A Girl Who Wasn't There

502.  A Girl Who Wasn't There
Written by: Lawrence Hertzog
Directed by: Rene Bonniere
Transcript by: Christine
 

MUNITIONS
 
Walter is in Munitions unpacking his gear and getting back to normal, when Nikita walks up, wearing a black, long-sleeved two piece dress with a long tear-drop cut out in the front.

WALTER:  Hello, Sugar
 
NIKITA:  Back in the groove?
 
WALTER:  Yeah.  Getting there.  What’s up?

NIKITA:  I have a question.  I want the truth.

He nods.

WALTER:  All right.  You got it.

NIKITA:  You know I was framed for a crime I didn’t commit and brought into Section.  Do you know why?

WALTER:  No, I don’t.

NIKITA:  Do you know a way I can find out?

WALTER:  So this is why you talked me into coming back here?

He presents her his profile, as though he’s disappointed.

NIKITA:  Of course not.  I just didn’t know where else to turn.

He turns back to face her.

WALTER:  If they’d wanted you to know, they’d have told you.  So take it from a friend just… forget it and move on from here.

NIKITA:  I can’t.

WALTER:  But you’re in cozy with Mr. Jones now.  You’ve got a little freedom.  Why mess around?

NIKITA:  They brought me back into Section and I can feel the walls closing in on me.  I need to find out why, and if you are my friend, you’ll help me.

Walter opens his mouth to protest, then thinks better of it, and instead after some hemming and hawing, goes around the table to stand next to her.  He lifts his foot, and pulls out a small disk from the heel of his shoe.

WALTER:  It’s a search program.  Birkoff wrote it.  Gets you into places you’re not supposed to go.  He gave it to me for emergencies.  I… I guess this qualifies.

He hands her the disk.

WALTER:  Just know… you take it; you may be starting down a road that won’t come back.

Nikita only regards him blandly, and slips the slim disk beneath her top.

NIKITA:  Thank you.

She walks off, and Walter kind of grimaces, then shakes his head as if wondering if he’s done the right thing.

UNAUTHORIZED AREA
 
Nikita walks into the unauthorized area where files are stored.  She now wears a black top and bell-bottomed slacks.  She inserts the disk into a drive and waits as it loads, looking around as she does.

The file reads: <NIKITA CENTER PERSONNEL FILE, ACCESS LEVEL 12 >.

She presses the keys to do a search.  The monitor reads: <FIREWALL>.

Tapping more keys, the monitor changes to <FIREWALL, CIRCUMVENTED>, then <FLAVIUS, LEVEL 12>, followed by <NIKITA, FEMALE, <( , M)>.

Nikita tries to search further, but encounters another firewall, followed by LEVEL 12 + 2 CHILDREN + NIKITA.

She tries to do a back-trace, but comes up empty-handed.  Quickly, she removes the disk and heads out.

NIKITA’S OFFICE

Nikita is in what appears to be her office within Section, talking to Walter.

NIKITA:  I used that search program you gave me.  Partial access, fragmented data.  I did get as far as Level 12.

Walter is surprised by this.
 
WALTER:  Level 12!  Birkoff really was good.

NIKITA:  Do you know of a man with a code name Flavius?

WALTER:  Nope.

Walter starts pacing, and Nikita follows after him.

NIKITA:  Could be my father.  I saw it very clearly on the screen.  Code name Flavius.  Two kids.  One named Nikita, the other with the initial ‘M’.  Both names had a symbol in front of them.

She draws twin imaginary parenthesis-type symbols with her fingers on an adjacent table.

NIKITA:  Like that.

WALTER:  Symbols are a part of the cryptology base.  Designed to stop unwanted intrusions.  Take a hint!

She places her right hand on his upper right chest area, then moves behind him real close, resting her chin on his left shoulder.  Walter closes his eyes, knowing she isn’t going to stop.

NIKITA:  You can find out what it means, can’t you?

WALTER:  No!

He tries to walk away from her from her, but she increases the pressure on his chest and holds him there, tilting her chin on his shoulder side to side, all the while staring at him earnestly, as she wears down his resolve.  Walter sighs with defeat.

WALTER:  I’ll try.

With that promise, she lets him go.  He exits the room.

SYSTEMS

Operations stands before a deactivated holo-screen table, briefing O'Brien, Quinn, and Nikita.

OPERATIONS: We’ve gathered enough intel to confirm that the conference in Bakul was bogus.

QUINN:  Some of those who died in the explosion were impostors.  Made convincing by means of plastic surgery or latex masks.
 
O’BRIEN:  Nonessential personnel were sacrificed.

NIKITA:  So we can assume the major players were attending a genuine conference elsewhere.

