Michael and Nikita sit at an outdoor cafe sipping ice tea. Nikita lets out a loud laugh as she flips through a BRIDE magazine.

"Can you just see me in that???" Nikita laughs loudly.

"Too much lace." Michael says quickly, and watches the crowd without moving his head. "Over there. They are on us."

"And do you really think I should wear white... we know how untrue it is..." Nikita laughs as Michael touches her hand. He smiles at her.

"Whatever you want dear." Michael responds. The waitress comes over and leaves the bill.

"OH! Let's take a walk!" Nikita says happily and squeals with delight as Michael stands up. He leans over and grabs her elbow, in what seems to be a loving touch, while it causes Nikita great pain.

"Don't you think someone is overdoing this?" Michael whispers into Nikita's ear. She immediately turns red.

"How dare you say we should do that right here and now!" Nikita says loudly as she playfully slaps Michael.

Soon they are walking the streets. Both of the operatives know that they are being followed, just as planned. Michael and Nikita start to kiss each other, and to the followers, they appear to try to find a private place to continue their fun.

Nikita can feel the man behind her, before she is hit over the head with the butt of the gun. She collaspes as Michael does the same from a similar blow.

*

"Is the tooth tracker working?" Madeline asks as she walks into the room that Walter and Birkoff are working in. Walter looks up and gives Madeline the ok sign, and she turns and leaves.

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

Nikita moaned and placed her hand on the back of her head, as she tried to focus on the steel bars infront of her.

"aaaaaarrgh...mmmmmnnnn... Michael?" Nikita moans as she feels something touching her leg. She slowly moves her head to the side, and sees Michael slowly turning his head.

"Ouch!" Michael says as he fully sits up and looks at Nikita. "Well, your hair needs washed." Michael says, and he turns to look at the cell that they have been placed in.

"Steel all the way around." Nikita says as she pulls her hand away from the gash on her head.

"But, we aren't being guarded... and no cameras." Michael says. Nikita looks at him.

"Let's just hope they are hearing all of this." Nikita says softly, and Michael turns his head away. *

(A week earlier)

"Whatcha doing Walter?" Nikita says as she enters Walter's workspace and walks to the table. She sees Walter hunched over a very tiny item.

"Sugar!" Walter says happily and as he sits up, Nikita gets a view of a new tooth that Walter is working on.

"Why the tooth, Walter?" Nikita asks, and Walter looks down at it.

"We had to improve it, add a tracker for longer distance... well, you'll hear it all in the briefing." Walter says with a shrug of his shoulders.

"So, do you know what this is about?" Nikita asks as she leans into him.

"Sugar, you know better, they tell me nothing." Walter says with a hearty laugh. Nikita smiles and walks away.

(briefing)

Madeline walks into the briefing room and looks at Michael, Nikita, Walter and Birkoff.

"A new terrorist group, LECDER, has declared war on Red Cell, and it has become bloody. Unfortunately, both are still after us." Madeline says.

"Who is LECDER?" Nikita asks softly. Michael writes the name down, and Nikita looks at it and shrugs her shoulders.

"Spell it backwards." Michael points out.

"Red Cell? Are they the same group?" Nikita asks, and Michael smiles lightly at Nikita.

"No, Nikita. LECDER is the rival of Red Cell, run by one of Red Cell's rebel members." Michael says as he touchs her arm softly. He knows that with her current responsibilities because of Operations prolonged stay at Moscow, Nikita can't do everything.

"You and Nikita will be captured by LECDER. Most likely, they will chemical torture you, and you will give them the location of a dummy headquarters." Madeline says as she hands over the PDA's.

"We will only be able to keep contact with you through the tooth." Walter points out.

"How are we getting out?" Michael asks.

"New explosives... it will be in your clothes... and some other toys." Walter grins brightly.

"How long are we to fight their torture?" Nikita asks Madeline tensely.

"LECDER hasn't believe immediate intel, so probably a two or three days." Madeline says.

"Any more questions, come see me... Study the PDA's. We have to send the story that you and Nikita have escaped Section, so be out of here by this evening, and set in the safehouse." Madeline says and excuses herself.

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

"Ah... our Section One friends have come back." A dark hair man said as he walked into the room in which Michael's and Nikita's cell was held in. He moved to the bars, and pulled a gun and pointed it at them. At this point, two other men entered. The door was opened, and the only reaction that occured was the deep breath of Nikita's.

