"Did you get the merchandise?" Ops asked the cold op who had just entered his office.

"Yes" Michael replied.

"Good. Any complications?"

"I handled them."

"There was total containment?"

Michael hesitated just a second, as if replaying something in his mind. "Yes."

"Excellent. Put the details in your report, my eyes only." Ops watched Michael turn and head to the exit. He was limping very slightly and seemed to be making a effort to conceal it. "Michael, have you been to Medlab yet?"

Michael paused at the door and turn back to Operations. "I'm fine."

Ops returned Michael's look, stare for stare. It was Michael who broke the gaze, acknowledging that he would go to Medlab. The slight dampness he felt on his thigh suggested that a few stitches might be needed to close the wound more securely and he had no valid reason to refuse medical attention. Realizing that Michael would obey the implied order, Ops turned his attention from the operative and back to his computer.

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

Nikita strolled purposefully down a Section One hallway. She offered quiet smiles to other operatives as she passed. At least to all but Michael. He had stepped quickly out of the doorway of his office in front of her. When he came into her view, she immediately froze her expression into one of careful neutrality. She had not forgiven him his last manipulation. Instead of letting her pass by, however, Michael stopped in front of her. He looked intently into her blue eyes.

"We haven't talked lately" he said carefully. "I was wondering if you might like to go to dinner."

Nikita realized that he was trying to make amends but she didn't want more of his apologies. "I don't think that would be a good idea. Nothing has changed, not Section, certainly not you and not me. Why should I set myself up for more disappointment?"

Michael was silent and so still he almost didn't seem to be breathing. He looked away from her before answering. "You're right, Nikita, but just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it isn't there." Michael turned without another word and retreated back into the shadows of his office.

"Niki!"

Nikita heard a voice call out from behind her. Pulling her eyes from the darkened doorway, she turned with a smile of delight. "Adam?" She saw a well proportioned yet slender seeming man with short dark hair and dark eyes rapidly approaching her from the opposite end of the hallway. She hurried to meet him half way, catching him in a quick hug. He was accompanied by another operative who seemed to be chaperoning him down the hall.

"They've let me out of my cage but not off my leash" Adam said, returning her hug and then gesturing to his "shadow." "The powers that be think I'm docile enough now to get the grand tour. After that it's a stop by Madeline's office and after that....I'm told it's a surprise." Adam whispered the last and gave Nikita a conspiratorial wink.

Having a sudden inspiration, Nikita turned to the other operative present. "Harrison, would you mind if I showed Adam around?"

Harrison seemed to think it over briefly and then shrugged. "It's fine with me. Just make sure that he's at Madeline's office at ten hundred hours." Harrison nodded his good byes and left.

Nikita took Adam by the arm. "Well, what do you want to see first?"

Adam looked around and then pointed to the open door to their right.

Nikita looked slightly uncomfortable. "That's Michael's office."

Adam hesitated then turned in the direction in which he had come. "I saw the computer area back that way, let's start there."

Nikita smiled her agreement. Arm in arm they walked back down the hall with Nikita chatting about Birkoff and Walter and other staff to whom she would introduce Adam. Michael watched them from behind the blinds in his darkened office. He closed the blinds and shut the door before turning on the lights.

At nine fifty-eight hundred hours, Nikita and Adam stood outside the door of Madeline's office. Adam tried to hide his anxiety. This was his first meeting with Madeline and he frankly had no idea what to expect. He turned to Nikita in hopes of information. "Well, Nikita, here we are. What can you tell me about Madeline? Is there anything that I should know?"

Nikita wondered what she should or could tell him. She decided to use the words that Michael had told her when she was taken to Madeline for the first time. "Madeline will be your new mother."

"Oh" Adam replied sardonically. "Does that mean that she'll spank me if I'm bad?" More of his anger and frustration colored his words than he had intended.

Nikita gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm just as the door opened. Madeline stood in the open door. Impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, she looked more like she should be standing in the halls of corporate America than the halls of Section. Her dark auburn hair and make-up were carefully crafted to produce the desired effect. That effect being one of friendly professionalism.