O’BRIEN:  But where?

QUINN:  We’re working on it.  We do know we are up against a new enemy.  A coalition of the remains of organizations we’ve defeated in the past.  The coalition calls itself “The Collective”.

OPERATIONS:  That’s an analysis of what happened; I need a forecast of what will happen.

QUINN:  Judging from their skill at setting up the conference, The Collective has a proficiency level at least as high as any we’ve ever faced.

OPERATIONS:  Obviously.

Operations is clearly angery.  Quinn hesitates a moment before responding.

QUINN:  Sims indicate an imminent wave of attacks against civilian targets as well as military in the west.

OPERATIONS: (angry) I don’t need sims to tell me that!  This is too general.  I need specifics.  When?  Where?  Sequence?  Priority?  Methods?

QUINN: (testy) We are working on it.

OPERATIONS: (yelling) I’m getting very tired of that phrase!  If Madeline were alive this wouldn’t be happening.

Everyone is uncomfortable in the face of his displeasure.

OPERATIONS:  That’s all.

He yanks off his glasses and pockets them.  O'Brien and Nikita move off, leaving Operations and Quinn.  When Operations moves to also depart, Quinn stops him.

QUINN:  I know this is a difficult time.  I just want you to know… if there is something I can do that I’m not doing, you just have to tell me.  I’ll do anything to help.

OPERATIONS:  (icy) Do you have a way of bringing back the dead?

Quinn doesn’t have an answer, and Operations walks off.

UNDISCLOSED SECTION LOCATION

Nikita walks down a set of stairs, moving to where Jasmine stands working at a computer.

JASMINE:  Can I ask you a question?

Nikita pauses, her hands clasped behind her back, indicating she may.

JASMINE:  Is it true you spied on Section for Centre?

NIKITA:  Yes, it is.

Having answered, Nikita begins to continue on her way.

JASMINE:  Thank God.  I was worried it was just a rumor.

Nikita stops.

JASMINE:  So why hasn’t Operations had you stuffed and mounted by now?

NIKITA:  Not for lack of trying.

She steps over to Jasmine’s side.

NIKITA:  He wouldn’t like what I’m about to do right now either.

JASMINE:  What are you doing right now?

NIKITA:  Offering you a life.  It’s a pilot program I’ve been thinking about for some time.

JASMINE:  And they are letting you do this?

NIKITA:  A reward for doing Centre’s dirty work.  I want to loosen this place up a little.  Less surveillance.  More down time.  Monthly limit on Class A Missions.

JASMINE:  Why me?

NIKITA:  Because I think you can handle it.

JASMINE:  Handle it?  Are you joking?  It’ll be fantastic!

NIKITA:  No, it won’t.  When you are on duty, you’ll be under a microscope.  After six months, you’ll be a nervous wreck.  But, if you pull if off….

JASMINE:  … it’ll open up things not just for me, but for everyone in Section.

NIKITA:  That’s right.  What do you say?

JASMINE:  Thanks.

Jasmine turns back to her computer to work.  Nikita regards her for a moment, before walking off.

WAR ROOM
 
Nikita, Walter, O'Brien, Quinn and another operative sit at the conference table.  Operations paces before them, activating the holo-screen.  We see a woman’s image.

OPERATIONS:  This is Vera Mason.  Formerly of Glass Curtain, she now handles financial affairs for The Collective.  At first we thought she died at the conference, but satellite tags indicate she is alive and well and on the move.

QUINN:  She’s boarding a plane in Argentina at 1400 hours.  She arrives in Verdan at midnight local time.
 
OPERATIONS:  Mason’s our best chance to find out about the real conference.  When, where, and who attended.  We need her alive.  We also need a 12-hour window before The Collective realizes she’s been taken.

He glares at them, still angry at their incompetence of past missions.

OPERATIONS:  (biting) If we can manage it.

QUINN:  We’ll manage it.

OPERATIONS:  We’ll see.

He walks off.

MISSION
 
Vera Mason sits inside a posh hotel room working on a laptop, guarded by two guards.  A knock sounds at the door, causing Mason to look up, and her guard to reach for his gun.

MASON:  Who is it?

MALE VOICE:  Room service.

The second guard reaches for his gun, while the first goes to open the door.  O'Brien, dressed as a hotel kitchen employee, enters, pushing a cart of covered dishes.  He smiles politely and pretends to remove one of the lids.  Instead, he whips up a stun unit and holds it up to the first guard, disabling him immediately.  From beneath the covered cart, Nikita rolls out and shoots the second guard.  Vera Mason doesn’t bother to react, but merely stands and surrenders.  O’Brien holds up a round recording unit up to her neck.