"Where is headquarters?" The man asked as the two men entered behind him.

Neither Michael or Nikita moved. The man motioned to the guards with a nod of his head. Both of the men, pulled up Michael and Nikita. Nikita was thrown into the bars from five feet away, and then had her knee jumped on.

Michael was shoved against the bars, and several blows into his lower back. Then Michael's guard kicked at his calf.

"Were is Section Headquarters?" The man asked again. Michael and Nikita looked up at the man, and said not a word. The man nodded again, and all three exited.

"I don't know why you protect them now that you are free." The man says as he walks out of the room.

As quickly as he entered the room, he exited, and the only people left were Michael and Nikita laying on the floor, moaning in the pain, and holding onto one leg.

"There goes our run." Nikita mutters into the floor.

*

"Madeline. There has been a change." Birkoff says into the intercom as Walter stands up in the room and starts to pace the room.

"She said chemical... not physical... They won't be able to run out!" Walter rants as Birkoff continues to monitor the breathing of Nikita. The monitor is even able to give them Nikita's heartrate.

"Walter, Nikita's vitals haven't risen... it is possible that they are being watched." Birkoff points out, trying to calm the raging bull.

"Nikita would have said something different. You know Nikita. She would have been the smarta** she is!" Walter yells as he looks at the monitor, but spins as the door opens.

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID CHEMICAL TORTURE!" Walter screams at Madeline, who in turns pushes Walter away from the computer to talk to Birkoff.

"Birkoff, what is it?" Madeline asks softly.

"It seems they are using blunt physical torture to break Michael and Nikita. And from the sounds, it was hard." Birkoff says.

"Have they talked about it yet?" Madeline asks, and Walter pulls her arm.

"It only sounded like they bodyslammed Nikita and jumped on her leg... sure, I'd talk too." Walter says firmly, but Madeline peels away from the angry Walter and back to Birkoff.

"Keep contact. I want to know when they start to talk again." Madeline says turning from the computer. "Walter, you take a team in a van to the meet point. Hopefully Michael and Nikita will spill the beans and leave sooner than later." Madeline says and she quickly walks out.

"Oh, So I am to wait in a van for a couple days! Oh joy!" Walter muttters as he his his hand on the door.

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

"Michael...damage?" Nikita moans out as she lifts her body up from the floor and starts to crawl towards Michael. Michael places a hand behind his back and starts to crawl in the same manner.

"No breaks..." Michael mutters as he reaches Nikita. They moves and painfully lean against the wall.

"Damn... they threw me into the bars... I think the ribs are bruised." Nikita says angerily as she holds her hand over the ribs.

"How many Nikita?" Michael asks immediately as his hand is placed on her thigh.

"Maybe one...two tops." Nikita says with a little whince of pain.

"And your knee?" Michael asks, looking down at it.

"I've never had problems with my knee... want to guess?" Nikita says with a slight smile.

"This isn't a time for jokes." Michael says as he painfully leans forward and starts to touch her knee. Nikita does not move and does not whince, but her eyes show her pain. Michael quickly rips the seam of the pants. "So it can swell."

Nikita looks away and stares at the bars.

"We'll tell them when they come in next time." Michael says.

"No. That is not the profile. It's too early." Nikita protests.

"Nikita, we won't be able to... if we continue this." Michael says easily as he touches her side of her mouth to remind her of the tooth. Nikita takes his hand and places it away from her.

"And it was decided that I should be the one to break... so it's not next time." Nikita says firmly.

"We must stay awake..." Michael says as he sees Nikita's eyes flutter.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Nikita asks. Michael nods his head.

*

Walter sits in the van, hearing this conversation. The other operatives are relax, and some are even sleeping. Walter paces, and then finally walks to the computer.

"Birkoff, can't we change the plan... there must be enough of LECDER there to put a major dent into them." Walter says as he sits down.

"Madeline will not change the profile. Michael and Nikita have enough ways to get out... and they aren't that bad off." Birkoff says firmly. Walter is glad he is not in the same room as Birkoff, he'd probably choke him at this point.

"I don't like the chances of them running out of there." Walter says.

"We can always delay the explosives. Michael and Nikita both know that." Birkoff says slightly annoyed. He can't stand it when he gets the attitude because of a decision Madeline makes.

