SCENE: SECTION ONE. Operations stands behind Birkoff's chair. Beside him is Madeline. The two of them watch Michael on a monitor. Michael is his usual blank self, only a little too blank.

OPERATIONS: You've made a thorough sweep of the area?

MICHAEL: (over comm link) Of course. Two witnesses saw her being pushed into a van by a woman in an FBN league uniform.

OPERATIONS: Do we know who the woman is?

MICHAEL: (looking away) No.

OPERATIONS: (shaking his head) Doesn't make any sense. What would they have to gain by snatching Nikita?

MICHAEL: I don't know.

OPERATIONS: (with a sigh) All right. I'll alert the substation in Jakarta to send in a team.

MICHAEL: That'll take almost twenty-four hours.

OPERATIONS: You have another idea?

MICHAEL: The league maintains a camp north of Kunhing. I know the area. I know the language.

OPERATIONS: (shaking his head even before Michael finishes) Not an option. We could not maintain communication with the equipment you have on site. And you can't cross the border without back-up.

MICHAEL: I can move faster on my own.

OPERATIONS: And if you're caught--

MICHAEL: I won't be. The odds don't justify sending in a team. If I haven't found her in 72 hours, recall me.

OPERATIONS: (narrowing his eyes) All right. Agreed. Seventy-two hours, no more.

The link is severed. Operations looks at Madeline.

OPERATIONS: He's holding something back.

MADELINE: Yes.

OPS: Who do we have available that can work the area?

MADELINE: Wells and Morrissey at the Jakarta substation, of course. But I wouldn't put much faith in their ability to get over the border on their own.

OPERATIONS: What about Kuo and Kim?

MADELINE: They're tied up with the Cambodia situation.

OPERATIONS: Damn. (He thinks, and then decides.) Birkoff, order the plane prepped and fueled.

MADELINE: You're not thinking of--

OPERATIONS: If Michael's holding something back, I want to know what it is and why.

***********

SCENE: CHIANG MAI BUNGALOW GUESTHOUSE. Michael quickly and efficiently shoves equipment into a black bag, and then looks around the room, checking to see if he left anything behind. He closes the bag and heads for the door. There, on a table by the front door, he sees a pair of sunglasses. He stops--picks them up. He looks over to the balcony doors, out at the hills.

MUSIC rises: Bob Dylan's "Not Dark Yet."

During the opening instrumental, the view dissolves from a shot of the Thai hills to a shot of the Golden Triangle mountains.

CUT to a shot of Nikita, still bound and gagged in the back of Paul's van. She looks hot, grimy, miserable.

"Shadows are fallin'
And I've been here all day
It's too hot to sleep
And time is runnin' away--"

CUT to a shot of Michael driving down a crowded Chiang Mai street, the poor part of town. He parks the car and gets out. Children surround him, begging. He ignores them and heads to a ramshackle lean-to across the street.

"Feel like my soul has turned to steel
I've still got the scars
That the sun didn't heal
There's not even room enough
To be anywhere--"

CUT to a shot of Nikita, trying to work her hands free and giving up, exhausted. She looks to the front of the van, where Sun Ye stares ahead at the road.

"It's not dark yet
But it's gettin' there--"

CUT to a shot of Michael, entering a dark, smoky room--an opium den. In the room are three older men, smoking from strange pipes and staring glassy-eyed at their surroundings. Two younger men with guns stand guard.

"My sentimentality
Has gone down the drain
Behind every beautiful thing
There's been some kind of pain--"

CUT to a shot of Paul's van on a bridge. Sun Ye is handing papers over to a border guard. While he looks over the papers, she glances behind her, inside the van.

A shot of Nikita in the van, frantically trying to untie herself and get the border guard's attention.

"She wrote me a letter
And she wrote it so kind--"

A shot of Sun Ye, accepting the papers back from the guard and being waved through. The border gates lift, and the van drives through.

"She put down in writin'
What was in her mind--"

The gates lower, and the van drives away.

CUT to a shot of Michael in the opium den. He is seated on the floor with the three older men, talking to them earnestly. When he finishes, one of the smokers waves toward one of the younger men at the door. The younger man steps forward, gripping his rifle. Michael looks at him and nods.

"I just don't see why
I should even care--"

CUT to a shot of Nikita, raising up to look out the back window of the van at the slowly disappearing bridge.

A shot of the back of the van, Nikita's face in the window. The van moves farther away, driving into the sunset.

"It's not dark yet
But it's gettin' there--"

ROLL CREDITS

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

ACT ONE: THE CROSSING

SCENE: SAI RIVER BRIDGE, NIGHT. From a distance, Michael looks at the bridge through binoculars. He sees the border guards. His companion, the young man from the opium den, sits in a jeep beside him.

YOUNG MAN: Bridge close. Six to six.

Michael lowers the binoculars.

MICHAEL: Then we'll have to cross another way. (He looks back.) It's what I hired you for.

The young man grins.

YOUNG MAN: You in big hurry?

Michael looks back at the bridge.

MICHAEL: Yes, I'm in a hurry.

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

SCENE: MOUNTAIN ROAD, NIGHT. Inside the van, Nikita finally maneuvers so that her gag falls off her mouth, around her neck.

NIKITA: Thank God.

At the sound of a voice, Sun Ye glances back, but then turns immediately to the road.

NIKITA: Hey, you speak English?

Sun Ye doesn't answer. Nikita squirms to the front of the van.

NIKITA: I'm not going to shut up until you talk to me. In any language.

SUN YE: (after a moment) I speak English some.

NIKITA: Good. Then you can tell me what the hell is going on here.

Sun Ye grips the steering wheel tighter.

NIKITA: Look, I know you're with the Free Burma Now League. I know you and your group tried to assassinate Aung San Suu Kyi. I know you failed.

Sun Ye still doesn't answer.

NIKITA: What I don't know is what you expect to achieve by kidnaping me. I don't have anything to do with anything--

A knock of the van's engine gets both of their attention. Sun Ye looks at the dashboard, worried. Nikita sits up and tries to see what is happening.

The engine knocks again, louder, and finally dies. The van cruises to a stop. Almost viciously, Sun Ye puts the gearshift in park and tries to start the engine. It won't turn over.

NIKITA: Don't tell me we ran out of gas. What a shame.

