Friend

#102 "Friend"
Written by: Naomi Janzen
Directed by: Guy Magar
Edited by: David B. Thompson
Transcript by: Christine

 

WHITE ROOM

We see two operatives carrying a struggling and screaming prisoner to the White Room.  Michael follows them.  In the room, they throw the prisoner to floor, and though his hands are tied, he manages to upright him and butt into one of the operatives, knocking him to the floor.  The prisoner then faces Michael and prepares to attack him, but Michael swings out a leg and kicks the prisoner in the face, knocking him to the floor.  The second operative drags the prisoner to a nearby chair and sets him in it.  Michael steps up to the seated prisoner.

MICHAEL:  Who do you work for?

The prisoner doesn’t respond.  Operations enters the room.  Michael glances back to Operations, then back to the prisoner to continue his questioning, buttoning his jacket.

MICHAEL:  Did you make the bomb, or just set it off?

The prisoner only looks at Michael.

MICHAEL:  Do you know how many people you killed tonight?

The prisoner glances to the floor.

MICHAEL:  I promise you, this will be the worst day of your life, but it doesn’t have to be the last.  Who do you work for?

PRISONER:  Jovan Mijovich will die.

MICHAEL:  How do you know Mijovich is coming?

PRISONER:  We know everything we need to know.

MICHAEL:  Who’s ‘we’?

Again, the prisoner doesn’t respond.  Michael glances to one of the operatives.

MICHAEL:  Whatever it takes.

The prisoner fishes inside his mouth with this tongue, then suddenly bites down hard onto something in his mouth.

OPERATIONS: What’s he doing?  Stop him!

MICHAEL:  No!

Michael reaches out and grabs the prisoner by the jaws, trying to force them open, as the man convulses violently on the chair and dies, his head lagging backward.  Michael turns to face Operations, who is glaring at him.

MICHAEL:  Cyanide capsule hidden in a tooth.

OPERATIONS:  Then we don’t have much time.  You work every contact you know.  Assemble a team.

Operations exits; Michael glances at the dead prisoner.

WAR ROOM

At the briefing table, Michael, Nikita, Birkoff, and other operatives sit as Operations briefs them.  The holographic screen shows an image of Mijovich.

OPERATIONS:  Jovan Mijovich.  He’s the key to peace in his corner of the world.  Mijovich has agreed to negotiate with opposing forces at a neutral site.  The Agency was in charge of security.  It’s been breached three times in the past two weeks.

MICHAEL:  By whom?

OPERATIONS:  We should find out from contacts soon.  Nikita, you’ll take the meet.  In the meantime, security has been transferred to us.  Mijovich arrives in 24 hours.

We see Michael sitting at the end of the table, but his image is fuzzy.  When it sharpens, we see that he is watching not Operations, but Nikita, very closely.  Nikita glances between Michael and Operations.  She appears to have an attitude.

OPERATIONS:  The man’s a brilliant politician, but he’s indiscreet.  He’s bragged about the negotiations rather carelessly and it will create considerable difficulties for security.

MUNITIONS

Walter holds a black boot in his hand.  Nikita sits on a chair, her socked foot resting on the worktable.

WALTER:  Now the tracker’s in the heel.  You activate it by kicking the back of your shoe.

He hits the boot heel and the tracker begins transmitting.  Next to Walter, Michael stands, holding the receiver.  It begins beeping.

WALTER:  Like that.

Michael nods at Walter.

WALTER:  All right.  Only transmit when necessary.  You want me to put it on for you, sugar?

NIKITA:  Just give it here, Walter.

She snatches out his hand and raises her leg to pull the boot on beneath Walter and Michael’s watch.  Michael’s cell phone rings.

MICHAEL:  Yes?  Okay.

Michael hangs up and looks at Nikita.

MICHAEL:  10 am.

Nikita stands, puts on her sunglasses, and brushes past Michael, clearly angry about something.  Michael turns and watches her stalk off.