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

"I hear talking... maybe you can answer my question now." The man says as he enters. Neither Nikita or Michael have seen this man with all the intel they received on LECDER, but that is a common thing to happen.

"Not in my lifetime." Nikita spits out, and instead of two guards, four enter. Soon, they are in their cell.

"I'll just make the rest of your lifetime painful." The man spits, and one guard hauls Nikita up by her feet, and holds her in the air, with her shirt falling down towards the ground. The other guard takes the gun and rams it into the ribs, and Michael turns his head as he hears them break. Then the guard repeatedly kicks Nikita's head.

THUMP.

Michael turns his head and sees Nikita gasping for air on the floor. She rolls on her back to ease the pain. Then the guards pull at her shirt.

"NO! I'll tell you." Michael says, but Nikita's eyes fly open.

"NO, MICHAEL!" Nikita says firmly. The words echo and Michael stops. Because of this, the other two guards take Michael. They start by kicking at the calf again. Then repeated blows in the head. The room is spinning, as Michael is thrown back on the ground.

"I'm sorry... but I don't have dinner for you two... tsk..tsk.... I'll see if your minds have changed by morning." The man says and he moves away.

*

Madeline moves away from Birkoff's computer and starts to pace.

"Madeline, I don't think they will be able to run out." Birkoff says softly.

"They will." Madeline says as she turns on another computer. She quickly pulls up the intel on the LECDER that they have.

"Do you think they even remember the tooth in her mouth?" Birkoff asks.

Madeline turns to Birkoff and smiles, and turns off the computer.

"They might not... but we can give Nikita a wake up call." Madeline says as she moves to Birkoff's computer. "We can pulse it... it will cause pain, and therefore Remind Nikita... we can use it like you, Walter, and Michael used the tooth and the lighthouse light while Nikita was in the fog." Madeline says as she leans over Birkoff and pulls up the design of the tooth.

"I better get Walter's help on this." Birkoff mutters as the design comes up and both wonder were to start.

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

Nikita rolls her head to the side as the sunlight shines in her eyes. She tries to sit up, but with barely her head off the ground, the labor breathes and pain, drop her head back down. Nikita pulls a tired arm to her jaw and moans.

"They gave me a tooth ache..." Nikita mutters as she tries again to sit up, but this time, Michael's hand pushes her back down. He is sitting up, and the pain of keeping her stubborn body radiates down his back.

"Nikita... several of your ribs are broken. We have to get out, NOW." Michael says.

Nikita's eyes open fully at the statement, which to Nikita sounded like an order.

"Was that an order, Michael?" Nikita asks, as she with one painful motion sits fully up. She quickly slides her back to the wall, and whinces in pain.

"If it gets us to leave, yes." Michael says. Then Nikita flies her hand to her mouth again with a rupture of pain.

"Michael... it is full day light... in our condition, we would never make it... even if backup was in place!" Nikita fights back.

"So we get beat up more?" Michael asks.

"We do what it takes." Nikita says and turns her head away.

*

"Damn!" Birkoff mutters as Nikita does not remember the tooth.

"She knows she has pain..." Madeline says, but trails off in the realization that the physical torture has taken it's effect and they both have forgotten how Section listens to them. "Stop the transmission. Let's not give Nikita more pain." Madeline says, and turns to Birkoff.

"Have Walter and the backup crew ready, they may have to run in and meet them." Madeline says.

"But Madeline, the explosives, we can delay them... but only for three minutes." Birkoff reminds Madeline.

"I know Birkoff." Madeline says and leaves the room.

*

"Good morning.. did you sleep well?" the man asks as enters the room with the four guards again.

"Just fine." Nikita spits back. The man smiles and laughs as the guards rub their hands together.

"My, she is a spirited one..." The man says and waves his hand to the guards. One guard places a knee to Michael, as the three pull Nikita up. Two take her arms and start throwing her against the bars of the cell, and another one slams a baseball bat across her chest and stomache as she comes forward before slammed back into the bars. The man nods his head, and Nikita falls down into a heap yet again.

"Are you going to tell me where Section One's Headquarters are located?" the man asks Michael, but with the blank stare, the guard lifts Michael up. This time, all four guards take pleasure in beating Michael in a similar manner. They hit Michael's head more often, and his ribs were not already broken. Then they take the bat down on his right shoulder, and leave Michael in a pile.