Sun Ye looks back at Nikita, and then picks up the rifle on the seat beside her. She gets out of the van, and a moment later, the rear door opens. Sun Ye stands there, her rifle pointed at Nikita.

SUN YE: Out.

NIKITA: With pleasure. I was dying for a pit stop.

She scoots to the edge of the van and swings her bound legs over to the side.

NIKITA: If you want me to stand, you're going to have to undo these.

She lifts her legs. After a moment, Sun Ye shoulders the rifle and leans down to undo the bindings.

Nikita shakes her legs a bit, as if to restore circulation. Then, as Sun Ye straightens up, Nikita kicks out at her, knocking her to the ground. Quickly, Nikita is out of the van and over to Sun Ye. She goes to kick again, but Sun Ye grabs her leg and pulls it out from under her. Nikita goes sprawling. Sun Ye is up and pointing the rifle again before Nikita can sit up.

SUN YE: Now we walk.

A close up of Nikita, looking at her sourly.

CUT to later. Sun Ye and Nikita are moving upward, climbing a slope, Sun Ye following with her rifle at the ready. Nikita, her hands still tied behind her back, makes her way awkwardly through a dense, overgrown path. Leaves flap in her face, and she has to use her shoulder to push them aside. At one point she stumbles and nearly falls down.

NIKITA: Damn it-- (She looks up at Sun Ye.) This would be a lot easier if I could use my hands.

SUN YE: (gesturing with the rifle) Walk.

NIKITA: (struggling to her feet) Look, we're in the middle of nowhere, without any transportation or even a map. There's no way I'm going to try to get away from you. You're the only one around who knows the way out.

Sun Ye looks at her, considering. Finally, she shoulders the rifle and unsheaths a knife hanging from her belt. With one quick move, she cuts Nikita's ties. Nikita shakes her arms out gratefully and rubs her wrists.

NIKITA: (sarcastically) Thanks..

Sun Ye tilts her head, examining her captive.

SUN YE: You are smart. And brave. Michael choose well.

NIKITA: Michael? What does Michael--(a realization dawns on her) Are you--are you Sun Ye?

SUN YE: Michael tell you of me?

NIKITA: Well, yeah. I mean, he told me about--

SUN YE: About he kill my husband.

An awkward pause.

NIKITA: Yes, he told me about that.

Sun Ye gestures for Nikita to get moving.

SUN YE: Must go. No time for talk.

NIKITA: (starting to turn, but stopping again) Is that what this is about? Are you trying to get to Michael somehow?

SUN YE: Michael take my husband, I take his wife.

NIKITA: WIFE? Oh, no, no, you've got it all wrong. Michael and I aren't--we're not married.

SUN YE: (shrugging) No matter. He care for you.

NIKITA: What--so this is about revenge? You took me to get back at Michael?

SUN YE: (after a moment) That is one thing.

NIKITA: What's the other?

SUN YE: I take you to get my son.

NIKITA: Your son?

SUN YE: (stiffening) No more talk. Go.

Slowly, Nikita turns and begins making her way through the overgrowth. She glances back at Sun Ye, who is looking even more fierce and determined. MUSIC rises: The next verse of Dylan's "Not Dark Yet." The verse plays over the following montage.

CUT to Sai River. Michael and his guide glide along under the border bridge in a flat-bottomed boat. They keep down until clear of the bridge. Then the guide stands up in the stern and begins paddling.

"Well I've been to London
And I've been to gay Paree
I followed the river
And I got to the sea--"

CUT to mountain path. Nikita and Sun Ye are now moving down a steep slope, grabbing onto trees for leverage. Sun Ye still follows Nikita, but she is no longer holding the rifle on her. Both women are tight-faced with fatigue.

"I've been down to the bottom
Of a world full of lies
I ain't lookin' for nothin'
In anyone's eyes--"

CUT to Sai River. The guide steers the boat to the opposite shore on which, partially hidden by undergrowth, is a pick-up truck. Michael hops out of the boat onto land. The guide picks up a black satchel in the boat and tosses it to him, pointing toward the pick-up truck. Michael sees the truck, and then gives the guide a wave. The guide waves back and starts paddling back into the river. Michael looks around. The sky is beginning to lighten in the east: sunrise.

"Sometimes my burden
is more than I can bear--"

CUT to road. Sun Ye and Nikita walk side by side down a road, a clearly cut-out road with dense, steeply rising forest on one side and a precipice on the other looking down into a valley. The sky is light with the dawn. Nikita, exhausted, has her eyes on the road.

"It's not dark yet
But it's gettin' there--"

Sun Ye stops suddenly, as does the music. Nikita walks a few steps before realizing it. She looks back: Sun Ye is standing at the precipice, looking down into the valley. Nikita joins her.

NIKITA: What is it?

SUN YE: (nodding to the valley) Khan Sa.

Nikita turns and looks down. In the valley below them is an elaborate compound. In the center, backing a hill opposite them, are the ruins of a Buddhist temple: its soft golden stone being lit by the sunrise, its spires worn down to rounded bulbs along the top. To the left of the temple is a group of thatched-roof huts surrounded by barbed wire. To the right of the temple is an incongruous two-story modern house, overdecorated to the point of decadence. A bamboo front gate leads to an inner courtyard, in which can be seen the glimmers of a swimming pool. To the right of the building is a parking lot filled with cars, trucks, and jeeps. At the edge of the lot is a gas pump.

All around the compound are poppy fields. In the fields can be seen small figures, picking the crop, and around the fields are guards with guns.

Nikita looks at Sun Ye.

NIKITA: I don't understand. I thought we were going after your son.

SUN YE: (nodding toward the fields) Mi Kel is there. (She pronounces it mee kell.)

NIKITA: Mi Kel.

SUN YE: My son.

NIKITA: You named your son after Michael--

SUN YE: I do it to tell Paul he is wrong to work for Khan Sa. Paul--he is very angry. He think I name son Mi Kel because (she stops and turns the scarred half of her face away)

NIKITA: He thought Michael was the father.

SUN YE: Yes. He is wrong. But it not matter. Paul, he leave. I raise my son to be good man, not like Paul. (She looks at Nikita quickly, then away) Not like Michael.

NIKITA: (looking down into the valley) What happened to your son?