CONTACT MEETING

A redheaded woman stands at a street vendor’s cart and buys a pretzel.  As she turns from the cart, she spies Nikita across the street, striding toward a bar.  Nikita steps into the bar, and the redhead, who seems to recognize her, rushes across the street to follow.

Inside the bar, Nikita sits at a table and orders coffee.  People mill about the bar, chatting; others play pool.  Nikita’s contact is playing pool.  He glances at Nikita, just as the redhead walks into the bar.  The contact, who seems agitated, takes the chair opposite Nikita, still holding the cue stick.

CONTACT:  You were supposed to be here four minutes ago.  When I give a time it’s because it has to be that time.  Understand?

NIKITA:  You got something, or not?

CONTACT:  Yeah.  Legion.

The redhead comes up to the table, smiling broadly.

REDHEAD:  Nikita?

CONTACT:  What the hell is this?

Nikita glances up at the redhead.

REDHEAD:  Hi… um… Julie Roark.  Remember?

The contact immediately stands and walks off, throwing Nikita an angry look before he exits the bar door.

JULIE:  I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to… to interrupt… something.

Ignoring her, Nikita stands to leave, fishing money out to pay for her coffee.

NIKITA:  Don’t worry about it.

Nikita walks off.

JULIE:  Well, listen.  Monroe Elementary, remember?  Fourth Grade… Mrs. Willette…

Nikita pauses.  She puts on her sunglasses.

JULIE:  She used to keep separating us.  We were best friends.

Julie rushes up to Nikita.

NIKITA:  I’m sorry.  You must be mistaken.

JULIE:  No, I don’t think so.

NIKITA:  No, I think you’re confusing me for someone else.

Nikita continues to the door.

JULIE:  Oh, hey, if you do happen to remember… I just work on the second floor across the street.

Nikita walks out the front door.

JULIE:  It was…  it was nice to see you!

A bar patron passes closely by Julie.  She looks around the bar nervously.

COMM

Birkoff sits at his station.  Behind him stand four operatives and Michael.  Nikita leans on a desk’s edge, wearing sunglasses.

BIRKOFF:  The Legion.  Well-funded, extremely well-connected.  Believed responsible for the World Games bombing.  Three airline crashes.  Fun group.  I took a list of the names from the Peace Talks and crossed them against a list of names for Legion detractors.

We see his monitor scroll through images and stop on Mijovich’s image.

MICHAEL:  Jovan Mijovich.

BIRKOFF:  He had two Legion members executed for trying to breach one of his offices.

MICHAEL: If Mijovich knew the Legion was so close to him, he’d break off the negotiations and head for home.  So, it’s up to us not to let him find out.  Understood?

The team nods and moves off.  Nikita tries to nonchalantly follow.

MICHAEL:  Nikita.

She stops and turns back to him.  Michael saunters over to her right side.

MICHAEL:  How was the meet?

He moves to stand before her.

NIKITA:  Fine.

MICHAEL:  No glitches?

NIKITA:  None.

She snorts and looks away.

NIKITA:  Unless you count the fact that the contact is a basket case.

Michael slowly reaches out and moves her sunglasses up to rest atop her head so he can see her eyes.  They exchange a momentary glance, before Nikita tries to continue nonchalantly.

NIKITA:  Oh and I ran into someone who said she knew me in grade school.  I didn’t recognize her.

MICHAEL:  But, she recognized you.

NIKITA:  I guess so.  Is that a problem?

She is trying to act as if the encounter meant nothing to her, but Michael is not buying it.  He doesn’t respond.

NIKITA:  Well, what was I supposed to do?

MICHAEL:  It’s okay.  We’ll take care of it.

NIKITA:  What do you mean?

He still doesn’t respond, but merely looks at her calmly.  Nikita slides her sunglasses back down and begins to walk off.

NIKITA:  Okay, whatever.

Michael watches her retreat, knowing there is more to what she told him.

