This story is set post Three-Eyed Turtle where as you recall, Operations and George faced a stalemate. Operations is now in possession of the Key File and thanks to Hillinger, George has the Gemstone File and knows of Adrian's death. Any ep prior to above is fair game.

Prologue

3 weeks later....

In Operations' perch, Operations turns to Madeline. "I think we need to regroup and come up with another plan."

"Yes, Hillinger was unforeseen. Who knows what else George has asked him to retrieve."

Operations presses down on the intercom button. "Birkoff?"

"Yes, sir." Birkoff responds immediately.

"Have Michael to come to my office immediately."

"Right away, sir."

Operations disconnects and turns his attention back to Madeline. "Is there a problem?"

"No, no problem." Madeline replies. Michael is walking up the stairwell to the perch and pauses. "I take that back . . .We do have a problem. What are we going to do now?"

"About what?"

"We have the Key File and George knows about Adrian and the Gemstone File. What are we going to do?"

"You and I both know the other avenue to explore."

"He is too contained, beyond our reach. Having him killed is not an option." Madeline counters.

"You know that as long as he has the Gemstone File and knows about Adrian's death, we cannot achieve our set goals. He has to be taken out of play."

"There is no way of handling that without repercussions. It is bound to backtrack to us."

"Yes, but that is where Michael comes in. However, we won't use him until it's necessary. Now lets discuss the upcoming mission." Operations closes the discussion.

The sound of his name pulls him out of his hiding place and Michael makes his way up to them. He stands in the doorway in parade rest with his hands firmly clasped in front of him. "You wanted to see me?"

They turn to look at him. Operations answers with a slight smile: "Yes, Michael, we need your input on a situation in Southeast Asia that's come to our attention."

"Of course." Michael comes in further, towards the two.

****

A hand holding a remote turns off the monitor. "I see your plan is moving along." Mystery man #1 comments.

"Yes, everything is moving along perfectly." Mystery man #2 replies.

"How should we proceed?"

"Let's give all interested parties enough rope to hang themselves. Then we will proceed with the real objective as planned."

"Isn't that a bit risky, sir? You've already revealed yourself to one person."

"Yes, I know. But my reasons for that have nothing to do with the situation at hand."

"We bring one down and take the other one down?" Mystery man #1 asks.

"All in due time. We have more pressing matters that we must attend to right now."

"Of course, sir. I'll have someone ready the jet."

The younger of the two mystery men leaves the room and the older of the two turns the monitor on. He observes Operations, Madeline and Michael. "Yes...yes...yes, all in due time." Mystery man #2 turns the monitor off and gets up. He throws the remote onto the desk and walks out of the room.

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

<A month later....

Sunlight slowly spreads its way through the apartment. A lone figure lays in bed having just fallen asleep after returning from a mission which only six hours ago. The shrilling noise of a cell phone rings through the room. A hand emerges from underneath the covers and reaches for the phone. The hand disappears with the object which jolted her out of her tired slumber. Sleepy voiced, she answers. "Yes?"

"Josephine." Michael intones.

"All right." Nikita sighs and hangs up the cell phone, sits up then runs her fingers through her hair. "Will this ever end?" She gets up out of the bed, and gets ready to go to Section.

******

Meanwhile Operations and Madeline are sitting down and having their usual breakfast together. "Has it been tested?" Operations asks.

"It's been tested, but not on a human subject."

"What do the tests show?"

"Over 98% containment."

"Impressive."

"Did you doubt it?" Madeline inquires mildly.

"No Madeline. With you involved, I expect things to be as they should. If everything goes well, we may have to be careful how it's to be used."

"I agree. It will be a very valuable weapon in the long run."

******

At the Section, everyone is a little distressed because Operations called a Section Meeting. Nikita comes in and sees Michael. "Michael, what's going on? I thought there was a briefing."

"No, Operations has called a Section Meeting."

"Why?"

"We'll find out in a few minutes."

They see that Operations has come in and turn their attention towards him. Operations seems to be more on edge than usual. He goes over to the briefing table and stands behind it. Madeline enters the room and stands to the side of the table.

"The reason why I've called this meeting is to inform you of a decision that was made by Oversight." Operations begins and everyone turns to look at one another; they then look back at Operations. "They've decided, due to recent events that I'm not at liberty to discuss, to close down all the Sections." There is a gasp from everyone echoing throughout the Section. Every operative begins to panic. "May I have your attention please!"

The room goes quiet and they turn their attention back to Operations. "They've decided to compensate rather than use the other alternative. You are all free to go your separate ways. Oversight just asks that you keep things the way they are, and integrate yourself within other agencies. As for any missions, Oversight has taken them over. All active operatives are now inactive and will return to their respective locations effective immediately, until you receive further instructions. As for the rest of you, we have 96 hours to put everything in storage. That will be all." Everyone starts to leave in an excited chatter. Michael and Nikita start to walk off together.

"Madeline, I need to see you in my office . . . now." Operations heads for the perch followed by Madeline.

"So, what now?" Nikita asks Michael.

"You can go home. I have to stay here and supervise."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

Michael nods his head and walks in the direction of his office. Nikita starts to walk off, but someone bumps into her. He drops some discs and she helps him to pick them up. While Nikita is doing that, the operative sticks her with something. Nikita gathers all of the discs off the floor, and hands them to him. Not aware of what has happened, she gets up and walks away. Up in Operations' office, standing in the perch, he and Madeline are deep in discussion.

Madeline turns back to look at him. "Phase One of our plan has been completed."

"So, we can move to our next phase?" Operations asks.

"Yes."

"Are you sure about using him?"

"It's a risk, but yes. When do you want to do this?"

"The sooner the better. We may never have this window of opportunity again. Call him in tomorrow morning. We can meet in your office."

Madeline leaves his office and Operations lights up one of his cheroots and looks out his window at Section.

******

Operations and Madeline are discussing their plans of retribution against George. Madeline rethinks the original decision that she had made the other day. "It's risky asking him to do this. We don't want to make him any angrier than we need to."

"There's no other choice, he's the best we have. If we want this done quickly and quietly, he's the perfect choice."

"He'll resist Paul, there's no way we can keep him under control for so long. You realize the position that you have put me in, which you put us both in at this exact moment. He could turn on us the minute the job is done."

"We'll just have to take the necessary precautions. As long as we keep this over his head..."

The door to Madeline's office opens and Michael enters. "You wanted to see me?"

