6.01 EVERYTHING CHANGES TO STAY THE SAME
It was still very early, but Section One was full of activity. Jason and Quinn were reorganizing the database... there had been many changes in the last few months ... Mr. Jones was killed at the hands of The Collective; Operations was reunited with Madeline, as was Michael and his child; and Nikita...
She barely woke up after having spent the night in an armchair in The Perch.
"What am I doing here?"... was the first thought popped into her head as she opened her great blue eyes. She hadn't returned to apartment 412, without Michael she felt vulnerable, she would have liked to ask to stay him with her, but looking into Adam's eyes, she didn't the courage to ask him. In Section there was no day care center, no school...
She got up, the memories bringing only pain... she was to head of one of the most covert anti-terrorist organizations on the planet now and however much she hated it, she had promised to her father she would stay there. Besides, the lives of the operatives under her command were in her hands and as "someone" had taught her... mistakes are not an option.
She didn't know where to start, but surely in that place there was someone she could trust. She put a hand on the intercom and called her most faithful ally...
NIKITA: "Walter?"
WALTER: "Yes, Nikita?"
NIKITA: "Can you come to me for a second?"
Walter arrived with a cup of hot coffee, bringing the day's first smile to Nikita's sulky face.
"I'm here, Sugar...have you slept here?" he asked, worriedly.
Nikita started to walk toward the couch sipping the coffee. "You still dare to call me that?" she asked, smiling.
WALTER: "Yeah, I'll admit I hated you and more when Michael refused to take that lifesaving package from me, but I got over it when you picked it up yourself!"
NIKITA: "All right...there's something I wanted to ask you...when Operations took command, did he have any problems with mutiny?"
WALTER: "Listen...really, there was no time, his repressive power was clear from the beginning. It was continuous confusion up until he promoted Madeline two years earlier than expected...that's what you need...a good second-in-command!"
NIKITA: "You want the job? I trust as you as much as anyone!"
"Oh no, Sugar, no way," said Walter, laughing. "The best help I can give you is to manage my department. I'm an old man and I don't have the clarity you need."
As the two friends smiled at each other, the door opened and Jason entered...
JASON: "Nikita... Quinn and I...we have prepared a list of priority missions... we've also received a communication from Oversight...they've assigned a temporary second-in-command to you in the meantime while you make your decision for one of your own...he should be here soon."
NIKITA: "And so it begins. Is that all, Jason?"
JASON: "Yes, Nikita, for now"
NIKITA: "Ok, you can go... tell me when the delegate from Oversight arrives."
Jason and Walter left her to her job...She approached her terminal and started to study the missions. They had to select the new Team Leader and the choice was not so simple.
The ring of the intercom interrupted her thoughts. "What else could it be?" she thought, annoyed...the sun wasn't up yet and still she was already busy with an enormous list of things..."Yes, Jason?"
JASON: "Nikita, the delegate has arrived."
NIKITA: "I'll be right down." She arranged the long skirt of black skin leather and descended to Comm.
"Welcome to the Section One, Mr. Yaffer" Nikita welcomed him. "Jason will brief you on the next mission and Quinn will provide the tactical support."
Then, handing a CD-ROM to Jason, continued, "This is the profile. You coordinate the teams...we will assemble in an hour."
She turned toward the new arrival and she said, "And now, if you will follow me, I will take you in your office."
The noise of her heels echoed in the empty corridors of Section...
Mr. Paul Yaffer followed her spellbound. He had heard of her, but he didn't expect her to be so young and fascinating.
"Please" Nikita gestured, inviting him in the Madeline's old office. "I hope this meets with your approval."
"I am sure it will be fine...but please, don't to call me Mr. Yaffer. It's Paul."
Paul answered not succeeding in tearing off his eyes from her face. Nikita looked at him with a slight a smile, the effect was almost predictable that provoked on the men. After acknowledging him again, she left.
BRIEFING'S ROOM
From the briefing table, the hologram monitor ignited and Nikita started the explanation of the mission.
"The Commander Hildita has driven the assault to Kandahar last week and although his team has been successful, it has suffered a hard attack...General Wilkerson has accused him of high treason...it would seem that he has sold information to the enemy...Jason?"
JASON: "The accusations seem to be well founded, currently he's hiding himself in a military base in Peshwar, Pakistan. Horizon has been promoted Team Leader and he will drive Team One to the inside, the others will cover the outside."
NIKITA: "The objective is to retrieve the Commander and his files and return them to Section."
MILITARY BASE OF PESHWAR
Team One drew near to the gates. Horizon was disguised as a doctor, required by the soldiers following a conflict. The documents were acceptable ... they were allowed to enter. With feline footsteps, Horizon directed himself upstairs and drew near the room of the Commander...he entered...but there was nobody there...where was the Commander?