"We'll talk soon." The man says, and they all leave.

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

"Nikita... you can't take another beating like that... they will puncture your lung for sure." Michael says as he starts to crawl to Nikita's heap of a body. She curls out, and gasps for air in short, shallow breaths. Michael places her head in his lap and pulls at her shirt to see the damage.

"Nikita.. both sides..." Michael says, and Nikita's shallow breathes continue.

"Fine... this time." Nikita mutters.

"I'll say it." Michael says and leans against the wall, and closes his eyes.

*

"Ok, they plan to tell. After the man leaves, Nikita and Michael will wait. Most of the men from this station will be heading towards the dummy headquarters and they will leave." Walter starts to go over the profile again with the operatives.

"One change is that instead of the chemical torture that was expected, they have used physical. Michael and Nikita are badly beaten. We have extended the explosives, but we can not move towards them until it blows." Walter says as his hands get moist from worry. Hoping that Michael and Nikita can get far enough away from the blast.

*

"I think we need to change something..." The man says as he enters the cell again. He lights a cigarette with a large lighter. Two guards lift Michael up and take him to the man.

"Do you like to play with fire?" The man asks, and he turns on the lighter, and the flame barely touches Michael's finger tips. The man laughs and puts the lighter out. He pulls out a flask, and takes a sip.

"Whiskey?" The man asks with a smile, and then wets down Michael's hands with the whiskey. The lighter is already out.

"NO!!! I'll tell you!" Nikita screams as Michael's hands turn into fireballs. The guards immediately put the flames out.

"Are you going to tell me?" The man asks, and the guards hit Michael in the forehead with the baseball bat. He falls to the ground.

"I have a map." Nikita says sadly, and pulls up her sleeve. The man looks at it.

"Lucky for you... I know where that is." The man says as he covers the tattoo. The guards beat Nikita in the head again, and soon she lays on the floor with Michael, unconscious.

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

"Ok.... let's split." Nikita mutters as she shakes her head. She takes three breathes and immediately sits up. She screams in utter pain. Michael moves with her scream, and soon is standing. Nikita moves to the bars, and uses the bars to pull herself up.

"Michael.. we are on the bottom floor." Nikita says happily as she starts to tear away parts of her clothes which is actually the explosives.

"How do you know that?" Michael asks, as he pulls out the thread and laces it in the lock. He turns away and the thread iginites.

"The tree... out the window...." Nikita points to the window. She throws down the pieces of her shirt and pants. Michael opens the cell.

"We can leave through the window... have no one to come across." Michael says as he looks out the window. He pulls another thread out and proceeds to do the same with the bars on the window.

Michael nods his head and Nikita sets the explosives.

Both operatives moves amazingly well for the amount of injuries. Nikita screams in pain as she slides on her ribs out of the window, but uses the pain to help her run on the jelly like knee.

*

"They set the explosives." Birkoff says to Madeline and Walter. Madeline moves into the room with Birkoff as Walter moves the team out of the van.

"Are they moving?" Madeline ask Birkoff. Birkoff picks up the transmission from the tooth.

"Yes... not as fast as they could... but they are out of the building." Birkoff says happily.

Walter smiles as he looks towards the building.

"They are heading towards you, Walter, just as planned." Birkoff sings almost. Madeline looks at the screen.

"Are they out of the danger zone of the blast?" Madeline asks as she watches the clock tick down quickly, with thirty seconds left.

Birkoff quickly pulls up the congruent circle grid to the map. "Not yet." Birkoff says sadly. Madeline takes a deep breath, and all of them hold their breathes.

*

No one firing on them, both Michael and Nikita run with full screams of pain. Their bodies yelling at them.

"AWWWWW!" Nikita moans as she trips over a little tree root, but continues on.

"Take cover!" Michael yells.

BOOM

Nikita and Michael fly and fall apart with pieces of wood flying about them.

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

"Get in there and get them!" Walter yells as the explosion ends. The operatives run out into the woods. Walter paces back and forth, waiting for Birkoff to report on them.

*

"Madeline, I have no movement from the tracker." Birkoff says solemnly. Madeline does not panic. An operative runs into the room and tells something to Madeline.

"Then alert Medlab... and find out what happened!" Madeline yells to the operatives and turns back to Birkoff.

