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Date Posted: 23:54:24 05/09/11 Mon
Author: asiacheetah
Author Host/IP: ppp-71-128-195-9.dsl.sndg02.pacbell.net / 71.128.195.9
Subject: Chapter 3 Or We Could Live - Part 3
In reply to: asiacheetah 's message, "Trust is Never Easy - episodic" on 01:00:19 04/22/11 Fri

This chapter touches slightly on: Playing with Fire

Chapter 3 Or We Could Live – Part 3

The first sign of trouble happened quickly after Nikita and I returned from her supposed capture. We had injected a drug into Nikita’s system to make our cover story of her being drugged not able to be questioned feasible. While she was being checked out by medical, Birkoff took her panel before Walter could have a chance to sweep it.

Nikita came to see me as soon as she was released by medical. “Michael, we have a problem.”

“Yes?”

“Birkoff came and took my panel before Walter could sweep
it. What are we going to do?”

“I’ll look into it.”

I suspected that Birkoff was acting on behest of Madeline. This was confirmed when I talked to Walter. “Walter, did you talk to Birkoff?”

“Yeah.”

“What did he want?”

“He said Madeline asked him to look for intercommunication between Sections ops.”

“Is he going to report it?”

“Yes. He told me he’ll give me until 3:00 to turn in his report. What should we do?”

“I want you to cooperate with Madeline.”

“What? No I won’t do that!”

“All she has are meeting time and coordinates. She won’t do anything without a confirm.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Let me worry about it.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes.”

One of the benefits of having worked with Operations and Madeline for so long was that I can predict with a great deal of certainty what action they would pursue next. I suspect that they would set a trap for us so they could make a better case when they take their recommendation up to Oversight. The trick was to pretend to fall for their trap, while finding a way around it. I presented them with a plausible mission scenario that they could set their ambush.

Operations: “I read your debrief. I see everything went according to contingency.”

“Not everything.”

“Is there something you want to tell me?”

“I’ve detected a secondary layer.”

“You think there’s another base camp?”

“Yes.”

“Our Intel says no.”

“I’d like to take a small recon team into the field to make sure.”

“Who do you recommend?”

“Sinclair, Mignola, Nikita.”

“I’ll consider it.”

*****

Nikita: “Have you spoken to Walter?”

“Yes.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Nothing.”

“And if Birkoff tells Madeline?”

“Deny everything.”

“Michael, we’re playing with fire.”

I kissed her hand in consolation. Nikita had a soft spot for Walter and she would not feel back to herself until he was out of the woods. I couldn’t lie to her to ease her conscience. The truth was we were playing with fire, we have been since the moment we met. Even if we escape from the trap set by Operations and Madeline, we were far from being in the clear. All I know was that she was worth risking everything for.

“I know.”

*****

I knew the trap was set when Operations cleared my follow-on mission request.

Operations: “Michael, I’ve approved your request for field
recon.”

“I’ll inform my team.”

“Isn’t necessary. This is intelligence gathering only; I was thinking a two man team; it’ll reduce our exposure.”

“Who else did you have in mind?”

“She’ll work.”

“I think so.”

Madeline was getting slopping with her schemes. If I wasn’t already wary about what they were planning, sending me out alone with Nikita would have tipped it off.

Birkoff: “First team report.”

“I’m detecting a Kappa signal.”

“I’m not picking up anything.”

“It’s here. We have to disconnect.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Michael.”

I was grateful that Birkoff was trying to warn me in his own way. However, Nikita and I needed to carry out this charade in order delay Operations and Madeline’s plans, however temporarily. “Just do it, Birkoff.”

Operations: “Do as he says, take them off the board. We don’t want to take a chance on Navaro tunneling into the system.”

Birkoff: “All right, first team. You’re on your own.”

I waited for Nikita to join me. The warehouse overlooked the location where I suspected Navaro to be hiding. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for him to show up.

I turned around when I heard Nikita entering the warehouse. As always the sight of her takes my breath away. It didn’t matter that we had been together just a few days before. It was never enough, the brief moments we manage to carve out for ourselves. The need to be with her was so much a part of me now that it was hard to breath or function without her by my side.

Nikita was staring at me as if she couldn’t get enough either. It was easy to fall into the spell cast by those beautiful eyes and pretend that we weren’t in the middle of one of the most dangerous mission we have been in, a mission to stay alive.

“Nikita, we have to get ready.”

She shook her head as if clearing her thoughts and nodded. We set up the thermo scope, long distance rifle, and sensors at the window facing the Crimson Storm secondary base camp and waited.

“Michael?”

“Yes?”

“What are we going to do when we get back?”

“Nothing.”

“Wouldn’t they ask us about the communiqué?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Madeline would never give up the upper hand by letting us they know about our meets.”

“You know her pretty well?”

“As much as anyone can know about Madeline.”

“What do you think they’ll do next?”

“They’ll wait until the time is right to set another trap.”

“When do you think that will be?”

“I don’t know. We have to be careful.”

She took my hand and kissed it. “I know.”

Once Navaro arrived, it was easy taking out his body guard and bringing him in. I could sense the tension and surprise when we returned. Clearly visible was animosity from Operations, cold displeasure from Madeline, and relief from Walter and Birkoff.

Birkoff: “Sir?”

Operations: “What is it, Birkoff?”

“First team has returned. They brought back Vilas Navaro.”

“What?”

“Michael was right. Navaro had a Kappa transmitter.”

I couldn’t feel any satisfaction at having foiled those in charge of their plans. I knew that Nikita and I will continue to be watched and under suspicion. Worse still was knowing that we would be separated for an indeterminate amount of time.

Time was always against us. It goes by too quickly when all we want was to savor it and treasure every moment. It drags on slowly when the pain of separation was almost unbearable. Like most everything in Section, we had to learn to bear this forced time apart. At least we were not alone in our yearning.

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