The following is a character study set after "Soul Sacrifice." It includes spoilers for "Missing," "Mandatory Refusal," "Half Life," "Psychic Pilgrim," "First Mission," "Soul Sacrifice," "New Regime," and "Not Was." I guess I'll rate it a MA-14, although I'm not sure why.

By the way, the Murrin twins you'll see referred to here are my (unofficial) name for the "goatee guy" seen in the background of so many episodes this season. I realize that I'm borrowing their names, but I really mean no infringement by doing so; please consider it a tribute. :) It was also, as you'll soon see, written before the events of the 2nd season closing arc, so much of it isn't canonical. :)

No infringement of *any* sort is intended with the following. Please send any comments to: gilbertklfn@cs.com.

There was something comforting about Section when it was like this--quiet but not deserted. He watched the operatives below him working in their ordered patterns, carrying out their assignments without problems or arguments. . . . It was times like this it was good to be in charge.

Operations was sitting in his office, casually drinking a scotch and soda-- a drink Madeline had gotten him used to, winding down a bit from the day's events. There had been some problems within Section of late, but he was taking care of them.

What he saw below him now was the way he wanted things to work. It was a bit like a beehive, really--with all of the workers understanding and carrying out their roles. No complaints--no backtalk. . . . No Nikita.

Operations smiled and took another sip of his drink. He no longer wanted to be rid of the young woman, as he had a year ago. She had learned her lessons since then--was following her orders more regularly. She was still in need of guidance, though; she hadn't--in four years--yet learned some of the essentials of life in Section One.

There were no individuals here. No one person had importance. While the chain of command was to be respected unquestioningly, it was the institution itself which held precedence--not its leaders.

He looked down into his drink. Operations had always known that he was expendible; his P.O.W. experience had taught him that harsh lesson long before he had been brought into the Section. He still understood this fact, but he wouldn't go while the Section was unprotected; its future had to be seen to.

He wasn't sure Nikita yet fully comprehended this. He looked back up. She was still far too concerned with the welfare of individuals. She had gone around Section's orders or procedures to protect Michael twice recently.

Although she was far more effective nowadays, this weakness was undermining her.

Nikita still couldn't see this, though; she still didn't understand. *No one* was important--not Michael, not her, not himself, . . . not even Madeline.

Operations winced slightly, looking down. He had made a point of telling himself this daily since her too-recent abduction and return, reminding himself of the lesson she was trying to reinforce to him.

Madeline had pulled back since his actions to free her from Enquist. While she was not being rude, she had limited their relationship to the strictly professional. The closest he got to her now was a few working meals. . . . He missed her.

He took a deep breath and looked back up. She had made her point, though; he couldn't allow her to become his weakness again, . . . as Nikita and Michael were to each other. He wouldn't allow himself to be as pathetic as those two.

What he supposed annoyed him the most about them was that Madeline actually seemed to like seeing them together. Although he hoped it was merely her distraction at her mother's illness which had allowed the pair to work together on the Armel mission, he suspected that she had probably planned it.

It had been a bad idea, however, and he had known it. As fine an operative-- as superb a tactician as Nikita was becoming, emotion was still her weakness.

Michael needed to focus more on crushing her feelings, not on reinforcing them. Otherwise, they were going to lose him, too.

"You would think he'd know better after Simone." Operations shook his head, pondering. Operatives came and went; making an emotional investment in one would only lead to pain, disappointment, and distraction from your duties.

Michael was bright enough to know this by now. . . . Why didn't he?

Operations took another sip of his drink. Well, if Michael wouldn't emotionally distance himself on his own, he would force his hand. The younger man had--on orders--successfully destroyed the feelings of dozens of recruits in the past. If he wouldn't take this necessary action on his own, however, Operations would put him in a situation where he would have to keep Nikita in line. . . . Maybe another few betrayals by him would finally drive the point home to her.

Nikita needed to understand. She had to get it. Section was the only priority; nothing else mattered. It was imperative that she comprehend this essential truth before circumstances conspired to promote her.

Operations repressed a shudder at the thought of a Section run by the current Nikita or her influence. It would never get anything done; she would be too busy sending "Get Well Soon" cards to their enemies in the hospital to deal with pressing matters.

He shook his head. She didn't get it. She wouldn't play the right games. . . . She needed to, though; Section's life depended on it.

Operations fingered a p.d.a. on his desk. Geoff's report today had given him some hope. If she would just believe that Michael had fathered Terry's child, maybe that would help stifle her compassion. He hoped so, at least.

Nikita had proven resilient to Michael's betrayals in the past, though--too resilient. . . . And, as little as he liked to admit it, he had allowed Michael to become far too attached to her early on. He shook his head; he should have cancelled her himself, at the end of her training period, despite the young man's objections . . . or Madeline's recommendations.

He looked back at the activity below him. He had assigned the Murrins to watch her--to watch them both--soon after she was allowed to return to her apartment after retraining. He still didn't trust the way she had survived her planned cancellation--or how she had been brought back in. There was far more behind that than he was being let in on.

The Murrin twins were his personal ops.--assigned, answerable to, and known about solely by him. Their one field was long-term surveillance, and they were good at it. One or the other of them had been within sight of both Nikita and Michael many times, and their subjects had yet to spot or identify either of them.

The Murrins' reports were intriguing and helpful. After Operations' recovery from his wounds--after Petrosian's near-coup, Geoff had sent him a report about Nikita and Michael's arranged meeting at Volare's. While it had told him little of the extent of their relationship, it had reinforced his determination to keep them apart emotionally. Had Petrosian succeeded in recruiting them-- because of their mutual weakness--Section would have been lost. . . . They couldn't be allowed any closeness.

Contrary to his expectations, however, his personal observers had had nothing of a romantic nature to report between them. They had never once seen the pair in anything approaching an assignation. Michael and Nikita, in fact, seemed to rarely speak outside of Section. . . . It made destroying the bond between them that much harder.

Operations sighed and continued looking down at his little realm. He saw Walter leaving for the night, looking ridiculously happy. He smiled. He had never had any intention of retiring Walter, whatever the result of his evaluation; his work was too skilled and too valuable. Operations had needed, though, to remind him that his presence was not irreplaceable.

He had made his point with Walter and had gotten some amusement, as well, from watching him try to answer Section's ridiculous and unanswerable questions. . . . Walter really should have known by now that the answers were irrelevant; it was his anxiety level while answering that was being tested.

Operations smiled. Walter was back to his old, reliable self while still having been warned. Michael and Nikita, too, might have been successfully distanced, at least temporarily. If not, he felt sure that Michael's orders to watch her closely--and her awareness of them--would bring out his most protective instincts. This was fine with Operations; it was when Michael was being protective that he had a tendency to hurt Nikita the most, and--Operations knew--she hated her former trainer for that. It was a recipe for discord.

He took another sip of his drink. Things were going well. With any luck, Nikita could be brought around and would be one of them soon. Then, Section's future would be in good hands. He leaned back, smiling at this thought, and continued enjoying his evening.

[The End]

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