The Evil That Men Do


506.  The Evil That Men Do
Written by:  Andrew J. Horne & Katherine Tomlinson
Directed by:  Roy Dupuis
Transcript by: Christine

 
CENTRE
 
We see a large holo-monitor that is showing shots of various locations that Mr. Jones and Nikita are monitoring.  They are seated in the same bare office that Mick used to use when he was portraying Mr. Jones.  Now the real Mr. Jones sits behind the desk.  Nikita sits on the other side, with arms crossed, wearing a brown two-piece outfit with a beige silk turtleneck top.
 
MR. JONES:  What about the grid back trace?
 
NIKITA:  Nothing so far.
 
MR. JONES:  If we don’t find the mole soon, Section will cease to be effective.  And, what ceases to be effective, ceases to exist.
 
He deactivates the holo-screen.
 
MR. JONES:  So… we still have Operations, Quinn, O'Brien, Walter.  Is there anyone else we’ve overlooked?
 
NIKITA:  Me.
 
MR. JONES:  No.  You were cleared before you were allowed to find me.  Anyone else?
 
NIKITA:  (shakes head)  No.
 
MR. JONES:  Really.  Hmm.  Veytoss doesn’t agree.
 
NIKITA:  Veytoss?
 
MR. JONES:  It’s a rather unusual computer program we now have, which makes strikingly accurate predictions.
 
NIKITA:  Predicted the mole?
 
MR. JONES:  Yes.  Lately it’s led to a surprising conclusion as to his identity.
 
He pauses for effect.
 
MR. JONES:  Michael Samuelle.
 
NIKITA:  Well, Michael died in an abeyance mission.
 
MR. JONES:  Yes.  Anyone actually see him die?
 
NIKITA:  No.
 
MR. JONES:  Well, perhaps he escaped.
 
Nikita pretends to consider this for a moment.
 
NIKITA:  It’s quite possible.
 
Mr. Jones is watching her closely, but Nikita maintains a poker face, then after a few moments she swings to get out of her chair.
 
NIKITA:  I’m due in Section.
 
MR. JONES:  Stay!
 
NIKITA:  Zagreb mission preps this morning.
 
MR. JONES:  I’ve postponed it…
 
Nikita sits back in her chair.
 
MR. JONES:  … til this afternoon.  I really am concerned about Michael Samuelle.  I want you to take charge.  Personally.  If you find him alive, eliminate him.
 
Nikita meets his gaze calmly, and nods.


 
COMM
 
Quinn sits at her workstation when Operations walks quickly to her.
 
OPERATIONS:  Zagreb was pushed back four hours!
 
QUINN:  I know.
 
OPERATIONS:  I didn’t authorize that!
 
QUINN:  The Directive came from Centre.
 
OPERATIONS:  So Jones is setting our board now?
 
QUINN:  In this case apparently so.
 
OPERATIONS:  Send Nikita to the Perch.  We’ll have to reassign personnel.
 
He walks off.
 
QUINN:  Nikita’s in Centre.
 
Operations stops and turns back to face Quinn.
 
QUINN:  At the request of Mr. Jones.
 
OPERATIONS:  She should be here prepping for Zagreb!  How am I supposed to maintain chain of command if she doesn’t have to obey my orders!
 
QUINN:  What would you like me to do?
 
He thinks about this for a moment, then smiles.
 
OPERATIONS:  Nothing.  I’ll handle it myself.
 
He walks off.


 
WAR ROOM
 
We see the conference table, its seven chairs empty as behind it Operations paces impatiently.  Operatives walk up and take their places: Walter, Quinn, Mentz and another operative.  As they sit, Operations activates the holo-screen.
 
OPERATIONS:  A Serbian substation intercepted a communiqué originating from the Collective.  It referenced their near-term strike array.  This is their headquarters for Quexxar Industries, the Collective’s tech front for Eastern region activities.
 
He changes the screen, which shows a spinning grid of the building.
 
OPERATIONS:  The array is stored in a stand-alone hard drive on the third floor.
 
Just then Nikita walks up, in the same brown outfit but with a long white coat on.  Operations looks at her, Walter over his shoulder at the sound of her boot heels approaching.
 
NIKITA:  I’m sorry I’m late.
 
She goes to sit down.  Quinn eyes her with a sideways glance, while Operations watches her with distaste, but proceeds as though they hadn’t been interrupted by her arrival.
 
OPERATIONS:  Retrieving the array will set the Collective back six weeks at least.  Nikita will lead.  You leave in one hour.
 
