They made short work of trussing up both Nikita and Michael - once gagged, they were turned back to back on the floor, while Vince and Kev arranged the flat to look like there had been a break-in and that Karoff had been shot in the process. Furniture was quickly pushed over and drawers opened, their contents strewn across the floor. Nikita's gun was picked up and pocketed by Vince. Once finished the men wiped all surfaces that may have had fingerprints on and then they roughly dragged their captives to their feet and followed their boss down the stairs to the front door - it opened slowly to reveal a Ford Transit van backed up with its rear doors wide open - Michael and Nikita were bundled in and their two guards followed behind. The other men got in the front.

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

"Johnson - what the hell is going on?" demanded Operations.

"The mark entered the apartment - there was shooting and then two others went up - a van has been driven to the front- I think they are going ahead with the pick up - " Johnson said nervously, watching the scenes unfolding before him, without being able to do a thing to help.

"Was it Nikita?"

"Yes - I just saw her being taken into the van with Michael. "

"Has the mission been compromised in your opinion?"

"I don't think so - but I haven't seen Karoff."

"Damn that woman - what the hell does she think she's doing?"

"Do we effect extraction now?"

"No - continue according to the profile..."

"So we're not aborting -?"

"No - we are not, but if she jeopardises this mission any further you are under orders to take her out of the equation by whatever means are called for - absolutely any means - do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Johnson put down his binoculars as he watched the van driving off through the puddles. In the distance he could hear sirens - they didn't have long to check out the site.

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

As the van swerved out in to the traffic, Nikita tried to get a better look at Michael - his eyes were red and watering...she couldn't make eye contact.

She looked on in distress at the thick streaks of blood which flowed down his arm, the dark T-shirt and lack of light prevented her from seeing how bad it was - he had been unsteady on his feet and looked so pale on the stairs. Then looking up she looked into his eyes and she saw pure agony....

Michael tried to see how extensive Nikita's injuries were - the front of her pale coat was covered with dark stains - she must have been hit in the chest ... she had groaned in agony as the men had grabbed her under the arms to lift her - she was breathing heavily now, wincing as she breathed in. His eyes gazed at her face and he was heartbroken to read her eyes, which spoke of pain...

Nikita's side was hurting - the knife wound had opened up again and the bruising to her upper chest was making breathing painful, she desperately needed to know how critically Michael had been shot, he looked dreadful...

Michael's shoulder was on fire as the furrow left by the bullet across his back was filling with blood. The drugs in his system made it difficult to focus and he so wanted to see how Nikita was... he blinked hard, unable to rub his eyes and the tears fell from his long lashes, blurring the image even more...

The street lights allowed enough illumination to see each other's eyes - but not enough to know that the pain they saw so deeply embedded was out of mortal concern for one another's safety as much as it was due to the injuries that had been inflicted upon them ... while they still could make out each other's eyes they held their gaze - supporting the other with a bond of love that lay between them and was stronger than the ropes that held them immobile.

As soon as they left the main streets there was no longer enough illumination for them to see, but they still stared in the same direction - straining to hear how the other was breathing - if the link between them had been any stronger they would no doubt have been able to hear the pulse that throbbed in each other's arteries...

The van turned off the main roads altogether and from the bucking of tyres it seemed to be going over rough ground - a track maybe ......there were no longer sounds of other traffic, but the incessant pattering of rain on the roof continued unabated ...

They pulled up eventually and the engine stopped, the doors were thrown open by the two thugs Vince and Kev, they took Nikita first. Her eyes flew back to the shadow that was Michael in alarm - the lights from outside showed that he was no longer sitting upright but had fallen to one side.

She was marched into what looked to be a farmhouse, the rain was pouring steadily now and she couldn't make out anything of her surroundings - no lights apart from those by the porch - the area around was enveloped in darkness. As she was pushed into the farmhouse, the scent of mildew filled her nostrils - the wallpaper was peeling off the walls in entire strips, the dank, damp atmosphere made it feel colder inside than it had outside - obviously the place was not occupied regularly.

She was escorted into a side room and a sickly yellow light was switched on to show that it was a bedroom of sorts - no bed - but a mattress with a heap of old blankets tossed on top of it, lying on a patchwork of old rugs and thread bare carpet remnants ...

She was held between Kev and Vince as their boss walked in - he gestured for them to take the gag off.

"It's OK lads no-one's gonna hear her screams out here."

"Where are we?" she demanded hoarsely.

"In the middle of Hackney Marshes - not that you'll be any the wiser knowing that. Let's just say no one comes out here any more. Excuse my manners I 'aven't introduced misself sweetheart- I'm Den - you don't need to know more than that, except people who cross me, or piss me off end up missin' - permanently .... Although occasionally a body part has made it to the nearest relative as a keepsake..."

"What do you want?"

"For now - I'd really like it if you could take your coat off - there's a good girl-"

With a nod the two men either side helped her remove her coat, taking an arm each to prevent any sudden moves.

Den searched through the pockets - and came across the tracking device-

"OK then - what the fuck's this - it doesn't look like the sort of fing a nice girl carries out with her for the night now does it?

"And my- what a pretty vest - Kevlar if I'm not mistaken - is that what all the girls are wearing these days? Take it off boys -"

Kev grinned lasciviously as it was obvious that whatever she was wearing underneath the bullet proof vest was very skimpy. In fact she did have on a small black tank top - and the cold air made her nipples stick out rigidly - a sight that seemed to have an immediate effect on the men - all three were now focussing on her chest. Den walked closer and reached out to fondle her while licking his lips -

"Well if the big boys don't want you I'm sure we can think of something we can do with you - what d'you reckon lads?"

She struggled against the grips of the two men either side of her and snarled at Den - this unfortunately only appeared to arouse them more. She could almost smell their leering grins and feel their eyes crawling over her skin.

"Later darlin' - hold on there - we've got to check on your mate first before the entertainment can begin - "

They let go of her arms and left her in the room alone. She heard a bolt being slid into position - she crouched down on the bed - trying not to see the stains on the mouldy coverlet. As she sat down her arms around her knees she trembled ...it was cold and the window wasn't glazed - merely boarded up, letting the wind howl in.

She lost track of time - but she was very cold now - freezing cold, they had taken her coat and left her with nothing else, and she couldn't bring herself to lie down on the mattress. As she rocked backwards and forwards trying to create some heat by moving - she heard the bolt once more as it was shoved back and the door opened. She immediately flattened herself to the wall in readiness to strike - but seeing Michael's body being dragged in between Kev and Vince, she changed her mind - she couldn't attack them without harming Michael. They dumped him on the bed face down and left, locking them in together.

She dropped to her knees beside him, now hoping to assess the full extent of his wound in the dull but adequate light; she could see that the bleeding had virtually stopped - but not before the back of his shirt had become soaked, the dried blood now stuck the fabric of the shirt to his skin.

Her probing roused him - he groaned softly -

"Kita - you're OK - thank God - I thought you were shot..."

"Hush - save your strength- I was wearing a vest - the impact knocked me over and bruised me -"

"What about the blood? I saw blood on your coat!!" he was becoming agitated - maybe worried that he'd been hallucinating thought Nikita.

"No Michael - those marks - they were rust stains - from the escape ladders." She didn't mention that some of the stains were real blood, no need to worry him unduly. "The bullet missed me - you pushed me down - remember? It must have hit you instead - "

She had started to run her hands carefully over his back - feeling for wounds - as soon as she brushed her fingertips over a narrow furrow, his sudden intake of breath indicated that she had found the place - she attempted to peel the material away from the wound but Michael stopped her by grabbing hold of her.

"No - leave it - I think if you try to take off my shirt it will start to bleed again-"

He was shivering - the loss of blood and lack of clothing were taking their toll - she lay down alongside him -

"Michael - we've got to keep warm - it's freezing in here - there's damp running down the walls- and I think I heard scratching sounds in the walls..."

"Rats?" he asked, being fully aware of her phobias.

She didn't answer his query - merely shuddered and then holding the corner of one of the awful blankets she made him an offer she hoped he couldn't refuse..

"Do you think you could bear being under these blankets with me?" she wrinkled her nose distastefully at the mildew speckled off white woollen rags.

"Ni-ki-ta - if I'm lying next to you I don't care where I am ......come here - "

She tugged at one of the less offensive blankets and shook it out over Michael's body - trying not to notice the dark brown droppings that scattered from it. Then she snuggled up close to the opposite side to the one which had been shot - her arm around his waist, her face close to his - she could feel that his hair was wet -and tried not to think of pneumonia.

He draped his uninjured arm around her shoulders and drew her closer still - so they shared each other's breath - she inhaled the warm air he exhaled and drank in his essence- he looked into her crystal blue eyes and lost himself in their depths.

Many hours since they had sunk into the soft maroon covers of the bed at the Sheraton Belgravia, they eventually finished the kiss they had begun - slowly and gently - their lips still touching as the embrace of exhaustion gathered them both to its weary bosom.

In the room next door the radio was on - and an old song by The Cure drifted through as a fitting lullaby:

You Soft and only You Lost and lonely You Strange as angels Dancing in the deepest oceans Twisting in the water You're just like a dream

Daylight licked me into shape I must have been asleep for days And moving lips to breathe her name I opened up my eyes And found myself alone Alone above a raging sea That stole the only girl I loved And drowned her deep inside of me

You Soft and only You Lost and lonely You Just like heaven

[Just like Heaven - The Cure]

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

Nikita woke first - her neck stiff from the draft coming through the boarded window - she felt disorientated, it was still dark and her eyes couldn't make out much in the darkness. But she could make out the breathing next to her - heavy and irregular - it was Michael, she snuggled up closer to wrap her arms around his waist, he was still lying on his front his head tilted towards her.

"Michael?" she whispered - torn between letting him get some sleep and worried that he was not asleep but unconscious.

He stirred slightly in her embrace and stretched out an arm to pull her closer - the warmth of his body reaching out through his thin T- shirt to seep into her body - a nourishing heat, she slid a leg over his thighs and could not resist kissing his face - she brushed her lips gently along his forehead and over his eyebrows , fluttering over his eyelids, tasting saltiness at the corners , her tongue delicately licking at the remnants of his tears. She then kissed his nose and then his lips- their softness pulling her in, teasing her to do more than glance across their silky texture - she pressed her own mouth to his and felt a response as his arm snaked around her and held her tight as he opened his mouth like an early morning flower the petals unfolding to allow her tongue to dart in to sample the nectar, and once tasted she returned for more - greedily capturing his lips in a fierce hungry kiss...

"Good morning - Ni-ki-ta..." he breathed against her cheek-- and rolling slowly onto his back he pulled her over on top of him, the pressure sending ripples of pain from the epicentre of his shoulder out across his back. Despite his attempts to muffle his involuntary cry of pain, his eyes watered -

"Michael - how bad does it hurt? Don't lie - let me have a look -"

"No Nikita - there's nothing you can do, best leave it ..."

"To become infected? We don't know how long we're staying here - I think we'd best try to get it sorted out now-"

"No." With that curt one word response Michael sat up stiffly and somehow pulled himself to his feet - he walked across to the window - and surveyed the wooden panels -

"You are leaving now - I cannot allow them to use you to get to me - do you understand?"

"Michael - what are you on about? I'm not going anywhere - he took the tracker - I can't even track you down-"

"But Section can - no argument Nikita." He was terse and abrupt, in Section mode. "Besides - I won't be able to cope with what they may do to you to get me to break - are you going to co-operate or not?" His logic was impeccable but Nikita could hear the emotion in his voice as he spoke honestly - he needed her but the fear of what Den and his friends would do to her would be too dangerous to the mission not to mention his state of mind.

He had started to carefully tug the boards loose from the window frame - they would only need a small gap after all -

"Michael - what's stopping you from coming with me?"