O’BRIEN:  Say something.

MASON:  Go to Hell.

The unit records her words and voice pitch.

O’BRIEN:  That will do.

As he tosses the recording to Nikita, he then tranqs Mason in the neck, dropping her.  Nikita picks up the phone, holding the voice-recording unit to the mouthpiece.  When she speaks, she sounds like Vera Mason.

NIKITA:  This is Vera Mason, Room 223.  I ordered room service, but I’m feeling very tired and I’d like you to cancel it for me please.

MALE VOICE:  Of course, Miss Mason.
 
MASON:  And, I don’t want to be disturbed for the next 12 hours for any reason whatsoever.  Is that clear?

MALE VOICE:  Yes Ma’am.

NIKITA:  Good day.

O’Brien opens the doors to wheel the cart back out.  They have stowed Vera Mason beneath the cart, hidden by the draping table cloth, and Nikita notices that Mason’s hand is sticking out.  She tucks Mason’s hand beneath the cloth, and they wheel the cart out.

OPERATIONS' LOFT

Operations is in his loft, when Quinn breezes in.

QUINN:  O’Brien and Nikita are on their way back in with Mason.  They’ll be here by three o’clock.

OPERATIONS:  And the twelve-hour window?

QUINN:  Acquired.

She looks to the side a moment, sighing heavily, obviously wanting to add something.

OPERATIONS:  What is it?

QUINN:  There’s someone waiting to see you in Lab Four.

OPERATIONS:  Who?

QUINN:   No name was given, but it seems to be urgent.

OPERATIONS:  Bring him in.

QUINN:  I’m afraid that’s impossible.  You’ll have to go there.

OPERATIONS:  What is this?  A game?

QUINN:  It’s no game.

Quinn immediately walks out.

OPERATIONS:  Quinn…

But she doesn’t return.  Operation pauses a moment, thinking about this, then withdraws his gun from inside his jacket and cocks it.

LAB FOUR

Quinn leads the way at a rapid pace toward the lab, Operations following.  She goes to a monitor and types at the keyboard, while Operations paces.  He comes to a stop, and his face registers an incredulous expression.  We see that standing before him is Madeline, dressed in a prim black suit and her hair pulled back into a tight bun.  She looks at Operations.

MADELINE:  Hello, Paul.

We now see that Madeline is a full-size simulation, and Operations circles it, with a delighted grin on his face.

QUINN:  Madeline’s psychological and analytical profiles were extensively documented.  It was a question of merging them with Birkoff’s artificial intelligence program.

OPERATIONS:  (smiling) She seems so real.

QUINN: The technology is a step beyond the holographic.  It incorporates atmospheric stimulation, which means she has mobility within a limited range.

Operations continues to circle Madeline, who has somewhat robotic movements, and no emotional content.  He passes by Madeline and her holo-image becomes distorted.

QUINN:  You crossed one of the beams.  I can mount the modules on the ceiling.  That won’t happen again.  And, I’ll network her program, so she can be present anywhere in Section.
 
OPERATIONS:  Madeline, can you…  can you see and hear me?

MADELINE:  I don’t process data the way a human brain does, but for all practical purposes, yes.

QUINN:  There’s also an element of galvanic resistance, meaning she’s tactile, at least to a degree.

Madeline reaches out to Operations and he takes up her hand, caressing the back of her fingers with his thumb.

OPERATIONS:  (pleased)  It’s remarkable.  I assume the program works whether you are here or not.

QUINN:  Of course.

OPERATIONS:  You can leave.

Quinn nods and departs, leaving Operations and Madeline alone.

OPERATIONS:  Your files.  You prepared them yourself, didn’t you?  In case I ever needed you?

MADELINE:  There was always the chance that something might happen to me.

OPERATIONS:  (teary)  I’ve missed you, Madeline.

She has no emotional component to her, and she quickly moves on.  Operations blinks back disappointment.

MADELINE:  Quinn downloaded the latest status files into my program.  It seems we are facing a crisis.

OPERATIONS:  (getting back on course) Uh, yes… um… A coalition… uh... called The Collective.  We’ve just secured a prisoner, Vera Mason.

MADELINE:  I’ve received her file already.  She seems very firmly grounded in reality.

OPERATIONS: (smiles) The hardest type to break.

MADELINE:  Fortunately, we have a new weapon.

NIKITA’S OFFICE

Nikita reclines in a chair, her black boots propped on a table.  Jasmine enters wearing a long black coat and leather purse.  Nikita checks her out.

NIKITA:  Sharp.

JASMINE:  I just stopped by to check in.

NIKITA:  There’s a tentative mission set in 18 hours.  You need to be back and rested.