Everyone but Nikita stands and leaves.
 
NIKITA:  I was detained at Centre.
 
OPERATIONS: (condescending)  So I understand.  Would you like the mission postponed further so you can get up to speed?
 
Nikita stands.
 
NIKITA:  I’ll study the panel in transit.
 
OPERATIONS: (still condescending)  You’re sure?
 
Nikita just stares at him w/out humor.
 
NIKITA:  Yes.
 
Operations merely nods, then watches her, as walks off.


 
QUEXXLAR INDUSTRIES
 
We see two guards patrolling the inside of the plant.  Suddenly one guard is shot and falls.  The second guard turns to look back, and sees Nikita and Mentz round a corner.  Nikita takes out the second guard.
 
In Comm, Quinn monitors their progress.
 
QUINN:  You’re clear.
 
Mentz grabs the second guard who was shot, by the back of the collar and drags his body along, as Nikita leads the way.  They come to an elevator that has palm print security.  Mentz and another operative hold up the guard, touching his lifeless hand to the security panel, and the elevators open.  They enter the elevator, dragging the dead guard inside with them.
 
At the third floor, they exit the elevator.  Mentz and the second operative stand guard, while Nikita goes over to a row of large hard drives.  She places a disk in a ROM-drive and begins downloading intel from the computer.
 
NIKITA:  Downloading in progress.
 
In Comm, Quinn follows the download and the security.
 
QUINN:  All quiet.
 
The download completes, and Nikita speaks to Mentz and the second operative.
 
NIKITA:  Start Egress.
 
Immediately, Mentz and the other op walk out a nearby door.  Nikita takes the disk out of the ROM-drive.
 
NIKITA:  I’m on my way.
 
QUINN:  Hostiles.  Switch to Egress Three.
 
Nikita frowns.
 
NIKITA:  Specify Egress Three.
 
There is no response.
 
NIKITA:  Quinn?
 
Nikita realizes that she is on her own.  She rushes out the same door, Mentz and the other op had used.  Alarms are sounding off through the building.  On the other side of the door, Nikita stops, looking about her.  When she tries to round a corner, she is fired at.  She quickly ducks back against the wall.
 
NIKITA:  Quinn?  Quinn!
 
Again, there is no response, however, we now see Operations standing in his loft, looking very smug.
 
Back in the plant, Nikita fires at a hostile, then runs off in a different direction.  She goes through another door, only to be met by several armed hostiles.  Firing as she runs, she dashes up a set of metal stairs.  Shots are fired at her from every direction, and she tries to return fire as she heads upward.  She moves further up different stair levels, being followed by hostiles.
 
Making it outside, she finds that the Section team is not there.  She is in the open now, and several hostiles are incoming.  Crouching as she runs, she fires at the hostiles, but more and more are arriving at the scene.  She ducks behind a concrete beam, reaching her arm out to level shots behind her.  She changes her clip.  The hostiles are nearby.  Peering from behind the beam, she manages to take out one of the hostiles.  She pulls out her panel to quickly find Section’s coordinates, takes another shot behind her, and then makes a mad dash forward, catapulting over a beam and crashing through some netting below.  She lands in the front of the building in relative safety, and dashes off.


 
SECTION
 
Still dressed in her mission clothes, Nikita stalks quickly into Section.  She is angry, and yanks off her cap, before stalking up to stand before Quinn, who sits at her workstation.
 
NIKITA:  You trying to kill me?
 
Quinn looks up at her with irritation.
 
QUINN:  What are you talking about?
 
Nikita is angry and in no mood for Quinn’s hedging.  She reaches out and angrily smacks Quinn’s keyboard off the desk.  Quinn stands up with affront.  Nikita eyes her with fury.
 
NIKITA:  There was no Egress Three on my panel.
 
QUINN:  It was a late addition.  Perhaps you missed it.
 
NIKITA:  Why didn’t you answer me when I asked for help?
 
QUINN:  I detected a tap on the frequency.  Describing the Egress would have endangered the whole team.
 
NIKITA:  You’re lying.
 
They stand there, staring each other down.  Nikita looks Quinn over, completely disgusted.
 
NIKITA:  I’m wasting my time talking to you.
 
She walks off, clearly furious.  Walter meets up with her and takes Nikita by the arm and leads her to a side hall.
 
WALTER:  Calm down.
 
Nikita yanks away from his grasp.
 
NIKITA:  I’ve been calm long enough.
 
She walks off.
 
WALTER:  Sugar…
 
Nikita only continues on her way to face Operations.