Madeline extended her hand to Adam, taking his in a firm yet non-threatening grasp. "Adam, it's good to finally meet you. Please come in." She smiled a disarming smile intended to set him at his ease or off his guard. "Nikita, would you please wait. We shouldn't be very long." Expecting to be obeyed, she didn't wait for Nikita's reply before ushering Adam into her office.

Nikita just managed a sympathetic smile at Adam before the door closed. She checked her watch then turned and leaned casually against the wall beside the door. She waited. She waited a while longer. Nikita began to worry about Adam. She truly liked the ex-Agency operative. She felt a kinship with him as, in her mind, they were both recruited into Section unjustly. She for a crime which she didn't commit and he for being curious and asking the wrong questions. Finally the door opened to admit her. She overheard the tail end of the conversation.

"Madeline, has anyone ever told you that you are truly twisted?" Adam was asking amiably.

"Never to my face" Madeline smiled. Madeline then addressed Nikita as she entered the room. "Nikita, Adam is being moved from the white room into a regular living quarter in Section. Please take him to his room and help him settle himself." Madeline stood and held a PDA out to Nikita. She then reached down behind her desk and lifted a small storage box, placing it on her desk. "Adam, after your 'death' in that warehouse fire, the Agency had your apartment cleaned. The Director had some of your personal affects forwarded here. He thought you might like them. Normally, Section doesn't approve of an operative having any memento of his previous life, it can prove a distraction, but yours is a special case. I hope that you are able to appreciate the exception that we are making for you."

Adam stood and took up his box. He followed Nikita from the office, pausing only long enough to throw a "bye mom" over his shoulder before exiting.

Madeline stifled a small smile and shook her head at Adam's effrontery. As long as he fulfilled her expectations, some brashness could be tolerated. Still, she would need to make sure that he clearly understood his limits.

Nikita led Adam down into the area of Section used for living quarters and for agents on close quarter stand-by. Consulting the PDA, she found his room and showed him his room entry code. Entering they found the room spartan. There was a bed, chest of drawers and bed side table; a closet and door that probably led into the bath could also be seen. On the bed side table was a phone. Setting his box on the bed, Adam inclined his head toward the phone.

Nikita answered his unspoken question. "In-house calls only, there are no out side lines in this area."

Adam nodded his understanding. He looked carefully around the room. "Home sweet home; OK, I don't see any but I know that there are monitoring devices in here. Do you want to tell me or let me find them on my own."

Nikita laughed. "For someone new to Section, you certainly seem to understand them well enough. You're right, just because you can't see them doesn't mean that they're not here." Nikita stopped, a strange expression came over her face, as she realized how closely she was echoing Michael's earlier comment to her.

Adam noticed the change. "Is something wrong?" he asked while rummaging through his box, apparently looking for something in the shallow depth.

"No, no, nothing, but I think I'll let you find the bugs later. It'll give you something to do and keep you out of trouble" Nikita said recovering.

Adam nodded vaguely and then suddenly brightened. "It's here. Thank you God, I was afraid I'd never see it again." He held up a small jewelry box to show Nikita his prize.

Nikita walked closer. "What is it?"

Adam opened the small box to reveal a gold charm bracelet with a small charm in the shape of a cake attached. "It was Anna's birthday present."

"Anna?"

"She was a fantastic woman, a fellow operative but for another side. We loved each other passionately." Becoming more somber he added "she died before I could give her this present so I keep it as a remembrance."

"I'm sorry" Nikita offered.

"It's OK. She died a long time ago and the pain is....well manageable now. Besides, our relationship probably wouldn't have lasted. We really had nothing in common. I'm a man, she was a woman. I'm a republican and she was a communist. We were total opposites."

"Why a cake charm?"

