Chapter 144 -- LFN Storyboard 2

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Date Posted: 23:24:17 01/04/08 Fri
Author: taurus2124
Author Host/IP: CPE-124-188-3-231.nsw.bigpond.net.au / 124.188.3.231
Subject: Chapter 144
In reply to: taurus2124 's message, "The Rising Dragons ... continued ..." on 20:19:07 12/29/07 Sat

Chapter 144 (V � but only a little bit)

Operations stood outside the White Room observing the aftermath of Inspector Ng�s interrogation. Madeline stood stoically beside him.

�The interrogation went well,� she stated casting a glance his way.

�Yes ... Whatever Michael did was very effective. He got the desired result,� Operations replied satisfied with the outcome.

Simultaneously they turned back to the White Room and saw a defeated man who had lost all hope. Although he�d been given the antidote and the paralysis had worn off, Inspector Ng had lost that spark of bravado he had when he�d first entered the White Room. Now he looked like a man who knew the inevitable was close at hand. The leaders of Section observed as two burly operatives entered the room and escorted the target from the White Room to his eventual fate. The doors opened and the two men marched the Inspector past where they were standing. The operatives then stopped before their leaders waiting for any further instructions before leading him to containment.

Operations looked at the target shackled in handcuffs, as too did Madeline. Inspector Ng raised his head and stared back at them. They all shared a look ... He of acclamation for their methods of torture and with the capitulation of the vanquished ... they of the steely resolve of the victor.

Holding Inspector Ng�s gaze Operations ordered, �Take him away.�

Jiang glanced from one person to the other once more before being led away by the two operatives. Madeline and Operations continued their conversation for a brief moment then changed the subject to the success of the Flash Mission that had resulted in Inspector Ng�s capture and demise.

�Nikita and Michael performed well. They should be commended.�

�How do you suggest I do that Madeline?�

�By giving them a pat on the back.�

Operations� voice and face registered his surprise at her reply. �A pat on the back?�

�A few words of praise or appreciation.�

He gave her an incredulous look before voicing his inner shocked thoughts. �Are you serious?�

As if dangling a mouse in front of a cat, Madeline was enjoying the way she had managed to put Paul off balance. �An exception to our usual approach might be appropriate,� she taunted.

�All right, next time I see them together I'll stop by and pat them on the back.� Operations smirked and Madeline laughed before he got their conversation back on level footing. �Do we have any new Intel on the Rising Dragons?�

�We clarified some we already knew and there were a number of leads.�

�So are we any closer to knowing where to find Sun Yee Lok?�

�Possibly ... I'll have to study the data further,� she replied in all seriousness.

�I think that can wait for tonight.�

�Yes, you're right.�

�Would you care to join me for dinner in the Tower at eight? I�ll have Christopher make Cock-au-Vin.�

�All right.�

�Good ... eight it is then.�

�Now if you will excuse me Paul, I have some unfinished business to attend to.�

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Operations watched as Madeline headed down the corridor back towards her office and pondered the inroads Section was making.

The interrogation of Inspector Ng had gone better than expected and the Intel he had also disclosed on Andy Koo was telling. However, once he had divulged all he knew of the Rising Dragons, Section had no further use of him so Jiang had been taken away to be cancelled. It was now up to Nikita to lure Andy Koo under her spell and bring him into Section One as well ... and the sooner the better. Hence Michael would return back to Hong Kong for Nikita�s mission tonight. If, as they thought, all would go well, then Mr. Koo would be their next guest.

He was most pleased knowing that George would stop breathing down their necks now that the net was tightening around the triad. Bit by bit Section One was disintegrating the Rising Dragons and they were getting closer to their leader Sun Yee Lok. Once Madeline had studied the data, this could be a real possibility. While those members of the Rising Dragons around him fell, and coupled with the added distraction of the rival triads causing havoc, all the cards were stacked in Section�s favour. Bringing this mission to a close was their top priority and it looked as if that objective would be reached very shortly.