"The profile Nikita - you know - now when you get out I want you to head for the road and then it's up to you - the surveillance team will not be far- either that or you could elude them - escape-"

" What? And never find out what happened to you?"

" It's an option Nikita - I would not think less of you if you decided to take that route- "

"No? Well tough - because I would, I don't think I could live with myself Michael if I just abandoned you here and never made an attempt to find out if you even survived -"

"Are you at least going to help with this?"

Reluctantly Nikita helped Michael displace enough of the boards that the gaping hole in the window was sufficiently exposed for her to be able to slip out-

Although the dark sky was full of sleet and the wind blew much of it into their faces Michael was soon shiny with sweat and Nikita could read the pain in his eyes - he was pushing himself too hard - the bullet graze on his back was deep and probably infected by now. She accidentally brushed her hand across his back every now and then and could feel the stiffened fabric from the dried blood- he needed medical attention without a doubt and although she understood his logic, it didn't make it any easier to turn her back on him.

"There must be another way Michael," she whispered as he held the boards apart to help her slip out -

"No time for anything else - please do me one favour" although he didn't speak the word last - she could see it in his face as he held her by the shoulders and locked eyes with her in the dim room.

"What Michael?"

"Be safe- wherever you go - be safe-"

He handed her a blanket and draped it around her -

"Take this - it will keep the rain out and serve as camouflage -"

"But what about you? It's freezing in here-"

" I'll be -"

"Liar - you'll be frozen half to death one minute and feverish from that wound the next - but no way will you be fine - I promise I'll come back for you-" despite her resolve to be strong she had difficulty holding back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"Not until the target has been located-"

"Michael-" she warned, but was cut off as he leaned towards her and kissed the tears away before they escaped.

They hugged each other fiercely - drawing comfort and warmth from each other while they could - then Nikita held onto the sides of the window frame and swung her legs one at a time through the narrow gap. As she dropped down to the base of the wall she turned to see that Michael had already begun replacing the boards to disguise the hole.

It was not yet light, a murky grey sky hung above her, much like the dirty grey woollen blanket on her shoulders. Nikita crept along the scrubby hedgerow towards the road - it was muddy and slippery, but she made her way stealthily, blinking back tears as she clung onto the blanket -

Once she made it to the main road she could make out in the distance a Chevrolet Suburban, pulled over next to a gate ... It was black and so were the windows...

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

Michael huddled in the corner of the room - a dirty blanket wrapped around his shoulders - he could allow himself the luxury of succumbing to the pain now that Nikita had left the house. The pain in his back and shoulder was excruciating - the wound was no doubt infected - he could feel the inflammation as the skin stretched tightly over his back. He had tried to pull the shirt away from the blood but it seemed stuck fast - it would need to be soaked off. He smiled to himself as he considered that the chances of a hot shower were rather remote.

He had to save his energy for the next stage - he knew this was just a staging post - that he would soon be passed on to the next level - only when he had reached the centre of the organisation that had originally hired the woman that impersonated Karoff would he be able to extricated. Until then he would have to bear with it.

He wrapped his arms around his chest - he was chilled to the marrow. It was then that he started coughing - the damp had got onto his lungs...great that was all he needed- pneumonia.

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

Meanwhile Nikita sat by a tree stump weighing up what to do next - she would not abandon Michael - but whether she could best help him inside or out of Section was her current dilemma. She wiped her nose on the edge of the grey blanket and her mind was made up for her as the smell of rat urine assailed her nostrils almost making her gag.

She sidled up to the van until she was almost parallel to it - then she stepped out from behind the trees and as she did so the doors swung open and Johnson stood there-

"I wondered how long you were going to wait out there - we picked you up on the proximity monitor. But if you are coming in you can leave that outside." He gestured at the sodden woollen rag that dragged in the mud behind her.

Nikita flung the remnants of the blanket into a ditch and gratefully stepped into the warm interior of the van and thanked Johnson as he handed her some towels and a mug of hot sweet coffee.

"You stick out like a sore thumb by the way - this is the only vehicle for miles without mud splatters all over its paintwork and corroded chrome work."

"We were waiting for you - otherwise we'd have hidden better " he smiled.

"You're tracking Michael aren't you? " She asked anxiously, needing to know that she had made the right decision.

"Yeah - and during the night we managed to get close enough to attach a transmitter to the outside wall of the cottage. Did you know you snored?"

Nikita batted him around the head and then headed to the seat where another operative was monitoring the conversations inside the house-

"Sounds like they've discovered your absence Nikita -" he handed her the head set, figuring that it would be less painful to do so voluntarily.

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

Michael's coughing had alerted the guards that someone was awake, he tried to stifle the spasms in his diaphragm but to no avail - he heard the bolt slide open and the door scrape open a moment later.

"Rise and shine - it's morning!" Den walked in - with Ken and Vince behind him, he scanned the room quickly and immediately saw that Nikita had gone....

Michael braced himself for the reaction to Nikita's escape.

"OK - where's the blonde? Kev - Vince - help our guest get up."

The two thugs grabbed hold of Michael's arms the blanket slipping to the floor as they hauled him to his feet - they held him between them as Den moved closer, rubbing his left hand in a threatening manner over his right hand which was clenched in a tight fist. -

"I didn't - hear - your - answer - where's the bitch gone?"

He punctuated his quietly worded enquiry with punches to Michael's abdomen - this brought on a painful coughing fit that left Michael gagging and gasping for breath. He could not have spoken even if he wanted to -

"That's OK - I didn't think you'd talk anyway - but you really piss me off mate - "

Michael just glared at the man in front of him - he'd endured worse in the past than a few blows to the stomach. He looked on in contempt - Den was merely a middleman, a hired thug himself, just doing the dirty work for those who paid well and kept their hands clean.

"Shit - we're goin' to 'ave to move right away - Ken - give the man a bell and tell 'im we'll meet at the warehouse. Now thanks to you and your girlfriend sunshine we've got to move on earlier than I wanted - that makes things inconvenient for me and I don't like inconveniences."

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

"Tell me Johnson - the woman - is she dead?"

"No, Nikita - she was recovered by housekeeping - "

"Good."

Nikita shut her eyes tight so she could concentrate on what was happening in the farmhouse ... she could hear Michael coughing again. He seemed to be having difficulty breathing.... Then she heard the sickening thumps as she could visualise the thug's fists yet again connecting with Michael's torso - then a heavier thud as if something had fallen to the ground -Michael she assumed ...She strained to hear above his coughing fit - she thought she heard more impacts - oh God - she should have stayed with him. Her heart was in her mouth as she listened in to the beating he was receiving. Then she heard shouting as Den ordered the other two men to scout around the building for signs of her ....she suddenly thought about the mud - the footprints would lead a trail straight back to the van -

"We've got to move Johnson - my tracks will lead them to our position -"

Johnson slapped the driver on the back -

"Let's go. "

As the Section vehicle drove off, Nikita followed the conversation up until the point where she could discern the sounds of Michael being dragged out of the house towards the truck and then the sound of an engine spluttering into life. The splashing of tyres through puddles were the last sounds the tracker picked up.

"OK - what channel for the transmitter on the truck?" Nikita opened her eyes to glare at the other three men in the van besides the driver - they all looked away from her - finding reasons to adjust their packs and check their weapons. "Hey - you guys did place a transmitter on the van - didn't you?"

"Well - actually - we were assuming that Michael was going to be collected from there - so we didn't actually think there was any point - after all he is wired..."

"Damn - so we know where he's going but not what's going on!" Nikita was furious and torn between the compulsion to stick close to Michael and the burning desire to interrogate the woman - to hell with what condition she was in - Nikita would make her talk....

She reasoned with herself that as Michael was implanted with a tracker - she would always be able to locate him later - after all they couldn't get far could they?

"Johnson - where is the Karoff woman being held?"

"She'll be back in Section by now Nikita -"

"OK - can you drop me off where I can get transport?"

"I guess so - Stanstead Airport is not far from here."

"Fine - and I'll need to speak to Birkoff-"

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

Michael was bound and gagged in the back of the truck - only just aware of his surroundings. A glancing blow from one of Kev's steel toe capped boots had unfortunately struck his head close to the site of his barely healed injury - plunging him into a nauseous semi - conscious state. He wondered how much longer his reserves could last, but he reassured himself that the next link in the chain he was being passed along would be the last. He was beginning to feel like the parcel in a gruesome game of pass-the-parcel where whenever the music stopped the parcel got ripped to pieces - he shook his head to shake off the strange images and regretted it immediately as yet another wave of vertigo struck him.

He recalled being lifted none too carefully and tossed into the back of the truck - the three men had all got in the front- justifiably convinced that he was not going to manage the miraculous escape achieved by Nikita. He gathered from fragments of conversation that they had traced her footsteps to the main road - they had then assumed that she'd got lucky and hitched a lift - comments about her legs and how she'd find it easy hitching followed amongst other more lewd remarks, making Michael grateful that he'd persuaded her to leave when he had.

As Kev drove along the back lanes regardless of speed restrictions or traffic regulations generally, Vince amused himself by idly fiddling with the gadget they'd taken from Nikita's coat - he flicked on the power switch and twiddled the knob - he nearly dropped it when it emitted a high frequency buzzing -

"Bloody 'ell - it's a fuckin' bug ----- the bastards can track us down wiv this!" - he leaned over Den to throw the device out of the window when Den grabbed hold of his wrist and snatched it from him.

"No - you dopey git - if it's a bug why was she carrying it around - she turned up in Camden to rescue the geezer - right - so she must 'ave been using this to track 'im!"

"He's clean guv - we searched 'im like you said - nuffin' - no bugs - no wires - right Kev?"

The driver nodded frantically, afraid that their boss would be mad at them if they admitted to not having carried out the full strip-search as they had been instructed - but one look at that bloke's eyes had made it clear that there were limits to how closely they investigated his body and woe betide them if they crossed those boundaries. OK - the geezer was injured - but he looked bloody dangerous none-the-less.

"Not on the surface- maybe they put one inside 'im- ! SHIT!!!" Den slammed his fist against the dashboard and then adjusted the knob on the device again and turned slowly - yes, his suspicions were correct - their package in the back was sending out a signal, there was no doubt about it.

"OK boys change of plan - I have an acquaintance in Harley Street owes me a favour - his clinic has an X- ray machine. And a small operating theatre..."

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

Nikita wasn't surprised to see Madeline waiting for her as she entered Section 1 - but the presence of Operations as well took her aback slightly...

"Well - where is she?"

"Nikita - you will debrief first - your report as sent in en route seems to have a number of discrepancies - not to mention some gaping holes - by the way did you know you're bleeding?" Nikita looked down at her top and saw the dark stain that showed where a neglected stab wound had been making its presence felt throughout the return journey - she had kept telling herself - not yet, I'll have it seen to later ...

"Nikita - you will go to have that attended to first and then you will report to my office. You will be given the opportunity to question the prisoner - but only following my conditions - is that clear?"

"Crystal." She sighed wearily - there was no point pushing it now and the trip to Med Lab would give her time to work out a better story to tell them.

As she shoved open the doors to the medical facility- she caught sight of Mark Gilmore - the randy Aussie doctor with the hots for her - he would tell her all about Karoff, if prompted correctly she smiled to herself.

"Hey doc - I need you to check out a stab wound - got somewhere private?"

"Watcha possum - privacy here? Well come behind this curtain with me and we'll see what we can manage -"

He steered her into a curtained off unit, his hand placed on the small of her back, only just avoiding stroking her bottom.

Nikita pulled her tank top over her head shaking loose her hair in as provocative way as she could without being too obvious - then she hopped up on the examination bench and leaned back revealing a large expanse of midriff all the way down to her navel.

Gilmore swallowed hard and then peeled away the blood stained remnants of the bandage put on by the London Ambulance man.