SUN YE: (clipped and angry) Khan Sa take him, put him in labor camp. Force him to work poppy field with other children.

Nikita looks down into the valley: the small figures in the poppy fields are all children.

NIKITA: How long ago was this?

SUN YE: One year.

NIKITA: (more to herself than Sun Ye) About the time the League began--

SUN YE: (bitterly) Government let Khan Sa take children, take people. He pay government money, they do nothing.

NIKITA: So you want to destroy the government.

SUN YE: I want my son.

Nikita looks down at the compound. There are soldiers everywhere.

NIKITA: I still don't understand. How do you expect the two of us to break your son out of there? It's like a fortress.

Sun Ye doesn't answer at first. Nikita looks over at her.

SUN YE: (not looking at Nikita) I trade.

NIKITA: Trade what?

SUN YE: (raising her rifle) Trade you for my son.

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

ACT TWO: LORDS OF THE SKY

SCENE: DIRT ROAD. The scene picks up where it left off. Sun Ye has her rifle in both hands, trained on Nikita.

NIKITA: You can't be serious--

SUN YE: Yes. Serious.

NIKITA: You're going to TRADE me?

SUN YE: I give you to Khan Sa. He give me son.

NIKITA: This is crazy--

Shaking her head, she backs away a step, letting her eyes wander over to the valley. She takes note of the cars and trucks parked at the edge of the compound. Then, she turns back to Sun Ye, looking her up and down as if disgusted.

NIKITA: Michael was wrong about you.

Sun Ye narrows her eyes and lifts the rifle a bit. The strap slides off her shoulder.

NIKITA: He said you were beautiful. He said you had grace and compassion. He would never believe you capable of doing something like this. Something so....inhuman.

SUN YE: (her voice quavering a bit) That is enough.

She lifts the rifle again, and Nikita swiftly grabs it and jerks it out of her arms, throwing it to the side. Sun Ye starts for the rifle, but Nikita grabs her and twists her arm behind her back. Sun Ye retaliates with a backward kick at Nikita's knee. She turns quickly, her arm raised and palm out to punch Nikita, but Nikita blocks it and, with her other hand, knocks Sun Ye backward. Sun Ye falls back and doubles over, and Nikita high kicks her in the chin. Sun Ye goes flying back, and Nikita quickly moves to get the gun.

MAN'S VOICE: Ya'pa!

Nikita freezes, and then turns slowly. Sun Ye, groaning, sits up. The two women look around.

They are surrounded by soldiers, all with weapons pointed at them.

***********

SCENE: FREE BURMA NOW LEAGUE ENCAMPMENT. The camp is a curious mixture of East and West: thatched-roof huts beside military-issue tents, water buffalo grazing beside trucks, a woman seated outside a hut sifting rice beside another woman cleaning a gun.

There is a lot of activity: men, women, and children are all around, all wearing a mixture of Burmese and western clothing and all working at some kind of job, domestic and military. Although not cheerful, everyone seems purposeful.

A sudden commotion at the edge of the encampment draws attention. Children scramble and adults stand slowly to see what is going on.

Michael enters the encampment, alone and unarmed.

One of the women whispers something to a child; the child scurries off in the opposite direction. By the time Michael has reached the center of the encampment, the child has returned with a man who, judging by the way the crowd parts to let him through, is the leader. His name is Khin Myo Wa. He is in his mid-forties, with a tall, athletic build and strong, handsome features. He wears Western-style fatigues, but on his head is a traditional gaung baung.

Khin Myo Wa sees Michael and stops. Michael sees him. They look at one another for a moment. Then Khin Myo Wa breaks into a huge smile. He comes forward, hand outstretched.

KHIN MYO WA: (with a British accent) Michael. How good to see you.

Michael shakes his hand with genuine feeling.

MICHAEL: It's good to see you, too, Khin.

CUT to later. Michael and Khin sit together outside a hut. In front of them are plates of food--Khin's plate is nearly empty but Michael has hardly touched his food. A woman takes away the plates silently. Khin is staring at the ground, shaking his head.

KHIN: It has been difficult for her. You know that we are distantly related. Second cousins.

MICHAEL: I'd forgotten that.

KHIN: The rest of the family would like to forget it as well. Sun Ye's father, well, he never accepted his lot in life as a poor Burmese merchant. His great great grandfather or something was a nobleman in China, before the socialists took over, and Sun Ye's father never let anyone forget that. Even gave his children Chinese names. So, you see, Sun Ye was an outsider even before she married Paul. Starting this league--I think was her way of finally accepting she was an outsider--in every sense.

MICHAEL: Khin, I need to know why she is doing this. What does she want?

KHIN: That's easy enough. She wants her son back. But why she would take your friend--I don't know.

MICHAEL: Where is the boy?

KHIN: He was conscripted by Khan Sa. He has him working one of his fields north of Mong Ping.

Michael is quiet a moment, staring at the ground and thinking.

MICHAEL: (carefully) Khin, I know this isn't your fight--

Instead of finishing the sentence, Michael stares at Khin intently.

KHIN: (slowly, musing) When I was a child, before I was sent off to school in England, my mother and Sun Ye's mother planned for us to get married. When I returned and the government closed the borders, they started talking about it again. (a small, rueful smile) You can imagine my relief on learning that Sun Ye had gone ahead and found her own husband. (the smile fades) Of course, I didn't know her then--

He breaks off.

KHIN: I will help you.

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

SCENE: KHAN SA COMPOUND. A truck drives up and parks in front of house. The driver gets out and goes to the back of the truck. He lowers the back gate, and Nikita and Sun Ye are shoved onto the ground. Four Khan Sa soldiers follow, and then they push the two women toward a clearing in front of the temple. The driver of the truck heads for the house.

Hands on hips, Nikita looks around, while Sun Ye stares at the ground, her hands neatly folded in front of her. More soldiers arrive, and they gather in a group, staring at Nikita and whispering among themselves.

NIKITA: (to Sun Ye) Cripes. You'd think they'd never seen a woman before.

SUN YE: (her voice low) Some have not. Not woman with gold hair.

The bamboo gate on the house opens, and four servants rush out. One carries a large wicker chair, another a small teak table, a third a jug and cup, and a fourth a large fan. They hurry over to the steps of the temple and quickly set up everything except the fan on the top step. The first three servants melt away; the fourth stands in position behind the chair, holding the fan.