 
OPERATIONS' LOFT
 
Operations is facing away from the door when Nikita walks in.  He knows she is there, and doesn’t bother to face her.
 
OPERATIONS:  If you had been on time for the briefing, you wouldn’t have gotten confused.
 
NIKITA:  You’d have found another way.
 
He smiles, and faces her.
 
OPERATIONS:  You had the disk.  Killing you would have sabotaged the mission.
 
NIKITA:  I think you hate me enough to pay that price.
 
OPERATIONS:  That’s nonsense.
 
Nikita holds out her gun to him.
 
NIKITA:  If you want me dead, at least have the guts to do it face to face.
 
Operations laughs.
 
OPERATIONS:  If I thought you had the guts enough to give it to me loaded, I might be tempted.
 
Nikita suddenly levels the gun, and fires it right past his right ear.  The shot fires into the wall behind him.  Stunned, Operations jerks away, blinking rapidly.  Nikita again holds out the gun to him, and now he’s angry.
 
OPERATIONS:  This is intolerable.
 
NIKITA:  I couldn’t agree more.
 
OPERATIONS:  I’ll call Jones, demand an Article Three.  One of use lives; one of us dies!
 
Nikita holsters her gun in her leg holster.
 
NIKITA:  Just tell me when and where.
 
She walks out.  Operations walks over to his window, looking out over Section.  Quinn now walks in.  She leans against the counter.
 
QUINN:  I hope this isn’t premature.
 
OPERATIONS:  I don’t think so.  It’s time Daddy found out some hard facts about his precious little girl.
 
They both turn to look out the loft window.


 
CENTRE
 
Operations and Nikita stand facing each other, about 8 feet apart.  Between them, a larger than life size holo-screen of Mr. Jones is activated.  Operations stands with his hands in his pockets.  Nikita stands with hands at her sides, wearing a black leather, turtleneck dress and black boots.  Her hair is slicked back.
 
OPERATIONS:  The contingency was on the panels.
 
NIKITA:  Not mine.
 
MR. JONES:  Why was a contingency required?
 
OPERATIONS:  We detected a security anomaly.
 
MR. JONES:  Is it on the tapes?
 
OPERATIONS:  Masked, because lately the Collective knows our protocols as well as we do.
 
NIKITA:  Are you blaming the mole?
 
OPERATIONS:  Yes, and I know who the mole is.  Michael Samuelle.
 
MR. JONES:  Samuelle is supposed to be dead.
 
OPERATIONS:  No, because now the Collective is using a number of his maneuvers that he specialized in.  He survived abeyance and changed sides.  I’m sure of it.
 
MR. JONES:  Yes, I had already come to that conclusion.
 
OPERATIONS:  A step ahead as usual, except perhaps for this:  Do you know how he survived?
 
Operations looks through the holo-screen directly at Nikita as he speaks.
 
OPERATIONS:  Nikita helped him escape.
 
Mr. Jones looks at Nikita.  Though Operations and Nikita are not standing side by side, Mr. Jones can see both of them, as the screen has no back, but is a holo-screen.
 
MR. JONES:  Nikita, is this true?
 
Nikita pauses a moment.
 
NIKITA:  Yes, it is.
 
Mr. Jones pauses for a moment before speaking.
 
MR. JONES:  Paul, return to Section.  Change all protocols above three.
 
OPERATIONS:  That process is already underway.
 
MR. JONES:  Good.  Synchronize their tracking systems personally.
 
OPERATIONS:  And Nikita?
 
MR. JONES:  You have your orders.  Just carry them out.
 
Displeased, Operations glares at Nikita through the holo-screen, but ultimately walks off to do as he’s been ordered.  Nikita remains rooted.  Mr. Jones looks at her hard, and then the screen deactivates, leaving Nikita alone in the room.


 
COLLECTIVE HEADQUARTERS
 
The two Collective leaders are in their command area.  The red head, Graff, stands looking at wall monitors, while the black colleague, sits at the laptop.  An incoming beeps sounds, and the black colleague slides his chair over to a second laptop.
 
BLACK MAN:  Graff.
 
Graff looks over to him.
 
BLACK MAN:  Look.
 
Graff walks over, arms crossed, and peers over his colleague’s shoulder.
 
GRAFF:  Activate subchannel three.
 
BLACK MAN:  From Michael?
 
GRAFF:  Who else?
 
BLACK MAN:  He usually employs subchannel seven.
 
GRAFF:  Well, this time he’s using three.  Activate.
 
The black colleague does so, and the monitor shows Section intel.  The black man smiles.
 