"What is it with you and sharp knives? Just as well you don't cook much."

"I do cook - it's just that I've never got round to asking you over..."

"Ummm.. you're going to have to lie down properly so I can clean this up and put a few stitches in."

"Sure thing - " She swung her long legs up onto the bench and swivelled her body round and then deliberately wriggled to make herself more comfortable - completely aware of the effect she was having on the poor medic. She even contrived to moan softly as he probed the wound - resisting the temptation to tell him to shove his forceps where the sun doesn't shine...

After he had injected a local anaesthetic into the surrounding skin and was waiting for it to take effect she made her move-

"Hey Mark - tell me about this Karoff woman - how badly shot was she?"

"I shouldn't really say anything ..."

Nikita beckoned him closer so she could whisper in his ear - she made certain her voice was a deep purr as she said -

"I'll make it worth your while - promise..." then as she pushed him away she ran the tip of her tongue over her upper lip and winked at him.

"OK - but quietly - "

As Gilmore leaned over Nikita - attending her knife wound - he told her that Karoff had been shot in the leg, that the bullet had nicked a femoral vein and she had lost a lot of blood, however housekeeping had arrived in time to apply a tourniquet and she had recovered on the way back. It had been touch and go - but apparently Madeline had insisted she be brought in alive. She had regained consciousness and was being held in a secure room.

He stood up and picked up a roll of tape to hold the fresh dressing in place.

"So when do you get to pay my fees?" He asked lasciviously.

"I'll let you know sweetie. Got a clean tank top - this one's wrecked?" She held up the blood stained garment by one finger.

Gilmore slipped out through the curtains slightly perplexed - he called to a nurse for assistance but by the time he returned he saw the doors swing shut as Nikita exited Med Lab.

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

"Kev - drop me off outside the clinic then drive round the West End for about an hour - I'll call when everyfink's ready 'ere - got it?"

"Okey kokey guv."

Den got out and straightening the lapels on his dark overcoat and flexing his shoulders he walked across the road to the front door of a smart looking establishment on Harley Street. The polished oak door had a shiny brass plate on it declaring the doctor's credentials - a graduate of Edinburgh Medical School and a specialist in reconstructive surgery he had a lucrative clientele in the centre of London. He had nearly lost his licence once due to malpractice and was in debt to London's other Underground for the retention of both his good name and his business. Now he earned much of his wealth from the London mafia and other gangs that couldn't always use the National Health Service, for fear of attracting the police to incidents like drug overdoses, stabbings and shootings.

The doctor would agree to help Den on this occasion - he owed him - Den had provided the protection that the doctor needed in day- to- day dealings with some of the more corrupt and amoral lowlife that worked out of the city, including the police.

He also figured that the guys that wanted the bloke in the van would be pretty pissed off if he handed him over with a transmitter inside him - and not only that - he did not want his operation being uncovered by whoever this geezer worked for. Therefore the only option was to get rid of the bug pronto and then hand him over, grab the cash and leave them to it. He'd contact the buyers once the package was clean.

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

Nikita had prepared an adequate story for Operations and had been fortunate enough to get away with it. She suspected that she had been used somehow - manipulated into following Michael- perhaps they had done that to make sure their tracking device was working properly...

She now had to wait until Madeline gave her the go-ahead to interrogate Karoff. She decided to pass the time talking to Walter.

"Hey sugar - how's the knife wound? I could kiss it better you know -" he raised his eyebrows in mock sincerity.

"I'll let you know Walter...so who's doing the tracking now - you or Birkoff?"

"Birkoff from Systems - but I'm sure you could persuade him to let you look over his shoulder..."

"Me too, " she grinned.

But before Nikita got the chance to check on Michael's progress, Madeline appeared as if from nowhere -

"Nikita - you can see the woman now - but remember what Operations told you, we need her in one piece - she hasn't said anything yet - but she knows more than I'm willing to sacrifice because you bear a grudge.... is that clear?"

"Yes Madeline - believe it or not I don't just want to have a go at her because of what she put Michael through." But I sure as hell am going to make her pay for that - she promised herself in silence behind a tight lipped smile.

"I should hope so."

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

Michael was dropped off round the back of the exclusive clinic and bundled down the steps at the rear into the cellar - where the X-ray equipment was situated. The room was small and lead lined. He was strapped to a bench, sedated to stop him moving about and thoroughly X-rayed. Both Den and the physician had assured the radiographer that there were no concerns regarding excessive exposure to ionising radiation - and that the young man did not have much of a future to worry about. Like all of the doctor's employees the woman shrugged and concentrated on the extravagant pay this job provided as long as you could turn a blind eye to the occasional dismissal of safety procedures.

The doctor had enquired whether or not the man's injuries needed to be treated - Den had sniffed, and then agreed that maybe the back did look a bit messy and it was leaving stains on the furniture.

So while the two men sat and waited for the X-rays to be developed they smoked cigars and talked about horse racing in the waiting room outside the X-ray suite. Meanwhile inside the room a nurse worked on the unconscious man's back.

She had pulled the bloodied T-shirt away with a sharp tug and grimaced at the sight of the untended wound - pieces of fabric had stuck to it and the sides were crusted with blood. The removal of the clothing had caused fresh blood to well up where the scabs had been dislodged. The area around the long groove was pink and yellow - infection had probably set in - a quick check of his temperature confirmed that.

"It's infected - shall I give him a shot?"

"Yes dear - I assume that our friend here would like the young man to be conscious for the conclusion of his business deal - isn't that right Mr Watts?"

"Yeah - I s'pose so. You're the expert doc - but I reckon just tidy it up a bit, don't like dealing in damaged goods, get's a man a bad reputation - know what I mean?"

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

Nikita didn't hear Birkoff's exclamation as she headed towards the security level on which Karoff was being held - she didn't see the commotion as operatives clamoured around screens - frantically tapping at keyboards trying to restore the signal -

"It's gone - where the hell-?"

"It can't have gone- the receivers must be playing up - adjust the range - "

"There's nothing Birkoff - I'm telling you - he's gone - disappeared off the map -

"Get his last known location and get Johnson there fast - "

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

Nikita composed herself before opening the door - she had to fight the urge to just walk in, slam her fist into the woman's face and knock her teeth down her throat.

She walked in slowly taking in the sight of a still defiant looking woman - dark rings under her dark eyes ....her hair a dishevelled mockery of her previously neat bob.

"Well hello there - you're the blonde slag that just can't leave Michael alone aren't you?"

"I'll ask the questions," snarled Nikita

"Ooh - sounds like you're jealous - I bet I've had the pleasure of that man's body more than you have - and I bet that's what's really pissing you off-"

Nikita's resolve lost it there and she slapped the woman hard about the face and then taking a deep breath she struggled to regain control. The woman grinned despite the trickle of blood running down her chin -

"Perhaps he just doesn't go for blondes- his wife was a brunette you know and a small woman - you probably aren't his type -"

"Shut up!"

"Well you could make me - but then I won't be able to tell you what I know - who wants Michael - what for - that sort of stuff - if you ask nicely I'll tell you want you want to know-" she licked the blood from her lips and smacked her lips noisily looking as predatory as ever. Nikita didn't trust her but felt she had nothing to lose-

"Go on then - tell me - tell me what I need to know -" she ground the words out between clenched teeth.

The woman strapped to the chair smiled a sickly sweet smile and whispered.

"Come closer."

Nikita walked to the chair and planted her hands on the woman's restrained arms.

"He was a good fuck - pity you missed your chance-"

Her head spun back as Nikita once more let loose her aggression.

Nikita stopped in her tracks before striking once more - this was not going to help Michael - sure it felt good to inflict pain on this creature before her who had brainwashed Michael when he was convalescing from serious injuries, convinced him that she was Simone and in the process had driven the man over the edge into a suicidal nightmare ...... and then proceeded to have him abducted - although Section had been using him as bait .........as a result of which he'd been drugged and shot - the latter while protecting her ...... God she had every right to want revenge on this woman --- and if it was not for the fact that Michael was tagged with a tracker so that he could be retrieved at any time Nikita wouldn't have been able to contain her rage at all..

Although the woman was wearing baggy pants, Nikita could see the outline of the bandages through the thin fabric - she moved closer to Karoff ...

"OK - let's try again - well you're wrong on one front at least - I had Michael before you contaminated him with your foul body and helped pull him back out of the pit you tossed him into - now despite what you or indeed he may think - I am going to get him back - with or without your co-operation - " and then to emphasise her words Nikita gripped hold of the bandaged thigh and squeezed hard - she could detect the bruised tissue beneath her fingers and dug her nails in to drive home her point...

"BITCH!!!!!" spat the woman unable to draw away from Nikita.

Behind her Nikita could hear the door to the White Room swing open...the sound of stiletto heels tapping on the tiled floor gave away the identity of the newcomer -

"Nikita - we need to talk-"

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

The doctor held up the X-ray of Michael's skull up to the light screen and pointed to the plate in the upper cranium.

"Well - this fellow is so full of metal pins, screws and pieces of unclaimed shrapnel I wouldn't be surprised if he set off the metal detectors every time he took a flight.... But I think this is what you're looking for - you can just make out some circuitry there and the longer wire leading out over the adjacent bone would be the transmitter itself... Ingenious - of course it can't be removed safely without a full surgical team - sorry old boy I just don't have those facilities."

"Bloody 'ell - just what sort of Man from bleedin' UNCLE shit 'ave I got meself involved wiv this time? Any suggestions doc- is there any way we could just stop it working?"

"Perhaps - using ECT equipment it may be possible to create a surge of voltage across the fine circuitry - effectively short circuiting the device-"

"ECT?"

"Electro- convulsive therapy - used in cases of severe mental trauma, rather barbaric if you ask me - but the old school psychologists swear by it."

"And that would be safe?"

"Positioned as it is above the frontal lobe of the cerebrum there could be localised trauma to the underlying tissue, perhaps some memory dysfunction, worst case scenario, short or long term personality change. But if as you say you just need him functioning adequately for a short period of time before placing him in the hands of others...it may suffice..."

"Yeah - except they may come back and demand a refund if they end up wiv a vegetable!"

"The scar in the region is larger than necessitated for the insertion of the device itself. My guess would be that it was placed there in the course of treatment of a fractured skull. That part of the skull is fairly thin, not the best place to insert a transmitter. Any adverse reactions could be explained away as side effects of a previous injury. I suggest you point this out to the people you are dealing with."

"Poor geezer - I wouldn't fancy workin' for 'is bosses - bastards - fancy doin' that to a bloke when he's smashed up?"

"So shall I arrange for the ECT equipment to be readied? I can borrow it from a neighbour..."

"You mean like some folks borrow sugar - you docs here swap scalpels and stuff?"

"In a way - yes."

"You're the expert - 'ow much is this goin' to cost me?"

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

Nikita followed Madeline to her office in silence - she wanted to rail against the woman - argue that she was getting somewhere - but she knew it would be a lie. She had blown it - she'd allowed the woman to get to her ... the comments about sleeping with Michael had hurt more than she thought they would. She would no doubt have taken the woman to pieces and not given a damn whether she got anything or from her or not.

Madeline sat behind her desk and gestured for Nikita to take a seat opposite her. The older woman's eyes were dark and intense, her expression grim, not even the false smile she wore to unnerve the unwary.

"Nikita, you were failing. You should have left the room- I thought you were capable of emotionally distancing yourself- I was wrong."

"I'm sorry - you're right Madeline, but that bitch isn't going to tell us anything, you know that too - why not just put her out of our misery - "

"Believe it or not, I wish we could Nikita - she has breached Section security in an unprecedented way - she walked feely around the systems centre and we have no idea what she got Michael to tell her. To what extent we have been compromised is still unknown, that is why we needed to locate and sanitise those who sent her here in the first place."