From the garden, Team Two held back the soldiers.
Horizon: "Jason, the Commander isn't here!"
JASON: "Horizon, I'm sure he is in the base, I can read his thermal presence."
Dapproached the safe and saw that it was open. He withdrew some documents and a notebook...then he instinctively went down to the cafeteria. He scrutinized every face noticing how much they all resembled each other... but the Commander had a different face from the others...it wasn't difficult to recognize him...even if there was a lot of confusion in the room...someone was heading toward the outside, Horizon informed Team Two and went to pursue him...but suddenly one the soldiers started to shoot madly at the operatives...it was evidently a trap!
The operatives raced out immediately for the van...six dead operatives was the sad result that accompanied their return in Section.
Nikita was already waiting at Van Access, she wanted an immediate report.
Horizon: was prepared to give her his first-hand account...."He was well covered by the soldiers...we did not succeed in picking him up, but we have his documents...there's nothing else to say, can I go?"
NIKITA: "For now, yes, but you will have to debrief with Mr. Yaffer ... you are all on standby!"
After listening to the report of the Team Leader, Paul didn't seem too convinced of the turn of events...he went to Nikita to relay his doubts to her.
YAFFER: "I have a suspicion that the Commander was warned and prepared a trap for our operatives."
NIKITA: "You have been here for less than 24 hours and you already distrust MY operatives?"
Nikita quickly challenged him, underlining that he was talking about her operatives.
YAFFER: "My work is to distrust whomever...you see, Nikita, my specialty is superior to common logic, you will have to trust me."
NIKITA: "You will have to give me something more to go on before you decide to cancel any of my operatives."
The ring of the telephone interrupted the conversation... it was the Center... they were surprised by the failure of the mission and they underlined that General Wilkerson wanted the traitor captured by the end of the day.
COMMUNICATIONS AREA
A new mission was about to start...Quinn and Jason had succeeded in finding another trace...it was necessary to act immediately. Team One was already en route, it needed to reach a shelter in the Indian mountains...Nikita nervously walked into Comm...suddenly, she stopped...she had an intuition...but just that. In her seven years as an operative, she had learned to trust herself, her instincts. "Jason, change the profile to the alternate plan that we discarded before and immediately dispatch it to the teams' panels."
JASON: "But Nikita...it is too late...the teams have departed!"
NIKITA: "Jason, just do it and hurry...send the new sequence!"
If her deductions were wrong, she would cause the mission to fail with many losses...
"Nikita, what happened?" asked a surprised Mr. Yaffer. "The profile has changed on my panel."
NIKITA: "Yes, Paul ... a variable has made us consider another possibility."
YAFFER: "What variable? I was not informed of any variables."
NIKITA: "Not now, Paul ... we have a mission in progress...I will explain it to you, later."
"We are ready, Nikita. The new sequence has been sent" inserted Jason.
Team One silently approached to the log cabin. Smoke was rising from the chimney, evidence that someone was inside. Horizon kicked down the door and immediately started shooting. From behind the trees the soldiers sprouted up to also die to protect their Commander, but this time the operatives of Section One had the advantage and the Commander was captured.
YAFFER'S OFFICE
Mr. Yaffer seemed very satisfied of the result. "It seems that the mission has been successful."
NIKITA: "Yes... we caught him by surprise... there was no resistance."
"Then, your intuition was correct" he said, placing a hand on Nikita's bare shoulder.
She gracefully removed his hand and then turned to look at him. "You'll have to excuse me, Paul. You were right...there was a traitor among us who passed our movements on to the Commander...changing the sequence at the last minute allowed me to understand who it was."
Paul looked her at, charmed ... but his face changed to a vexed expression when he saw two operatives take places on either side of him. He immediately understood the reason. "You are making a mistake"...it was all he had the chance to say...Nikita, not at all intimidated, continued... "Take him to the White Room."
WHITE ROOM
"Who are you?" asked a furious Nikita.
YAFFER: "I am your second-in-command and, despite appearances, I was only following orders," he justified.
NIKITA: "What orders?"
YAFFER: "Center wanted me to boycott the capture."
NIKITA: "That's not true...they pressured me to conclude the mission!"
YAFFER: "Oversight had to show that Section was making an attempt, but he couldn't really be captured...he had to stay there so he could lead us to the next level."
NIKITA: "What 'next level?'"
YAFFER: "I don't know ... but it doesn't matter anymore since you've captured him."
NIKITA: "These games wear me out...your actions caused the deaths of six operatives...MY operatives...you call Center, I want you out of Section tonight!"
She left, hitting the heavy iron door...she was not allowed more than this life...but, meanwhile, another day was over.
THE END
Hildita for Cynbythesea