GRAFF:  Have the entire cell maintain readiness.


 
CENTRE
 
Nikita still stands in the empty room.  Mr. Jones enters.  She turns to face him.
 
MR. JONES:  It would have been better if you’d told me about Michael yourself.
 
NIKITA:  I couldn’t.
 
MR. JONES:  No, I suppose not.  Well, I could have overlooked it, but the others won’t.
 
NIKITA:  The others?
 
MR. JONES:  Nikita, I’m the head of Centre.  I’m not a king!  I have colleagues that have to be informed.
 
Nikita is surprised by this and just nods.  Mr. Jones begins pacing around her, stopping at her side to talk at her ear.
 
MR. JONES:  Michael Samuelle will be hunted down.  And as for you… well, we’ll have to see, won’t we?
 
He walks a few steps away, talking out his cell phone to notify his colleagues about Michael.  Nikita sees this.
 
NIKITA: (quietly) Michael’s not the mole.
 
Mr. Jones stops dialing, turning to her.  Her back is to him.
 
MR. JONES:  But, you don’t deny that he’s alive?
 
NIKITA:  I don’t even deny that he’s been helping the Collective.  The question is…
 
Now she turns to face Mr. Jones.
 
NIKITA:  … why?
 
MR. JONES:  All right, why?
 
NIKITA:  To learn as much as he can about them and use it to buy his way back into Section.
 
MR. JONES:  You mean to come back to you.
 
NIKITA:  Michael has a son Adam.  Only Section knows where Adam is.
 
MR. JONES:  All right.  Suppose I agree… what do you suggest I do?
 
NIKITA:  Wait.
 
MR. JONES:  I can’t wait!  We are losing, Nikita.  We are losing very, very badly!  Two failures for every success.
 
NIKITA:  When the time is right, he will come back.  It will be worth the wait.
 
MR. JONES:  Do you know what you’re asking me to do?
 
NIKITA:  No more than you’ve asked me.
 
He ponders this a moment, before closing the mouthpiece of his cell phone, and terminating the call.


 
COLLECTIVE HEADQUARTERS
 
We see the laptop monitor, which shows a grid of the globe and in the center, coordinates that are being forwarded to the Collective.
 
BLACK MAN:  It’s all here.
 
GRAFF:  Michael’s back online.
 
BLACK MAN:  What is it?  An address?
 
GRAFF:  No.  The first two could be two sets of coordinates.
 
BLACK MAN:  And what’s the third set mean?
 
Graff thinks about this a moment.
 
GRAFF:  Altitude.


 
INSIDE JET
 
We see a jet flying.  Inside, Operations sits alone in a chair, a laptop before him.
 
OPERATIONS:  Quinn?
 
QUINN:  Yes?
 
OPERATIONS:  Set a briefing for all substation heads and route all communications to red lights only.
 
At the Collective headquarters, the two leaders are following the jet’s movements on their laptop.
 
BLACK MAN:  We have contact.
 
GRAFF:  What batteries to we have in range?
 
BLACK MAN:  Gobac is the closest.
 
GRAFF:  All right, notify the commander, transmit target data and go hot in 30 seconds.
 
Inside the jet, Operations is beeped.
 
PILOT:  Sir?
 
OPERATIONS:  What is it?  I’m working.
 
PILOT:  Sir, we’ve been painted.
 
OPERATIONS:  Status?
 
PILOT:  Evasive techniques employed.
 
Operations frowns, and looks to the side as if to sense what kind of danger they are in.
 
OPERATIONS:  Are we still painted?
 
Just then a missile is fired at the plane.  The force of it grazing the plane, knocks the plane sideways, so that the laptop and Operations fall to the floor.  Operations scrambles up to another seat, holding onto it for support.
 
OPERATIONS:  Quinn!  Can you hear me?
 
In Comm, Quinn listens in.
 
QUINN:  I hear you.  What’s wrong?
 
Operations has now got into another chair and is quickly strapping himself in, while the plane flies erratically, as the pilot tries to gain control of the aircraft.
 
OPERATIONS:  I need a remote diagnostic now.
 
QUINN:  I have you on my screen.  I have you stabilizing.
 
OPERATIONS:  The diagnostic!
 
QUINN:  I’m calling it up.
 
OPERATIONS:  Hurry!
 
The plane continues to jerk and shutter with the force of it losing altitude.  Operations is in full adrenaline mode, impatiently waiting for the intel for Quinn.
 
QUINN:  There’s a pattern shift, we’ll have to wait.
 