"Yeah and why you are using Michael as bait-," added Nikita with as much vitriol as she could muster.

"Exactly - he is aware of the reasons for his -"

"Sacrifice?"

"No need to be so melodramatic Nikita - although I will admit his current situation is precarious and his safety can no longer be guaranteed-"

"What's happened Madeline? - What aren't you telling me?" Nikita sat forward in her seat, prepared to squeeze the truth out of the dark haired control freak in front of her if that's what it took to find out what had gone wrong now.

"The transmitter appears to be no longer emitting a signal - this suggests that it has been either disabled or removed-"

Nikita opened her mouth as if to protest that that would be impossible without killing Michael - but by putting those thoughts into words she feared they would come true. She blanched and closed her mouth- her eyes widened in anxiety as she looked to Madeline for an alternative answer-

"So you see Nikita we must have the co-operation of the Karoff woman-"

"But she doesn't care less what happens to Michael - " protested Nikita.

"Not yet - it is my intention to make sure she does come to care about him, the technicians are preparing her now. Shortly she will be so much in love with Michael that she will do whatever she can to help us achieve a successful conclusion to this mission."

"You're not serious- " Nikita shook her head slowly, horrified at what Madeline was suggesting.

"Oh - I am perfectly serious - and you will work with her."

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

"Johnson is in the area sir - he wants to know if they are to extract Michael?"

"No - it is not time."

"But -"

"Just tell him Birkoff - he is to observe and not interfere."

"Yes sir."

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

In Madeline's office, Nikita was pacing to and fro -

"What if it isn't working and she is just faking it to get out of here?"

"That will be for you to ascertain and act upon. You have studied the profile I have prepared?"

"Yes - it stinks."

"Is that a professional judgement or a personal one Nikita?

"Both - so this manipulating, scheming bitch suddenly realises she is head over heels in love with Michael. Then you tell her that we are ready to just let him be taken by these guys and not give a toss what happens as he is under orders to commit suicide before giving anything away about Section -"

"Yes"

"Sure - and then she persuades me to help her escape - or I offer to get her out so we can go to his rescue?"

"Exactly."

"It stinks Madeline!"

"Tell me why - and make it rational -"

"Because she knows about your conditioning programme - she used it on Michael for God's sake "

"Just because she has used it does not mean she is not susceptible to it herself - a poor extrapolation there Nikita - next?"

"If she knows where Michael is headed why use middle men - why not complete the transaction herself - I don't buy it that she knows where he's being taken-"

"Maybe not - but she is an extremely resourceful young lady - I do believe that she will find him. In fact she may yet prove to be worth recruiting."

"I don't trust her."

"Who do you trust Nikita? "

Nikita stood glaring in silence- Madeline had her there- she could have said Walter, but then that may have just caused him problems.

"Fine - Holly Karoff will be ready in one hour's time. Make sure you are prepared."

Taking that as a dismissal, Nikita shook her head, snorted in contempt and walked out without another word - there was no point.

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

Meanwhile in the alley behind Harley Street, a dark suited gangland boss stood - a half smoked cigarette in one hand and a sophisticated tracking device in the other.

Johnson observed this, while he was simultaneously transmitting video feed to Section 1.

The man took one more puff of his cigarette and then blowing out a veritable smoke screen he threw the stub to the ground - it hissed as it fell into one of the numerous puddles. A quick glance to either side revealed no observers to Watts - all he could see was some yuppie 4 wheel drive parked up on the kerb - he idly hoped they'd get wheel clamped as he turned back to look down the steps leading down into the doctor's clinic.

"OK bring 'im out to the top of the steps."

His two sidekicks, Kev and Vince dragged the inert form of Michael between them up the steps - his bare toes scraping on the concrete.

Watts grinned and giving the men the thumbs up he called out -

"Eureka - we 'ave done it my boys! You two get 'im back inside. Now we're cookin' on gas..."

Nikita watched over Birkoff's shoulder-

"What's happened? What have they done to him?" Her voice was tense with anxiety.

"I don't know - but the transmitter is no longer functioning. I checked the schematics for the building - the cellar is lead lined - there is probably an X-ray facility housed there. But it shouldn't prevent the signal from being transmitted once Michael is out of the building... I don't understand..."

"Could they have re- configured the frequency at which the signal is being transmitted?" asked Operations.

"Not without accessing it directly."

"You mean surgically?"

Nikita shuddered as the implications dawned on her, her knees felt weak and she found herself gripping tightly to the back of Birkoff's seat.

"Rewind the video and then focus in on Michael." Operations quietly commanded.

Nikita thought she could almost detect concern in his voice.

Birkoff run the sequence back and then replayed slowly zooming in on Michael's face - the young man was unconscious and looked ashen white, there was a purplish bruise on his forehead and red marks - but no sign of any invasive surgery.

Nikita did notice that he was no longer wearing the dark T- shirt, but had been changed into a loose fitting shirt. The freeze frame replay allowed her to make out the outline of a bandage to his back as they turned him round and took him back in to the clinic. She was relieved that his back had been treated, but the bruises on his head had not been there when she had hugged him earlier that day. She bit her lower lip as she recalled the sounds of the beating he had suffered after she had left the house in the marshes.

"Birkoff - could those marks have been made by an impact of sufficient pressure to damage the device?"

Despite a temptation to agree and provide the man with a plausible reason, Birkoff did not think that could have been the cause and for Michael's sake they needed to know exactly what had been done to him.

"N-no -I don't think so - the pressure necessary to destroy the titanium casing of the microcircuitry would also result in severe brain trauma and probably death." He could feel his chair being tugged back as Nikita's grip tightened yet again - he couldn't bring himself to look at her. Later - there would be time for that later.

"Again - show me that sequence again!"

Obediently Birkoff did as he was commanded -

"Stop there!"

At the point where the picture was frozen on the screen it was possible to discern a tiny trickle of blood from Michael's ear and it looked as though he had suffered a nose bleed as well - before they had been concentrating on the head itself.

Nikita felt her stomach lurch as she remembered a previous time when she had seen him with those marks - in the cages in Rabat - he had been subjected to some form of electro- shock treatment.

"Very clever..." mumbled Operations. "It's up to you now Nikita - "

"What about Johnson?" She turned to look him in the eye - the tone in his voice had sounded so - final.

"His resources and expertise are insufficient for the job. In fact he has already been spotted."

"What?"

"Johnson - come in?" called Birkoff - Nikita spun round to see what was happening - and then heard the explosion as the Suburban went up in a ball of flame.

"You knew that was going to happen!" accused Nikita staring at the static on the screen.

"I don't understand - there was a detonation in the vehicle just as transmission failed... they were blown up!" Birkoff's fingers flew over keyboards as he tried to make sense of the last data received from Johnson's team.

Nikita released the back of Birkoff's chair and slowly turned to face Operations - she met his cold steely eyes and knew she was right. Her mouth opened, but before she could let fly with a torrent of abuse, he silenced her with a quietly, but authoritatively worded command.

"Nikita - my office - now."

Nikita gaped in total bewilderment at him and then followed - she had to hear what he had to say now. But in the back of her mind she remembered Walter's confusion about the lack of back up team listed to go out... now she was beginning to wonder.

Johnson - he'd been with them in the jungle when the team had been ambushed and Michael had been severely injured in the first place ...

As the door to his eyrie shut behind him Operations turned to face Nikita his eyes glinting evilly - or so she imagined - and his lips twitching at the corners as if trying very hard to suppress a smirk.

"I think perhaps a broader view of the whole may allow you to focus your mind on the profile Madeline has prepared for you. Johnson was a security risk - I had reason to believe he was the mole within Section; there was good evidence that he was responsible for the initial betrayal of the mission in South America and then in leaking out Michael's condition to Karoff's employers later. So you see Nikita - you shouldn't feel overly sympathetic towards him or his demise. The rest of the team were abeyance ops."

"I don't follow...why were they there...?"

"A surveillance team would have been expected, these people know our standard procedures. If there were not one - it would have aroused suspicions. Our target would have sensed a trap. As I said they had been spotted - the rear camera detected a car following them for the past hour - once they had confirmed visual on Michael I authorised the controlled explosion of the device in the Section vehicle. It will look like a bodged IRA terrorist bomb attack in the city of London... leaving no traces for our enemies on site."

"You blew up our own people?" Nikita asked in disbelief, realising that while she had been worrying over Michael's state of health, Operations had probably just pressed a button behind her calmly condemning the team of cold ops to their deaths.

"Nikita, it is imperative that this mission succeeds. Failure is not an option. Whoever is behind this is also behind the missile site in South America - we must find out what they know about Section and destroy them. Now the disabling of Michael's transmitter was an unfortunate development that I had not taken into account-"

"Really?? So they caught you out?"

"As I said, it was not expected. But if you had not interfered they would never have suspected that he was wired in the first place." Operations took delight in pointing out her role in Michael's present state. "If you want to attribute blame at anyone's doorstep for the predicament that he is in - I suggest you look to your own." The vehemence of his words was aimed directly at Nikita and he made sure every word hit home.

"Damn you." Tears burned behind her eyelids - but she would not succumb to them - not in front of this callous monster, who had the gall to accuse her of putting Michael in danger.

"Insubordination will not be tolerated. But for the time being you have a job to do - if you succeed I may overlook your temperamental behaviour - if not perhaps you won't care what I do to you by the time our enemy have finished with Michael."

Swallowing back the bile that rose in her throat and resisting the temptation to strike out at him, Nikita glared and backed away as if he were poisonous. "So you see Nikita - as of now the success of this mission lies with you, Karoff and of course Michael, although his current condition remains unknown. I really do not think you have the time to waste on petty recriminations now do you?"

"No."

"Then I do believe you have a meeting scheduled with Karoff."

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

Michael found himself lying in the back of a van ... he tried to work out why he was there. It was dark, his eyes hurt ... he closed them again as the pain in his head exploded once more. The pain receded long enough for him to concentrate on the sounds around him ... he could hear rain - rain beating down on the roof of the van. Splashing sounds as the van drove though puddles.

The mission - that was it - in the jungle - it rained interminably here - never seeming to stop - then when it did the humidity was almost as bad. He must have got hurt - he tried to remember - yes - there had been a group of soldiers in a small clearing - they had a rocket launcher - he had run back to warn his team - running through the heavy mud. Then all he recalled was a crashing sound - rain and mud... cries from Shackleton as he went over the edge ...

Again a splitting pain pulsated through his head - he tried to hold his head in his hands and then realised he couldn't move them ...damn restraints. This time he let the darkness take him. At least he must have made it back to the van he thought -- Nikita would be there...

The sound of raindrops pattering on the metal roof faded into the distance as he drifted back into unconsciousness.

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

Nikita braced herself as she readied herself to open the door to Karoff's room... She was not prepared for the sight of the woman sat in a wheelchair sobbing loudly, tears running down her face -

"It's true isn't it - they're not going after him are they?"

"The recovery team was spotted and their vehicle was blown up. Added to which the transmitter is not working any more...the only viable option is to abort the mission."

"Nikita you must get me out of here - I can contact Watts, find out where they have him - you have to let me!"

"Holly - you could tell me where they are taking him and I'll find him, bring him back." She forced herself to crouch next to the weeping woman - cajoling her into co-operating.

"No! You won't bring him back - you'll keep him for yourself. I know it - I can see it in your eyes - you don't want him to be happy with me where he belongs! You want him all to yourself - you selfish bitch you!"

Karoff was becoming hysterical - but despite Nikita's overwhelming desire to slap her until she stopped, she held out her hands in a gesture of openness.

"I only want him back safe and sound - it's up to him who he goes to after that. I swear to you - look at me Holly - all I want is for him to be alive and out of harm's way." Nikita couldn't help but convey utter sincerity with this because she meant every word.