JASMINE:  Yeah, I saw it on my panel.

NIKITA:  This probably goes without saying but… just because you are not under direct surveillance doesn’t mean you are free.

Nikita stands and walks over to Jasmine.

JASMINE:  Of course not.

NIKITA:  If you bolt, they’ll find you, sooner or later.  Probably sooner.  Take it from me.

JASMINE:  I’m just gonna… do a little shopping, walk by the lake, have dinner.  That’s it.  I’ll see you at the briefing in 18 hours, okay?

NIKITA:  Have fun.

Jasmine leaves, and Nikita smiles at the prospect of her pet project.

SECTION HALLWAY
 
Nikita exits an elevator, where she encounters Walter outside the Interrogation Room.  He looks dazed.

NIKITA:  Hey Walter, have you had lunch?

WALTER:  Huh?

NIKITA:  Have you had lunch?

WALTER:  I’m not hungry.

He’s clearly bothered about something.

NIKITA:  Something’s wrong?

WALTER:  The interrogation room…  Just… just… look.

Nikita looks through a window and stills.  Inside is Madeline interrogating Vera Mason.  She glances over to Walter, who heads off down the hallway.  Nikita seems to ponder this occurrence a moment, before following after Walter.

INTERROGATION ROOM

Madeline stands to the left of Vera Mason, who is restrained in the chair, looking spent and bearing the slashes beneath her eyes.

MADELINE:  We are interested in a conference that was held during the last week.  It was sponsored by Red Cell.

MASON:  Who’s Red Cell?  Why not kill me now and save us both a lot of time.  You won’t get anything out of me.

MADELINE:  So many people in that chair have said that, yet we have 100,000 hard drives full of data.  You expect more pain, you will of course receive it, but it’s your mind we’re interested in capturing, not your body.

MASON:  My mind belongs to me.

MADELINE:  Does it?

Madeline now stands on the right side of Mason, who glances irritably at Madeline.

MADELINE:  The truth is we already have a good part of your mind now.  It won’t be long before we get the rest.
 
Suddenly Madeline grabs Mason’s left arm, and we can now see that this Madeline can move at will without actually moving, like a ghost.  Mason gasps, looking down where Madeline has a hard grip on her.  Suddenly, she cries out, because Madeline is now on her right side grabbing Mason’s face.  She is completely spooked.

OPERATIONS' LOFT

We see the loft from the outside.  The windows are dark.

OPERATIONS:  You are as brilliant as ever.  I never thought we’d break her so quickly.

MADELINE:  The opportunity to combine physical pain with psychological stress was fortuitous.

OPERATIONS:  The real conference was in Istanbul five days ago.  Not too many surprises among the attendees.  Do you think it’s worth sending a recon team?

MADELINE:  Yes, I do.

OPERATIONS:  So do I.  It’s been prelimmed.  I’ll make it a go.

He stares at her with pleasure, but she merely regards him with no emotion.

OPERATIONS:  It’s so good having you back here.  I’m beginning to feel like my old self again.

Madeline looks away, uninterested and unaffected by his words and feelings.

OPERATIONS:  Let me ask you something.  Does your program include memories?

MADELINE:  Of course.  The database was very complete.

OPERATIONS:  Do you remember the Ukraine when we first met?

MADELINE:  Yes.

OPERATIONS:  And our nights in the Tower?

MADELINE:  Yes.

OPERATIONS:  And it’s all just…. part of your database?

MADELINE:  Paul, I’m not flesh and blood.

OPERATIONS:  (smiling) Some said you never were, but I knew better.

MADELINE:  That entity is dead.  I do what I am programmed to do.

COMM

Quinn is at work on her laptop, when Operations approaches.

QUINN:  Beta team’s in the van.  We need your preliminary report by 1300.

OPERATIONS:  Have a minute?

QUINN:  Of course.

OPERATIONS:  Madeline’s program is subject to alterations?

QUINN:  Certainly.  Is there a problem?

OPERATIONS:  Not at all.  Her performance is excellent.

QUINN:  But?

OPERATIONS:  I need to feel comfortable in our personal interactions, like I did before.

QUINN:  Of course.

OPERATIONS:  See, Madeline’s always been detached, but now she seems distant, almost cold.  Is there anyway you can make her…

QUINN:  … a little more human.

OPERATIONS:  Yes.

QUINN:  And a… a little more feminine?

OPERATIONS:  Exactly.

QUINN:  I’ll try.

OPERATIONS:  Good.  How long will it take?

QUINN:  Not long at all.

OPERATIONS:  Good.

He walks off, and she gets to work.

MUNITIONS

Nikita saunters into Munitions, where Walter is looking at something through a magnifying glass.