Operations' turns to face him and smiles. "Yes, Michael, have a seat." Michael looks from Operations to Madeline suspiciously before sitting. "I'm not going to mince words with you, Michael. We've had our differences at times, but we always put the Section first. You know as well as I do that Section is our top priority. Without the Sections, we cannot control terrorism. We cannot protect the public, which means many innocent people will die without our protection. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm happy about George's decision. I thought he was blatantly out of line for not discussing his decision on what was to happen to the Sections with us."

"I thought Oversight wasn't happy about the Sections not living up to the ideology that George and Adrian had outlined for them?" Michael asks. "That in fact one of the Sections was pushing the envelope a little more than it should. George gave us an alternative to the horror we would have faced when he dismantled all the Sections. We have a chance to live our lives the way we want to. We'll be integrated back into society, but we'll have to remain ghosts to our families and friends. We may not be able to get all the terrorists and criminals that are out there, but with what we learned here, we can help the other agencies come up to speed."

"Yes, of course, Michael, how could I forget the parting gift?" Operations asks sarcastically.

"I think we're getting off the subject of why were all here." Madeline steps in. "Michael . . .Operations and I need you to do a job for us. This is on behalf of the Section. After this job, we won't ask anything of you again."

"George has suffered a mild heart attack." Operations picks up.

"What does that have to do with me?" Michael asks unconcerned.

"We need you to eliminate him and bring certain items to us." Madeline replies as Michael gets up from where he is sitting.

"I'm not going to kill George because you're not happy with his decision. I don't work for you or the Section anymore." Michael returns annoyed.

"If you don't do as we ask, Michael . . .Nikita will die." Madeline counters.

"I don't know how you'll achieve that if you're dead first. You don't control me, and there's nothing that you can do or say to convince me otherwise."

Michael walks to the door, but Operations grabs him by the arm. Michael looks at him as if he has made the biggest mistake of his life.

"I didn't say you can go. You'll stay and listen to what we have to say, you have no choice." Operations states calmly.

"Oh . . .really? Give me a reason why I should stay and listen to you?" Michael asks angrily.

"Not only will we give you a reason . . .we'll show you." Madeline answers and picks up a remote control and turns on her monitor. Michael snatches his arm away from Operations and turns to see what's on it. On the monitor, you can see one of Madeline's spies bumping into Nikita. He has dropped some discs on the floor, and Nikita helps him to pick them up. While Nikita is busy retrieving the entire mess off the floor, the operative takes a syringe and injects her with some type of chemical agent. Nikita who is not aware of what has transpired, hands the operative the discs, and gets up and walks away.

"It's amazing what you can do to people without them knowing." Madeline remarks. "Nikita has been injected with a poisonous chemical that is trapped inside an electronic microorganism. Enough of the poison is already running through her bloodstream, but the device that I have in my hand will cause the microchips inside the organism to explode, and she will die instantly. She will not know what hit her. It will be a swift but painful death."

Keeping his anger to a minimum and controlling any type of emotion that may waver his voice, Michael asks. "If the poison is already running through her bloodstream, why hasn't she shown any signs of illness?"

"In time, she will start to show initial signs from the poison. If, by some chance you were able to get a blood sample, the poison is designed to appear dormant in the bloodstream. You would have to know specifically what you're looking for in order to see that it's there, but it's working. Once I release the rest of it, it will be too late." Madeline replies.

Michael believes them, knowing they were more than capable of this kind of behavior. "Is there an antidote?"

"Yes, there is, but you won't get it until the job is completed."

"Be here at 8:00 A.M. You can go now." Operations concludes the meeting.

Michael looks at the both of them coldly before he leaves the office.

"Paul, we're playing a very dangerous game here. It could blow up in our faces." Madeline states once she and Operations are alone again.

"Like I said before, as long as we keep this over his head, we're safe. We bought ourselves some time. Did you talk to the Bio Lab?"

"Yes, I told them to destroy any of the antidote that was left. I have the only vial in Section. Our insurance policy is still intact."

"Good . . .Michael will be more focused now, instead of trying to find the antidote on his own." Operations walks over to the door but turns back to look at Madeline. "This should work out nicely for the both of us. If our plan works, we can continue with business as usual. See you tomorrow."

"If our plan works, what are we going to do about Michael?"

"I'll leave that up to you." Operations replies.

He smiles and leaves the office. Madeline sits at her desk and smiles at first, but a worried look begins to form on her face. She shakes it off and picks up her cell phone. She presses a number and places it to her ear.

"Yes?" A female voice inquires.

"How is she doing?" Madeline asks.

"As well as can be expected under the circumstances."

"I'll be needing her sooner than expected."

"She'll be ready."

"Thank you." Madeline disconnects the line and picks up her panel to review what has to go to storage.

****

In a dimly lit office, a hand is holding a remote and is switching from monitor to monitor. The door to the office opens and closes shut. The sound of footsteps approaches the figure at the desk.

"How are things at One?" Mystery man #1 asks.

"Moving along." Mystery man #2 answers.

The main monitor is viewing the scene in Madeline's office, while the others are viewing other places and events.

"How is he holding up?" Mystery man #1 asks.

"He showed some resistance...at first. But he agreed that in order to handle the situation, it's best to stir the pot so to speak."

"That's a little out of character...even for him."

"It was deemed necessary."

They turn their attention back to the screen. On the monitor, you see Michael leaving the office and then Operations leaves shortly afterwards. The two men see Madeline talking to someone on her cell phone.

"I wonder who she's talking to." Mystery man #1 ponders aloud.

"You don't know? I thought I taught you better than that." Mystery man #2 gives the younger man an amused look before turning back to view all the monitors.

******

Still angry from his meeting with Operations and Madeline, Michael goes to see Walter in who is in the back of Munitions cataloging all the field equipment. He changes the angry expression to his blank one, then approaches the older man.

"Walter?"

Walter turns around to look at Michael. "Hey, Michael, what can I do for you?"

"Has Nikita been by to see you?"

"I don't think she's come in yet. What's wrong, Michael?"

"Operations and Madeline have poisoned her."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you why, but I need for you to get a blood sample from her. I have to know what the poison is so that I can get the antidote."

"Well, I can find out what the poison is and see if I can get the antidote for you."

"You may be able to find out what the poison is, but I doubt you'll be able to get the antidote."

"Why shouldn't I be able to get the antidote?" Walter asks.

"What Operations and Madeline want me to do is very important to them. They would not risk jeopardizing their plans by leaving anything to chance. If I'm right, Madeline has the only vial of the antidote. There's just too much at stake for them to make any amateurish mistakes."

"What is so important as to put Nikita at risk?"

"I can't tell you that, Walter. I have already told you too much. I just need for you to do what I ask, and tell me what I need to know to save her."