The woman sitting in the wheelchair nodded sullenly.

"Tell me - why did you use a go-between? Why didn't you take Michael to your employers directly?"

"That's how they operate - for security. The management functions through a chain of contacts - a web of intermeshing links from organised crime syndicates through to crooked officials in the police and military organisations throughout the world. You wouldn't believe how many are involved - I am just a small cog in a machine. A very big machine. I was of use to them in acquiring a high level Section 1 operative -one that was vulnerable due to injuries sustained in the field."

"Michael you mean. What do they want from him?"

"I really don't know. To begin with I was to see how much I could glean about the day to day procedures of Section while posing as his dead wife Simone - but you screwed that up didn't you, you jealous bitch." Karoff spat at Nikita, eyes loaded with malice.

"Yeah -sorry to spoil your fun," muttered Nikita to herself, wiping away the spittle from her hair with a paper tissue.

"Anyway after I got out - I had two options - get disposed of due to my incompetence or recover the lost goods and deliver them via Watts to the management."

"And that's what he'll do? So how do we get to Michael first?"

"We have to contact Watts -he'll trust me-"

"He thinks you're dead. Or at least captured by Section - what makes you think he'll trust you?"

"It's our only way - are you going to help me get out of here or not? We're wasting time!"

"OK - but I'm coming with you."

"He's mine - you never loved him. You just think you do."

"Don't tell me how I feel ...let's leave it for Michael to decide huh? When we rescue him."

"Don't you mean if?

"NO!!! I mean when - because if we don't I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart limb from limb."

"So what do we do...?"

"Leave it to me - just keep your mouth shut until I come back."

Nikita left the cylindrical cell and wandered back towards systems - Madeline had already provided her with a modified version of how Michael engineered the escape route when he got Rene out of section. It had brought painful memories to the fore when Madeline had handed over that part of the profile and Nikita wondered just how deliberate that was, if it was to remind her of the man she was trying to save and the possible consequences of failure?

Karoff's fears that Michael had been under orders to commit suicide had bothered her. She initially thought it was part of Madeline's strategy for getting to the woman, but now she wasn't so sure. She'd have to see Walter and maybe Gilmore - he'd been present when they'd put the implant in Michael's skull - she had nasty thoughts of cyanide filled capsules in teeth... Nikita shuddered trying to convince herself that these were just nightmares pursuing her into the waking hours of her life...

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

"Hi there Walter. I need some information..."

"Birkoff is the source of that sugar - you know me, I concentrate on hardware..." A wistful grin lightened up his face, but he couldn't disguise his concern.

"I know - but I think he's too scared to tell me everything I need to know in case I throttle the messenger for bad news."

"OK - what is it? I have a feeling it's to do with Michael? Right?"

"Yes - Madeline told Karoff he was under orders to kill himself if taken and egress was impossible - how would that work?"

"Assuming she's telling the truth?"

"You never know round here -"

"Well standard issue cyanide pills would be given out in cases like this and if there is a possibility that the operative will be searched it's enclosed in a -"

"Tooth...?"

"Yeah - just like the spy movies...don't knock it, it works."

"And have they-?"

"To Michael? - I don't know sugar ...I'm sorry." He shook his head, genuinely worried now for Michael - more so than he had been earlier. Circles within circles - that was this place all over.

"Who would know? - how could I find out?"

"Medical records would be the obvious way - but they are highly classified - you'd need either Operations' or Madeline's authority. ...or -"

"A friendly doctor...?" A wicked glint sparkled in Nikita's eyes.

"Oh sugar - stop pulling that guy's strings ...he's convinced he's in with a real chance with you!"

"I know it's cruel. But these stitches are getting itchy again..."

"Nikita." He growled in a low warning tone, but it was too late, he could have sworn she was wriggling her backside in preparation for dealing with the young doctor.

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

The van screeched to a halt in the loading bay of a warehouse near the Thames - seagulls were wheeling overhead adding their calls to the sounds of fork lift trucks moving around shifting goods from one vehicle to another. It was a depot that transferred goods to container trucks bound for the channel tunnel...

With the halt in movement of the van Michael woke - the rain had not stopped but the other noises confused him - too much noise - people shouting out - British accents and sea birds. He was not in a South American jungle that was for sure...but how the hell had he got here?

He decided it would be prudent to ask questions later - a quick look around the van's interior even in the dull late afternoon light was enough to convince him it was not a Section vehicle. His hands were not in any restraints more elaborate than a hastily tied piece of rope - it would appear that his captors - whoever they were - had not anticipated him putting up much of a fight.

His head hurt like hell and as he wriggled to loosen the rope around his wrists, he scraped his back on the interior of the van and had to bite his tongue to keep from yelling out in pain. While he worked furiously at the bindings, he noticed how cold it was - his fingers fumbled with the rope due to their numbness.

Evaluating the situation as rapidly as he could, he surmised that he had been separated from the rest of his team - he offered up a hasty prayer to whatever gods still listened in on him that Nikita was safe. He had also been injured - head and back for certain, although his hip felt sore as well. He could also assume that somehow he had been transported to Britain. That would have taken at least a day he reckoned... so he'd been unconscious for perhaps twenty-four hours - maybe longer. Not good. He was probably not remembering everything he should. He mumbled under his breath -

"Birkoff - come in - it's Michael -"

Nothing - no voices in his head - an eerie silence.

At last he managed to free his hands and reached behind his ear to locate his transmitter - it was gone. So he was out of communication with Section - nothing for it but to go into mandatory refusal for the duration... the only problem being he could not recall what the mission actually was any longer.

However, one thing he knew for certain was that he had to escape from these men that were holding him.

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

Nikita had engineered the escape from Section for herself and Karoff as instructed. She had taken with her a lap top computer and a cell phone as well as weapons. She gave one to Karoff, but made sure it was loaded with blanks - she realised that Madeline's cunning plan had put her in danger from Karoff, she was sure that as soon as they had Michael the woman would try to kill her with no compunction at all.

They were now waiting in a ubiquitous airline lounge for their flight to be called.

"OK - what first?"

"I call Watts - I have to stop him handing over Michael."

"How are you going to manage that?"

"Shut up blondie."

Karoff snatched the cell phone and dial a number too fast for Nikita to catch, but that did not matter - the phone belonged to Section and they were monitoring it already.

"Hello Den - recognise me?

"Yeah - the rumours of my death were greatly exaggerated. Fortunately for me the Section agents slowed the bullet down before it him me you moron. Now to the chase - have you delivered the package yet?

"Well don't - not until you make sure that the management knows I'm still alive and I get to see the transfer of my money into my account -

"What's in it for you? Let's just say I'll not tell Angie what happened to her son. And for good measure I could throw in a few kilos of the good stuff - if you know what I mean. Just hold onto the goods until you've sorted out things with the paymasters. I'll be checking my account and if nothing goes in you may as well not go home.

"You too! " with a smile she snapped shut the phone and muttered -

"What a complete asshole... but I need him. That give you long enough to get a fix on his position blondie?"

Nikita tapped away at the computer keyboard in front of her - hiding the screen so Karoff couldn't see the communication she had with Birkoff regarding the trace on the number they were calling. Although he couldn't pinpoint the man's location, it was possible to identify an area.

"Yeah - London... like you said...to the east, near the river."

"Like I said they used Watts because he knows London - he doesn't work anywhere outside of his territory...mainly the East End. Check which warehouses are owned by Dennis Watts and that should narrow it down further."

"So how is he going to get in touch with these other guys?" Nikita asked casually while running a search on property owned or leased by Dennis Watts.

"If I tell you that I'd have to kill you and at the moment I need you to track down the position of our friend Mr Watts. You have the registration number of his van, yes?"

"If it's the same one he took us out to the marshes in - yeah, I've remembered that."

"It will be - he's too tight to spend money on decent transport "

"How long will we have?"

"Not long - I can tell he's impatient to get this deal over and done with. No one likes dealing directly with these guys - unless you are one hundred percent certain they are going to need your services again, you just don't know if they'll put a bullet in your head as soon as the deal is done."

"But you must have a usual contact- someone you talk to directly?" probed Nikita.

"Don't push it - I need you for now because you can drive and I'm still limping from that damn bullet that stupid bastard put in me. Oh yeah - and that was because of your heroic rescue attempt - the only reason either of us got shot was because you got in the way - you and your jealous streak nearly got me and Michael killed." With that she slapped Nikita around the face. Nikita grabbed hold of the wrist and almost crushed it as she spoke in a quiet, threatening voice -

"If you care for Michael as much as you say you do, you'd better start co-operating a bit more, or he'll be as good as dead by the time you get your act together."

Karoff tugged her hand free and glowered at Nikita.

"Fine. By the way how did you manage to get the passports?"

"I told you - Walter owes me a favour or two. And he doesn't want to see Section leave Michael out to dry any more than I do."

"Good - and we're sisters are we? How sweet sister dearest..."

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

Den and Vince had left Kev in the van while they wandered over to the caravan with "Harry's Caff" painted on the outside in a garish orange colour that clashed with the pale green of the rusty paintwork. Inside the rank odour of greasy fried food, stewed tea and instant coffee assaulted the nostrils - but it was warmer than outside and dry.

"Make it two mugs of char and a round of bacon butties mate."

"Wiv ketchup?"

"As long as it's Heinz and none of your cheap Sainsbury's crap poured into Heinz bottles - I know you lot!"

"Do I look like the sort of bloke what would do that -?"

"Yeah - but you wouldn't to me would you?"

"No guv - for you - the best."

"Cheers 'Arry "

Den gestured for Vince to keep Harry talking while he made a quick call from his mobile phone at one of the two tables at the end of the caravan.

Vince waited till his boss had finished talking and walked over to take a chair and offered Den a cigarette. Den took one and after lighting up and taking a deep drag on it he shook his head and rubbed his forehead.

"Bloody 'ell - these geezers are not 'appy about bein' messed about. Where 'as that stupid bitch got to...They say they can't contact her and until they do we 'ave to stay put and wait. I knew I should 'ave called her bluff, taken the dosh and done a runner."

"Maybe we still can guv?"

"Nah - she's a nasty piece of work that one - she'd 'ave done it, the vindictive cow..."

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

Kev didn't know what hit him as he sat reading the newspaper in the front of the van. The rain pounded on the roof above him and combined with the sound of the crackling radio that he'd turned up full to listen to the football, he never heard the squeal of metal from the back as a door was opened. Neither did he hear his own door open - he felt a rush of cold, wet air and turning suddenly the last thing he saw was a fist hitting him square in the face.

Michael pulled Kev out of the driver's seat, taking his jacket first - it was a fleece lined driving jacket, which stunk of nicotine - but at least it was warm. He shivered as he pulled it over his shoulders and looking down at his bare feet standing in a cold puddle he wasn't surprised. However, one look at the man's feet persuaded him not to take the shoes as well - they were at least three sizes too small.

He got in the van quickly, turned the key in the ignition and started to drive out of the car park. He had made it as far as the junction with the main road when he skidded to a sudden halt as the radio news came on - the newsreader in his best BBC English clearly announced the date first - a date three months after Michael had left for the rainforests of South America - he'd lost three months - what the hell had happened?

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

>From Stanstead airport it was a straightforward journey down the M11 into the East End of London. The industrial estate was easy to locate and as they drove on through the torrential rain both women felt they were getting closer to Michael -

"You'd better ring Watts back - make sure he still has Michael and hasn't double crossed you-" Nikita spoke, the first words exchange between the two since they had picked up the hire car.

"Good idea - I'll get him to let me talk to him - if that bastard has hurt one square inch of my man..."

Nikita tried not to lose control of the wheel as she clenched tight to the wheel - if she hadn't have done so she would have wrung that woman's neck...