NIKITA:  So that favor?  The symbol?

WALTER:  I’m working on it, hon. Nothing so far.

NIKITA:  You wouldn’t be lying to me for my own good, now would you?

WALTER:  (measured) I-am-working-on-it.

NIKITA:  You know where Operations is?

WALTER:  Up in the Perch.

NIKITA:  Uh huh.  He should have been in Systems an hour ago.  Two profiles have been proofed.

They look toward his loft, and see the windows are dark.

WALTER:  I’m sure he’s aware of that, but that perch is dark, and I wouldn’t go up there if I were you.

As Nikita heads in that direction, Walter watches with open-mouthed.

A sensual song is playing.  The lyrics are:

“Wish I knew why I’m so in love with you.
No one else in this world will do.
Darling, please save your love for me.

Run away.
If I were wise, I’d run away.
But like a fool in love I stay.
And pray you’ll save your love for me.”

As Nikita approaches while this song is playing, she slows her step, becoming more and more curious the closer she gets.  She peers into the loft, where she spies Operations slow-dancing with Madeline.  Madeline no longer has a severe look.  She now has her hair down in soft curls and a black, low neck, well-cut dress on.  Nikita pulls back, seeing them dancing.  Then, as though she can’t believe what she has just seen, she leans forward again to get another look.  Madeline wears a softer look, though she appears unaffected by the moment, while Operations clearly cherishes the moment.  Nikita pulls back again, then leaves.

WAR ROOM

O’Brien, Nikita, Walter, and Quinn sit at the conference table.  With hands clasped before him, Operations paces behind them.

OPERATIONS:  Isn’t Jasmine on this team?

NIKITA:  She’ll be here.

We see Madeline standing at the other side of the table, still looking soft.  Operations joins her.

MADELINE:  Should we wait, or proceed with the briefing?

Nobody responds.

OPERATIONS:  Nikita, Madeline asked you a question.

NIKITA:  That’s a computer simulation, not Madeline.

OPERATIONS:  Answer her.

It’s a battle of wills in progress, with Madeline demurely waiting for a response.  Just then, Jasmine arrives and quickly takes a chair at the table.

JASMINE:  I’m sorry.

She looks down; she knows she’s in trouble, and beside her, Nikita is displeased.  Operations activates the holo-screen.  We see alternating views of a large structure.

OPERATIONS:  This is an abandoned warehouse located in the outskirts of Istanbul.  While the decoy conference was taking place at Domatov’s estate, the Collective held the real meeting here.

QUINN:  There are five points of access.  The most tactically secure is underground through the utility corridors.  The objective is a complete bio-sweep, supplemented by a Level 2…

O’BRIEN: (interrupting) Their conference was held a week ago.  The Collective only used this place that one time.  What’s a bio-sweep gonna tell us that we don’t already know?

MADELINE:  Who was there.  Who was at the head of the table.  Which organization was most heavily represented.  Who changed seats during the meeting, suggesting a pattern of shifting alliances.

NIKITA:  Does the Collective realize that we now know that Domatov’s summit was a decoy?

MADELINE:  Are you talking to me?

Nikita refuses to acknowledge Madeline.

NIKITA:  I’m concerned about the possibility of a trap.

Now she looks over at Madeline.

MADELINE:  Indications are that the Collective thinks that we are still deceived, but we have to move quickly.

NIKITA:  I don’t like it.

O’BRIEN:  Neither do I.

Madeline looks over to Operations for a decision.  He sides with Madeline.

OPERATIONS:  The profile stands.  You’ll leave in an hour.

One by one, they rise and leave.  Madeline is pleased to have gotten her way.  She looks over to Operations, smiling.

MADELINE:  Thank you, Paul.

Operations inclines his head in acknowledgment.

MUNITIONS

Walter is showing something to Jasmine, when Nikita walks in, passing close by Jasmine.

NIKITA:  Where were you?

Nikita continues walking further into Munitions, and Jasmine follows.

JASMINE:  I got caught in traffic.

NIKITA:  Traffic?

JASMINE:  Yeah, it happens.  I’m only human.

NIKITA:  (angry) No.

She stops and turns to face Jasmine.

NIKITA:  You’re a Section operative.  Traffic doesn’t cut it!

JASMINE:  What was I supposed to do?  Hijack the bus?

NIKITA:  If necessary.

Jasmine looks away with disbelief.

NIKITA:  I picked the wrong person.  I’m gonna find someone else.

Nikita begins walking off.

JASMINE:  Nikita, wait.

Nikita stops, keeping her back to Jasmine.

JASMINE:  I’m sorry.  This is new to me, too.  You… you gotta cut me some slack.