"Give them time, Birkoff." Madeline says, and another operative runs in.

"Madeline, we have a mess in A34... water in seven of the rooms..." The operative rattles off, and Madeline turns to the operative.

"I am busy. If you don't want cancelled right this second... find a way to fix it yourself." Madeline says through clenched teeth. The operative runs off quickly, and Madeline straightens her jacket as she turns around.

*

A light board sits on Nikita's head, and it feels like she is laying on a hundred stones. Nikita pushes up with her arms, and knows that the feeling of the stones are because of her broken ribs.

Michael is doing the similar thing, and in sheer awareness of each other, both stand up and look immediately at each other. Nikita moves towards Michael and leans on his good shoulder.

Michael can hear the shallow breathes of Nikita, as they tentatively step over the rocks and wood infront of them.

*

"I have movement!" Birkoff cheers out, with a raise of his arms.

"Now audio." Madeline demands. The sound comes across. Madeline can hear their moans, Nikita's breathing. She can hear the pain. Another operative runs in.

"We need Michael and Nikita... Julie and Mylo took at team out and it's a real mess!" the operative yells.

"They are not available. I will get with you right after this." Madeline says, and pushes the operative out the door.

"Walter, I need a visual by one of your team." Madeline says. Birkoff looks up at Madeline.

"It sounds like a mess everywhere." Birkoff says with a raised eyebrow, surprized that Madeline hasn't gone to fix things yet, knowing that Michael and Nikita are alright.

*

"Michael! Nikita!" a male operative in field blacks yells out as he sees the battered and beaten couple, covered in dirt and blood, hanging on to each other moving slowly. Soon another operative joins him.

"Walter, we have them in our sights." The operative reports in.

"Here... let us help you." The other operatives says as he tries to pull Nikita off of Michael.

"We are fine.... just..." Nikita tries to say in her short breathes.

"Just clear the larger pieces of wood away." Michael finishes.

*

"Michael and Nikita are on their way. They have been seen and are enroute to the van." Walter happily reports in.

"I want no monkey business in the van. Get them in right away." Madeline orders. She turns and runs quickly out of the room, to be mobbed by operatives yelling their problems.

Madeline instantly misses Nikita.

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

Walter stands outside the van. He has already gone inside and opened the medical kits. He sees some of his operatives arrive back.

"Can you believe they wouldn't accept their help?" one operative mutters to Walter.

"You better learn who Michael and Nikita are then." Walter says with a chuckle. He knew if Michael and Nikita were able to stand, then they'd walk in together. Walter chuckled to himself, knowing that getting these two into Medlab will be a challenge, let alone making them stay. Then they appeared to Walter. He immediately thought the Night of the Living Dead. How are they walking?

"The lovebirds are back.... Let me help you into the van, sugar." Walter says as he opens the door. He is about to put his hands around Nikita's stomache, when Michael shakes his head no. Nikita steps up in her own power and slides down into the chair. Michael places a hand on Walter and pushes himself into the van and down next to Nikita.

Walter sets to clean them up. Nikita slumps in the chair. Walter sees some blood on her shirt, and rolls it up and pulls away in horror. "Well... we'll leave that for last."

*

"You two have to stay awake... it's the first rule of concussions." Walter says as he throws away the rags he used to clean both of their facial wounds.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" Nikita asks. Michael holds his hand out.

"One...."

"Two..." Michael says.

"Three..." Nikita says. Nikita holds out paper and Michael holds out scissors.

"Scissors cut paper..." Michael says. They hold their hands again.

"One...two...three..." Michael says. Both hold out rock. They lightly touch fist to fist. "One...two...three..." Michael says, and Nikita holds out paper, and Michael rock.

"Paper.... covers..ouch... rock..." Nikita says as she whinces and then smiles.

Walter smiles at them.

*

"Madeline... that team with injuries is in." Billie says. Madeline nods her head. She frets having so many injuried operatives at once, especially not knowing how bad Michael and Nikita are, and with the fact how much they will fight Medlab.

"Madeline... we have water down the hallway... it won't stop..." an operative yells.

"Madeline...... the members of LECDER have been captured... we cancelled all but those who seemed to be in power... Do we leave them for Nikita to debrief?" another operatives yells from the computer.

"No... I will debrief them." Madeline says as she continues in a circle, handing out orders and not knowing what she last said.

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