"Okay, Michael."

Michael starts to walk off but stops and turns back to look at Walter. "And Walter, don't tell Nikita what I've told you. She is not even aware of any of this. I'd like it to remain that way for as long as possible."

Walter just nods his head in acquiescence and goes back to do what he was doing. Michael leaves Munitions and goes off in the direction of his office.

******

At Nikita's apartment, she is getting ready to go into Section. She's sitting down at her counter having a cup of tea, she puts the cup down, smiles and muses aloud. "I can't believe it's over. I am finally free. I need to talk to Michael."

She grabs her coat and keys, and leaves the apartment still smiling at past events. Nikita leaves the apartment building and heads for her car. She gets in and pulls off humming along to the song on the radio. Ten minutes later, she enters the underground parking lot and parks her car. Nikita gets out of her car and heads for the elevator and gets on. The doors open and she is now in Van Access heading into Section. She sees Birkoff over in Comm and comes over to him.

"Hey, Birkoff."

Birkoff seems to be deep in thought, observing some anomalies on a program he's filtering. "Hey."

"What are you up to? I thought you'd be up and out of here by now?"

"I thought so too, but there's a lot to do and everything has to be in order before I leave."

"So, what are you going to be doing when you finally leave?" Nikita asks.

"I don't know yet. I thought I'd take everything in at first and just try to enjoy my surroundings."

"Okay, I guess you'll figure out the rest later?"

"Yeah, I guess. What are you going to do?" Birkoff asks curiously.

"I don't know." Nikita fiddles with the keys on the keyboard. 'I guess it depends on, Michael. ' She muses to herself then sheepishly looks up at Birkoff. "Have you seen Michael?"

"Yeah, I saw him a while ago talking to Walter."

Nikita straightens herself up and squeezes his shoulder. "Thanks."

Nikita leaves Comm to head for Munitions but stops herself. She turns back around to look at Birkoff. "Birkoff?"

Birkoff looks up at her from the computer monitor. "Yeah?"

"If I don't see you later, good luck."

"You too." Birkoff gets up from his station and goes over to talk with one of the Comm ops.

******

Nikita leans up against Walter's workstation looking around for any signs of him. "Walter, are you here?"

Walter comes from the back carrying a box, a smile on his face. "Hey, Sugar."

"Hi, Walter, what have you been up too?"

"Nothing much, just getting things in order and packed away before I get out of here."

"So . . .Walter, what are you going to do when you get out of here?"

Walter smiles. "I'm going to stop and smell the roses."

Nikita smiles back. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, I am. What can I do for you, Sweetness?"

"I was looking for Michael and Birkoff said he saw him talking to you."

"Yeah, Michael was here, but I think he went to his office."

Nikita starts to walk off. "Oh . . .thanks, I need to speak with him."

"Before you go to his office, I need your help with something . . .if you don't mind."

"Okay." Nikita replies.

Walter leads her back into Munitions and hands her a weapon with very sharp blades.

"Be careful of the . . .." Walter warns.

"Ouch!"

"Blades." Walter finishes too late.

"Now you tell me, Walter." The cut gushes out profusely with blood.

"Let me help you with that, Sugar."

Walter takes the weapon out of her hand and places it somewhere out of reach. Nikita has an anguished look on her face as Walter gets a first aid kit and starts to clean her cut.

"It doesn't look too deep, Sugar." Walter bandages her hand but does not dispose of the bloodstained gauze.

"Is there anything else you need help with, Walter?"

"No, you can go." Walter stares down at the blood stained gauze.

"Walter, are you okay?"

Walter takes his eyes off the gauze and looks up at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I thought you said you were looking for Michael."

"I get the hint, I'm going, Walter."

Nikita leaves Munitions to go see Michael. Walter takes one more look down at the gauze before heading to the back to analyze the sample. He watches Nikita's departing figure going towards Michael's office. "I pray that we've gotten to you in time." He shakes his head in disbelief, and makes his way to the back of the area.

******

Nikita approaches Michael's office. In his office, Michael sits at his desk looking out the window trying to figure out what his next move will be. There is a knock at the door.

"I'm busy!" Michael responds absent-mindedly. He continues to look out of the window oblivious to what happens next. The door opens then closes shut. Footsteps approach the desk then stop. Knowing who has entered his office, he turns to look at her.

Nikita looks at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He turns away and looks back out of the window. Nikita then walks around the desk over to him, and kneels in front of Michael. She takes her hand and touches the side of his face, so that he will look at her.

Nikita sees the pain etched in his eyes and the tears that are brimming and asks quietly, "What's wrong?"

" Nothing." Michael replies, barely audible.

"Michael, I know when something is wrong with you. I'm not leaving this office until you tell me the truth."

Michael hesitates at first then sighing, decides to speak. "All right. I'll tell you." He looks down at Nikita hoping that she does not see that he is about to lie to her. "I've been overwhelmed lately. I have been in this place for most of my adult life; this is all I know. I believe in what the Section stood for, I still believe in it. This is the only security that I have ever known. I don't know what I'm going to do on the outside." Michael waits patiently to see if Nikita has bought his story.

"Oh... Michael." Nikita smiles up at him and touches the side of his face. "It's going to be okay. I'm here... now."

She comes closer to him, their faces barely inches way from each other. She softly kisses him on the lips. A slight moan escapes from his mouth. Nikita deepens the kiss with her tongue deep inside his mouth. Michael accepts it willingly and lets Nikita continue with her exploration. The kiss becomes long and demanding, Michael pulls her closer to him so that he is able to participate more. Nikita sits on his lap and Michael begins to explore her body through the thin fabric of the dress she is wearing. Trying to remember every curve and sensation she is feeling where he touches her. He works his way up to her hair remembering the way it smelled of lavender at that very moment, and the fact that it felt like silk in his hands. He plunges his hands deeper into the golden locks to deepen their kiss. Nikita wraps her arms around his neck possessively and begins to caress his hair gently. Finally realizing where they are, he ends the kiss before anything further happens between them. They are both breathless from a kiss that seemed to go on forever.

Michael kisses her softly on the lips, looks into her blue eyes and remembers how lost he gets in them. He'll never forget the color of them, they will be forever burned in his memory of her.

Nikita removes an arm from around his neck and traces the outline of his lips with her forefinger. "Why did you stop?"

Michael rubs her left brow with his thumb, contemplating his next words. "Not here." He says quietly

She is puzzled by his response. "Not here?"

"No."

"Then where?"

"Anywhere."

Nikita takes a few seconds to think then smiles mischievously. "Your place, and I'll make dinner."

