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Date Posted: 19:44:34 03/19/08 Wed
Author: Mary
Author Host/IP: cpe-69-135-186-204.woh.res.rr.com / 69.135.186.204
Subject: Characters & Shadows - Chapter 46
In reply to: Mary 's message, "Characters & Shadows - Cont." on 19:42:54 03/19/08 Wed

Chapter 46

Nikita was frustrated. She wanted to know what else had happened while she was sick, she knew that something was bothering Michael a lot. But they were interrupted by the arrival of her breakfast and Brian almost simultaneously. Brian insisted that she try to eat and he stayed there and explained her mystery illness skimming over any of the dark details and leaving that for Michael. Once he was satisfied that she had enough breakfast he warned her once again to rest and gave Michael a look. That really bothered Nikita, they knew something.

“Now will you tell me before we get interrupted again? And you had better include how your arm got hurt.”

He sat beside her on the bed and took her hand and kissed the back of it, but did not let go of her. “I love you. You need to know that first. When I thought I might lose you I had no idea how to go on without you. I know that there is nothing that can change that.”

Now Nikita was really scared. She saw horrible things in Michael’s eyes as he sat beside her, things he didn’t want to have to tell her, things that would hurt deeply.

“There is a lot that I still don’t understand. You got sick so fast. I brought you here and your condition it just got worse and worse. None of the meds they gave you were working and you…well…they just didn’t know if there was anything else that they would be able to do.”

“Well I’m ok now so…. they must have found something.”

“Yeah…something.” He murmured more to himself than to her.

*****

Marco found himself in a wheelchair and being pushed down the hall by the very intriguing Jasmine. While he had not enjoyed the movement of getting out of bed, he had noticed that as the nurses were helping him, Jasmine took the opportunity to glance at his backside, made him glad that he kept in shape.

“So this is the first time anyone has talked to them? You’re sure?”

“Doubting my intel Mr. O’Brien?” she teased.

“No ma’am. I’m just surprised.”

She stopped for a moment outside the room and walked over beside him, “Nikita is really just coming out the drugs and Michael needed rest. He was injured in the firing.”

“I know. I remember.” He said with more disgust than he meant to show of his own actions.

“You saved his life.”
“I endangered it, is what I did. Don’t make me out to be some sort of hero here because I’m not. I put them both in terrible danger.”

“Stubborn, stubborn man. You need to see the other side Marco. You saved them both also.”

She stood backup, “Now remember the profile, I go in first.”

*****

There was a small knock on the door and Michael and Nikita were joined by a small oriental looking woman. Jasmine noticed with interest as Michael immediately stood and put himself between her and Nikita. Ever the protector. She liked him immediately.

She pulled out her id right away. “My name is Jasmine Kwong and I’m with MI-6. Don’t worry Michael I’m not here to hurt Nikita.” She smiled at the remark trying to put them at ease.

“MI-6?” asked Nikita. Her stomach was instantly rolling. This could have something to do with ….. She couldn’t allow Michael to know. “Michael I think you need to leave.”

“No. He needs to stay. I have to talk with both of you at the same time.”

Michael took Nikita’s hand, he needed the contact. He noted that she was shaking, but they both needed to get through this and then, well then he didn’t know.

“Nikita this is going to be fairly hard for you so I need you to listen carefully and know that I will answer any and all questions that I am allowed to. There has been an ongoing operation at MI-6 for years to put an end to a particular group that were funding terrorist acts all over the globe. I can’t be specific about that, but I can tell you we had to take very extreme measures to be able to get inside of this group and to the upper echelon to be able to stop them.”

“This involved planting one of our best agents, if not the best one ever, into this organization. He had to perform horrible acts and some of them affect both of you. I want you to know that he had no choice in his actions at all, and MI-6 is deeply sorry for the events that have occurred.” With that she turned and wheeled Marco into the room.

Nikita was stunned, “Marco? I don’t understand….”

Michael did though. The men exchanged a knowing look of deep respect and a friendship was formed that had begun under fire and would continue over time.

Michael felt Nikita shaking, “No, no. You can’t be here. That means that he…”

Marco then looked directly at Nikita and said very clearly, “David is dead Nikita. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Jasmine stood right next to Marco as close as she could, offering him what small amount of support that she could in this situation.

“Michael, Nikita, this is distinguished agent Marco O’Brien of MI-6.”

Nikita was processing this information and Michael knew it, “You’re….? You….helped me. But then…”

“Nikita my mission was to infiltrate David’s organization and eventually flush David out so he could be taken out of play and his organization disbanded.”

The room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop, but Marco was not prepared for Nikita’s soft conclusion of her thoughts, “You used me.”

He took as deep a breath as he could and looked straight at her, he owed her that and told her, “Yes. And I’m sorrier about that than you can possibly imagine.”

Jasmine felt she had to intervene here, “He was under orders, he had no choice.”

But Marco wasn’t buying that, “I am still responsible for my actions and what has happened because of what I have done.”

Nikita sat there and realized that Michael was not reacting to happening in the room. He was not asking questions or as stunned as she was. It was almost like he had been expecting this somehow. Then she had a horrible thought as she realized how much he already somehow knew, “Michael, how did you hurt your arm?”

At the silent exchange between Michael and Marco that Nikita saw she continued, “It has to do with the reason that Marco is hurt and in that wheelchair. Does someone want to tell me want the hell happened?!”

Marco braced himself and began to tell the story, “You were poisoned.”

“What?” Nikita hadn’t been expecting that.

But Marco had finally started and it was time to tell all. “David ran a very tight organization and it was difficult until recently for me to get the right level of information out that we needed to be able to begin to compromise his operations. But it wasn’t moving fast enough for my bosses. MI-6 needed to flush David out in the open so we could get him finally. The only way my superiors saw to do that was to poison you and force him to come to you. Your neighbor Carla was also an agent, she was the one that planted the toxin in your apartment.”

“They were willing to kill me to get David.” Not a question just a sad statement.

“Yes. I was part of the team that brought David here to see you, Michael unfortunately was also in the room and my leaders were willing to sacrifice him – I wasn’t. There was gunfire, Michael I am sorry that you were injured in the cross fire.”

Nikita’s face went even paler than it had been, “You were shot? You….David….oh my god…Michael, I’m so sorry.”

*****

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