

While they had been talking, reports were coming in that Adam was nowhere to be found. Michael knew that he must have gotten outside of the building. He sent a team out to search a three-block radius.

Walter turned suddenly. “Michael, you said Jaron told you they went the long way around right? And they passed a graveyard?”

“Yes, Walter. Why?” Michael’s mind was still a little preoccupied.

“Michael, don’t you realize? That is the graveyard where Elena is buried, next to your empty grave. Michael! How long has Adam been here?”

“Almost a year. Why? In fact it will be a year, three weeks from now. Why Walter?”

“How long was Adam in foster care after his mother’s death?”

The questions were finally sinking into Michael’s brain. “Exactly three weeks.”

“Don’t you see Michael? Sometime this week has got to be the anniversary of Elena’s death. That would explain the nightmares and the questions about what happens after death. It might even explain the disappearance. Maybe he has gone to visit his mother’s grave.”

“But Walter, he couldn’t find that graveyard himself.”

“Why not? He’s a smart boy. And he just passed it this morning. He could retrace his path from this morning if he really wanted to.”

Michael went to his comm unit and contacted Snow who was leading the team outside of Section. “Snow. Have Jaron lead your team over to the graveyard in South and Pine. Search that graveyard. Especially check row 3 plot 17. Adam may be there. If he is, do not apprehend him. Do not let him know you are there. Contact me immediately and do not let him out of your sight.”

Walter placed a kind hand on Michael’s shoulder. “You know, my friend. I think you have a lot to face up to with that young boy, once he is found. I suggest you look deep inside yourself and deal with the feelings that you have suppressed for so long. You will not be able to deal with Adam’s problems until you have dealt with your own.”

Walter turned and walked out of the aerie, leaving Michael alone with his thoughts.

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

Michael walked silently through the graveyard on South and Pine. Dressed in his long black trenchcoat and his shades, he looked very much like the Angel of Death would, if it could be personified. He stood about twenty yards behind where his son was sitting at the foot of his mother’s grave. From what Michael could tell, Adam was not hysterical, not even crying. Just....sitting.

“Hello Daddy,” came Adam’s quiet voice. “I knew you would show up sooner or later.” The boy had not even turned his head a smidgen of an inch. He had simply sensed when his father had walked into the area. It had always scared Michael how easily his son could sense his presence. Even as practiced as Michael was at moving with minimal sound or motion, Adam had been able to sense that Michael was near, even as an infant.

Michael walked closer to Adam and took a seat beside him. “What did you mean Adam, when you said you knew I would show up sooner or later?”

“Well Daddy, Snow, Jaron and about five other Section operatives have been here for over an hour.”

“They have? Did one of them come over here and talk to you? Where are they?”

“No Daddy, none of them needed to come and talk to me.” Adam gave a little chuckle at Michael’s inquisitive look. “Daddy, I have been at Section One for almost a year now. I can spot a Section operative over a mile away. Look over that way.” Adam pointed with his hand. “That’s Snow trying to hide from me. And over that way,” the boy pointed in the opposite direction, “I don’t know his name, but that is another operative. That’s how I knew you would be coming soon Daddy. The teams always arrive before you do.”

Michael was startled by this revelation. All this time he had thought they had managed to keep Adam insulated from Section. He had been fooled by his son’s seeming indifference to the things that went on around him. Adam was proving to be a very intelligent child, and from now on, Michael would not take his son for granted.

Michael tapped behind his right ear. “Snow, retrieve your team and return to Section. We will be perfectly fine here by ourselves.” After Snow’s confirmation of his orders, Michael turned off his comm unit.

Turning to face Adam, Michael began to speak. “Adam, I think it is time you and I had a heart-to-heart talk. Now, I know that you are a very grown-up six years old, but, disappearing without telling anyone where you are going is against all the rules you have grown up with, Adam. You know better than that! You scared me and Nikita half to death, not knowing where you were.” It was not normal for Michael to chastise Adam. The fear that his son’s disappearance had caused in his heart ,compounded with the feelings and emotions that had been stirred up from deep within him, brought Michael to speak to his son in a much harsher tone than was usual or necessary.

Adam blinked back the tears that sprang to his eyes at his father’s harsh tone. He took a deep breath. “Daddy, I know I scared you when I left. But, I had to come here, and I had to find a way to get you here. I thought the best way to do that was to just leave. I knew how to get here. And I knew not to let anyone talk to me.” Adam lapsed into silence, and busied himself with playing with the dead leaves surrounding them.

Michael sat silently, contemplating the words of his son. He knew he had made a mistake by not ever discussing Elena’s death with Adam. Adam had seemed to get rid of his anger when he had first been reunited with Michael. They had not spoken of Elena since. Michael knew that had been a mistake. He knew the next few minutes or even hours were going to be difficult for him, but, if he wanted to reconnect with his son, he was going to have to face the demons inside of him.

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

Michael took a deep breath. It was now or never if he was going to connect with Adam again. “Adam.” Michael spoke gently, softly, this time. “You planned out this little excursion quite well. You say that you had to come here and that you needed to find a way to get me here. So you deliberately frightened us. I want to know why.”

Adam was contemplative for a moment, looking at the ground rather than at Michael. He took a deep breath and then moved to pull his knees underneath him. He turned and looked Michael squarely in the eyes. His hazel eyes were not cold, but they were determined. “You want to know why, Daddy?” He stood up and walked over to the next plot, stooped down and patted the ground. “This is why, Daddy. Two and a half years ago Mommy and I stood here and watched a coffin being lowered into the ground. A coffin that you were supposed to be in. We cried, and cried because we thought we had lost you. Neither of us believed we could go on living without you Daddy. I was upset, but I was still kind of little and didn’t really understand what was going on.”

Adam began pacing around the two gravesides. “Mommy tried really hard, Daddy. She did. She tried to give me everything that I wanted. She tried to do everything with me that you and I used to do together. She took me to karate lessons and we walked through the park. But, it just wasn’t the same. I wanted and needed you. But I couldn’t have you. And instead of being thankful that I still had my Mommy, I yelled, and screamed, or just ignored her. She never stopped trying. Until the end.” Adam’s voice trailed off to silence.

Michael’s heart was breaking. Here his son was, six years old, but so very much like an adult five times his age. He was speaking of things that no child of his age should even know about, much less be able to express. And Adam was discussing these things calmly and detached with nary a tear in his eyes. Michael hated to extend the pain any more than was necessary but if he were going to be able to help Adam deal with this, he needed to know more. He made sure to keep his voice gentle when he spoke. “Adam? Tell me what happened at the end?”