"It was a running joke with us. Anna always ate her dessert before the rest of the meal. The first time she did that I thought she was a bit wacko in psychological department. It happens you know. All the stress and pressure of the job can cause you to become a few chips short of a cookie. So I asked her about it. She explained that she loved dessert and that life was dangerous and you never knew what might happen. She said her motto was life is short, eat dessert first."

Adam looked wistful for a moment. "Anna loved life more than anyone that I have ever met. Not despite the job but because of it."

"You'll have to tell me about her sometime" Nikita said sincerely.

"Sometime I will" Adam replied equally sincere.

The phone rang. "My room, my phone, it must be for me." He picked up the receiver "Hello, Spy Central, Adam speaking." He listened for a moment and then hung up. "Today must be my lucky day. I get a new mother, a new room and now my poor presence is commanded to appear at a briefing. Oh, and you're invited too."

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

"Are you sure you are going to be OK with this Adam?" Nikita questioned Adam as they walked toward the briefing room.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm ready to get back to work even if it is for a different employer. Really, I think I'll be OK being in Section. I've got a secret to make it work." Adam grinned infectiously.

"Oh, really! Well, spill it" Nikita grinned back.

"Two things, the first, I learned a long time ago to accept the things that I can not change and this is something that I can not change. Second, I am going to pretend that I am actually working deep, deep cover in Section for the Agency. I'm going to pretend that I am a mole."

Nikita put her hand on Adam's arm, stopping him. "Adam, I'm not sure that I would say that to too many people. I'm not sure what Madeline would think about you pretending that sort of role."

"Madeline won't think anything of it, she's the one who suggested it. I tell you, she is twisted, really, truly twisted and you know what? I like that in a woman."

Nikita looked momentarily shocked. Adam couldn't keep from laughing at her expression. After a second, Nikita started laughing too. Still snickering, the two continued to the briefing room.

When they arrived at the briefing room, there were no other operatives present. Operations was leaning casually against the table, apparently waiting for them. He pierced Adam with a direct gaze "Do you know who I am?"

Adam, not wanting to show intimidation, continued walking to within a few feet of Ops while Nikita took a seat at the table. "Let me see, MIA pin and god complex...mmmm...I guess that makes you my new boss."

Ops look was stern. "Madeline believes that we should allow you some latitude but protocol and discipline will be maintained. Operatives have been canceled for less."

"Canceled" Adam mused. "That's like a permanent pink slip, right? Well, I'm sure operatives have been canceled for less than a smart mouth but they probably weren't good operatives. I am."

"You were a good Army Ranger. You were a good CIA agent. You were a good Agency field op. It remains to be seen if you'll be a good Section operative" Operations shot back. He continued "You'll be temporarily assigned to Michael's team. After your probationary period is over, you'll be given a permanent assignment."

As if saying his name had summoned him, Michael entered the briefing area. He ignored the apparent confrontation, instead quietly taking a seat beside Nikita. The other operatives began filing in one by one. Adam recognized a cue when he saw one. He turned from Ops and took his seat as well.

After all the operatives were seated, Ops put a picture of a man up on the holographic 'blue' screen. "This was Dr. Jeremy Zayne. He was the primary engineer and researcher at a small private company that existed only because of its military contracts. He was working on a new type of stealth technology that involved setting up a competing resonance, effectively canceling out radar and sonar and rendering a plane, sub or missile invisible to detection. The initial findings suggested that the prototype was working even better than expected. Three days ago Dr. Zayne and his entire staff were killed. The prototype and it's attendant software were taken. The current intel suggests that a Red Cell offshoot group working in conjunction with a hostile middle eastern country was responsible and that they intend to reverse engineer the prototype for their own use."

Turning off the screen, Ops continued. "Michael will be taking three, two men teams to retrieve the material or destroy it. We are under a time constraint. We believe that the item is at a small, abandoned petrochemical refinery on the Iran, Iraq border. Currently it is only lightly staffed and has a guard compliment of only ten. However, two troop trucks have been dispatched to that site and are expected to arrive in two days time. The additional guards would make it almost impossible to breach the site and an air strike is not viable due to the current political situation. The Agency is keeping oversight on the situation and the CIA, M16, French Intelligence, all the major overt intelligence agencies are keeping oversight on the Agency. I can not stress the importance of a successful mission outcome. You'll receive specific instructions in route. Michael, come with me. The rest of you should prepare to immediately disembark." Ops left the room with Michael following after him.