"Den - can you hear me?

"What do you mean a problem?

"What ??

"You idiot!!!" Karoff slammed the phone against the side window of the Ford Escort.

"What's happened? Tell me - what's happened?" Nikita was suddenly afraid that they were too late and that Michael had already been handed over - lost forever.

"It's Michael - he's managed to steal their van - he's got away without our help..."

Nikita grinned - that meant that he was OK she thought - and not only was he OK - he was free! So what if Section's bait had got off the hook? She couldn't care less.

"What are you smiling at blondie -?"

Nikita turned and looked at the fierce looking creature next to her and without warning she back handed her so hard the woman's head snapped back against the headrest. Karoff looked back dazed -

"What was that for?"

"For Michael - and that's just for starters!"

Nikita pulled up on the gravel alongside the road. She opened her door and got out of her seat with her gun now aimed directly at her one-time partner's head - she motioned for her to get out of the car.

"I suggest you head for that bus shelter about a mile back - or you'll get soaked - "

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"It's time we went our separate ways."

"I'll see you in hell"

"Not if I see you first sweetie " Nikita flung her rain dampened hair out of her face and swung her legs back into the car. She smiled broadly as she reversed and deliberately drove through a puddle soaking the woman stood at the roadside.

"Birkoff - Karoff has made a break for it - she'll be at this location give or take a mile for extraction any time now ... Michael has initiated his own egress in the van - can you check on its position? - The number is P169PNS - thanks."

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

Michael had driven away far enough to make some distance between himself and his captors. Then he pulled over in a quiet country lane - partly because he'd run out of fuel and had no cash...

Also he had to regain three months of lost memories...

He put his arms across the steering wheel and rested his head on the awkward cushion they made - the sharp pains in his head were becoming more bearable and less frequent but the nagging ache wouldn't go away. He was also tired and hungry; he couldn't remember when he'd last eaten. As he fell into an exhausted slumber in the chilly van, he thought of food and sweet succulent raspberries came to mind - yellow for some reason... like the yolks of eggs. Then as sleep claimed his weary soul it treated him to a forgotten memory and he smiled as the word "Ni-ki-ta" slipped past his lips.

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

"Nikita what happened?"

"Karoff got wind of Michael's escape and pulled her gun on me - she made me drop her off...Birkoff -do you have a location on the van yet?"

"I'm checking the local police CCTV surveillance on the M11 interchanges in that area. As well as monitoring calls from Watts cell phone - he has reported the van stolen to a contact he seems to have in the Metropolitan Police Department."

Madeline's voice cut in over Birkoff's -

"Nikita - repeat to me - what happened with Karoff?"

"She contacted Watts - discovered that Michael had escaped and freaked out. I'm not so sure your conditioning worked you know. She pulled her gun on me and forced me to pull over - to be honest I'm glad to be rid of her."

"Nikita - Mr Birkoff has identified a number of possible locations for the van - find Michael and report immediately on his condition."

Birkoff had managed to extrapolate from the position of the industrial estate and the road network surrounding it that if Michael had not made it to the motorway by now he had probably headed down a country lane and was lying low until any possible pursuit had passed him by. Also knowing Michael he would probably seek to change vehicles as soon as possible. He directed Nikita to the most likely roads and left her to make her way up and down them methodically searching every inch for Watts' van.

Madeline had other business for him.

"Fortunately I had taken into account Nikita 'losing' our friend - I am surprised she kept her with her so long. You had the necessary wav files to programme the voice synthesiser I take it?"

"As you instructed Madeline - for both Watts and Karoff. "

"Has she tried to contact Watts yet?"

"Yes." "You have arranged a pick up for her?"

"Yes - she assumes that it will be a colleague of Watts in a taxi."

"Our men are in position?"

"Yes."

"As soon as we have extracted her you may initiate the secondary profile. "

"What about Nikita?"

"Tell her nothing - but make sure she finds Michael - and keep them on site."

Birkoff really did not like the smile that hovered over Madeline's lips - like a bird of prey waiting to strike.

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

Nikita had driven along seemingly endless lanes - all apparently identical - there was no sign of a van on any of them.

"Birkoff are you there? Are you sure he didn't make it on to the main roads?"

"No Nikita - he would have been spotted by the police cameras."

"What if he managed to get a car?"

"If he had - you would be able to find the abandoned van - keep looking Nikita, it's there somewhere."

Then she caught sight of the rear end of a van - almost camouflaged with mud splatters - sticking out of a gateway. She drove past slowly - turning her lights off just in case. She pulled over and stepped out of the car - the rain had died down a bit, but the wind was bitterly cold as it whipped her hair around her face, stinging as it slapped her cheeks. She pulled her collar up and slipping the safety catch off on her gun she crouched low and crept along the right side of the van towards the driver's door. Slowly she straightened herself until she could peer into the van - there slumped over the steering wheel was Michael - his curls unmistakable. Her heart seemed to miss a beat as she thought maybe he'd crashed - but a quick glance at the handbrake lever pulled up confirmed he had deliberately driven into the hedge this close.

She tapped on the window gently - not wanting to shock him - nothing - she pulled open the door and shook him roughly by his right arm.

"Michael - wake up - it's me, Nikita."

The man was jerked into a conscious state quickly and as he snapped back his head he instantly regretted it as a hissing sound filled his ears and his vision seemed to tunnel.

"Michael- are you OK? - Are you all right? "

He could make out the words of concern but was having difficulty putting them together with the woman in front of him - the cold wind blew dead leaves and litter into the front of the van and he shivered involuntarily -

Nikita reached in to take his hand - it was icy cold she noticed.

"Michael - you're freezing - come on get out of the van."

He looked at her confused - she reminded him of a dream he'd had - of a woman with long golden hair woven into a long braid... but this woman's hair was free - it whipped about in the wind covering her face - he couldn't see her eyes or lips - just words - muffled.

Then as she stepped closer his door blocked the wind and the strands dropped from her face revealing brilliant blue eyes glistening with unshed tears and lips that he remembered -

"Nikita? What are you doing here - what's happening?"

"I'll explain later - come on - we'll go in my car."

She helped him out of the van and as he stepped onto the road she saw his feet, bare and dirty - she just hoped there weren't any broken bottles in the long grass between there and the Escort.

She got him in the car and turned the heaters on full - he was shivering uncontrollably now - she hoped he wasn't suffering from hypothermia.

"Birkoff - I have Michael."

"What condition is he in?"

"Confused, dazed and cold."

"Ask him what he last remembers."

"Michael - what is the last thing you remember?"

"I woke up in the back of the van -" "Madeline says before that-," Birkoff cut in.

"No - before that."

"I don't know - I remember rain, the jungle, mud - the explosion, telling the team to run... then nothing until waking and escaping - what's happening Nikita? - I heard the news on the radio - I can't remember the last three months - what happened?" Hunched up in the grubby jacket he looked distraught, his eyes sweeping from left to right as if searching for clues to where the missing pieces of his memory were concealed.

Nikita's mouth dropped - she reached out to place a hand along his cheek to reassure him, but she also needed comfort.

"Nikita -take Michael to the nearest motel - there is a Travel Lodge just before the next interchange with the M11. Await instructions." Madeline's voice was carefully stripped of any emotion. Nikita gulped hard ... they weren't expecting this; she had a gut feeling on this one. She had to do whatever she could to help Michael recover his memory - all of the awful things that he's gone through he would have to relive, it was the only way.

"What is it Nikita? Tell me." He was looking straight at her now, his eyes beseeching her to help him.

"Soon Michael. But first we're going somewhere warm and dry and getting you cleaned up." She tried to smile -at least he was in one piece- more or less.

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

Nikita booked them in at the Travel Lodge and drove round to their room; she wasn't leaving Michael's side, not now. She helped him in, taking the two small suitcases in with her.

As she got him to sit down on the edge of the double bed she turned a lamp on to get a better look at him. He was unshaven, the stubble on his chin softening the normally severe outline of his jaw. There were bruises on his face; she expected there were more elsewhere. The lump on his head near to the scar was unpleasant and she bet it hurt like hell, but didn't expect Michael to admit so. There were red marks either side of the old wound and the faint circular marks that electrode stickers leave behind if not cleaned away properly. His eyes were red and bloodshot, his lips cracked and sore looking and his hair a matted mess. He looked dreadful.

He reached out a hand; the fingers still cold, to cup her face, brushing at a tear with his thumb.

"Why are you crying - have I done something awful again? Have I done something to hurt you again?" He wondered if her reluctance to divulge what had been happening over the past few months was because Section had yet again placed him in the position of having to cause her pain.

"No - not this time - I'm just glad to have you back and sad that they hurt you so badly." She covered his cold hand with hers and shook her head slowly. She recalled what had happened in her apartment when he had apologised for hurting her and an unguarded reaction had resulted in him fleeing her apartment into the arms of Madeline..

"It doesn't matter - I'll be fine-"

"Let me be a judge of that - a bath will do you good - it'll warm you up and get rid of some of this grime."

She gestured at the filthy clothes he was wearing and his muddy feet and after telling him to get undressed she went to start running a bath.

Nikita turned sensing his presence behind her - he stood - leaning with one hand on the door frame frowning slightly - he had taken off the jacket and stood there in his shirt, the buttons open and one sleeve half off, revealing the white bandages on his shoulder.

"I don't think I should get this bandage wet - how did I get hurt Nikita?"

"You got grazed by a bullet. Let's have a look - turn round ... no you're going to have to sit down so I can see properly."

He obediently sat down on the edge of the bath in front of her - she slid the shirt off both shoulders, the expanse of his back beneath her fingertips. She carefully unpeeled the tape to check on his wound - it had been cleaned up and stitched - roughly she noticed, but the redness at the edges had receded - they must have given him some antibiotics as well she thought with gratitude.

"Well - if you sit in the bath tub - I could wash you down, so we didn't get it wet - how about that?"

She stroked his hair without thinking, disregarding its dirty, matted state. He leant his head forward resting against her stomach and mumbled -

"Yes - that would be nice."

Nikita got him to lean on her as he finished undressing and helped him into the hot bath. She knelt by the edge of the bath and gently sponged away at his chest - the bruises from his earlier beating were dark angry blemishes on his otherwise perfect body. She caught her lower lip between her teeth to hold back the sobs that threatened to escape as he winced whenever she pressed too hard on a tender area. She could see that his feet were covered in scrapes and cuts. The water soon became murky with grime so she used the shower to rinse the worst of it away as the water run out of the plughole. At least he had warmed up and was no longer shivering, coughing occasionally, but no longer in danger of getting hypothermia. Then wrapping him in dry towels she held him close... rocking him as they sat entwined on the bathroom floor -

He had held out his damp arms to embrace her and with his head resting on her shoulder he asked again-

"Now Nikita - tell me now - what happened? Please..."

"It's a long story...sleep first -in the morning -"

"No - please, Nikita, I need to know - I just can't think clearly, whenever I try to remember I feel this pressure inside building up and it hurts...God it hurts."

Nikita lifted his chin to look directly into his eyes, she dreaded to imagine how he must have been feeling to admit to pain so candidly ... she could see pain and exhaustion clouding his green eyes that were glistening with unshed tears of frustration and despair.

"Michael - you're exhausted, please have some rest first, you'll probably be able to remember things better after some sleep... just an hour maybe?"

He shook his head slowly and then fell against her shoulder once more so she could not see his face screwed up in agony as yet another throbbing wave of pain threatened to overwhelm him. She was right he knew instinctively - but how could he tell her he was afraid to close his eyes...scared of what his dreams might hold for him...he just held on to her tightly and then softly asked-

"Will you lie with me please...?"

"Yes - of course, I'm not going anywhere, not this time."