Michael smiles slightly. "Okay." She starts to get up but Michael prevents her from leaving his lap. "No... stay for a while."

Nikita smiles. "Okay." She then looks around the office and notices all the storage boxes, but nothing is in them. "Are you having problems putting away everything?"

"No... I just got side tracked this morning, so I didn't have a chance to get to it right away."

"Want some help?"

"Whatever you want." Nikita touches the side of his face with her bandaged hand. Michael notices it and begins to examine it. "How did this happen?"

Nikita looks down at her hand as if noticing it just happened. "Oh... this, I was helping Walter and I cut my hand on a weapon. It's not that deep and it doesn't hurt."

He looks at the bandaged hand again and a sick feeling comes over him. Nikita notices how pale he's become, and touches his face. "Michael, what wrong?"

Michael shakes his head and looks at her. "Nothing."

"Something must be wrong, you look so pale."

"I hardly ate anything today, that's all."

Nikita smiles down at Michael and leans in to kiss him. "Okay, after I help you get your office in order, we'll grab some lunch."

Michael smiles. "Okay." Nikita continues to smile at him. "What are you smiling about?"

"I'm happy. I'm finally happy and it's all because of you." Nikita replies.

Michael's heart starts to swell and the pain is becoming unbearable. "Why don't you start putting the P.D.A.'s and panels in those storage boxes."

Nikita gets up and walks over to the table where the objects that he had mentioned are. "Are they updated?"

"I think so."

Still preoccupied with Nikita's condition, Michael looks around his desk trying to figure out where he should begin. There's a knock at the door. "Come in."

The door opens and Walter peaks his head in. "Michael, I found what you were looking for." Michael looks up at Walter then over in Nikita's direction.

"I'll talk to you in your area." Michael returns.

Walter looks over to see Nikita putting away the panels, then looks back over at Michael. "All right."

He shuts the door and heads back to Munitions. Michael gets up from his desk and does not bother to button his jacket as he usually does. He walks over to where Nikita is and wraps one arm around her waist. He pulls her close to him and softly nibbles on her ear.

"I won't be long." Michael whispers meaningfully.

Nikita smiles and starts to turn in his direction, but Michael releases her and goes to the door. Before Nikita can respond to what Michael has said, he leaves the office. Nikita continues to smile and turns back around to continue with her task.

******

As Michael goes to Munitions, he looks around to see if there's any sign of Operations and Madeline. He looks up at Operations' office to see that he is darkening the windows. He then goes to stand in front of Walter's workstation.

"Walter?"

"Back here, Michael."

Michael proceeds to walk to where he heard the older man's voice. "What did you find out?"

"They've been using a form of Nano Technology. Madeline was not honest with you about what she had injected Nikita with.

"She has those things swimming around in her bloodstream?"

"Yes and no. They designed it to take on . . .."

"Walter, are you here?" Birkoff's voice is heard from the front of Munitions.

"Yeah, Birkoff, I'll come up there where you are!" Walter yells out then turns to Michael. "Michael, I'll be back in a second." Walter proceeds to walk up to his workstation where Birkoff is. "What's up?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to take a break, and grab some lunch?"

"I can't right now, I'm in the middle of doing something. We can have lunch after I'm finished."

"You need some help?"

"No, I'm fine, amigo."

"Okay. I'll see you later." Birkoff heads back to Comm

"Fine." Walter goes back to where Michael is. "As I was saying, they designed it to take on the appearance of the technology, but it doesn't work exactly like it. With Nano Technology, you can design the organism to attack a specific organ. When that task is completed, they will go on to the next until its host ceases to exist."

"What exactly did they do to her?"

"I'll show you." Walter takes Michael over to a computer and turns it on. "Look at the screen, Michael. What they did was treat a microorganism or bacteria with the poisonous chemical. They injected the solution with the microorganisms into her bloodstream. From there the organisms can do whatever they want, but they are designed to explode from an outside source."

"The device that Madeline has."

"Yes." Walter confirmed.

"Madeline said that the poison was already running its course through Nikita's bloodstream."

"Nikita won't die right away. The poison will only make her sick. After that it's only a matter of time before the poison has saturated into the bloodstream."

"What about the antidote? Will it counteract the poison?"

"It should do the job, but you're going to have to watch her closely, Michael. At the first sign of illness you'll need to get her to a hospital immediately."

"I know."

"What are you going to do now? You need to find an antidote."

"I don't know. I have to check my sources and see what they come up with on this poison. Thank you, Walter."

"Anytime." Michael walks away. "Michael . . .." He turns around. "Let me know how everything goes." Michael nods his head in answer and heads towards his office.

******

He opens the door to find that everything has been put away, except for what's on his desk. Nikita looks up and smiles at him.

"I didn't know what you wanted done with the things on your desk, so I left it alone."

"That's fine." Michael shuts the door and goes over to his desk to sit down at it. Nikita then stops what she is doing and walks over to his desk and stands in front of it.

Nikita: "So . . .did you take care of whatever it was that you needed from Walter?"

"Yes."

Still looking at Michael, and waiting for a little more of an explanation than what she was given at first. "And?"

"Its nothing for you to worry about. Just some last minute things that needed to be taken care of."

"So, you're finished for the rest of the day? Because I was thinking after lunch we . . .."

"Not exactly." Nikita looks at him not too happy about at what she is about to hear. "Something has come up and I need to go out for a couple of hours, maybe more."

"So, we can't spend the day together?"

"I'm sorry."

"What about the dinner at your place?"

"We can still do that, but I don't know what time I'll be back."

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" she asks.

"Yes."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I just have a few other things on my mind. It's hard to concentrate on just one thing."

"Are you sure there's nothing else wrong?"

"I'm sure."

"Well, there's just one other thing that I need from you before I leave." Nikita walks over to where he is. Michael turns to look up at her.

"What?"

Nikita leans in to kiss him. "I need access to your place."

"Here." Michael gives her his spare keys and the codes to his security.

"Thank you," Nikita smiles warmly. She walks to the door and opens it. She then turns back around to look at him. "Michael . . ." He looks up at her. "Try not to be too late." She then leaves out he door closing it behind her.

Michael looks out of his window and watches as Nikita leaves his sight. He then grabs his coat and cell phone and leaves out his office.

******

Michael steps through the Van Access door and is now heading down to the underground parking lot. He gets out of the elevator, walks over to his car, gets in and pulls out heading for the highway.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrives at the parking lot of a public park. He gets out of his car and heads for the center of the park. Behind him is a large picturesque lake with benches and huge trees surrounding it. You also see a family of swans swimming in the lake and boats by a small dock. In addition, by the lake, there were what seemed like a few average people sitting on blankets as well as children playing games and enjoying the weather. He takes out his cell phone and places a scrambler on it. He dials a number and places the phone to his ear.