"Well" Nikita said to Adam "I guess we'll be working together again."

"Yeah, it should be a real blast."

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

A few hours after nightfall, Birkoff sat in a dark van a few miles from the mission site. Michael had performed a solitary reconnaissance of the site a few hours before. Now he and his teams were in position around the fenced and guarded compound. Nikita and Adam were team one. They were positioned outside the east fence of the compound, the other teams were on the west and south sides. The teams were to blow the three chemical towers while Michael searched the laboratory and then demolished it as well. With only ten guards the task should go quickly and easily.

"Michael, we've got trouble" Birkoff alerted. "High resolution satellite pictures indicate that two trucks, probably the troop carriers, are within five miles of the compound. Either our intel was wrong or they've moved up the time table. The trucks should reach the site in less than ten minutes. Should we abort?"

Michael turned and trained his binoculars on the road. He could see the trucks. He thought quickly. "No, we don't abort. Once the additional troops arrive the likelihood of success is minimal. Teams hold position and await further instruction." Michael looked again at the trucks and the terrain. It was dark but there was little cover. He would have to delay the convoy in order for the teams to be successful. He considered the options. "All teams converge on the south side of the compound. Teams two and three, you will take out the towers, redistribute the explosive charges accordingly. Team one, you will secure the laboratory facilities. Nikita, switch to channel two."

Nikita switched communication bands. "All right, I'm on two."

"Nikita, I am going to disable the trucks and delay the troops."

"Michael, you can't. That's suicide! There must be at least fifty guards on those trucks." Nikita was stopped by an hand on her arm. Adam, who had been listening to her side of the conversation had figured out at least part of Michael's plan. He whispered urgently to her. "Michael is in charge of this mission and its success. Let him do his job without having to worry that you're going to do yours" he hissed.

Nikita swallowed hard and nodded. She spoke again to Michael. "I understand. What do you want me to do?"

"Do not enter the lab. Secure the doors so no one escapes and blow the building. Do you see a large boulder on the outside of the fence directly behind the building?"

Nikita scanned the area with her binoculars and found the landmark. "Yes, I see it."

"On the north side of the rock there is a satchel hidden under some loose dirt. As you exit, retrieve the bag and take it with you. I will try to rendezvous with the teams at position b. If I am...delayed, give the bag to Operations. He will handle things thereafter. Do you understand?"

"No, not at all, but I'll do it" Nikita answered him.

"Birkoff"

"I'm here Michael."

"I will not be able to detonate the charges. You have the remote trigger frequency. You will need to detonate once the charges are set and the teams clear. Nikita will give you the word. I'll be going silent. The trucks are only a few minutes away. Teams proceed to move in."

"Michael!" Nikita cut in quickly.

"Yes"

She was unsure what to say and didn't have the luxury of time. "I'll see you at the rendezvous point." She swept her arm forward and the teams moved to cut the fence and enter the compound.

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

Michael worked quickly. He discarded and hid his comm unit. There should be no evidence of any other involvement in case he were captured or killed. He removed the casing from his three explosives, exposing the charges. He could not use the remote detonator without detonating the charges in the compound. He ran to the road, to a point about two hundred yards from the gate. He no longer cared if he were seen. Running across the road, hardly more than a dirt path, he dropped a charge in the middle. The head lights of the first truck illuminated the area just as he made the other side. He moved several yards away, readied his Glock, lay in the dust and waited.