Nikita slowly disentangled his arms from around her waist and helped him to his feet and across to the bed, she threw back the bedclothes and carefully lay him down on his side, so that his injured shoulder was not pressing onto the bed.

As he collapsed back into the pillows he patted the bed next to him - his eyes begging her to join him...

She turned out the lights save for one small light next to the bed and stripped off down to a pair of panties and a T-shirt.

"Not fair - you're wearing more than me." Michael mumbled as he reached out to touch her.

"Come here - at least there's no rat shit in these blankets."

"Rat shit?"

"Never mind."

Nikita switched the last light off and then felt Michael's arms around her waist pulling her towards him - she could feel his need for comfort. His fear was almost tangible - he was scared she thought...afraid ... She cuddled up close under the clean smelling sheets, and felt his warm breath against her chest...he was already falling asleep, he was utterly drained...She checked one last time that her gun was under the pillow and then allowed herself to drift off as well. As she held him she rocked him gently, recalling the time in Section when she held him to her, when he was restrained in a strait jacket and couldn't hold her in return...

He felt his arms held tight unable to move and then he was walking backwards down a long tunnel stumbling occasionally as he tried to work out why the walls seemed so close, but then he tried to touch them they were no longer within his grasp...

There was an explosion - he fell to his knees and collapsed, stunned - it was raining heavily and the thick dark mud was oozing between his fingers as he lay still in the darkness.... then the sterile light of Med Lab....Simone - why was Simone there then? How could she have been there? He thought Simone had taken him home - they had made love. Hadn't they?

Then he jerked as he found himself in a bathroom - the door bursting open and his gun knocked free from beneath his chin -he was going to shoot himself...but why? Yes - of course he had betrayed his memories...then in horror he backed away as Nikita's blood was spilt on him - a scream... he'd shot her... then the white noise in his ears and oblivion ...

Back in a corridor he found himself spinning around - no longer sure which way was forward and which way was back, then in the greyness he saw colour - bright red - he looked down at his wrists, blood oozing from the long jagged slits - that was when they'd come for him and shut him down, when all the colours went away...

He was rocking to and fro - his arms held close to his sides, tightly stuck fast, why couldn't he move them freely? It was too bright, the lights blinding him, he couldn't see, everything bleached out to a wall of white glare ... then the lights were taken away and in their place short, fat candles - their waxen tears carved on their smooth surfaces trickling to the floor for him, because of him...they were warm and scented, there was another warmth there behind him ...he could smell her scent... then as he tried to turn to see he caught sight of her blonde hair - a ladder to freedom - if he chose to take it....

Colours suddenly erupted around him as he walked through what were they? Washing lines? Clothes.... Nikita's...flowers of fabric scented of her...their petals but a wrapping for the sweet nectar that she was to his soul... nourishing him.... feeding him...fruits.... Her smile... to suckle on the sweetness that was Nikita... to live in the light that she brought, to bask in the warmth that radiated out from her.... Then without warning, this brief interlude seemed to be swiped away from him, his stomach lurched as the floor was pulled away from under him and he plummeted once more into a tunnel of darkness.....

Drugs...and pain...over and over again. A dark haired woman with a smile of ice.... and one with a smile of blood...A woman's body on his - she wanted to take what was not hers. Forcibly if need be. He felt nauseous as his body was molested, as she mauled him, undressed him ... he shrunk away from her touch, but it was no good, his head was foggy...

Then out of the night she came... her blonde hair swirling as she seemed to tumble across the floor - a gun fired - he knew only that he had to intercept it - the bullet was for him, not her.... then an impact. He shuddered as it hit....the burning sensation across his back...then again darkness....where was she now......?

Dampness surrounded them ....she was there....he wanted so much just to hold on to her and never let her go...but there was danger.... he had to send her away.... his heart ached as he watched her make her way through the rain and the mud - as the darkness closed in on him he saw through a crack the lightness fading away, he saw her look back...he saw her eyes.... were they tears or raindrops that ran down her face?

Then pain once more.... mercilessly stamping out the feeling of love...sending it deep within him so all he could feel was the onslaught of fists and boots..... Then rain again - rain on a metal roof ...rain that was like so many tears spilt... the skies rent open to spill their grief...the darkness of the clouds, the greyness like a pall of gloom taking away the colours .....why? why did the colours always have to be taken away? He sobbed out loud ..his tears trickling down his cheeks as he spun round in the downpour looking for her...looking for the golden rope that he could climb to escape this pit of despair, this well of loneliness.....

Nikita woke as she heard faint whimpers and felt his body contract against her, as if he had sobbed in his sleep...she snuggled up closer and stroked his damp hair from his eyes - his forehead was sweaty as well. She frowned and would have gone back to sleep had it not been for the trail of tears that she could feel with her fingertips as she traced the path they made from the corners of his eyes onto the pillow- a damp circle widening beneath his head.....again he shuddered and this time she heard a distinct sob.. Oh Michael...whatever you're dreaming of I don't think you'll mind being woken...

She took his head in her hands and pressed a kiss against his lips tasting the saltiness of the tears...

"Michael - it's all right now - you're safe..."

She felt him tense up as if fighting against something - she wrapped her arms around him pulling him close against her body ... the warmth of his skin inflaming her in ways she could barely suppress.

His eyes fluttered open and he tried to work out in the gloom where he was...it was still grey but in the darkness he could see the glimmer of gold, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness he could see the gold was a braid ...his way to salvation...he smelt her scent...felt her lips against his face, kissing away the trails of tears that run down ...he felt the vibrancy of her touch and even in the gloom he recalled everything - including the last time they had lain so close - that time they were dressed.... She still had some clothes on... he slid his hands under the top to feel her skin... she moved back slightly allowing him to pull the top over her head and then his lips took hers and she gasped as his tongue entered her mouth... the sobs becoming moans of pleasure as the flames of passion flickered about them, the heat of their desire burning off the demons...a purifying fire that vanquished the darkness and brought back the colours to their souls. Once again complete and whole, they had found one another. ******************************************

Birkoff stood nervously in Madeline's office aware of Operations next to him, his eyes burning holes in the back of his skull, or so it seemed - he gulped hard, his mouth dry as a result of the adrenaline flow he always got when dealing with these two together in the same room.

"Report."

One word from Madeline - yet it held a complex set of instructions which had taken many years to process. Birkoff coped by keeping his reports purely factual, with the use of as few adjectives as possible - that way he made fewest blunders, and there was less probability of being questioned by either of these two vultures who delighted in wordplay and dissecting a person's sentences as though they could tweak emotions and pluck out someone's very soul by turning over a misplaced pronoun... Birkoff relied a lot on numbers, they were safe....Usually.

"Team 1 has Karoff. Using voice synth for Karoff, Watts has been fed Michael and Nikita's location. Team 1 is on site. Traces on calls made by Watts have led to the next tier in the organisation. Ingress is being made into the infrastructure currently."

"Good."

"Should I inform Michael and Nikita of the new profile?"

"No. Their reactions will be more convincing if they are genuinely taken by surprise."

"OK..."

"That will be all for now - return to systems."

As Birkoff left Madeline's office and began to breathe again, Operations watched his back as the door closed behind him.

"He will try to warn them."

"I'm counting on it."

"Madeline - this is not entirely satisfactory ...Michael was to have infiltrated the organisation."

"Without a functioning tracker it would have been pointless. This way we have caught hold of a thread which can be used to unravel the web - we have already made inroads into the outer strata of the organisation through the chain of calls made as a result of Michael's escape ..."

"What about Karoff? What shall we do with her?"

"My suggestion remains the same - we should recruit her - she is an extremely resourceful and ruthless young woman. Supremely confident in her abilities to seduce, yet also intelligent...an asset to Section, we have few that fulfil all those criteria."

"I would agree - but won't we have a problem -?"

"You mean her fixation with Michael?"

"Yes. The last thing I want is a cat fight between her and Nikita ..." Operations lips twisted into an evil facsimile of a smile - the images conjured up were almost appealing - but no, it would not be a good idea at all.

"I have taken that into account - it will be remedied ..."

"Good."

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

Nikita had been awake for a while - the sounds of traffic outside had woken her early and she had lain next to Michael, luxuriating in the warmth that radiated out from him. His scent intoxicated her, making her want to roll him onto his back and smother him with chocolate sauce and lick it off one square inch at a time...

She wondered about breakfast - no doubt the thoughts of Michael coated with edible sauces could only be an indication of hungers ... perhaps room service could bring them something...

She leaned over Michael to reach the phone and felt her hand tugged away from the receiver as Michael was roused by her movements ... he rolled round taking her into his arms and nuzzled at her neck, raising gooseflesh on her arms and back ...

"Hungry?"

"Starved. You?"

"Famished. You were going to call room service for breakfast?"

"Yes - I thought we could eat in bed maybe."

Nikita called room service and smiled to herself when ordering continental breakfast for two with soft boiled eggs ...perhaps she could help Michael feel better again....

But an insistent buzzing in her ear disturbed her reverie.

"Nikita - be ready."

"Birkoff? - what's going on?

Then there was nothing...

"What was it?

"Birkoff - he said to be ready ...nothing else."

"A warning?"

"I guess so - but about what?"

"I think we're going to have to put breakfast on hold." Michael had sat up in the bed and was eyeing a disgusting heap of tattered clothes on the floor. "I don't suppose you -?"

"I packed for both of us - there's a set a clothes in that case for you and I took the precaution of packing vests as well." Nikita had swung her legs out of the bed and had begun opening her case.

"A wise precaution..."

Nikita and Michael dressed swiftly and silently - with each article of clothing they donned they transformed from warm lovers to cold ops. The dark clothing symbolising the lack of colour ...the absence of light. They helped each other dress, wordlessly taking into account stitches and bruises that were still tender.

Once dressed they communicated with their eyes ...Michael nodding towards the window as he headed for the door .

Nikita peered out of the curtains of their room ...they were at the back of the Motel - across a grassed area there was a clump of trees alongside a canal. Some trucks were parked nearby and a few men appeared to be dredging the water for rubbish, a rusty bike and a supermarket trolley lay on the grassy bank next to them.

"Is that a viable egress route?" Michael whispered.

"Maybe - although we'd be stuck this side until we found a bridge." Nikita looked up and down the banks of the canal - as far as she could see. At least there was cover in the form of trees and bushes.

"Have you any weapons?"

"Just one."

"You keep it for now."

"What about the car?"

Michael had looked through the spy hole in the door and could see that it had been hemmed in - on either side there were cars parked so close that the doors could no longer be opened. In one car sat a familiar character - Kev - the other car was empty and there was no sign of Watts or his other hired muscle - Vince.

"Blocked - we will have to make a move soon..." he shook his head, there was something wrong and he couldn't figure out what it was.

Nikita had smashed the window lock and had opened it fully. Michael watched her back as she pulled herself up onto the windowsill and then dropped to the ground on the other side - she looked around quickly before gesturing for Michael to join her ... he landed beside her - grunting softly as the injury on his back was jarred by the impact.... Then behind them they heard the door to their room being pounded on until the hinges gave way. They plastered themselves against the walls hearing Watts' voice bellowing out -

"They've got out the back - get round there and find them!

Nikita took the safety catch off her gun and clutched it tight as she looked to Michael for the signal to run. As soon as he mouthed the word 'now' they were off - sprinting across the wet grass as fast as they could - crouching low to provide smaller targets.

They could hear shouting behind them and gunfire - but didn't dare turn to look. Another shot and someone cried out, then a screech of tyres on mud and doors being flung open. Nikita spun round aiming her gun and was shocked but pleased to see a Section van spilling out ops.

She could see Karoff being pulled from the front standing between two ops she recognised ... four others were advancing on her and Michael.

She grabbed out for Michael's arm and called out-

"Michael - it's OK - Section are here! "

He stopped in his tracks, several feet away from her, almost at the edge of the canal...