"Yes?"

"We need to meet."

"Where are you?" Rubin asks.

"Location Delta."

"Someone will be there in 20 minutes."

Michael stands and waits as patiently as possible for his contact to arrive. A taxi pulls up in front of him. "You called for a taxi?" The driver asks Michael.

"Yes." Michael gets into the taxi and it pulls off.

"Where to?"

"The center of the universe."

"I understand."

The driver proceeds to the designated site and pulls up to the front of a massive building that seems to disappear into the sky. Michael gets out of the taxi and heads inside the building. He approaches the elevator doors and presses the button to enter. When he enters, he presses the button to the penthouse floor. It takes several seconds before the elevator arrives to its destination. The doors open and Michael gets off and proceeds to the two huge doors of the penthouse suite. He rings the bell and the door opens instantly. Michael enters and a man comes down to shake his hand.

"Michael, nice to see you. We were not expecting to hear from you so soon. What's the problem?" Rubin asks.

"It concerns George."

"What do you mean it concerns George? What's going on?"

"They're planning on eliminating him and using me to do it."

"That's ludicrous, they must know they can't touch him."

"Obviously, they think they can due to recent developments."

"You're referring to his heart attack?"

"Yes." Michael replies.

"So they know about this recent development. What about your involvement in helping George to bring them down?"

"No, they don't know that I was involved," he replies in an agitated tone. "That's not why I'm here. I need to know how you're going to deal with this. There's a lot at risk here. I put my life on the line to help with this situation because I felt it was getting out of hand. I normally don't take sides . . .don't make me regret siding with you."

"What seems to be the problem, Michael?" George's voice is suddenly heard.

Michael turns to face George with a surprised look on his face.

"I thought you were recovering from a mild heart attack."

"I wanted them to believe that happened to me . . .so that I could draw my enemies out." George smiles. "I see it didn't take long for Operations and Madeline to take advantage of this opportunity. He wasn't too happy with my decision concerning the fate of the Sections?"

"No, he wasn't." Michael confirms.

"So . . .tell me, Michael, why have you come in such an obviously agitated state?"

"They've taken this game of yours too far."

"Rubin, call the other Oversight members to set up a meeting for tonight."

Rubin leaves the room and heads for his office to make the calls. George then gestures for Michael to have a seat.

"Tell me what's been going on at One." George orders.

Michael is still a little agitated with Rubin from his earlier conversation and asks, "Where would you like me to begin? Hmm? How they are blackmailing me to do this cowardly job? Or, the fact that Operations is so irate right now, knowing that I crossed him may work against you rather than help you. Does that give you an idea of what's going on at One?

George clears his throat and the smile that was on his face is replaced by one of bitter discontent. "I see we've become more comfortable in our newly formed alliance. I'm going to allow that to pass, because as I sit here, you seem to be in utter turmoil. Although I do not normally allow externalizing of emotions, I am however only human, and have been prone myself in certain extenuating circumstances."

"Of course."

"But." George paused. "Listen to me carefully. I'm not to be spoken to in such familiarity. You know as well as I do that kind of attitude never gets you far, but you do have what it takes, and I like that about you, Michael. I have known from previous experiences that when we're not at our best, our enemies will strike out at us at a moment of weakness. They need not know what your weakness may be, but in having one you need to overcome it. Never let them know because it will cause your destruction. But in getting back on track, knowing how strong a man you are, it must be something substantial if they can blackmail you with it."

"Why would you say that?"

"There would have to be something very profound in your life to cause these turns of events. Do I need to guess what it is? Or should I say who it is?"

"I think you know me well enough by now to know who it is."

"What did they do to her?" George asks, concerned.

"She's been poisoned. I'll show you by what." He takes out a small panel and turns it on. On the panel is what was viewed on the computer screen that Walter had shown him earlier.

"Oh ... my ... God! What are you doing with this?" George asks, sounding out of character. He takes the panel from out of Michael's hand for a closer view of it. "He-he told me that I had all of it. They looked me right in the eye and told me that I had all of it."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Yes . . .unfortunately I know exactly what this is." George replies angrily. "Ten years ago, Section One recovered it for Oversight. It was used to wipe out diseased crops. Some crazed scientist by the name of Herschel Fey decided that it could be used on people. He changed the chemical reaction enough so that it would affect human organs. It cannot be synthesized. It has to be made exactly as the formula states. It also has the properties of Nano Technology. Microorganisms have a microchip installed in them. The organisms are given a program with a diagram of the human body. They are designed to start on a specific organ. Once that organ shuts down, they move to the next until its host's body ceases to function. It's a smart bug so to speak. It appears dormant in the bloodstream, so that it is not detected, but it 'secretly' continues with its task."

"What you are telling me is not what Walter told me."

George looks at the panel and views the description. He laughs with a bit of sarcasm in his tone. "I'm sorry, Michael, but do you really believe that Operations and Madeline are going to divulge the real reaction of this virus? They know how deadly and dangerous it is. They will do whatever it takes to ensure that it's used."

"Why would they use it on her knowing the outcome?"

"They may be planning to use it on a bigger fish, but are testing it out on a little one. There are two ways that it can enter the body: intravenously or orally. The virus has a life span of 21 hours before anyone shows signs of illness. Fey had to create an antidote because someone close to him had ingested it and died. The antidote contains the proper codes to disarm the microchips in the organisms, and to reverse the effects of the virus. He then decided to sell it to terrorist groups to the highest bidder. Section One infiltrated and gathered the formula and virus as well as the antidote. Operations assured me that I had all of it."

"So, you have the antidote then?"

"Yes, I do." He presses a button.

"Yes, sir?" Rubin's voice comes over the intercom.

"I need for you to call the Bio Lab at Oversight, and tell them to messenger the antidote for the Xenon virus over to Alpha Location. Someone will be there within the hour to pick it up."

"Right away, sir." Rubin replies and George disconnects.

"What about the device Madeline has?" Michael asks George.

"Basically, the device that Madeline has activates the microchips inside the microorganisms. It accelerates the symptoms and kills the host in an instant. Now . . .Michael, you and I need to come up with a plan to trap those two. They have been a thorn in my side for the last time."

"What do you have in mind?"

"What exactly is it that they want you to do?"

"To retrieve certain items, but they haven't gone into specifics yet."