In only a few seconds the lead truck rumbled over the charge. Michael aimed and several rapid shots hit and penetrated the gas tank. The fuel ignited. The tank exploded. A moment later the entire truck exploded as the charge was ignited. The truck and all in it became a roiling fireball that temporarily turned the night into noon. The second truck stopped the instant of the first fiery eruption. Unfortunately, it was not close enough to have been seriously effected by the blast. Troops began to pour from the back, hurrying away from the truck in case of a second explosion. They fanned out into the surrounding area, looking for the sniper.

Changing weapons, Michael stood with his uzi snug against his hip. He was spotted by several soldiers but they all fell with the first hail of bullets.

Having revealed himself, the surviving force attempted to converge on him firing antiquated but no less deadly rifles. Michael melted into the shadows, pulling the troops after him and away from the compound.

The teams had already cut the fence and were setting their charges when the night sky was lit with fire and the sound of thunder. The search light turned outward toward the road and the poorly trained guards rushed to the front gate rather than keeping to their assigned positions. To the sound of gunfire Nikita found a piece of pipe and shoved it through the handles of the research building's door. Only a second later she could hear pounding and shouting on the other side. She forced herself not to listen to the voices as she quickly set the explosives that would end their lives. She completed her task. Briefly wiping at her eyes, she ran to the gap in the fence. Holding the wire back, she ushered the other team members into the darkness of the country side as they arrived one by one. She and Adam were the last through. Before running to meet the others, Nikita went to the boulder. Going onto her knees, she scraped at the dirt until she found a loosened area. There she found the satchel. Grabbing it, she hurried after the other operatives. After reaching a safe distance, she contacted Birkoff and told him to detonate the explosives. The fireball from the exploding truck was minor when compare to that conflagration. In spite of the thunderous sound, Nikita thought she could still hear the sounds of gunfire in the distance.

The van waited at rendezvous point b until the dawn began to creep over the eastern horizon. Shortly a certain communications satellite would be in the correct position to discretely contact Section. Nikita feared that Michael's continued absence would be immaterial and they would be ordered to return to base. She needed to take action before she was ordered to sacrifice Michael. She could not believe that he might have been killed, though with so many guards after him it was possible that he could have been injured and unable to make it to the meeting place or even captured.

"I'm going after him" Nikita said abruptly. Birkoff looked around anxiously but didn't try to dissuade her. Neither did any of the other operatives, torn between wanting to help and fear of Ops' anger if they choose to take the wrong action.

She stood and gathered weapons, comm units and anything else she thought might come in handy. "I'll meet up with you at the base camp" she promised Birkoff.

"We won't be able to wait for you if you're late. Extraction is set for thirteen hundred hours. I won't be able to delay the copter" Birkoff warned. "Stay in contact with me, Nikita."

Nikita smiled at Birkoff. "Thanks, don't worry we'll make it to the base camp before extraction." She opened the van side door and walked out into the growing sunlight. She had gone only a few feet before she felt someone behind her. Soon Adam was walking beside her. "You shouldn't come" she told him. "You and Ops didn't seem to get off on the right foot and you really don't want to be on his bad side."

"I didn't realize he had a good side" Adam mused. "Besides, we're team one and a team works together. Plus, I still owe Michael."

Nikita glanced at Adam out of the corner of her eye. "Owe him for saving your life or for bringing you into Section?"

"Both"

The van was hidden in a ravine some miles from the compound. Not having anywhere else to start, the operatives decided to start at the beginning and trek the rugged terrain back to the demolished petrochemical laboratory. They met one patrol on the way. They were able to surprise it. Nikita worried briefly about the way the gunfire echoed in the early morning quiet. After reaching their destination, they crawled up to the top of a small outcrop and laying low to the ground, surveyed the area. Nikita used binoculars but Adam found the telescoping sights of his assault rifle more effective.

In the compound below, the only structure still more or less intact was the guards barracks. Fires still burned and debris was scattered over the area. Several guards were collecting and laying burned and broken bodies in neat rows. Other bodies had already been covered with a tarp. Scanning the area, they saw no sign of Michael. They waited. Movement was finally seen in the doorway of the barracks. Michael came into view. His hands were tied behind his back. There was blood on his face and he was limping heavily as if his right leg could hardly support him. If he had other wounds, the distance and his dark clothing concealed them. He was surrounded by three guards. Another man, perhaps some kind of officer based on his slightly cleaner and more ornate uniform, walked behind them.