OPERATIONS:  There’s no time.  Override.
 
QUINN:  I did!  It won’t be long.
 
OPERATIONS:  Sinclair, status.
 
PILOT:  There’s damage to the rudder.
 
OPERATIONS:  Will it fly?
 
PILOT:  She’ll fly as long as…
 
Just then beeping inside the cockpit is heard.
 
OPERATIONS:  Sinclair!
 
PILOT:  We’re painted again.
 
OPERATIONS:  The diagnostic, Quinn!
 
QUINN:  Just came online.  Collective controls an installation in Gobac.  Suggest heading zero-five-five.
 
OPERATIONS:  Sinclair, do you copy?
 
There is no response from the pilot.
 
OPERATIONS:  Sinclair!
 
We see an exterior shot of the jet barreling through the sky, then it being grazed by another missile.  This time the jet sustains irreparable damage.  As the plane goes into a dive, Operations calls for the pilot, even as he reaches to a set of buttons built into the wall beside him, trying to push them but having difficulty as the plane is jerking wildly with the force of its loss of control.  Operations holds the armrests for dear life, his body slammed back into his seat, in which he has harnessed himself.  He fights losing consciousness, rousing himself to reach over to the buttons beside him again.  Finally he hits the correct sequence, which counts down.  As the plane goes into an irreversible spiral, Operations is ejected out of the plane to safety.
 
In Comm, Quinn very patiently listens and waits for word.  Hearing nothing, she taps at her keys.
 
QUINN:  Paul?  Are you all right?
 
There is no response.  Now she seems alarmed, hitting her keys rapidly.
 
QUINN:  Paul!  Are you all right!
 
Again, no response.  She slams at her keyboard with frustration.


 
CENTRE
 
A holo-screen shows a map.  Nikita stands on one side of the screen; Mr. Jones on the other.  He uses his cane as a pointer.
 
MR. JONES:  The plane exploded here.  12,000 ft.  Operations got out in time, his transponder is working and shows signs of movement.
 
NIKITA:  I’ll contact Section, send a team immediately.
 
Nikita reaches out to deactivate the screen.
 
MR. JONES:  Well, it won’t be as simple as that.
 
She stops, and looks up to him.  He steps forward and deactivates the screen himself.
 
MR. JONES:  Present indications show that the … um… Collective is responsible.  Or, he went down in the territory, which means of course they’ll get to him first.
 
He sits down heavily.
 
NIKITA:  They don’t know his transponder frequency.
 
MR. JONES:  Unless of course Michael gives it to them.
 
NIKITA:  He won’t.
 
MR. JONES:  You do realize, don’t you, that if they capture Paul alive, this is the end of Section.
 
Nikita looks at him a moment.
 
NIKITA:  That won’t happen.  Trust me.
 
He returns her stare.
 
NIKITA:  I’ll gather a team.
 
MR. JONES:  Go.
 
She immediately starts walking toward the door.
 
MR. JONES:  Nikita?
 
She stops and turns back to him.
 
MR. JONES:  Just remember, for what it’s worth, that you’re not only carrying your own future in your hands.  Do remember that.
 
She says nothing, just looks at him as if to convey she understands, then walks out.


 
COLLECTIVE REGION
 
In a heavily wooded area, we see the black Collective man and other Collective men at the plane’s crash site.  There is debris everywhere, which they are sifting through.  The black man reports to headquarters.
 
BLACK MAN:  We found the body of the plane.  Only one corpse.  The pilot.
 
GRAFF:  Satellite intel suggests the man they call Operations ejected before the explosion.  And I want him alive!
 
BLACK MAN:  So ask your friend, Michael, for the transponder frequency.
 
GRAFF:  Establish a search pattern, and I’ll get in touch with you soon.
 
We next see Operations making his way through the woods.  His jacket is torn and he looks worse for wear.  He moves at a quick pace through the area, finally coming a clearing.  He sees a log house and heads for it.
 
Entering the front door, he makes his way inside the log home.  It is a humble interior, though it is lived in.  As he enters a room, the sound of a gun cocking is heard, and Operations steps back, holding up his hands.  We see inside the room, a young boy, approximately 12 years old, hold a rifle up.  Beside the boy is a table, on which sets a loaf of bread on a cutting board and a pitcher and cup.
 
OPERATIONS:  Don’t shoot.  I need help.  Are your parents around?
 
BOY:  It’s Market Day.
 
Operations nods and slowly lowers his hands.
 
OPERATIONS:  I’ve had an accident.  I need food and water.
 