"I know what they are after. That's inconsequential to me. What I have in store for them will be far more effective. That will be all, Michael." They both get up and walk over to the door. "I need for you to go to the Alpha location now to retrieve the antidote." They shake hands and Michael opens the door and walks out, the door closing shut behind him. He goes further down the hallway to the elevator. Rubin comes out of his office and closes the door behind him, then brings George a panel that he was holding.

"Thank you, Rubin. Has everything been taken care of?"

"Yes, we're just waiting for Paul and Madeline to fall into place, so to speak."

"Good . . .proceed with a contingency plan for them as well. We want to make sure that this doesn't happen again."

"Of course, sir." Rubin exits the room and heads for his office to prepare for the next day.

****

In a jet plane flying to a classified location, a figure is sitting on a leather couch with a glass of scotch and a cigar lying in an ashtray on an end table. He's reviewing some information on a PDA. Deep into the context, a cell phone begins to shrill in the quiet atmosphere of the plane. He picks it up from the table in front of him and places it to his ear.

"Yes." Mystery man #2 says.

"Everything went as planned." A male voice responds.

"Good."

He disconnects and places it back on the table next to his laptop. He then continues to view the information before him. Fifteen minutes later the cell rings again. "Yes."

"George has called a meeting for tonight. The location is being downloaded to your PDA as we speak." Rubin informs him.

The device makes a beeping sound and the words 'incoming message' flashes on the screen. "Thank you."

He disconnects the call and presses down on a button.

"Yes, sir." The pilot responds.

"Standby to receive new coordinates." He presses a series of keys on the laptop.

"Coordinates received."

He sits more comfortably on the couch with his scotch and cigar in both hands. 'This game just keeps getting more and more interesting." He muses and takes a sip from his glass then takes a puff from the cigar, blowing a stream of smoke.

****

Michael stands inside the elevator contemplating on what just happened. He gets off the elevator when it gets to the first floor. He goes outside to see that the same taxi has been waiting for him the entire visit. He gets in and it pulls off.

"Where to?"

"Location Alpha."

About 20 minutes later, they arrive at the designated place to wait for the messenger from Oversight. Ten minutes after that a black sedan with tinted windows pulls up alongside the cab. The back window slides down and a hand encased in a black leather glove reaches out with a small parcel. Michael's window comes down automatically and he extends his hand out. The gloved hand in the black sedan places the parcel in Michael's hand and the car pulls off. Michael brings his hand back inside the cab, the window goes back up and the cab pulls off.

"Where to next?"

"Location Delta."

Michael stares down at the parcel as the car makes its way to the location. After a 15 to 20 minute drive, the car pulls to a stop. Michael looks up and opens the door to get out. He slams the door shut and hears the car pull away. He scans the area before making his way over to his car and gets in. He opens the parcel to find a black silk pouch inside. He pulls the drawstrings apart and inside is a vial of the antidote and a piece of paper.

Michael reads the scrap of paper: 'The antidote cannot be given orally or injected into the blood stream. It has a bitter taste to it and an odor. The odor smells vaguely of almonds, but do not confuse it for a known poison. If placed in a liquid of any kind it discolors. It needs to be given intravenously through an IV. It also needs to saturate for at least 6 to 8 hours in the body before the subject shows signs of recovery. Additionally, the virus needs to run its course before administering the antidote.' He folds the paper back up and places it in his coat pocket, then closes his eyes and leans his head back against the head rest. He sighs deeply and pinches the bridge of his nose.

'Now all I have to do is watch Nikita.' Michael looks at the vial one more time before placing it back inside the pouch and driving off to his place.

Meanwhile, George leaves his secured location and heads for the Oversight meeting he had called; arriving at the board room, George takes his seat at the head of the table even though its circular in shape.

"So...George, why are we here?" One of two unknown men asks.

"Yes, George, what's with all the secrecy?" The only woman in the room adds.

"We finally got Paul." George smiles at the board members.

"How did you manage that?" The second man asks.

"I gave him an opportunity that he couldn't resist. Rubin, bring the board a copy of my contingency plan for Paul and Madeline."

"Yes, sir." Rubin replied.

The sound of a cell phone echoes throughout the quiet room. " I apologize." The second man makes his excuse and goes to the outer room and presses a button on the phone.

"Is this line secure?" A male voice asks from the other end.

"Yes, of course. I told you I couldn't be disturbed till afterwards."

"I'm aware of that. But are you aware of what the situation is?"

"He got the vial, didn't he?"

"He has the right one now."

"What are you talking about?" The Oversight board member asks.

"The original vial had a saline solution in it. I took the real vial to the site personally."

"Did he see you?"

"No, I was concealed. I just wanted to let you know how far George is willing to go and who he's willing to sacrifice."

"George doesn't know who I really am...yet. I'm going to continue to observe as planned. I need to get back to see this plan of his."

"Paul and Madeline?"

"Yes."

"And when this is over?"

"We'll see..." He disconnects and goes back inside to take his seat. "I'm sorry about the interruption lady and gentlemen." He notices that no one has their panels. George nods his head and Rubin gathers several panels and gives one to each board member. Everyone quickly scans their panel with George's plan and begin to smile.

"I knew you would agree with what I had in mind. So...how should we proceed?" George asks.

******

Michael goes inside the building of his loft and arrives at his door only to hear soft music emitting from inside. He gains as much composure as he can before he opens the door. As Michael enters the loft, the room is dimmed, the candles on the dining room table providing the only illumination. He remembers that he still has the pouch in his hand and places it in his coat pocket.

He closes the door behind him and walks further into the room. Michael scans the room before his eyes finally fall on Nikita, who is on the couch asleep. He walks over to the couch and kneels before her. He brushes a strand of hair from out of her face and continues to touch her face with the back of his hand.

Michael is saddened by the fact that he has to keep this secret from her. Nikita stirs and gently opens her eyes. She looks up at Michael and smiles.

"Hi." Nikita greets, sounding sleepy.

"Hi." Michael smiles slightly at her and runs his thumb over her brow.

"I must have dozed off. What time is it?" She slowly sits and looks around the room.

"It's almost eight.." Michael looks down at his watch.

Michael looks around the room. Picking up on his apprehension, Nikita gently grabs his chin, turning it to face her. "And no, you're not late. I didn't set a time...remember." She strokes his chin tenderly with her finger before leaning in to place her arms around his neck for a hug. "So...are you hungry?"

Michael separates himself from her only to place both his hands on either side of her face. He gently brings her forward to him. He looks at her face and lightly rubs her cheek with the back of hand. He looks at her eyes then her lips and comes close enough to lightly kiss her on the lips. He places his forehead against hers and smiles at her. "Yes."