The soldiers stop whispering, and their eyes turn once again to the bamboo gate. Nikita turns as well. Sun Ye lowers her head further. The gate opens. All around them, soldiers and servants fall to their knees, pressing their faces against the ground.

NIKITA: Let me guess. We're about to meet Khan Sa.

A man exits the house: Khan Sa. His features are more Chinese or Mongolian than Burmese, and with his hair slicked back into a top knot he somewhat resembles another Khan--Genghis Khan. He is a very big man, well over three hundred pounds, a size enhanced by his bright red-and aqua-striped tunic, hanging over black trousers tied like a longyi. At a distance he is a most impressive figure, but as he makes his way toward the chair that has been set for him in front of the temple, it becomes apparent that this is a man whose dissolute life is taking its toll. His jowls are heavy, his fingers are fat, and his walk is that of a man of leisure and indulgence, not a man of war. He is smug, self-satisfied, and gross.

Nikita looks over at Sun Ye and sees that her head has dropped even further, but she has not fallen to the ground like the others. Nikita crosses her arms and tilts her head back, turning to watch Khan Sa take a seat on the wicker chair as if it were a throne. Nikita smirks--not impressed.

As soon as Khan Sa sits, the soldiers and servants rise. Khan Sa looks around at everyone except the two women in front of him. He picks up the cup on the table; a servant rushes over to fill it. He sips and nods. The servant backs away. Khan Sa then raises his hand, and the servant behind his chair starts waving the fan.

Finally, Khan Sa looks over at Nikita. He examines her from top to bottom. She lifts her eyebrows in a "Well?" gesture.

He doesn't respond. Instead, his eyes turn to Sun Ye.

KHAN SA: (in Burmese) I know you.

SUN YE: (also in Burmese, keeping her eyes down) Yes, sao pha loang.

KHAN SA: Where do I know you?

SUN YE: My husband worked for Khan Sa. He was American. His name was Paul

KHAN SA: Ah, yes. But he has been dead for a long time.

SUN YE: Yes, sao pha.

KHAN SA: Then why do you come here?

SUN YE: (with a furtive glance to Nikita) Khan Sa has my son.

KHAN SA: (frowning) And you were going to take him from me?

SUN YE: No, sao pha. I wish

She sends another pained, guilty glance to Nikita, who is watching them through narrowed eyes, unable to understand the conversation. Sun Ye takes a deep breath and looks up at Khan Sa.

SUN YE: (still in Burmese) I wish to offer a trade.

Khan Sa's frown clears away. He looks at Nikita and smiles.

KHAN SA: You wish to trade this woman for your son?

SUN YE: Yes.

KHAN SA: (nodding) Done.

He raises a hand and two soldiers jump forward.

KHAN SA: Bring the boy. (One of the soldiers runs for the field. Khan Sa gestures to the other soldier.) Take the girl.

The other soldier goes up to Nikita and almost timidly takes her arm. She jerks it away, and then glares at Sun Ye.

NIKITA: You did it! You actually did it! You traded me for your son--

SUN YE: (in English, looking away) I am sorry.

NIKITA: SORRY?! You're sorry!? Why, you--

Enraged, Nikita leaps toward SunYe, who backs away from her. The soldier grabs Nikita by the arm and she punches him in the stomach. Another soldier runs up and she decks him. The first soldier is up again and tries to grab her from behind, but she turns and knees him in the groin. The second soldier comes up and gets her in a choke hold; the first soldier struggles to his feet and stumbles over to help restrain her.

NIKITA: (her voice strangled and desperate) You can't do this--

Sun Ye drops to the ground and buries her head in her hands. Khan Sa, who has been watching the proceedings with interest, suddenly raises his hand again. Two more soldiers leap forward, and, when Khan Sa indicates Sun Ye, they grab her and haul her to her feet.

KHAN SA: (gesturing behind him to the temple) Take both. Now.

Sun Ye looks around. She struggles against the soldiers who hold her.

SUN YE: (in Burmese) You can't do this! We had a deal! My son for the woman!

KHAN SA: (shrugging) I changed my mind.

The soldiers drag away the women, both kicking and screaming. Just as they reach the temple door, the soldier who was sent after the boy arrives with him in tow. Sun Ye looks back and sees her son.

SUN YE: Mi Kel!

MI KEL: Mother!

The boy sees his mother and tries to run to her, but the soldier holds him back. He watches his mother being taken into the temple with Nikita. Khan Sa looks at the boy without interest.

KHAN SA: Put him back to work.

The soldier drags the boy away.

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

SCENE: INSIDE THE TEMPLE. The interior is almost completely dark, the only light coming from the door and from a few high, narrow windows. A crumbling statue of a reclining Buddha takes up a far wall, but there is nothing else left from the temple's past. It is no longer a temple; it is a prison. Along the dank walls are iron chains embedded in the stone. At the end of each chain is a spiked iron collar. The collars are being used to chain Khan Sa's prisoners.

The soldiers bring in Nikita and Sun Ye, both of whom are immediately subdued on seeing the interior. In slow motion, they pass along the chained prisoners, men and women, all filthy and malnourished, all staring at the newcomers with lifeless black eyes.

Finally the soldiers reach two unoccupied collars, and they shove Nikita and Sun Ye to the floor. One soldier holds each woman down while the other clamps on the collar. The chain is long enough to allow them to sit or stand, and they are close enough together to allow them near the person next to them.

The soldier who clamps on Nikita's collar does not leave immediately. He stays kneeling beside her, looking with almost wonder at her bright hair. He runs a finger down it. Nikita jerks away and glares at him. His eyes narrow, and he reaches out for a fistful of hair. Nikita leans back and then spits right into his face. Enraged, he slaps her: her head jerks sideways, and the collar nearly breaks her neck. Coughing and gagging, she rights herself and gives him an even more hateful glare.

The soldier smiles, satisfied, and leaves with the others. Nikita keeps up her brave face until they leave, and she even manages an angry sidelong glance at Sun Ye. But when she sees Sun Ye, her arms wrapped around her knees, her whole body rocking back and forth with sobs, Nikita's facade slips. She too pulls her knees up and wraps her arms around them. Slowly, her head falls forward, as if she wishes she could shut out the entire world.