With a slight smile on his face, Operations turned on his heels and returned to the perch to order dinner.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Nikita lay shackled to a makeshift bed still unconscious from the blow to the back of her head, her body started to twitch as she began to come out of her coma. Fighting her way through the layers of darkness, Nikita struggled back to a state of consciousness. Her eyes fluttered and opened, then closed again when she tried to raise her head as the first sensation that greeted her waking mind was the pain. She winced. Her head pounded ... it was throbbing and she had the mother of all headaches. Moaning, she gingerly raised her hand and felt a lump on her crown as well as the congealed remnants of blood in her hair. Taking her hand away from her head, Nikita examined her fingertips. Realising that she must have opened the wound, small droplets of sticky, wet blood from the blow on her skull covered her fingers. Disoriented she tried to sit up, but merely uttered a groan of pain. The knock to her head had undoubtedly severely debilitated her ability to function properly.

Instinctively her hand felt for her comm. unit and Nikita gently fiddled with it in the hope that she could contact Section as to her plight. Birkoff would be able to place a trace on her and then he would send Michael and his team to rescue her. Nikita quietly uttered his name over and over but there was no response. She then tried with more conviction. �Birkoff! ... Birkoff!�

But there was no answer forthcoming from the other end. Lying back down on the camp bed Nikita eyes closed in pain and despair. Something must have made her comm. unit malfunction.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sometime later muffled voices and footsteps could be vaguely heard above her. Nikita tried to concentrate hoping that she might recognise who was talking, but it was impossible to make out anything concrete. Then, as she lay still on the bed listening carefully for signs that anyone was coming, she heard the sound of some stairs being lowered. Rallying her composure Nikita braced herself for what or who was approaching. Footsteps echoed in the room as two men came down the stairs and walked over to where she lay.

One of her captors leant over to give her an injection to wake her up, but as he went to touch her, Nikita suddenly grabbed his hand and tried to jerk it away from her body.

�Good ... You're alive.�

�Where am I?� she whispered in a raspy voice as her head began to throb once more.

Nikita fell back towards the camp bed as her assailant took her hand and pushed her back against it roughly. It was then that she realised that her ankles were bound by restraints too. Who were these people? Whoever, had captured her had not wanted her to try and escape. They had seen to that but perhaps she could persuade them to release some of her restraints.

Trying to focus on the stranger who was her captor, Nikita asked, �Who are you?� but he did not reply and merely moved away from her.

�I�m thirsty ... could I have a drink please?�

Her request went unanswered, so Nikita tried another tact and turned to the other man ... the young tourist she had met in the street. �What's your name?�

�That�s not important.�

Good! Someone had eventually replied, she thought, �My name�s Nikita. Do you think you can take these cuffs off of me please?�

Turning to his companion, the gruffer of the two men laughed raucously. �Did you hear that Jason? She wants you to take her handcuffs off?�

�Yeah! I heard!� he laughed in reply.

�Well? What about it?�

But just as quickly as the laugher echoed in the room it stopped just as suddenly. The more burly man approached her menacingly and a cold and calculating look crossed his face. �Shut up bitch ... if you know what�s good for you.�

Nikita knew at that moment that she was dealing with some deranged men and wondered how she could possibly get out of this situation since she was cut off from Section and more importantly how she could contact Michael without her cell phone? His prophetic words came back to haunt her as they echoed in her brain.

�If you need to contact me ... for anything ... key in my personal code.�

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Later in the evening Madeline walked down a long corridor illuminated by muted floor lighting. She had decided against her better judgement to accept Paul�s dinner invitation but here she was on the threshold of the Tower. Stopping at the end of the hall Madeline put her hand on a security handprint reader. With a click the door opened to the sound of a Nina Simone Jazz song playing. She entered the room and her eyes immediately settled on Paul. He had his back to her and was pouring champagne into two fluted glasses.

Once he knew Madeline had arrived, he turned with the two glasses in his hand and handed one to her casting his eyes over her form as he did so. �Champagne?�

�Thank you.� Madeline raised the flute to her lips and took a sip of the amber liquid.

�Remember this song?�

�Of course.�

Operations took Madeline�s glass from her grasp then held out his hand. �Shall we? Dinner will be here shortly.�

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Play on text from ... Last Night, TITB and TOP

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