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What she could do, Nikita thought? She knew something was wrong, she just didn’t know what. One of the keys of her training though had been to hone and trust herself, so she was instantly alert.
“Nikita?” a softly accented voice called her back to the present.
“Oui?” she asked softly. She turned her face towards him, but her thoughts were already back on her screaming instincts.
Michael raised his eyebrows her accent was fast improving, not that you could tell much from that one word, but as she had been carrying on the whole conversation in his language. He felt a comment was acceptable, “Much better, very good.” Her only response was an unconcerned “Hmmmm.”
“What is it?” Michael asked.
“Something’s wrong I can feel it.” She said as she continued scanning the area.
Michael looked around as well. He trusted her instincts oft times it was all that kept those in their line of work alive. “We’re surrounded,” she said. Michael’s eyes swept behind her looking for an egress route, less then twenty seconds later Nikita’s cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Nikita, you have to get out of there now!” Birkoff’s frantic tones carried over the airwaves.
“Yes, thank you.” She said, looking at Michael and nodding. He moved to get her coat. The young couple left the restaurant and hurried down the street. Shots rang out. They fired back. It was useless they were surrounded by Red Cell. They were knocked over the head and hustled into a car.
Acceptable collateral, the pronouncement still rang in Walter’s ear as the death knell, it was. That was nothing new to Section but Walter was not going to let the order stand this time. He entered Madeline’s office without as much as a knock. The Ice Queen turned her Mona Lisa smile on him and said, “What can I do for you, Walter?”
He remained unfazed by her ploy. What she often chose to forget was that Walter had had a hand in her training as well as having trained Paul. One did not forget how to read their own material if they wanted to live. Walter could still read Paul and ‘Maddy’ like a cherished novel. They made it too easy at times, while they liked to appear as if they had him fooled. They all knew the truth; the three of them played a game for Section’s other operatives.
“So what are you going to do about it?” he asked.
Madeline regarded her one time mentor and one of the few people in the organization to truly gain her respect and almost smiled. So Walter was finally going to call her on the carpet to task was he, or was this just another bluff? Not letting her thoughts show on her face, she replied calmly, “Nothing retrieving them would be too much of a risk.”
“You’re cold.” He said turning and walking out, “this isn’t over.” Walter knew that Madeline had no intention of letting two of Section’s best go to Red Cell. Besides that he knew Madeline felt almost protective of Nikita.
Madeline watched him go a plan forming. Aside from her protectiveness of these operatives, and their value to Section, there was Walter. His walking off in a Huff was a show for the cameras. The “this isn’t over,” was the real message. He was obviously truly scared this time. Because her dear Walter had done the one thing she had thought to never see him do. Walter had asked her to intervene; he had played on their former relationship in another operatives favor something he had not done before. She would not fail him. She was already making a call as he walked down her hall. “I need you to do something…”
“Michael,” Nikita whispered, looking around the room. They were in a cold desolate room. She could hear the trickling of water. There must have been a crack somewhere because there was just enough light, to make the phrase total darkness inaccurate. Pushing aside the urge to laugh at the cliché of her surrounding, she refocused and took quick inventory of herself. She estimated she had broken one rib and most likely bruised the others. Her ankle was soar but not swollen, “Not that bad,” she said to herself and laughed. There had been a time when she would have considered these serious injuries.
Having received no answer, but hearing his labored breathing, Nikita looked around for Michael. Moving cautiously she walked over to him. Nikita dropped to her knees and ran her hands over him checking for injuries. His breathing was strong if slightly labored and his pulse was fine. Nikita figured he had also bruised his ribs in the struggle but could find no reason for his sustained unconsciousness. She had just stated to check his head for lumps when he stirred, “Where are we?”
“Somewhere underground, how are you,” she said not mentioning the blood on her fingers from his hair? Nikita quickly ran her hand over her ankle, using the motion to disguise the cleansing of her fingers.
“I’m fine,” Michael said sitting up and wincing.
“Take it easy. You bruised your ribs and have a pretty battered head.”
“We…” The door slammed opened.
“Well, well what do we have here? You are two of Section’s best operatives? You sure don’t look that cold girl. In fact, you’re a little bit of a timid thing if you ask me.” The man said.
Michael looked over to see Nikita cowering beside him. She was playing the man for a fool. “Don’t” he breathed for her ears alone.