A shot of the two women, huddled side by side.

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

SCENE: PAVED MOUNTAIN ROAD. From a shot of the two women, the scene cuts to a shot of two men: Michael and Khin. Michael is driving the pick-up at top speed down a badly paved two-lane road. Khin, in traditional clothes, sits in the passenger seat.

Michael looks at his watch and presses the gas a little harder. Khin looks over at the speedometer, and then out the window.

KHIN: This Nikita. She's more than just a friend, isn't she?

Michael keeps one hand on the wheel, while the other elbow rests on the door, his hand covering his mouth. After a long pause, he answers.

MICHAEL: Yes. (Another pause) She's the best person I know.

Khin looks surprised, as if he wasn't expecting such a serious statement.

KHIN: I see. (He nods, looking out the window again.) But--uh--well--uh--no offense, Michael, but given the company you generally keep, that's not saying much.

Michael, after a moment, actually smiles and almost laughs.

KHIN: So tell me--

He is cut off when suddenly a large military truck pulls out onto the road ahead of them, stopping so it blocks the road. Michael hits the brakes, and the pick-up truck skids to a stop just shy of the larger truck.

Thrown forward, Michael and Khin instinctively reach for the door handles as soon as they stops. They jump out, but they immediately come face to face with men in military uniforms holding guns on them. These are government soldiers, not Khan Sa's.

KHIN: (holding up his hands and speaking in Burmese) We have papers. We have papers.

The soldiers do not respond. Michael and Khin exchange looks over the roof of the truck.

The far side door of the military truck opens, and a man in a suit gets out and walks around the front of the truck. He takes out a cheroot and lights it, then looks up with a smile.

OPERATIONS: Hello, Michael.

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

ACT THREE: DARKNESS FALLS

SCENE: PAVED ROAD, SUNSET. Michael stares at Operations as the soldiers put away their guns and pile back into the truck. Operations looks back at the soldiers.

OPERATIONS: Ceizu ba.

SOLDIER: Kei sa mahsibabu. Thwabaounme!

The truck drives away, and Operations turns back to Michael.

OPERATIONS: Did you find her?

MICHAEL: We know where she is.

OPERATIONS: Where?

MICHAEL: (after a pause) A compound north of Mong Ping.

OPERATIONS: (after taking a puff of his cheroot) You mean Khan Sa has her.

MICHAEL: (reluctantly) Yes.

Operations looks over at Khin, who is watching them with interest, and then back at Michael.

OPERATIONS: And the two of you were going to rush right in like John Wayne and save her.

MICHAEL: Something like that.

KHIN: Actually, I've always considered myself more of a Clint Eastwood type.

Operations looks at Khin again, surprised by his flawless English.

OPERATIONS: (to Michael) A word.

He walks across the road, stopping by the trees that line it. Michael, with a glance at Khin, follows him.

OPERATIONS: (quietly) Michael--

MICHAEL: (interrupting him with an almost accusatory tone) That was a Burmese army unit.

OPERATIONS: (after a long pause) No. They were---friends of a friend.

Michael stares at him, unblinking.

OPERATIONS: You're not the only one with a history here, Michael. (He looks around as if remembering.) I spent a significant part of my life in--

He stops. Closes his eyes. Takes a deep breath.

OPERATIONS: Even the air smells....desperate.

Michael looks away, his anger subsiding somewhat.

OPERATIONS: (shaking off his memories) You know what our business is here. It does not include rescuing damsels in distress.

MICHAEL: I am retrieving an operative caught behind enemy lines.

OPERATIONS: (with something approaching regret) Michael, you know if Khan Sa has Nikita--

Michael stiffens.

OPERATIONS: Do you really think she has what it takes to survive?

MICHAEL: (with an undertone of fury) Yes. I do.

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

SCENE: INSIDE THE TEMPLE. The red light of sunset beams through the small windows. Nikita's head is still bent over her knees. Another prisoner moves, rattling the chain, and Nikita's head raises. She looks around, nervous and alert.

Sun Ye, no longer crying, watches her. Nikita thinks she hears a door opening and stiffens again, but it is a false alarm. She relaxes and tries to slow her breath.

SUN YE: Your name. Is Nikita.

Nikita doesn't answer.

SUN YE: (hesitantly) You know Michael long?

NIKITA: (without looking at her) Long enough.

SUN YE: You care for him? Love him?

NIKITA: (tersely) That's none of your business.

SUN YE: (after a long pause) I miss my son. I do anything to (her English fails her)

NIKITA: Look, I'm sorry about your son. Really, I am. But you're not new at this game. You should have known it would never work. (She turns and for the first time looks her in the eye.) You should have known it was just....wrong.

SUN YE: (quietly) Yes. It was wrong, except-- (she sighs) I lose husband, son. I am angry for long time. Angry at whole world.

Nikita leans back against the wall and closes her eyes, tired beyond measure.

SUN YE: You have family?

NIKITA: (without opening her eyes) I have a mother. (She opens them and stares straight ahead.) Somewhere.

SUN YE: Father?

Nikita shrugs.

SUN YE: So you are alone?

NIKITA: (bleakly) Most of my life.

SUN YE: Now you have Michael.

NIKITA: No, I don't have Michael. He doesn't....It isn't permitted.

SUN YE: (frowning slightly) Who does not permit?

NIKITA: It doesn't matter.

Sun Ye looks at her curiously.

SUN YE: I see you at hotel. I think you are free. Happy. Beautiful. I think you have love. I am--how you say it--jealous.

NIKITA: (bitterly) Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving.

SUN YE: (tensely) Nikita.

NIKITA: (still not looking at her) What.

SUN YE: When they come--

NIKITA: When they come what?

SUN YE. You must remember. Body is vessel.

Nikita looks over at her. The sunset has faded, and the room is almost completely dark.

NIKITA: (blankly) The body is a vessel.

SUN YE: Just vessel.

The door opens and two soldiers enter. Nikita sits up; Sun Ye bows her head.

The soldiers come immediately to Nikita. They are all business as they unlock her collar and pull her to her feet. One of them points a gun against the back of her head. Nikita looks down at Sun Ye who, for a moment, looks up, tears shimmering in her eyes.

SUN YE: (whispering) Just vessel.

The soldiers lead Nikita to the door. They open it.