"He's alive!" Nikita exclaimed in a quiet voice. Trying to formulate plans in her mind, she continued to watch. Her joy turned to horror, however, as she saw one of the guards kick Michael behind the knees, sending him to the ground. He was able to turn, taking the impact of the fall on his left shoulder. The guard then grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a kneeling position. "They're going to execute him!" Nikita started to stand but was pulled back to the ground by Adam.

"We're too far away and getting yourself killed is pointless" Adam hissed at her. Knowing he was right, even if she didn't want to admit it, all Nikita could do was watch in fear.

Below them they saw a guard point a rifle at the back of Michael's unbowed head. Abruptly the guard reversed the gun and hit Michael in the back of the head. He fell, this time unable to catch himself, unconscious.

Adam readied the rifle. Nikita, noticing the movement, abruptly pushed the gun out of position.

"What are you doing!" she demanded.

"If they aren't going to kill him that means that they intend to torture and question him. I can help him die quickly or he can die slowly and painfully. Which would you chose for him?" Adam explained.

"He's not going to die at all!" Nikita argued.

In the compound, two guards picked up Michael and carried him to a military style jeep that was waiting outside the gate. They threw him unceremoniously into the back where he slumped against the side, still unconscious. A guard got in beside him and two more got into the front.

As the jeep took off, Nikita replayed a map of the road in her mind. Scooting backward off the rise, she got to her feet and turned to the west. "I've got an idea, come on." Adam followed her without further comment.

The road meandered through the rugged country side. Nikita believed that she and Adam could get ahead of the jeep by going directly over land. There was a point were the road cut through a low but steep sided canyon. A small explosive blast directly in front of the jeep should stop it. When it stopped, Nikita and Adam could take out the guards and then take Michael and the jeep to the extraction point. At least that was the plan.

Not surprisingly, it didn't work out that way.

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

By the time they arrived, the jeep was already entering the gorge. Nikita armed the charge while Adam readied his weapon. She tossed the explosive but misjudged the distance, hitting the opposite side of the low rise. Rocks and dirt loosened by the small detonation tumbled down into the road. The guards were alerted by the blast and realized there was an ambush. The jeep refused to stop, instead speeding up to hurry through the ravine. One of Adam's shots found it's mark and the driver suddenly slumped over. The jeep, now speeding and out of control, veered into the rocky sloop. It flipped over onto its side, spilling the remaining troops and their passenger into the ground. The two remaining guards recovered quickly and scrambled for cover behind the vehicle, away from the bullets. Michael lay on his back where he was thrown, arms still bound behind him.

The guards couldn't move from their position without exposing themselves but neither could Nikita and Adam leave their position to go to Michael. It was a stale mate and time was on the guard's side. Nikita was beginning to feel desperate to bring this confrontation to an end. Michael was laying so still and a growing dark splotch on the ground beneath his right thigh suggested that he was continuing to bleed. He could be dying before her eyes just as surely as if he had been executed back at the compound while she watched in horror, too far away to save him. Now she was closer but still unable to get close enough to save him.

Michael finally regained consciousness but kept himself still, assessing his situation. Minutes passed and he began to stir. Slowly he began inching himself back toward the jeep. The jeep lay on its side, slightly angled up the incline of the gorge. Reaching it, he used it to brace his back and push himself into a sitting position. He rested, gathering his strength. Then he gripped the door and forced himself to stand, providing enough leverage that the precariously balanced jeep, aided by gravity, fell back onto its tires. Stabbing white hot pain lanced through Michael's leg. The pain and blood loss made his vision go black. Having done all that he could, he allowed himself to collapse.