Nikita faces her.

NIKITA:  I told you before, there is no slack.

JASMINE:  It won’t happen again.

NIKITA:  This mission has to be flawless.  Do you understand?

JASMINE:  I understand.

Nikita regards her for a moment, before moving off.

ISTANBUL

It is daylight.  O'Brien, Nikita and several Section operatives are outside dressed as utility workers, as they prepare to enter the building where the Collective held their real meeting.  O'Brien lowers into a manhole opening.  Nikita reports their progress to Quinn in Comm.

NIKITA:  First team on mark.  Proceeding to B point.

QUINN:  Proceed to B mark.  Hold and confirm.

Nikita passes down a large case into the manhole, while in Section we see that Operations stands in the loft monitoring.

We see Nikita, O'Brien, Mentz and other operatives are now inside a building.

NIKITA:  We have access.

They enter an open, bare area where only a conference table and chairs sit.

NIKITA:  Begin the sweep.

Jasmine opens up a case, takes out a scanner, which she throws to Mentz.  He activates it, and along with the other ops who have their own scanners, they begin doing a sweep of the room, ultimately closing in on the table.  Nikita does not have a scanner.  Her glasses are equipped with a special sensory system, allowing her to see with x-ray-like vision.  As she glances beneath the table where Jasmine is scanning, Nikita spies laser-type wiring not visible to the naked eye.

NIKITA:  Jasmine.  Halt.

Because Jasmine has a hold on one of the chairs, when Nikita stops her, Jasmine inadvertently moves the chair.  This triggers the wiring, and immediately trapdoors begin slamming shut around the room, followed by huge bursts of gas that explode from the wall.

NIKITA:  Abort!

While Quinn and Operations monitor from Section, O'Brien, Nikita, and the ops make a run for safety.  However, walls continue to slam shut all around the, cutting off retreat points.  Thinking quick, O'Brien shoves one of the large cases beneath a wall that is shutting down, halting it’s complete closure.

QUINN:  Status?

NIKITA:  We are moving out!  Sent the van to egress three.

One of the operatives succumbs to the gas.  Nikita moves to go assist him, but he cannot recover and O'Brien knows it.

O’BRIEN:  Forget it!  Come on.

Nikita takes one last look back at the dying op, but rushes out the opening before kicking the case out of the way and sealing off the area for good.

In Section, Operations knows that the mission has gone bad.

OPERATIONS:  What happened?

QUINN:  It was a trap.  The profile was flawed.

In the loft, Madeline stands with Operations.

MADELINE:  The profile was perfectly adequate.  The execution was flawed.

LAB FOUR

Operations and Madeline are back in Lab Four, talking.

MADELINE:  I have a double team working forensics.

OPERATIONS:  Were we in there long enough to collect anything worthwhile?

Unbeknownst to Operations and Madeline, Nikita approaches the area, but halts just outside the door, listening in.

MADELINE:  I think so.  We’ll have the answer shortly.

Operations doesn’t respond immediately.

MADELINE:  Is something troubling you?

OPERATIONS:  This was simmed as a cold target.

MADELINE:  With an error factor of 2% as the panels clearly indicated.  The teams should have been more alert.

OPERATIONS:  One operative dead, another inoperable.  Was it worth it?

MADELINE:  I believe it was.  These things are all about probabilities, Paul.  You know that.

OPERATIONS:  Where probabilities left off… that’s where you were at your best.

MADELINE:  Were?

OPERATIONS:  I’m sure you still are.  With the pressure we’re under lately from Centre, partial success may not be enough.

MADELINE:  We’ll turn it around.  Stay the course.

OPERATIONS:  All right.

Nikita has heard enough.  She decides to make her entrance now.  She walks up them.

NIKITA:  You wanted to see me?

OPERATIONS:  Yes.

NIKITA:  Whatever this discussion is, I’d prefer to have it alone.

MADELINE:  It’s all right, Paul.  Perhaps if you could route me to forensics, I can help with the analysis.

OPERATIONS:  All right.

Madeline’s manner is very pleasant, while Nikita has no use for this fake Madeline.  Operations goes over to a terminal and presses some keys.  Madeline disappears.  He then presses a comm button.

MALE OPERATIVE VOICE:  Yes, sir.

OPERATIONS:  Get me forensics.

FORENSICS VOICE:  Forensics.

OPERATIONS:  This is Operations.  Is Madeline there?

MADELINE VOICE:  I’m here now, Paul.

OPERATIONS:  Good.  Carry on.

He now regards Nikita, walking over to her.  It is clear they are at odds with each other, and proceed to blame each other for current failures.

OPERATIONS:  Your performance was unacceptable.