CUT to outside. Darkness has settled over the compound, but there is a lot of activity. Men and women are setting up tables and hanging paper lanterns in the clearing in front of the temple. Others are setting up some kind of equipment. The soldiers lead Nikita past the activity, toward the house.

They stop at the bamboo gates. One soldier unlocks the gate, while the other keeps the gun pressed against Nikita's head.

MUSIC rises: Meredith Brooks's "Wash My Hands." The opening is an Oriental chant.

Nikita is pushed through the gate. She keeps herself as stiff as a statue as the soldiers lead her through the courtyard past the swimming pool. Several women in bathing suits watch as they pass. They are expressionless.

CUT to Nikita being led through a lavish, opulent living room.

CUT to Nikita being led up a stone staircase.

CUT to bedroom. It is decorated in overdone moghul style--lots of red and yellow silk, pillows, mirrors, obscene statues. Khan Sa sits in a chair beside a table loaded with food. Across the room is the bed.

The door opens, and the soldiers bring Nikita in and force her to sit down in a chair facing Khan Sa. Khan Sa waves them away. The music shifts to the angry strum of an electric guitar.

"Wash my hands of crimes
pour the water over
my skin, my spine--"

Khan Sa picks up a fistful of grapes and offers them to Nikita. She scowls, refusing to answer. He drops the grapes with a shrug, and then with an effort hauls himself to his feet. She stiffens and braces her hands against the chair.

"Cleanse my soul
and ease my mind
I've been fixed on
all the damage done--"

He stands over here. She looks up at him.

NIKITA: Oh, no you don't--

She lifts her legs and kicks him away with all her might. Caught by surprise, he goes sprawling back toward his chair. She jumps to her feet.

CUT to inside the temple. Sun Ye stands up suddenly and starts pacing as much as her chain will allow. Suddenly, she notices something about the chain in the wall: it's loose. She starts working to free it.

CUT back to bedroom. Khan Sa rises to his feet and angrily yells for the soldiers. The two soldiers who brought Nikita in enter the room immediately.

"Why do I always forget
how far I've come--"

Nikita throws the chair down in their path and tries to run around them, but they are ready for her. Each of them grabs an arm and starts dragging her to the bed. She yells and fights, but the two together are too strong for her. They throw her on the bed. She tries to bounce up, but one soldier pulls a gun and holds it against the side of her temple. She freezes. The other soldier also pulls a gun and holds it on the other temple.

"I've done time for the past
I've done time for the past--"

Khan Sa stands and straightens his robe. He straightens his robe and approaches the bed. Instinctively, Nikita lifts her legs to kick again, but he grabs her legs and, using his weight as leverage, pushes them down, leaning against them to hold them down.

"Said all forgiven now
Let's call it even shall we--"

A close up of Nikita, desperate.

CUT to a close up of Michael. He is driving the pick-up. His elbow is on the door again, and his hand is rubbing his temple. He looks at the speedometer, at his watch. He pushes the gas harder. Khin and Operations exchange looks. Michael starts rubbing his temple again.

CUT back to bedroom. Khan Sa's hands are on Nikita's shirt. With one gesture, he rips it off.

"Can't you judge me for my love
And not mistakes I've made--"

Nikita closes her eyes in pain, as he reaches for the rest of her clothing.

"I swear by who I am
and not by yesterday--"

A close up of Nikita, her face contorted in pain and anger as he leans over her.

"I've done time for the past--
I've done time for the past--"

A shot of Michael's worried face superimposes over Nikita's.

"I've done for the last time,
the last time, the last time,
the last time..."

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

SCENE: INSIDE THE TEMPLE. Music continues. Sun Ye is frantically working to free the chains when suddenly the outer door opens. She stops and immediately sits down. A moment later, the soldiers bring Nikita in.

"In between black and white
I disappear--"

Her clothes are ripped and her face is bloodied. She holds her arms against her defensively, trying to keep her shirt closed. She walks without being told to her original position beside Sun Ye. She sits, and the soldiers put the collar on her.

"Circled round the stone
Until I landed here--"

The soldiers leave. Sun Ye looks at her, her face filled with compassion.

SUN YE: Oh, Nikita--

Nikita cringes at the sound of her name. She curls into a ball, leaning against the wall and turning her back on Sun Ye.

A close up of Nikita: in shock, traumatized.

"I've done time for the past
I've done time for the past
I've done time
I've done for the last time--"

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

ACT FOUR: FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

SCENE: INSIDE THE TEMPLE. It is almost completely dark. Nikita is still curled against the wall. Sun Ye is once again working to loosen her chain, stopping every now and then to look over at Nikita.

Suddenly, there is a loud boom, followed by a flash of bright light and the sounds of cheers.

Nikita jumps.

NIKITA: What was that?

SUN YE: Festival.

NIKITA: What festival?

SUN YE: Festival of Light. It is to celebrate return of Buddha to earth.

Another boom, and a flash of bright light and cheers.

NIKITA: (trying to slow her breathing) Fireworks.

SUN YE: Yes.

Nikita looks over at her and realizes that she's up to something.

NIKITA: What are you doing?

SUN YE: My chain. I try (she grimaces as she pulls) I try free it.

Nikita looks around, and then she stands, stiffly, and tries her own chain.

NIKITA: Mine is stuck fast.

She looks over at Sun Ye and sees the chain is indeed slowly being worked out of the wall. Nikita steps over--she is just able to reach it to help. The two of them working together are able to pull the chain out with a final big pull. Sun Ye stands, the chain in her hands, and looks at Nikita.

SUN YE: Wait. I get key.

She hurries toward the door, ignoring Nikita's hissed "Sun Ye!"

CUT to outside the temple. A lone guard stands beside the door, his attention and those of the people gathered in the clearing outside taken by the fireworks display. Khan Sa sits on his "throne" at the top of the temple steps, several yards from the door.

Behind the guard, Sun Ye opens the door cautiously. She looks out--sees the guard and sees Khan Sa on his "throne." She looks around and sees the men working the fireworks. She waits until one is about to be set off, then she wraps the chain around the guard's neck and pulls him inside, his cry being muffled by the boom of the fireworks.