The guards, when they saw the jeep begin to teeter, backed quickly away while firing up the hill toward Nikita and Adam. They returned the barrage. The guards fell. Nikita jumped and ran down the hill, expecting Adam to follow. She made it to the bottom and was bending over Michael before she realized he wasn't beside her. Something was wrong. "Adam" she said looking for him. "Adam? Adam!.."

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

Nikita stomped angrily into Ops' office and practically flung the bag she had retrieved from behind the compound at him. "It was all a fraud! The stealth device was never at that compound! I hope the deception was worth it. It almost cost you two operatives!" She stood glaring at him, awaiting his response.

Ops, for his part, was unfazed by Nikita's outburst. He calmly took one last tug at his cigarette and then stubbed it out. "You tell me, Ni-Kee-ta, is world peace worth the lives of two men or twenty or a hundred. Several countries and terrorists' organizations were interested in taking possession of Dr. Zayne's stealth device and he was apparently trying to negotiate with most of them. Had the US government just taken the device, it would have eventually found it's way into hostile hands. By arranging this deception, it will appear that Red Cell obtained the device but damaged it irreparably while trying to reverse engineer it. If they take the trouble to investigate, the traces of dirt found on the material we will turn over will have come from the compound. There are even fingerprints of Red Cell operatives known to have been at the compound on the casing. Everyone will be satisfied and the political status quo will be maintained. The end, again, is justified by the means."

Nikita couldn't be so easily convinced. "If the end is justified by any means, how long will it be before we are indistinguishable from those whom we fight?" She turned to leave but Operation's voice stopped her before she could make it to the door.

"I heard from Medlab just before you came in. Adam didn't make it."

Nikita didn't turn back around but straightened her back and stilled her hand to keep it from wiping at the tears that were suddenly in her eyes. She continued out the door.

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

Michael was sitting up in the Medlab bed watching the slow drip of the IV that was replenishing his depleted resources. He turned his head to look at the door as it swished open. Nikita entered almost shyly, her right hand playing with a golden bracelet fastened to her left wrist.

"You're looking better than the last time I saw you" she quipped by way of greeting.

He looked at her emotionlessly.

Nikita turned serious "Michael, Adam.."

"I've been told" he interrupted, his tone as emotionless as his expression.

Several minutes of silence followed. Nikita gathered her courage. "Michael, I was thinking that after you're released, we might go out for a cup of coffee or maybe some dinner."

Michael seemed to search her face for something. Slowly he turned his head away and looked at his IV, as if needing relief from her gaze to settle his thoughts. It was difficult to be unselfish when he still needed her so badly. Finally he looked back and spoke softly "That wouldn't be a good idea, Nikita. Nothing has changed."

Nikita stepped closer to the bed and laid her fingers gently on Michael's arm. "You're wrong. Something has changed. I want dessert."

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

The staccato click, click of high heels echoed in an abandoned and darkened Section hallway. Before her was a dark haired, dark eyed man with his left arm in a sling. He stood in a pool of light, the only illumination in this cavern. She walked to him, her features slowly becoming distinct. On arriving she smiled politely and handed him a satchel. "Tell George that our evaluation of the merchandise suggests that it will perform above our expectations."

"The other agencies are buying the switch?" he asked.

"It appears so" she replied with almost ethereal calm. "Things are proceeding much as anticipated."

"Well, I guess it's over then. I will be conveying to George how impressed I am with your operations. I'm sure that your requested budgetary increases will be found to have merit. Section One has some truly remarkable operatives."

Madeline inclined her head in acknowledgment but did not see fit to comment.

"Did Nikita take the bracelet?" he asked with some curiosity.

"She has been observed wearing it."

"Do you care to tell me what that dog and pony show you had me put on for her was all about?"

"It's not necessary that you know. Suffice it to say that I am attempting to determine and elicit the most appropriate level of interaction between Nikita and Michael to maximize their efficiency as operatives. It is a ..delicate.. manipulation of emotional and behavioral responses."

Adam stared at Madeline dumbfounded and then tried to suppressed a smile. "You really are twisted."

"It's who we are" she returned his smile.

The end

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