Nikita gets up and holds her hand out for Michael to take. She gently pulls him and leads him over to the table, which is beautifully decorated, with candles and flowers. He takes his coat off and places it on one of the dining room chairs before having a seat. Nikita goes into the kitchen to get the rest of the meal. She comes back in and Michael immediately gets up. She places the his plate at his place and hers by her while he pulls her chair out for her.

Michael pours them each a glass of wine before sitting back down, while only one of them enjoys the lovely meal that she's prepared. He barely touches the meal, too caught up in his own tortuous thoughts of her. He stares at his plate pushing the uneaten food around, thinking about what the next 12 hours will be like. Nikita puts her fork and knife down and looks over at Michael.

"Michael?" He doesn't respond so she touches his hand gently. "Michael?"

"Hmm?" He stops pushing the food around and looks up at her.

"Are you finished?"

"I'm sorry. Yes." He looks down at the plate again and pushes it away from him and looks back up.

His thoughts still preoccupied, he starts to look around the room. Nikita gets up and takes his plate for him along with hers. She comes back in and takes her seat across from him.

"Michael, do you want some more wine?"

He looks over at her then at his wine glass. "Yes, please." Nikita picks up the wine bottle and pours them both another glass. "Thank you." He picks the glass up and takes a sip.

She places the bottle down and picks her glass up to take a sip. "Did you take care of everything today?"

Michael places his glass down and starts to swirl the wine. "Yes, I did."

"So...how did everything go?"

He swallows slowly before answering. "I got some positive results."

Nikita slightly smiles at his words. "Good. Do you want to do anything tomorrow?"

A painful thought comes to Michael and his heart starts to pull in every direction imaginable. "I can't." He closes his eyes briefly fighting back the tears before he looks at her.

Nikita is puzzled by his reaction. "Why?"

He takes a deep breath. "Something's come up." He gets up from the table and walks over to where he had lain his coat.

"Section?"

He continues to search through the pockets of his coat. "Yes."

She nods her head in understanding, but remains deep in thought. He pulls out a small velvet box and walks up behind her and places it on the table in front of her. She looks down at it then up at him slightly puzzled. "Open it."

When she opens it, she finds a beautiful heart-shaped diamond dangling from a very thin gold chain. "Oh...Michael...it's beautiful."

She gently takes the delicate necklace out of its box and holds it up towards the candlelight. The dimmed lighting causes the diamond to sparkle as the many colors dance off the walls. Michael takes it out of her hands and gestures for Nikita to stand. He places the necklace in one hand and the other moves her hair onto her shoulder before he places his gift around her neck.

As soon as the clasp lays flatly on the nape of her neck, he kisses it, sending a shiver down Nikita's spine. Michael's hands move from her neck to her shoulders. "Sometimes words aren't enough."

Nikita smiles and places her hands over his. He leans in closer to her. She can feel his heart beating rapidly against her back and his warm breath near her ear. She closes her eyes briefly then opens them again.

"Dance with me," Michael gently whispers to her.

Nikita turns around without a word and puts her arms around his neck. They begin to dance together in synchrony, swaying to the soft ballad. Michael wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her closer to him, until their bodies are toe-to-toe, hip-to-hip, and shoulder-to-shoulder. He lifts one had from around her waist to push back an errant strand of hair that has fallen across her face then places the hand back around her waist. They dance in silence, oblivious to everything except each other.

******

They continue to dance, staring into each other's eyes. Michael removes his hands from around Nikita's waist and places them on either side of her face. Michael leans in and very passionately kisses her. The kiss becomes long and demanding. He can still taste the wine as well as the unique taste that is Nikita on her lips.

Michael breaks away from Nikita's lips and moves down to her chin and neck. He stops and brushes his nose up against the side of her neck to her ear until she feels his warm breath against it.

"Stay with me tonight," he whispers.

Nikita responds by kissing him deeply, tasting the wine and the unique taste that is Michael on his lips.

They break free long enough for Michael to lead her to the bedroom. Nikita walks over to the window and can see the view of the Seine from a distance with the lights twinkling off of it.

Michael comes up behind her, lifts the mass of blond hair from her neck and lays his lips softly on her warm nape. A shudder goes through her and he feels again the jolting surge of energy that has met and matched his own. His lips move to the soft vulnerable spot behind her ear, his breath whispering over her skin.

He draws her backward into the room, turning her to face him, taking her chin between thumb and forefinger. Nikita reads the sensual glint in his brilliant green eyes, vibrant with longing, and she feels herself slipping into some half world where the only reality is the powerful surge of her responses.

Nikita's need and her hunger match Michael's. She runs her flat palm over his cheek, lightly tracing his mouth with her little finger. His hand comes up to grasp her wrist, holding her hand steady while he sucks her probing finger into his mouth, delicately nibbling on the tip. It's an exquisite sensation. The nerve endings in the tip of her finger seem to be connected to other parts of her body. Her tongue runs over her own lips looking up at him, her eyes glowing, the sensual currents as direct and clear as his own.

Taking a handful of her hair in each fist, Michael holds Nikita's face steady as he kisses her mouth. Her breasts pressed against his chest, she moans softly beneath his lips. With a sharp in-drawn breath, he releases her head. His fingers swiftly and masterfully move freely over her body feeling the texture of the silk dress until he finds the zipper. He brings her flush body closer to his and starts nibbling on her neck.

An excited moan escapes from Nikita's mouth. The zipper comes undone and the dress slowly falls to floor. Nikita steps out of it and moves closer to Michael. The soft mounds of her breasts, the nipples hard and erect with desire, disappear into his warm palms. Nikita closes her eyes, a deep shudder of pleasure overwhelming her as his fingertips tease the taut peaks. He runs his hands down the narrow rib cage, feeling the shape of her, the smoothness of her skin, the contour of her ribs, until he reaches her waist.

Nikita proceeds to pull Michael's shirt from out of the confinement of his pants. She starts to unbutton his shirt, one button at a time. She slowly removes the shirt, dwelling on the broad chest and the narrow waist, then stares with wanton interest as he unfastens his belt and pushes off his pants revealing a concave belly, slim hips, long muscular legs and the hard, erect evidence of his arousal.

Michael turns to throw his pants on the chair revealing tightly muscled buttocks, and Nikita draws in a sharp breath, her body stirring where she stood. He comes back to her and they remove any other layer of clothing that would interfere with their union. Michael kisses Nikita very gently on her forehead, lips then neck.