CUT to inside. Sun Ye, using the chain like a rope, swings the guard around against the wall. His head hits the stone hard and he falls, unconscious, to the floor. Quickly, she drags his body across the floor to Nikita. She takes the key from his pocket and unlocks Nikita's collar. Nikita takes the key and unlocks Sun Ye's collar, and the two of them lock the guard into Nikita's former collar.

Nikita picks up the guard's gun and starts for the door.

SUN YE: Wait!

Nikita stops and turns back. Sun Ye takes off her jacket and hestitantly offers it to Nikita. Nikita looks at it, and then down at her ripped shirt. She looks up at Sun Ye, her face crumbling with gratitude.

NIKITA: (whispering) Thank you.

Sun Ye holds the gun while Nikita pulls the jacket on. Then she gives the gun back to Nikita.

SUN YE: We must get Mi Kel.

NIKITA: (shaking her head to clear it) Yes, but first we need a way out.

*********

SCENE: OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE. The crowd is still enjoying the fireworks. Behind Khan Sa, the temple door opens, and Nikita and Sun Ye slip out. They make their way across the yard, past the house, to the parking lot beside it. Moving as a team, they check the vehicles until Nikita finds a truck with keys inside. She gestures to Sun Ye, who hurries over. The two of them hop into the truck, a large cargo truck.

SUN YE: You drive this?

NIKITA: I can drive anything if it gets me out of here. (She reaches for the key.)

SUN YE: Wait.

She points to the men setting off the fireworks. Nikita understands. While waiting for the next set, she looks around. She sees the gas pump over to the side, and a row of gas cans beyond it.

SUN YE: Now.

Nikita starts the truck. She puts it in gear and slowly inches the truck out of the parking lot. They keep to the perimeter, taking the long way around the poppy fields, to the group of thatched-roof huts surrounded by barbed wire on the other side of the compound. No one sees them leave.

When they reach the group of huts, both of them hop out and hurry over to the side gate. The children--about twenty of them-- are pressed against the fence on the other side, watching the fireworks. Nikita once again waits for another set of fireworks, then she uses the guard's rifle to blow the lock off the gate. The children jump and turn. Sun Ye opens the gate and runs inside.

SUN YE: (whispering loudly) Mi Kel! Mi Kel!

Mi Kel steps forward from the middle of the crowd of children. He sees his mother and he comes running. Sun Ye snatches him up into her arms. They hug each other tightly.

NIKITA: Sun Ye! Let's go!

Sun Ye turns. Nikita gestures for her to hurry. Sun Ye turns to the rest of the children.

SUN YE: (in Burmese) Come--we are taking you out of here!

The children look at each other, and then break for the gate. Nikita stands, holding the gate open, as the children stream past her and jump into the back of the truck. Sun Ye, still holding Mi Kel, brings up the rear. She puts her son in the front of the truck, and then looks back.

Nikita is still standing at the gate, watching Khan Sa in the distance as he laughs and nods over the fireworks from his position at the front of the temple. Her expression is full of cold loathing. Sun Ye comes up to her.

SUN YE: Nikita--we leave now.

Nikita stares for a moment longer, and then turns to follow Sun Ye to the truck. Sun Ye hops in, but Nikita stops, her hand on the door handle.

SUN YE: Nikita. Must go.

Nikita looks up.

NIKITA: You go. Take the children out of here. There's something else I have to do.

She turns and walks away. Sun Ye leans out the the door of the truck.

SUN YE: Nikita! Nikita!

Nikita disappears into the darkness.

***********

SCENE: DIRT ROAD. The same road from which Nikita first saw Khan Sa's compound. The pick-up truck makes its way down the road, slowly. Michael is driving, his attention veering to the valley below.

OPERATIONS: Michael--

Michael looks ahead, and then suddenly brakes and turns off the headlights. From a curve up ahead comes a truck, headed in the opposite direction. There is barely enough room for the two vehicles to pass: no room for the pick-up to pull over and hide.

Michael and Operations pull out guns, and all three men jump out of the jeep. Michael and Operations stay to the side of the road, out of sight, while Khin steps into the truck's path, waving his arms.

The truck approaches, slows, and stops. Khin squints into the headlights.

Michael, quick as a panther, gets to the driver's side and points his gun at the driver.

SUN YE: (in the driver's seat) Michael--

MICHAEL: (lowering his gun, amazed) Sun Ye--

Operations has moved to the rear of the truck. He rounds the corner and pulls his gun. He sees nothing but frightened children. He lowers his gun and looks ahead to Michael.

A shot of Michael and Sun Ye, just looking at each other. Khin makes his way around the side of the truck to stand behind Michael.

MICHAEL: Sun Ye, where's Nikita?

SUN YE: She stay behind. I think she--I think she want--

MICHAEL: Wants what?

Sun Ye can't answer. She looks down, and then over at her son in the seat next to her. Michael's eyes follow her gaze. The boy looks at him, wide-eyed. Michael looks back at Sun Ye.

SUN YE: She help save my son.

Michael's head falls forward, pain contracting his face. Sun Ye reaches over and lifts his chin with her hand.

SUN YE: Paul' son. He is Mi Kel. (She smiles sadly) And I am glad.

From the rear of the truck, Operations calls out.

OPERATIONS: Michael--

Michael looks over at him, and then steps away from the truck to confer with him. Sun Ye sees Khin.

SUN YE: Khin!

Khin steps forward. Their hands clasp together in greeting.

SUN YE: You bring Michael here?

KHIN: Yes.

SUN YE: Thank you.

They smile at each other. Michael steps away from Operations and rejoins Sun Ye and Khin at the front of the truck. He looks at Khin.

MICHAEL: You should go with Sun Ye. Help her get the children to safety.

KHIN: But--

MICHAEL: (cutting him off) The rest is my job.

Khin looks over at Sun Ye, and then back to Michael. He holds out his hand, and the two men shake. Khin walks around the side of the truck, getting in the passenger door. Michael steps up to Sun Ye.

MICHAEL: Thwabaounme, Sun Ye.

SUN YE: Good-bye, Michael. Be kind to Nikita.

Michael's head rears back, and he stares at Sun Ye. Then, slowly, he steps back and watches the truck drive away. Operations joins him. They look down at the valley below.

OPERATIONS: So where do we find her?

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

SCENE: PARKING LOT. Nikita sneaks into the parking lot, over to the gas pump. She looks around, and then she takes a gas can and starts filling it. MUSIC rises: the Indigo Girls' "Pushing the Needle Too Far."

