Ayn sat at her desk looking at the small pile of papers that had sat on the desk as Operations took care of Michael and Nikita. She had gotten behind, because she had made the best progress with Stephen while Operations was not around. Ayn looks tired, which is explainable, since she sits most of the nights with Stephen.

Ayn pulls out the small notebook with her notes on Stephen, but can't grasp the pen and write something, something is not quite right.

Ayn notices Operations heading to her office, and quickly she throws the notebook into her desk.

"Ayn, how many times do I instruct you that you are not part of Stephen's recovery!" Operations yells with the door wide open.

"Every day, several times... but I am Stephen's only hope, Viktor." Ayn says firmly as she rubs her forehead with the returning forehead.

"Then you are disobeying my orders." Operations continues with a loud voice. "And we both know the punishment for that can be severe."

"Is that a threat? How about this... you will never have Stephen back into a functioning person if you deny me access! You will never have Stephen back... I promise!" Ayn yells as she stands up, and Operations glares at her.

"Till later, Ayn." Operations says and turns on his heels and leaves.

Her eyes flutter shut and she slides back into her chair. The sleepless nights have caught up to her, but now Ayn is so tired that she cannot sleep.

"Ayn... it's Stephen." a voice says from around the door. Ayn lifts her head and sees Stephen standing at the doorway. Damn, he looked and acted like his father in ways only she would notice. He leaned against the door like Viktor use to..

"Stephen, it is not a good time." Ayn says with a stressed voice. He enters the room and smiles lightly.

"There is never a good time in this... this place." Stephen says. Ayn nods her head in agreement.

"When you get better, other stations will hold better times for you." Ayn says slowly.

"Did something happen to my sister?" Stephen says slowly.

"Which one?" Ayn asks because Stephen rarely talked about Operations other children. Who knows how many more floated around the world.

"Nikita." Stephen asks. Ayn looks at Stephen and sees that he is acting like a teenager, still.

"She was beaten up.... I told you that." Ayn says.

"Is she ok?" Stephen asks and Ayn smiles again.

"Of course.... it was when your father was gone for a few days... He took care of her." Ayn says and Stephen thinks for a while.

"I think it bothered my dad." Stephen says and he walks out of the office. Ayn sighs and is glad that she is not the only one who feels this way.

She turns to the notebook, but something in her hearing is causing her muscles to tense up.

Ayn walks out of her office, trying to find the source of the annoyance.

STEP BY STEP, HEART TO HEART, LEFT RIGHT LEFT...
WE ALL FALL DOWN LIKE TOY SOLDIERS...

"TURN THAT OFF!" Ayn screams at the operative who is sitting in his quarters by himself listening to the song.

"I.. but... I..." The operative stutters.

"TURN IT OFF OR YOU ARE CANCELLED RIGHT THIS SECOND!" Ayn screams and turns on her heals and leaves.

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

But once the words were in Ayn's head, the memories were not far behind. Ayn closes her door lightly and turns off the lights, hoping that sleep will drive the thoughts away. But sleep brings them to life.

*

"Your mission is very complicated. Viktor and Ayn will protray the newly wed couple, and you, Madeline, is the ex-girlfriend of Viktor. This will establish our cover." An older man, knowns as Red, told the young operatives. Ayn looks at Viktor with a smile and smiles at Madeline with a smile that said, "HA! HA! I GOT HIM AND YOU DON'T!"

"Once Ayn and Madeline start the fight within the compound, we will send in the troops." Red says and Viktor smiles at Ayn and Madeline.

"The toy soldiers..." They laugh together, and Red looks at them sternly.

"This mission will not be taken lightly. We must take this communist leader out, and soon." Red says slamming his hand on the desk.

"Oh, Red... calm down. It's under control.. the toy soldiers will kill them and we'll get out." Viktor says with large smile.

"Just because your father is the leader of Section One, does not mean your life has been spared." Red tries to threat, but Viktor continues to smile. He looks at Ayn, and takes her hand.

"Let's go practice my dear Ayna." Viktor says as he leans down and kisses her hand. Ayn looks at Madeline and grins brightly. They leave the room quickly.

*

Ayn pulls her head up with a heavy sweat on her face. She takes a deep breath. These memories were had not been thought about since Operations moved to headquarters with Madeline. In fact, almost a good twenty-four years had past since the memories of that particular mission.