NIKITA:  So was the profile.

OPERATIONS:  Your protégé, Jasmine, should be disciplined for setting off the alarm.

NIKITA:  There wasn’t supposed to be an alarm.  We recovered intel, and we only lost one operative.  In the circumstances, it’s above standard.

OPERATIONS:  She came late to the briefing and under performed on the mission.  Your experiment already failed, and that’s exactly what I’m going to tell Mr. Jones.

NIKITA:  And while you’re at it…

She slowly advances toward him closer with each word she speaks.

NIKITA:  … let’s tell him that you are dating an inflatable computer program.

The intercom begins beeping, interrupting the heated exchange.  Operations goes over to the terminal, never taking his glare from Nikita.

OPERATIONS:  What is it?

MADELINE VOICE:  Paul, I think I found a connection to Kallah Mortz.

GREENHOUSE

We see workers within a greenhouse, then operatives, as they burst through the greenhouse doors.  O'Brien comes through last.

O’BRIEN:  Everybody down!

The stunned workers are quickly surrounded by the operatives at gunpoint.

LEAD MAN:  What’s going on?

O'Brien and Jasmine rush up to the man.  O'Brien puts a gun in the man’s face.

O’BRIEN:  Shut up!  Don’t move.

The frightened man nods, as O'Brien reports back to Section.

O'BRIEN:  We’re in place.

The other greenhouse workers are led out.

O'BRIEN:  We’re sweeping now.

The operatives scan various locations within the greenhouse, but come up empty.

O’BRIEN:  You know Kallah Mortz?

MAN: (nervous) Yeah, I… I catered his daughter’s wedding.

O’BRIEN:  You catered his daughter’s wedding?

The man groans from the pain of handing up his hands and relaxes them.

O'BRIEN:  Get your hands up.

MAN:  Please…

O’BRIEN:  Get your hands up.

As the man raises his hands, O'Brien notices that the man has urinated on himself.  O'Brien looks over to Jasmine, who can’t stem a smile.

O’BRIEN:  Either he’s a new brand of terrorist… or this really is a greenhouse.

They move away from the man, who is scared to death, his armpits are soaked with perspiration as he lowers his arms.

Operations and Madeline stand in Operations loft, awaiting word of the mission.

OPERATIONS:  Report.

O’BRIEN VOICE:  All right.

Back in the greenhouse, O'Brien is doing a sweep of his own, but coming up empty handed as well.

O’BRIEN:  Thermo, bio-scan… they’re all negative.

OPERATIONS:  What are you saying?

O’BRIEN:  There’s nothing here but flowers.

O'Brien  looks around the greenhouse.

O'BRIEN:  Do you want us to bring you some?

Operations gives Madeline a sideways look, but only says to O'Brien.

OPERATIONS:  Abort and return.

O'Brien and the other operatives clear out of the greenhouse.

OPERATIONS' LOFT

Madeline turns to Operations.  Her programming is obviously not up to standard.  She has now dispensed bad advice one time too many to judge from the greenhouse mission, where the real Madeline would not have made such a mistake.

MADELINE:  It was a worthwhile experiment, Paul.  It failed.

OPERATIONS:  It was my fault for telling Quinn to adjust the program.  I’ll have her negate the changes.

MADELINE:  I don’t think it would matter in the long run.  You know that.  What you are looking at isn’t Madeline.  It’s stimulated air molecules with a database of her history and experience.  But it isn’t her.  And it never can be.

Operations doesn’t want to hear this.

MADELINE:  Do you know why I killed myself?  I was afraid Mr. Jones might have listened to Nikita and spared me.  If he had, I’d have been relocated.  We would have been apart forever.

OPERATIONS:  Yes, that’s true.

MADELINE:  Neither one of us could have functioned satisfactorily alone, knowing the other was alive.  It would have been a constant distraction.

OPERATIONS: (sentimental) This place was at its best when it was both of us.

She disregards his sentimentality, and keeps to her course.

MADELINE:  But you’re the leader.  The one who makes final decisions, takes final responsibility.  And I can assure you, the real Madeline admired you tremendously.  And she… or I… was wrong to take my own life.  It robbed you of the chance to make the call.

Operations swallows visibly.

MADELINE:  You know the codes to my file.  You know what has to be done.  My database has to be annihilated permanently.  This time the decision has to be yours.

He closes his eyes and sighs heavily, looking away.  Knowing she speaks the truth, when he looks back at her, he gives a slight nod.  He steps over to his terminal and stands before the keyboard for a moment, reluctant to lose her forever, while she waits patiently, smiling a serene smile.  He punches in the codes, then folds his hands before him, and looks over to her.  She smiles.