“You’re in no shape to deal with them.” She said and gave a slight yell as the man hauled her up.
“You scare easy don’t ya’ honey? That’s good, I think we’ll take you first.” The door slammed shut behind them and as the darkness once more enveloped him, Michael said one word, “Nikita.”
~~~>>>~~~
So my little one are you going to tell me what I want to know, or am I going to have to be more persuasive?” The man’s comment was met with silence. “Well trained little Kit aren’t you?” he asked and his actions caused Nikita to spit in his face.
“Ah, well a fiery spirit and one not so easily tamed, its all the more fun,” he said cupping her faces in his hands. Nikita pulled from his grasp. “I wouldn’t do that; ZAychik moy you might hurt that pretty neck of yours.” He commented as his flunkies held a knife to her throat.
Nikita froze she couldn’t antagonize him much more, though she wanted to rip his eyes out for being called his bunny alone. He might kill her and then she couldn’t help Michael. Nikita no longer feared her own death but she feared what would happen to Michael if he were to find her dead. There was no telling the outcome.
~~~>>>~~~
“Would you hurry dup?” The young woman said. Barely out of her teens and already a trained killer, she melted into the shadows as though she was born to them. Considering she had lived in them for the past two years the skill wasn’t that astonishing.
“Ten hostiles in the area, they aren’t stupid and they aren’t taking any chances with Michael.”
“Smart as far as it goes. Ten to two, I like those odds. Course if you don’t feel up to it we can always call in Darwin?” Jasmine asked knowing her partner was out of sorts. Claire’s recent depression was the reason Jasmine had chose her for the mission. Clair needed to be shaken out of her funk before she did something stupid and got herself killed. Jasmine knew Claire would not let Michael and Nikita down the pair had saved Claire’s life and Jasmine hoped returning the favor would put her friend and teammate bake on top.
“You take point. Get in the cell. I’ll cover.” Claire said in response.
~~~>>>~~~
Michael looked up as he heard a scuffling sound, “Shhh! It’s Jasmine. We’ll get you two out but work with us.” She said covering his mouth.
There was the sound of gunfire and then the door crashed in, “What was that you were saying about calling, Darwin?” Claire said a little cocky.
“Trent got here?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, where’s Darwin?”
“On his way.”
“Claire stay with Michael till he gets here.” Jasmine waited for Claire’s nod and left.
Jasmine was waiting outside the door, had been for about five minutes, listening to Nikita’s interrogation. To her credit she hadn’t given an inch. Figuring she couldn’t give her teammates any more time, if she was to save Nikita, Jasmine entered the room.
“Can’t get the bitch to talk? That makes the boss angry and me the poor sap on the receiving end.”
“Hey you the boss’s choice of an exotic treat this time, ah?”
“Just call me Night Shade, beautiful but deadly!” She said deciding one bad pun deserved another in return to accompany the bullet to his brain. Followed a quickly by several in quick succession to his partner’s heart overkill- meant not having to watch your back- both died instantly. “Hey teach, glad to see me?” She said cutting Nikita’s bonds and helping her stand, “Let’s get you out.”
As she and Nikita headed down the corridor she addressed the others of her team, “Guys get out!”
“Come out the back we have it clear.” Trent said into her ear.
“Acknowledged. Come on, Nikita, we’re going out the back way.”
Soon everyone had them settled into the van and the four teammates looked at their mentors and back at each other. “Trent, Leave a message for the goddess-wanna-be. Tell her we will return her operatives to her healthy and only healthy.”
Claire said, “So you guys are going to see the inside of Section Eight. As allies that is.”
~~~>>>~~~
Two weeks later Michael and Nikita were back at Section One and back into the swing of things. Madeline saw a message on her desktop, “None of us are that easy to get rid of Ice Queen, Section Eight.”
Walter walked into her office as she was deleting the message, “Thanks, Maddy.”
“Don’t mention it Walter, after all we’re all glad to have them back safe and sound.” She said and turned back to her desk. Walter took that for the dismissal and truthful admission it was. He also headed the warning she had just given him both Madeline and Walter were to remain nameless, and seemingly ignorant as to just how Section Eight hand found out about the abduction of two of Section One’s key operatives and their subsequent location in time to affect a rescue. Walter smiled, let Madeline pretend cold heartedness all she wanted but he knew that she had a heart under that Mona Lisa smile of hers.
Fin