He steps a little bit closer.
 
OPERATIONS:  I’ll pay you.
 
BOY:  With what?
 
OPERATIONS:  I have money in my wallet.
 
BOY:  Paper?
 
OPERATIONS:  Yes.
 
BOY:  No.
 
Operations steps even closer, smiling slightly to calm the boy, who continues to level the rifle at him.
 
OPERATIONS:  A watch.
 
He removes his watch, holding it up to the boy.
 
OPERATIONS:  Very special.  It’s a Rolex.
 
The boy only stares with alert distrust.
 
OPERATIONS:  You ever heard of Rolex?
 
The boy shakes his head.
 
Operations moves to hand it to the boy, but the boy stops him, jerking the rifle.
 
BOY:  Leave it on the table.
 
Slowly, Operations sets the watch on the table under the boy’s careful watch.  Now Operations reaches for the bread, holding it up and breaking it in two.


 
RETRIEVAL MISSION
 
Nikita and other operatives are in a Section Suburban, en route to retrieve Operations.
 
NIKITA:  Closing in.  I estimate 20 minutes.  Can you describe the target?
 
MR. JONES:  (voice)  It looks like a small farm house in a clearing.
 
We see Mr. Jones in Centre watching a holo-screen as he speaks.
 
MR. JONES:  But, we are too late.  Scan shows another team 15 kilometers ahead of you.  Almost certain to be the Collective.
 
NIKITA:  Operations will have to hold them off.
 
MR. JONES:  He’ll have a pistol at most.
 
We see the Collective men approach the farmhouse.  The black man reports to Graff, who is back at Collective headquarters.
 
BLACK MAN:  He’s in a cabin eight kilometers from town.
 
GRAFF:  Approach quietly.  Don’t give him a chance to kill himself.
 
The men advance on the house.  Inside, the little boy sits in a chair, admiring the Rolex, when the men burst in.  The boy stands and tries to reach for his rifle, but he is stopped by the black man and shoved back into the chair.  The boy is frightened.  Using a tracking device, the black man walks throughout the house, trying to pinpoint the transponder location.  It stops at the boy, as the transponder is inside the watch.  The black man grabs the boy’s wrist.
 
BLACK MAN:  Where did you get this?
 
BOY:  A man came here.  He bought bread.
 
BLACK MAN:  Graff?
 
GRAFF:  (voice)  Do you have Operations?
 
BLACK MAN:  If he’s a twelve-year-old boy, yes.  Otherwise, we have his watch.
 
GRAFF:  (voice)  I’ll ask Michael for the rescue protocol.  You’ve got to move more quickly.
 
We next see a small red car driving down a remote road.  A front tire blows out, forcing the car to stop.  Operations gets out of the car.  He looks disheveled.  As he loosens his tie, we see the command key about his neck on a chain.  He rounds the side of the car, and encounters a passerby.  He aims his gun at the man.
 
PASSERBY:  What’s going on?
 
OPERATIONS:  Go on!  Get out of here!  Run!!!
 
The man immediately runs off in the opposite direction.
 
Opening the gas tank, Operations removes a small item from the command key, and attaches it to the tank.  He then stands back, aims and fires at the tank.  The car erupts into flames.
 
Back in Comm, Quinn has tracked Operations through the item he pulled out of the command key.
 
QUINN:  Nikita, I have a flare.  I’m downloading the coordinates to you.
 
NIKITA:  (unintelligible)
 
QUINN:  4600 Angstroms.  That means (unintelligible) on protocol five
 
NIKITA:  I’ll just do it.
 
From Centre, Mr. Jones also monitors.
 
MR. JONES:  Nikita.  If we know, so does the Collective.  It’s a trap.
 
NIKITA:  I don’t think so.
 
MR. JONES:  Well, don’t tell me you still believe Michael.  He gave them the transponder frequency.
 
NIKITA:  He knew Operations would abandon the watch.  He won’t give the latest protocol.
 
MR. JONES:  Nikita.
 
NIKITA:  I’m proceeding.
 
MR. JONES:  Nikita!
 
Back at Collective headquarters, a man monitors the laptop.
 
MAN:  Incoming message.  Subchannel seven.
 
Graff hurries over to the screen, which flashes the pick up point for Operations.
 
GRAFF:  That’s excellent.  That is excellent.


 
PICK UP POINT
 
The Section Suburban moves rapidly across an open, muddy field, which is adjacent to a wooded area.  They come to a stop, and Nikita leads three operatives into the trees, her tracker beeping as they close in on Operations’ location.
 