They could make out Watts being escorted into the back of the van... Nikita assumed the shots had been for Kev and Vince... there was no sign of them.

She smiled in relief, put the safety catch back on her gun and tucked it into the small of her back, before placing her hands on her knees breathing deeply to slow down her pounding heart.... Her vision had tunnelled briefly - and as she looked up again at the approaching figures clad in black with balaclavas hiding their faces, she wondered vaguely why they were now pointing their guns at her and Michael.

"Hey - what's going on?"

Two ops headed for Nikita and took her arms firmly in theirs as if supporting her.

"I'm fine guys. Just catching my breath, what kept you?"

Then she turned as the other two continued advancing on Michael.

"I'm sorry Michael - but you've been out too long."

Before she could process what was being said she heard the shots ring out and saw Michael's shocked face as he cried out ... the ops kept firing - the impacts knocking Michael off his feet and towards the edge of the tow path...he tried to stand and stumbled as another shot hit his damaged shoulder spinning him round as a final shot in his back threw him forward into the canal. A loud splash sounded out and then nothing.

Nikita was screaming - her fists flying out viciously, her feet kicking out until the men restraining her relinquished their hold - she ran to the water's edge but there was nothing. Then as she stared at the water calling out Michael's name frantically she saw blood and bubbles rising to the surface.... She would have dived in after him ...were it not for the tranquilliser dart that stung as it embedded itself in her thigh. She collapsed at the edge of the canal...and the vivid greens of the freshly cut grass and silvery grey- green of the leaves of the willow trees closed in around her fading to grey and then inevitably to black...

In the distance she was dimly aware of another woman crying out to continue her keening - a dark haired woman who had witnessed everything and had fallen to her knees unconsciously echoing Nikita's posture.

Then the skies opened and the rain fell heavily - drops hitting the surface of the canal, a few red splashes of blood diluted in the dirty water and then more cold, drenching rain that ran across the prone form of Nikita, turning her golden tresses into sodden memories of their former glory.

Overhead the clouds had gathered once more, the darkness closing in on the men and women in the field, drawing them closer together. A savagely bright flash of forked lightning illuminated the scene in an unreal light for a fraction of a second, creating the impression of actors standing motionless on a stage before the curtain comes down on the last act.

A violent cracking sound rent the sky as if it was being torn asunder. The figures stood in silence as the thunder angrily shook the air; the celestial audience was apparently displeased with their performance.

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

Michael felt the impact of the bullets hitting the Kevlar vest, not penetrating but with sufficient force to bruise, maybe crack a few ribs... he tried to keep his balance ... but it seemed as if he was being deliberately steered towards the canal... the impact of yet another bullet on the barely repaired shoulder hurt like hell and he was spun round facing the murky water of the canal, then another in the centre of his back - he could no longer stand and the sudden cold shock of the water as it hit him in the face confirmed that he had fallen into the water...

He tried to kick out with his feet to push upwards to get his head above the water, but it felt as though hands were pulling him down, holding him under, he struggled in vain...he was beginning to black out, he had not had time to take a deep breath before going under and the lack of oxygen to his brain was causing him to lose consciousness...he could feel water entering his nostrils choking as it flowed down his throat and into his lungs...

Just as he began to convulse with a choking fit he felt something hard being pressed between his lips and into his mouth, fingers seemed to be pinching his nose closing his nostrils as a mask was fitted over his face...the mouthpiece of a breathing apparatus and a face mask.... He blinked open his eyes but could make out nothing in the murky waters apart from a hand that appeared before his face signalling for him to breathe ... he had no choice but to trust the disembodied hand... it was that or drown...he took a deep gulp of oxygen and almost choked.

The pain in his chest and back had been numbed by the coldness which had seeped through his clothes and was taking a hold of his limbs, slowing their frantic movements ... confusion set in and then the numbness crept over him and he relinquished all control to the arms and hands of the men that had taken charge of his movements. As he was guided through the water he thought he saw a bag of red fluid bursting and spilling out, but he couldn't be certain.

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

Nikita came round from the effects of the sedative to find herself in the back the Section van...She looked around seeing tow ops sat with their eyes shut, one manning a com link and another typing away what she assumed was his report... she wondered where the others were - where Michael's killers had gone. Cowards obviously didn't want to face her ... she felt for the gun in the back of her pants... it was gone, she wasn't surprised.

"What's going on? Was this Madeline's idea by any chance?"

"As a matter of fact - yes." A deep female voice uttered in her ear, chilling her with its total lack of feeling.

"Why?"

"When you know the question I shall provide an answer. Until then you have a job to do."

"What now?"

"Nikita there are as yet unresolved issues regarding this whole affair - you will deal with these as you are the nearest suitable operative we have in the locality."

"Can't someone else deal with them?"

"Not really - trust me, you are the most suitable person for this particular task. Birkoff will have the details downloaded to a PDA for you."

Nikita did not want to hear another word from Madeline so she peeled off her communication device from behind her ear and stuck it on the table in front of her.

Although no one in the van really wanted to get too close to Nikita, afraid for their own safety, one of the men who had been holding Karoff earlier passed her a PDA. She refused to accept it so he laid it on the table in front of her.

Nikita leaned her head back against the van shutting her eyes tight and tried to analyse her feelings... why wasn't she in tears she wondered? She'd just seen Michael killed in cold blood ... hadn't she? No, her feelings were of rage and anger, not grief - it was as if there was a nasty taste in her mouth that she couldn't get rid of. Something was wrong. Michael had been wearing a vest she thought ... she knew with certainty - she recalled strapping him in to it earlier, as he had helped her with hers. His shoulder and back were too sore for him to get into it without her assistance. He had been shot ... yes but there was no blood, not until he hit the water. Why hadn't he struggled in the water? Why had he gone under so fast? She could have sworn he was still conscious when he hit the water... What was going on?

She rubbed her forehead and opened her eyes again. She picked up the PDA and opened the file flagged for her attention.

"Wales? What the hell could be in Wales that suddenly needs Section's presence?" she flung the device across the interior of the van, causing at least two ops to duck or risk decapitation.

"Where are Karoff and Watts?" she demanded as she took in the occupants of the van... the remaining operatives had remained suspiciously silent.

"They got dropped off while you were still out cold. Birkoff said that Madeline wanted them back at Section 1 asap. "

Birkoff's warning! She got up out of her seat and stormed across the short distance to the operative with a comm device in his ear... without any niceties she snatched it away from him and snarled...

"Birkoff? You there?"

"Um... Nikita? Look I'm sorry, I can't talk to you now."

"What? Section just had Michael shot down in front of me and you can't talk!"

"Look Nikita - I'm sorry-"

"You're sorry - is that it? Something's going on isn't it? Why won't they tell me what it is?"

"Have you read the PDA yet?"

"Not fully."

"Do it. I can't say anything else."

She heard a buzz of static as Birkoff deliberately closed down the channel.

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

Three hours later, Nikita was dropped off outside a Post Office in Nantmoor, a tiny village in the Snowdonia National Park; she was given the keys to a Landrover Discovery and a map.

The 4WD was parked on the street, it was a few years old, beaten up and splattered with mud ...a lot less conspicuous than the shiny black cars that Section normally used. Nikita looked in the back and saw boxes of provisions, rucksacks, sleeping bags, blankets, drinking water, and cylinders of propane gas.

Great, they expect me to conduct reconnaissance on some god forsaken hillside in the middle of nowhere, by myself for an indeterminate amount of time.. .Bastards - they just want me out of the way until they think I have cooled down enough not to want to rip out their hearts... Bastards...

She got in and began to drive. The map indicated that she should turn off the main road, such as it was and head up a farm track - the track was steep and pitted with deep holes full of rainwater. The track was soon littered with large rocks and the occasional boulder as it headed between stunted trees and heather up what seemed to be a mountainside. She pulled over on a reasonably level patch of ground to check the map once more...outside the car she could make out fresh tyre marks in the muddier puddles ...two sets of the same tread - going up and then back down again, they matched those of her Landrover. It looked as if someone had been ahead of her to set up the surveillance equipment on site.

It was getting late in the afternoon as she made the final approach, there was nothing there as far as she could see, and then she made it out ... the cottage had been built from the local rock and was effectively camouflaged against the rough hillside in which it nestled. No electricity, plumbing or phone lines by the looks of things. She shuddered and hoped the advance team had set up a chemical toilet.

Looking out over the hillside opposite she was not sure exactly what she was going to be observing, she had still failed to read the details thoroughly, her heart wasn't in it. However, she acknowledged that some time alone might help, despite the hundreds of questions she desperately wanted answers to. She had heard somewhere that revenge was a dish best served cold... she would spend the time here preparing to serve Madeline and Operations a frozen confection distilled from all of her hatred and anger for them and their machiavellian machinations.

However, the beauty of her surroundings was subtly melting the icy feelings that were grasping her heart. She took a deep breath of the cool fresh air and sat on a limestone boulder and looked out across the valley. The sun was low in the sky now and highlighted the dying brackens in shades of ochre and yellow...above them the heather burned violet under a crystal clear blue sky. She realised that this was the first time the skies had been blue since she'd arrived in Britain. The air was chill; it occurred to her that she'd have to light a fire to keep warm. Later ...for now she gazed further in to the distance- towards Snowdon itself, white patches of snow still clinging tenaciously to its upper reaches, the surrounding mountains taking on shades of purple, and blue. It was so quiet, no sound from traffic, no voices... nothing but the gurgling of a brook as it cascaded down through the trees next to the cottage on its rush to reach the valley floor below. She wrapped her arms around her chest and felt the tears running down her face, it was too peaceful... it hurt... then as if from a dream she heard a voice, husky, weary, but undeniably familiar, the accent as the voice tripped over her name heartbreakingly clear....

"Ni-ki-ta ...it's beautiful isn't it?"

"Michael?" She turned to see him standing propped in the doorway of the small cottage, his face pale against a dark blue woollen sweater...

"Kita."

"I should have known you'd come back and haunt me...I thought you were dead...." She had rushed to her feet and run to the cottage door.

"So did I... good of them to tell us wasn't it?" his voice though weak was tinged with a sardonic bitterness. If Nikita had been tempted to think he'd been aware of the deception, she could see in his eyes and hear in his voice that he had been no more aware of Madeline's plans than she had been.

Nikita went to him and placed her hands on his shoulders as if to check he was real.

"How are you? Bruised?"

"Yes. A bit. In fact - a lot. I have been given instructions that we are to stay here until told otherwise."

He placed his hands on her hips lightly and tilted his head as if he could better discern her reaction from a skewed angle.

"Why?" Nikita shook her head; she did not trust the motives of either Madeline or Operations.

"If I asked do you think I'd get an honest answer?"

"No..." she sighed, then reached out to gently touch his face, he was still bruised and battered looking. "So what now?"

He wrapped his arms around her gingerly pulling her body to his, and rested his chin on her head watching the colours that danced across the opposite hillside.

"We could enjoy what time we have, remember tomorrow, for it will come sooner or later."

Nikita turned about in his arms and holding them close around her waist she too gazed out over the valley as the setting sun set fire to the bracken with incandescent oranges and reds. They stood there as one, Michael's back resting against the solid stone walls that had no doubt witnessed this view for centuries. They looked out over the rugged wild mountains of North Wales and silently let loose the tears of anger, frustration and impotence. Section still owned their bodies, leased them their souls and toyed with their hearts... but this moment was theirs. Tears for remembrance,
And tears for joy,
Tears for somebody
And this lonely boy.
Out in the madness,
The all seeing eye,
Flickers above us,
To light up the sky.
Unchain the colours before my eyes,
Yesterday's sorrows,
Tomorrow's white lies.
Scan the horizon,
The clouds take me higher,
I shall return from out of the fire.

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