Ayn shakes her head, regretting the battle that split her up with her once good friend, Madeline.

*

"Ayn, I understand what you see in him, but can't you... can't you... see how much it hurts me?" Madeline says as the two young ladies sit on their beds in their quarters.

"My god, Madeline... I'd let you have one night with him... he'd teach you sooo much!" Ayn giggles and Madeline throws a pillow at her.

"No man will get between us." Madeline says.

*

Ayn turns on the light, knowing that awake or asleep, the memories are coming back. What she does not know if it will be just the one mission, or the two most difficult missions of her life. Not to say physically, but the two missions that changed her life forever.

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

Ayn walks to the painting in her office and quickly opens her safe. She puts her hand into the back and pulls out a small box. No one knows, but Ayn somehow pocketed the ring that was given to her during this mission. All these years, she had hidden it, and tried to forget, but could never part with it. Ayn sighs as she fingers the gold ring lightly, as she knows that the ring was only part of the long nightmare of her life.

*

"Mmmm... I love you, Viktor!" Ayn mutters softly as they lay in the bed together in the communist leader's compound. It has been such a long time ago, that Ayn can't even recall who it was. They took down so many communists that she stopped trying to sort them along time ago.

"Oh, Ayna... sweet, dear Ayna..." Viktor says as he wipes away the damn hair from Ayn's forehead. Ayn smiles as she thinks of what they just completed... the leader is probably wondering how they could have had the stamina.

"You are the best..." Ayn says softly, knowing soon the mission's profile was going to play havoc with this happy afterglow.

*

Ayn closes her eyes and forces the tears back. This part of the story isn't even the sad part, and she is thrown into the emotions. The first mission was not bad. Not bad at all. But the words from Martika's song echo back at her hauntingly...

BIT BY BIT, TORN APART WE NEVER WIN...
BUT THE BATTLE WAGES ON FOR TOY SOLDIERS...
IT'S GETTING HARD TO WAKE UP IN THE MORNING...
MY HEAD IS CONSTANTLY SPINNING...
HOW CAN IT BE...
HOW COULD I BE SO BLIND TO THIS ADDICTION...
IF I DON'T STOP THE NEXT ONE'S GONNA BE ME...

*

"RETREAT! RETREAT!" one of the soldiers call out over the communications link. Ayn sits straight up in the bed, and wonders what has happened? why hasn't Madeline busted in? what to do next?

"We have to get out." Viktor says and grabs Ayn by the hand. They throw on robes and slippers and run down the hall silently.

The yard is filled with dying or dead soldiers as the communist leader's guards are shooting everywhere.

On the edge of the woods, Madeline waves for them to come towards her. Viktor instantly runs towards her. Ayn waits for a clearing with the guards, but when she is about to step out for her run across the yard she is stopped by Madeline's voice.

"COME ON, AYN! YOU HAVE TO COME NOW! WE WON!" Madeline screams, and the guards instantly see Ayn standing in the middle of the yard.

Before Ayn could even look away from the smile on Madeline's face, she is shot five times.

*

Tears now run down her face, and she takes sharp breathes in. Five shots had pierced her, and Viktor went back for her.

But that was only the first chapter.

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

Ayn swallowed hard as she looked at the report on the screen of her computer. It was the only way she learned of what occured, at least the Section version.

Viktor, Madeline, and herself were the only ones who survived that mission. All of the 'toy soldiers' had died. Ayn spend several weeks tettering on the edge of death.

By the time Ayn was on the way to recovery, Viktor had turned to Madeline, in more ways that emotional. And that, thus started the war between Ayn and Madeline, because like Ayn knew... there were many lines inbetween the lines in the report.

*

Ayn's first day out of the medical unit, found herself moving into a private quarters. Ayn had no longer looked at Madeline, and saw her smiling face before she was shot.

Madeline was cold. She wanted Viktor, she had coldly planned the blown mission to drive Viktor into her arms, and hopefully kill Ayn. But the chink in her plan was that Ayn had lived.

"Hello, Ayn." Madeline says as she enters the quarters the Ayn is moving out of.

"Goodbye, Madeline... this is not over." Ayn says with a grand exit.

*

Ayn shook her head and turn the computer off and pound her hands on the desk. She didn't want to go down memory lane again, but it was beyond her control. The ring that was once in the box now graces her finger, and Ayn absentmindedly twirls it.