MADELINE:  Goodbye, Paul.

His face is somber and his voice tight.

OPERATIONS:  Goodbye, Madeline.

He looks away from her, blinking back tears, then punches the final keys.  Her likeness begins to disintegrate beginning at her feet.  He watches through tears until the last, seeing her smiling face disappear.  When she is gone, he closes his eyes tightly and exhales a heavy breath.

COMM

Quinn is working at her laptop when Operations approaches her side.

OPERATIONS:  I’ve eliminated Madeline’s program.

QUINN:  Yes, I saw that on my panel.  I’m sorry it didn’t work out.

OPERATIONS:  Are you?

QUINN:  What do you mean?

He leans down at her left side and gets close to her to convey his meaning fully.

OPERATIONS:  When you were planning to resurrect Madeline, you must have studied her files very carefully.

QUINN:  Of course.

OPERATIONS:  The log indicates you also studied mine as well.

He stands up and walks to her right side.

QUINN:  It was important to understand how the two of you worked together.

OPERATIONS:  Then you must have realized that I would ask for certain changes.

QUINN:  I knew it was a possibility.

He moves back to the left side, again leaning down to get in her face.

OPERATIONS:  And those changes will lead to problems, which will lead to other changes and so on… until the whole experiment is stopped.

He switches back to her right side, heavily intimidating her, and getting in her face again.  She is very still under his censure.

OPERATIONS:  In other words, this can be seen as an effort on your part to make me forget Madeline.

QUINN:  I would never presume…

OPERATIONS:  (angry) Don’t patronize me.

He now stands and she is reluctant to anger him further, but speaks anyway.

QUINN:  Her memory was holding you back and blinding you to…

She takes one look at his angry expression and stops, looking down, then proceeds carefully.

QUINN:  … to other possibilities.

He hesitates only a moment before speaking again.

OPERATIONS:  I’m promoting you to Level 3, effective immediately.

With that he walks off quickly.  Quinn is very surprised, but also very pleased.

QUINN:  Thank you.

NIKITA’S OFFICE

Nikita is at a terminal when the interlocking doors open and Walter enters.  She looks over to him.

NIKITA:  You got something?

WALTER:  Yeah.

NIKITA:  The symbol?

WALTER:  It means you were brought into Section.

NIKITA:  That’s not exactly news.

WALTER:  You’re forgetting ‘M’.

NIKITA:  I have a sibling in Section?

WALTER:  Or had.

She thinks about this a moment.

NIKITA:  You don’t suppose Madeline was my sister, do you?

WALTER:  (snorts)  Not too likely.

Walter takes a seat, while he speculates with Nikita.

NIKITA:  Mick?

She ponders this briefly.

NIKITA:  But he’s under cover as Mr. Jones.  Unless his first initial started with ‘M’.

WALTER:  Mick didn’t change his first name when he went undercover.

They both are quiet a moment, as they think of other possibilities.

WALTER:  You know you might have to face up to the fact that…

NIKITA:  … Michael’s my brother?

Walter entertains this for a moment, but rejects it outright, shaking his head with disgust.

WALTER:  Oh no, forget it, forget it.

He stands to face her.

WALTER:  I did dig up something though.  When I was rooting around, I found an address.  Now, it’s like an ordinary street address.

NIKITA:  Who lives there?

WALTER:  File didn’t say.  You want it?

NIKITA:  Yeah, I want it.

Walter goes to her terminal, punches the keys and pulls up a map grid, while Nikita watches on.

NIKITA:  (sighs) Interesting.

HOUSE LOCATION

It is night, and we see Nikita in a tan full-length leather coat walking down a neighborhood street.  She rounds a corner, looking behind her, and pulling out her gun.  She stops before brick house, rushing up the porch and opening the front door.

Inside the living room, the lights are on and we see the fireplace mantle laden with knickknacks and candlesticks.  In the center of the mantle is a clock.  On either side of the clock are matching baby bronze shoes.  Nikita views with open mouth interest, briefly touching one of the shoes.

She moves away from the mantle, moving back toward the living room entrance, and continuing to glance around.  Suddenly a door slams shut and Nikita swings toward the sound, her gun drawn.  She spies a cased disk on the living room rug, and goes over to pick it up.  As she does so, she hears the sound of a motorcycle revving off.  She stands, glancing around.  She now hears a timing sound and looks down the hallway toward the sound.  It’s then that she spies the timer device counting down; it’s rigged on a kitchen table.  She hurls herself out the front door, just before a violent blast sends debris flying everywhere, and engulfs the house in flames.

From the safety of the street, Nikita stands in shock, breathing hard, watching the house aflame.

The End