NIKITA:  We’re on mark.
 
Just then Operations walks up to them, having been in the trees.  He and Nikita trade bland looks.
 
OPERATIONS:  Let’s go.
 
As they file off, heading back toward the truck, the Collective men close in on them.  Nikita and Operations take cover together behind a pile of fallen trees, while the other three operatives scatter for cover.  The two groups exchange fire, but the Collective has the advantage.  One of the Collective men circles to where Operations and Nikita are crouched.  Operations takes him out.   The other Collective men start advancing on them.  Operations sees there is no way to make it back to the truck alive.
 
OPERATIONS:  Protocol eight.  There’s no other choice.
 
Nikita reaches to the holster on her pants and pulls out what looks like a joystick with a spiked bottom and rams it into the ground.  She presses a button, and as she does so, she speaks to the other three operatives.
 
NIKITA:  Cover.
 
As the operatives cover them, Operations and Nikita run from the area.  The Section ops and the Collective men exchange gunfire, while Operations and Nikita make it out of the woods and back to the truck.  Nikita gets into the driver’s side, Operations the passenger’s.  They are both out of breath.  As Nikita peels away, we see that the Section operatives, as well as the Collective men are dead, not due to gunfire, but due something that emitted from the joystick unit.
 
Only the black man from the Collective is alive, bleeding from the nose.


 
CENTRE
 
Mr. Jones sits in his office at the white table when Nikita arrives.  She’s wearing a black coat and gloves.  He doesn’t look at her.
 
MR. JONES:  How is Paul?
 
NIKITA:  Resting.  He’ll be fine.
 
Now he turns his head to look at her.
 
MR. JONES:  Michael Samuelle gave them the location.
 
NIKITA:  Too late to be any good.
 
MR. JONES:  Three of my operatives are dead!
 
NIKITA:  Operations is alive.  Michael’s walking a fine line.  He has to maintain credibility.
 
MR. JONES:  You really have faith in your power over him, don’t you?  How much power does he have over you?
 
She doesn’t respond.


 
COMM
 
Quinn sits at her desk working, when Jasmine walks up behind her and taps her shoulder.  Quinn turns.
 
JASMINE:  Operations wants to see you.
 
QUINN:  I thought he was in the Tower.
 
JASMINE:  He’s back.  All rested up and he wants to see you right now.
 
Quinn thinks about this a moment.
 
We next see Quinn pass before the White Room.  The door is open and she looks in.  The chair is empty, but Operations waits for her inside the room.  He walks over to stand next to the chair, placing a hand on it.
 
OPERATIONS:  Sit down.
 
She slowly moves forward and sits in the chair.  Operations reaches out and touches her hair, causing her to look over to him.
 
QUINN:  What is this about?
 
OPERATIONS:  I think you know.
 
He paces to the other side of her.
 
QUINN:  No.  I don’t.
 
OPERATIONS:  The diagnostic when I was on the plane took 40 seconds.  Last night I called it up a hundred times.  It never took more than 10 seconds.  It got me to thinking, so I had the Tower swept.  Found this.
 
He holds up a small, square see-through case that holds the contact lens she planted previously.  She looks at it, then looks away.
 
OPERATIONS:  You planted it the first night we spent together.
 
He leans down, getting in her face, but she keeps her gaze down.
 
OPERATIONS:  You’re the mole.  Let’s make it easy and tell me what you told the Collective.  If I think you’re telling me the truth, I’ll let you end it quickly.  Otherwise, you’re going to be sitting in this chair a long time.
 
She looks ready to throw up.
 
OPERATIONS: (yelling) Well?
 
She glances to him, but before she can say anything, footsteps sound at the door.  Mr. Jones appears.
 
OPERATIONS:  Phillip.  Just in time.  It turns out Quinn is the mole.
 
MR. JONES:  You’re wrong.
 
Operations walks over to Mr. Jones, holding up the case with the lens in it.
 
OPERATIONS:  Here’s the bug she put in the Tower.
 
MR. JONES:  Yes.  I told her to put it there.  She doesn’t work for the Collective, Paul.  She works for me.
 
Operations cannot believe this.  He looks back to Quinn, who cannot look him in the eyes.  Operations starts putting two and two together.  He looks back to Mr. Jones.
 
OPERATIONS:  Then you gave them the location of the plane, and you ordered Quinn to delay the diagnostic.
 
MR. JONES:  That’s right.
 
Operations laughs.
 
OPERATIONS:  You rescued me because you couldn’t afford to have the Collective take me alive.
 