They walk over and lay down on the bed. Michael stretches himself beside her, kissing the soft pulse at the base of her throat as he caresses her belly, fingertip tickling her navel, inhaling the scent of her body. He touches the line of her body, from below her ear to her hip, feeling the soft curves and the deep indentations as Nikita moans beneath his hand, whispering his name.

Michael's mouth moves to her breasts, his teeth lightly grazing her nipples, overloading Nikita in sensation, the liquid fullness in her loins a near unendurable urgency. Moving her body, she feels his hardness against her thigh and reaches down to take the turgid, ridged flesh in her hand, feeling the blood pulsing strongly against her palm.

Nikita curls her fingers around him, enclosing him in her warm grip. Michael groans softly under the knowing caress, as his tongue trails a moist, burning path over her belly. She opens her thighs in sudden demand, still caressing his flesh, her probing fingers showing her urgency.

"Be patient," Michael whispers, slipping a hand beneath her, his fingers closing like pinchers over the firm, enticing flesh of her buttocks. "We have all night."

He pinches just hard enough to pierce the fog of her need and her blue eyes open, focusing fully on the face hanging over her. She nods fiercely in understanding, clenching the cheek of her captured backside against his fingers.

Michael moves his hand, flipping her onto her stomach. And now his lips are cool, his breath warm, erasing the marks of his fingers on the imprisoned flesh. His hand slides between her thighs, delicately probing, opening the soft swollen petal, feeling her warm readiness. Nikita opens to his touch, moving her body against his hand, her soft whimpers of pleasure filling the room. Moving his hand away, he kisses the nape of her neck.

Nikita rolls onto her back and gazes up at him through half-lidded eyes. Michael kisses her again, his eyes burning, his pleasure in hers as he eases himself between her legs with a low murmur of fulfillment. She feels the press of his manhood against the cleft of her body and instinctively tightens against him.

Michael touches her again with his hand and her body surges against him, her legs lifting to receive him as he presses into her, her heels gripping his buttocks with a wild urgency. He was deep within her, his body a part of hers. Tears glistened in her eyes but her lips were parted on a jubilant little cry and she was moving with his rhythm.

Nikita's head fell back, her throat arching and her legs curled around his waist, pulling him into the cleft of her body. With a supreme effort of will, Michael held himself still, glorying in her velvet warmth as her climax surged around him. He wanted to stay forever on the precipice, basking in the feel of her, the grip of her body around him, but the deep spiraling urgency could not be controlled. Groaning with the almost painful loss of contact, he forced himself to withdraw from the tight sheath in which she held him, gathering her against him as his own climax throbbed. After a minutes pass, still basking in their lovemaking, Michael places the covers over their naked bodies. He wraps an arm around Nikita and brings her close to him and they fall into a deep rhythmic sleep.

******

Later that night, around 4:00 a.m., Nikita awakens from her peaceful sleep with a terrible migraine headache. She carefully removes Michael's arm from around her, ever mindful not to wake him. She picks up his shirt from off the floor and puts in on. Tiptoeing across the loft in search of some aspirin, she finds some in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. She takes the bottle with her to the kitchen to get the bottle of water she had left on the counter.

The pounding in her head unbearable, Nikita hurries to take the aspirin. Finding no relief yet she goes over to the sofa to sit and wait for it subside some. Minutes pass and the pain becomes even worse than before. Her head begins to throb uncontrollably and her vision becomes blurry. She begins to rock back and forth with her hands on her head on the sofa.

Michael, hearing her whimpers, wakes up. He touches the side of his bed to find Nikita gone. "Kita?" Trying to gain some bearing, Nikita painfully whispers out his name. Michael gets up and puts on a pair of pajama pants and makes his way over to the couch. He kneels in front of her.

"Ni-ki-ta?" She barely looks up at him because of the pain. He touches her knees, which are up against her chest. "What's wrong?"

She sounds as if she's about to cry out in pain. "I don't know."

He pulls her hands from her head and lifts her chin up. There was enough light in the loft to see the dark circles under her eyes. A deep panic starts to form in his chest, but he has to stay calm.

"Get dressed." Michael orders Nikita gently.

Michael goes back to the bedroom area and hurriedly puts on some clothes himself. The clothes that Nikita wore earlier would not do so he goes through everything until he finds a t-shirt, a pair of sweat pants and tennis shoes. Michael comes back into the living room and helps her get dressed. She loses her balance and Michael catches her and helps her to sit down. He retrieves the shoes and places them on her feet. He gathers their things and helps Nikita stand up.

With his coat already on, Michael helps Nikita put on hers. He steadily walks with her over to the door and opens it. He then leans her against him as he locks the door. They head over to the elevator, but Michael has to pull the gate down. He leans her up against the wall as he pulls the gate down and Nikita begins to moan in pain. He comes towards her and touches the side of her face. She takes an in-drawn breath as he pulls her close to his body. The elevator opens and he pulls the gate up with his free hand. They exit the cart and as gently as possible Michael gets Nikita downstairs to his car.

******

In Madeline's office, she is at her desk talking on her cell phone. "Thank you for keeping me apprised of the situation..." Her door opens and Operations appears with a cheroot in hand. He sits down and begins to take a couple of puffs from it. Madeline pulls out an astray and places it in front of him. "We'll take it from here." She disconnects the line and turns her attention towards Operations.

"You wanted to see me?" Operations asks.

"Yes. I thought you would like to know that Nikita has just been admitted into the hospital, and Michael is with her."

Operations takes another puff and blows out a stream of smoke. "So...we're on schedule? Good." Then he thinks about the information that he was given about the virus. "But, I thought it would take at least 12 hours for the thing to start making itself known."

"On a non-human subject, yes. We weren't sure about our human subjects. It's different with each subject. In some cases it took half the allotted time, with others it took more. But adjustments have been made...now that we know." Operations nods in understanding and takes another puff. "How would you like to proceed?"

Blowing out a stream of smoke, Operations replies. "Let's focus on our main objective. We don't want to deviate from our plan right away."

"Fine, we can do that for now, but we should have another contingency."

"You don't believe our plan will work?"

"It's not that I don't believe in the plan. I just don't think we can afford to make any amateurish mistakes."

"I agree, make the necessary adjustments, if you must." He puts the cheroot down on the astray and gets more comfortable in the chair. "Do you think he's told her what we did to her?"

Madeline adjusts herself in her chair and folds her hands in front of her on the desk. "No, he hasn't told her and he's not going to tell her. Michael already feels that she's going through too much. In addition to what he's feeling now, he's taking on the pain that she's experiencing."

"But will he be ready?"

"Yes, he will. More so than ever before."

They look at one another meaningfully.