"I woke up this morning--
gray dawn--
with a prayer on my breath.
I'd lost something precious;
God'll save me
From losing myself--"

Nikita tops off the first can, and then starts filling another. She is cold, resolute.

CUT to poppy field. Nikita makes her way down a row of poppies, pouring a line of gasoline.

"Now I met the queen
and I understand why
she closed the door--"

CUT to another row of poppies, and Nikita doing the same thing.

"And I made excuses
I've been there a few times--
And I was knocking on the door--"

CUT to the gas pump: Nikita wipes her face with the sleeve of Sun Ye's fatigues jacket as she fills the cans yet again.

"I think I know what's wrong--
I think I know what's wrong--"

CUT to the house. Nikita moves around the building, pouring gasoline along the edges.

"See there's a man he lived in a house
had a family of five--
Well he blew up the windows and the doors--"

CUT to a shot of Nikita dousing the children's huts with the last of the gasoline.

"Said I just couldn't survive--
Well, we've all been removed
in one way or another--
Don't know our families, don't need our brothers--"

CUT to a shot of Nikita inside the temple. She is unlocking the collar of the last prisoner. Freed, they stare at her blankly, but none of them move. She looks at them, and then leaves.

"Pushing the needle too far--
Pushing the needle too far--"

CUT to a shot of Nikita, sneaking up behind the men who are setting off the fireworks. She steals a box of matches.

"Well if you wake up in the morning--
gray dawn--
And there's a prayer on your breath--"

CUT to a shot of Nikita, standing at the edge of the poppy field, facing the temple. She is in darkness, so the people watching the fireworks don't see her.

She lights a match. The flame flickers in her eyes.

"Maybe you've lost something precious--
Your god'll save you--
But don't lose yourself--"

She turns to the poppy field and drops the match. The gasoline catches fire: flames run in long lines down the length of the poppy fields, stretching out in all directions.

"I think I know what's wrong--
I think I know what's wrong--"

She turns: the crowd is standing, gaping at the sudden fire. Khan Sa is also standing, yelling orders from his "throne" at the top of the temple steps.

Nikita lifts the guard's gun. She aims. She fires.

Khan Sa falls back, as the flames circle around the fields to the house and the huts. People scream and run for the temple, trampling over Khan Sa's dead body.

"Yes the queen that closed the door
a family that lies
people who turn
the captain has died
the boy that'll tease
a girl with a gun
a world on its knees
and a land on the run--"

A full shot of Nikita, the flames arching behind her.

CUT to a shot of the pick-up truck, racing toward the compound, toward a line of flame. Michael is driving, and Operations has his arm braced against the dashboard.

OPERATIONS: Michael!

Michael drives through the line of fire.

"Who held the door
the family that lies
who held the door--"

The truck comes to a halt in the clearing. Fire surrounds them. Michael jumps out and looks around frantically.

MICHAEL: NIKITA! NIKITA!

"You'd help me more
by not giving in--
You'd help me more
by not giving in--"

Suddenly he sees her: walking away from the burning poppy fields, her hair illumined by the flames. She is wearing Sun Ye's fatigues jacket, carrying the guard's gun, and walking slowly, almost ceremoniously.

"Your feet your hands your mind your mouth
your stomach your eyes your feet your hands
your body your body your body your body--"

Operations gets out and rounds the car to stand a few feet in front of Michael. Nikita reaches him first. She hands Operations the gun without a word. He takes it, unable to speak.

Nikita steps around him and up to Michael. They stare at one another. Michael opens his mouth to say something, but no words come out. Nikita looks at him, as cold and empty as he has ever been.

"You'll help me more
by not giving in--"

Nikita steps around Michael and walks to the truck. He turns to watch her.

"I think I know what's wrong--
I think I know what's wrong--"

Just as she reaches the truck, her legs give way. Michael catches her before she hits the ground.

"Pushing the needle too far."

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

EPILOGUE

SCENE: SECTION ONE. The camera pans from a shot of Madeline and Operations in the observation deck, looking down at the minions below, to a shot of Birkoff, busy trying a new technosomething, to a shot of Michael and Walter, standing near Walter's area. Michael has a computer notepad in his hand and is checking something while Walter waits.

WALTER: You know, she's being released from Psych today.

MICHAEL: (not taking his eyes off the notepad) She is?

WALTER: She's even been cleared for field assignments.

MICHAEL: (after a moment) Already?

WALTER: That's what I thought, but hey, they're the experts.

Michael glances over to the observation deck--to Madeline. He is about to turn back to Walter when he sees Nikita entering the main area with Beth, her psych rehab counselor. The two of them stop just upon entering. Michael hands Walter the notepad absently and watches Nikita and Beth across the room. Beth is talking quietly and earnestly. Nikita is listening and nodding.

Michael looks up at the observation deck. Both Madeline and Operations are watching Nikita. Michael looks back down in time to see Beth give Nikita a hug and a smile. She says one last thing; Nikita nods, gives her a small smile, and watches as Beth returns to her office., and then shoving her hands in her pockets, Nikita turns and sees Michael.

He stands rock-still as she hesitantly crosses the room to him. MUSIC rises: the final verse of Dylan's "Not Dark Yet."

"I was born here and I'll die here
against my will--"

Nikita reaches Michael. She smiles awkwardly, her hands still in her pockets.

NIKITA: Michael.

MICHAEL: (keeping his tone neutral) How are you?

NIKITA: I'm--I'm doing OK.

MICHAEL Good.

"I know it looks like I'm movin'
but I'm just standin' still--"

NIKITA: I've been released.

MICHAEL: I know.

"Every nerve in my body
Is so vacant and numb--"

NIKITA: Michael, what happened--it wasn't your fault--

Michael looks away.

"I can't even remember what it was
I came here to get away from--"

MICHAEL: I'm sorry, Nikita, I have a briefing to get to.

"Don't even hear
the murmur of a prayer--"

He looks down, and then without even a glance at her, he moves away.

A shot of Michael walking away from Nikita, a wave of pain passing over his eyes.

"It's not dark yet--"

A shot of Nikita, looking after him. Alone and lost.

"But it's gettin' there."

THE END - ROLL CREDITS

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