MR. JONES:  Now that you’re back, of course that’s a different matter.
 
Operations says nothing, but it is clear that he is furious.


 
SECTION MAIN AREA
 
We see Nikita walking down a hall in Section, making her way toward the main, open area where Mr. Jones sits in his wheel chair, while five feet away stands Operations.  She walks up to them, facing Operations.  Mr. Jones stands, looking at Nikita.
 
MR. JONES:  You were right about the mission in Zagreb.  He tried to get you killed.
 
Nikita looks at Operations.
 
OPERATIONS:  He’s preparing you for Oversight and Centre, something I worked for all my life.
 
MR. JONES:  Paul, you are not qualified.
 
OPERATIONS:  And she is?!
 
NIKITA:  I don’t want it.
 
Mr. Jones continues to look at Operations.
 
MR. JONES:  They are waiting for you in Containment.
 
Operations steps away to go to Containment.
 
NIKITA:  Wait.
 
He keeps walking.
 
NIKITA:  If you want to live, wait.
 
He stops, and both he and Mr. Jones look to her, waiting to hear what she’ll say next.  Operations walks back over to Nikita.
 
NIKITA:  We’ve suffered enough losses lately.  There’s no point in killing each other.
 
MR. JONES: (warning) If he lives, you’ll never be safe again.
 
Nikita now looks over to Operations.
 
NIKITA:  If I die for any reason, kill him.  That takes away his incentive.  Meanwhile, we have the benefit of his experience and skill.
 
Mr. Jones looks impressed.  He looks over to Operations, like he’s just given Operations great news.
 
MR. JONES:  Congratulations.  It appears you’re alive again.
 
Operations only laughs and smiles broadly.
 
OPERATIONS: (unimpressed) She doesn’t have what it takes.
 
He looks from Nikita to Mr. Jones.
 
OPERATIONS:  This proves it.
 
Now he walks off, free to leave alive.
 
NIKITA:  He’s right.  I don’t have what it takes.
 
MR. JONES:  Oh, I think you probably do.  And, Veytross agrees.
 
NIKITA:  The big computer in the sky.
 
MR. JONES:  (laughs)  Yes.
 
He begins pacing, leaning heavily on his cane as he does so.  Nikita remains where she has been standing.
 
MR. JONES:  Yes, it predicted a time of chaos, Section falling apart, faced by a powerful new enemy.  It also predicted, for want of a better word…
 
He stops pacing and looks to her.
 
MR. JONES:  … a savior.  Someone extraordinary, who would put everything right.
 
NIKITA:  I’m no savior, and you’re mad to have such faith in a computer.
 
MR. JONES:  The Romans had their entrails, medieval monks had their scriptures, we have our computers, and every age lives and dies by its sacred totems.
 
He has now moved back to stand next to Nikita.  She looks over to him.
 
MR. JONES:  So, why shouldn’t we?  Anyway… I think you’ve forgotten that I have been watching you for seven years.  And, I’m sure you are what we need.
 
NIKITA: (soberly) I don’t want the job.
 
MR. JONES:  Oh, I know.
 
He looks at her very soberly.
 
MR. JONES:  Neither did I.
 
Nikita looks ready to cry, and casts her glance downward.  Her father watches her a moment, then leans forward and kisses her on the cheek.  She looks to him, surprised by this gesture.  He begins walking away, and she turns to watch him leave.
 
When he is gone, she turns forward again, her face full of emotion.  She touches the place where he kissed her.
 
(In the background a song plays whose words speaks of someone wants to be free to fly and just live a simple life and have friends.)


 
COLLECTIVE HEADQUARTERS
 
Graff and the black colleague sit together at a table, their chairs positioned so the face each other.  The area is deserted except for the two of them.
 
GRAFF:  Why would Michael help us shoot down Operations’ plane, then fail to help us capture him?
 
BLACK MAN:  Maybe Michael didn’t help us shoot down the plane.  The plane’s location came in on channel three, remember?  He uses seven.
 
GRAFF:  Yes, but he gave us the transponder frequencies.  He gave us the rescue site.
 
BLACK MAN:  Too little, too late.  That’s the game he’s playing.  He’s setting us up.
 
GRAFF:  (nods)  Yeah, that’s a possibility.  What we need is leverage.  There was an interesting rumor about Michael several years ago.  That he had a son.
 
We next see Adam playing stickball with other children, then hear the snaps of a camera as someone takes pictures of Adam.  We zero in on Adam, who is smiling, then very quickly, Adam’s image fades away.
 
The End.
 



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