*

And thus the war of Madeline and Ayn started... and they were the not the only victims. Viktor was the only victor, because he could have which ever woman was the quickest at chucking off her clothes.

But Section had started to pair Madeline and Viktor up more often than not. Ayn dove into her studies, that Madeline once did. Not only did Madeline and Ayn become competitors for Viktor, but they challenged each other everywhere. Who could be the coldest? Who could drain the most information? Who could torture the best?

Madeline couldn't look at Ayn, because Ayn would know exactly what she was thinking, and visa versa.

*

Ayn tries to laugh. She never thanked Madeline for what she did. She would have never become the brilliant psychological operative that she is. Ayn moves to her safe again, and pull out the Martika tape. The song was good... and if she was going to rehash the memories... might as well do it the right way.

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

(Lyrics Martika's Toy Soldiers)

Ayn's plan to win the war was finally happening. A mission was assigned by Roger (who took over for Red, when Red was reassigned to a warmer climate), that was eeriely alike the first mission. Ayn was poising as Viktor's wife, and Madeline, for the first time in many numerous years, had to play second fiddle.

STEP BY STEP, HEART TO HEART, LEFT RIGHT LEFT...
WE ALL FALL DOWN LIKE TOY SOLDIERS...

During the briefing, the three even muttered the small comment about the 'toy soldiers', whom were renamed by Section One to 'the backup team'. Ayn knew it was Viktor's daddie trying to protect the young man from memories, but all three easily remembered the 'toy soldiers'. And this backup team to Ayn become 'toy soldiers' and she used them like pawns.

IT WASN'T MY INTENTION TO MISLEAD YOU...
IT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN THIS WAY...
WHAT CAN I SAY...

Ayn smiled as she walked into the beautiful house on Viktor's arm. She had even changed the ring given to her that day for the one so many years prior. All three operatives knew what would occur that night, it was known that Ayn and Operations had to perform as the married couple they were.

Ayn smiled as she let Viktor take her wrap off of her shoulders. All that she planned was to make right what was wrong and to admit to Viktor the feeling she had.

IT'S TRUE I DID EXTEND THE INVITATION...
I NEVER KNEW HOW LONG YOU'D STAY...

Viktor motions for Ayn to join him in bed. Ayn walks over slowly and slides the robe off.

"I miss this." Ayn says in a deep and husky voice. Viktor runs his hands over her shoulders.

"Things should have been so different." Ayn mutters as she runs her hands over Viktor's arm.

"I know you'd rather be with Madeline... but this one night.. this night is ours... like it use to be..." Ayn mutters as she tightens her grip on his warm flesh and Viktor moans.

WHEN YOU HEAR TEMPTATION CALL...
IT'S YOUR HEART THAT TAKES, TAKES A FALL...
WON'T YOU COME OUT AND PLAY WITH ME...

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

Ayn looked up from the bed and sees Viktor looking out the window, to the patch of woods were Madeline is hidden waiting for her enterance. Ayn knows at that instance, for Viktor to be hers, she would have to do what Madeline was unsuccessful doing, and even if Madeline didn't die... if she was hurt long enough, Ayn could regain the love of Viktor.

STEP BY STEP, HEART TO HEART, LEFT RIGHT LEFT...
WE ALL FALL DOWN LIKE TOY SOLDIERS...

Ayn leans into the robe that is sitting on the floor and pushes the tiny button in the pocket. Unknown to Viktor, at that moment, all chaos broke out on the communications lines of the entire mission. It was once Madeline broke out of the woods with her gun pulled that Viktor moved over to the bed.

"We must go." Viktor commanded.

BIT BY BIT, TORN APART WE NEVER WIN...
BUT THE BATTLE WAGES ON FOR TOY SOLDIERS..
IT'S GETTING HARD TO WAKE UP IN THE MORNINGS...

Everything felt similiar to Ayn, but yet different. She smiles briefly, thinking that Madeline must have felt this way when she knew Ayn was about to get shot. Viktor pulls Ayn to a doorway, were Madeline is about two hundred feet away.

Ayn hesitates, thinking of the times they had joked, and how Madeline had always felt something for Viktor, and how she only liked him for some fun until Madeline confessed her love.

MY HEAD IS SPINNING CONSTANTLY...
HOW CAN IT BE...
HOW COULD I BE SO BLIND TO THIS ADDICTION...

"MADELINE!!! MADELINE!!! HELP US! HELP US! WE DON'T HAVE GUNS!!!" Ayn yells out and Viktor looks at Ayn in horror.

The screaming causes Madeline to step out a tiny bit, and the guards aim onto her.

In the instance that Madeline is hit, Ayn looks around the yard. It was repeating... none of the backup would return with them alive. Ayn stands in horror of what she did. She arrived in Section for killing her parents because she was abused by them. And Ayn was recruited into the psyche op program because for eight months, Ayn was able to have the courts believe her little brother commited the crimes.

But this... had no reason. No reason. These people gave to Ayn more than her parents ever did, and horror rocks her body.

IF I DON'T STOP THE NEXT ONE'S GONNA BE ME..
ONLY EMPTINESS REMAINS...
IT REPLACES ALL, ALL THE PAIN...

Viktor ran out for Madeline, and just like before, they are the only three to survive. But Ayn pulled away, and Madeline, instead of staying in Moscow, was sent to Headquarters to recover. It wasn't by chance that Viktor went to be with his father in headquarters.

WON'T YOU COME OUT AND PLAY WITH ME...
STEP BY STEP, HEART TO HEART, LEFT RIGHT LEFT....

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

Ayn didn't notice the body that formed inside her dark office, because it didn't matter. "Ayn," Operations voice echoes out and she holds her head tight to her chest, barely able to breathe.

"Ayn, that was almost eleven years ago." Operations mutters as he turns off the music. He moves closer to the fallen woman.

"Just leave." Ayn finally mutters out.

"I did... and I know now that that was wrong." Operations says slowly.

"I was wrong... I killed all of those fine men... I almost killed Madeline, and I never had any right to you." Ayn says firmly as she pulls her head up.

"We all do things we are not proud of." Operations says as he touchs her shoulder softly. "I ordered Michael and Nikita into the planned capture mission, and gave the false intel... so Madeline wouldn't change the operatives. I knew they were going to be beaten up." Operations says with emotion.

"But they were only beaten..." Ayn shutters out.

"I thought all of the time away from here, that you finally dealt with this." Operations says, and Ayn sharply turns to him.

"How do you deal with this!" Ayn screams. "Leave."

Operations moves towards the door and pauses.

"You lost everything... and I never thought about that." Operations says softly.

"GET OUT, OPERATIONS!" Ayn screams, and when the door shuts Ayn closes her eyes. "But I didn't lose everything."

*

Ayn sat in her quarters alone those first few days after the mission. Madeline had basic first aid in Moscow before being sent to Headquarters.

No one visited Ayn, for she was the operative who caused the biggest lost in man power in all of Section One's history. Ayn sat for hours wishing to be cancelled, an every minute that past that she breathed through brought her more pain than death.

"My father needs my help." Viktor announced a week later. Ayn looks up at Viktor and without a word looks away.

"I should be a month or two." Viktor says softly.

But in less than a week, Ayn learns of Viktor becoming Operations. And shock shutters through the Moscow substation, when Viktor places Ayn as the leader.

Viktor comes back in the two months to gather the rest of his personal things, but Ayn has left on her extended leave.

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

Stephen sits at his table that night, and Ayn sits on the other side. It is the first time that Stephen hasn't spoken right off the bat. He seems deep in thought.

"My father told me that you took eleven years off." Stephen says slowly. "DO I get that too?"

"You get as much time as needed." Ayn replies with a smile.

"Who helped you?" Stephen asks softly. "Madeline?"

"No... I only had myself... no one wanted to help me." Ayn says slowly.

Ayn looks at Stephen and tries to focus on his problems.

"But Stephen... about you... " Ayn says, trying to redirect the focus.

"Did you and Operations work together?" Stephen asks immediately. Ayn stands, uncomfortable about the situation.

"Stephen, if that is all, I am quite tired." Ayn says. Stephen nods his head and Ayn retreats quickly.

*

Inside her office, she looks the ring and the tape tightly behind the safe. She moves to her chair and sits down. Her fingers linger underneath her blouse, until she pulls out the small heart locket. She opens it and looks at the picture. She closes her eyes and tears instantly run down her face. She closes it and pushes the locket to her chest, hard enough to leave an impression.

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