BANK

A masked and armed person enters the bank building and rushes from office to office in search of someone.  Workers scream with panic and fright, running for safety.  Julie is in her office on the phone when the masked person enters and yanks her to her feet.  She screams for help as she is rushed out against her will.  In a hall prior to exiting, a suited man appears through a doorway and pulls a gun on the masked person and Julie.  He shoots at them, but they run outdoors into an alley, sprint across the alley lane, and take cover behind a parked car.  Julie continues to scream.  The armed man appears in an second story window of the bank building and fires at the masked person, who trades fire, and kills the man.  The masked person goes to Julie, who is slouched beside the parked vehicle.

JULIE:     Don’t hurt me!

The mask is removed, and we see that it is Nikita.

NIKITA:  I won’t.  Let’s get out of here.

JULIE:     Nikita!

NIKITA:  Come with me.  Now.

Sirens wail in the background, as Nikita and Julie run down the alley toward the busy street.

NIKITA'S APARTMENT

Julie sits, clutching a blue throw pillow to her chest and crying.  Nikita stands at her balcony doors on the lookout.  Thunder rolls in the sky.

JULIE:  What’s going on?  Why were you wearing a mask, and why were those people shooting at us?

NIKITA:  Shhhh!  Keep it down.

JULIE: (sobbing) I can’t.

Nikita rushes over to her and gets in her face.

NIKITA:  You can and you will, or I’ll do it for you.

JULIE:  Please… please just tell me what is going on.

NIKITA:  It may not feel like it right now, but I just saved your life.

JULIE:  Why would somebody want to kill me?  What did I do?

NIKITA:  Nothing.  You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

JULIE:  Then, I’ll… I’ll just go to the police.

She stands to do just that, but Nikita shoves her back down.

JULIE:  You can’t keep me here!

A knock raps at the front door.  Nikita’s head jerks up and she looks over to the door.  Yanking off her sweater, she turns to Julie, who has begun to panic and hyperventilate.  Nikita clamps a hand over her mouth.

NIKITA: (whispers) Do what I say if you want to stay alive.

Julie struggles to compose herself; Nikita wipes a tear from Julie’s face, then goes to answer the door.

We see Michael standing in the hallway before Nikita’s door.  He knocks again.  Nikita yells from inside, “Just a minute”.  Michael leans an arm against the doorjamb and passes a disturbed hand over his lips and forehead.  The door opens.

NIKITA:  Michael.

Without invitation, Michael pushes past Nikita into the apartment.

MICHAEL:  Where were you an hour ago?

She is taken aback by his rude entry, but closes the door.

NIKITA:  Come in.  I was shopping.  Why?

Michael steps up to the balcony doors and opens them, checking outside.

MICHAEL:  What did you buy?

NIKITA:  Nothing.  I couldn’t find anything I liked.  What’s going on?

He stalks toward her loft landing, picking up the blue throw pillow Julie had earlier been clutching; then tosses it aside.

MICHAEL:  We sent someone to pick up your friend.

NIKITA:  So?

MICHAEL:  Someone else got there first…

He stands before the landing, looking up into her bedroom.

MICHAEL:  … and took her away.

NIKITA:  You think that someone was me?

MICHAEL:  Who else would have done it?

Below the landing are doors to shelves situated behind the landing stairs.  He taps them, then crouches down to open them and look inside.

NIKITA:  Well, the contact I met at the pool hall this morning certainly seemed, uh, crazy enough.

Michael finds only shelves with folded items.  He closes the doors and stands before Nikita.

MICHAEL:  Mijovich’s plane lands in two hours.  I hope you’re telling the truth.  Otherwise, you’ll only end up hurting yourself…

He heads for the door.

MICHAEL:  … and your friend.

He exits, and Nikita waits a moment before going to open the doors Michael just closed.  She slides the shelves to the right, revealing Julie hiding in the secret compartment.

JULIE:  Who are you?

NIKITA:  You all right?

Julie gasps with fear.

Nikita stands at the kitchen counter pouring hot water into two teacups, then carries the cups to where Julie stands looking out the balcony doors crying.

NIKITA:  I can’t give details.  You’ll have to trust me.  You’re going to have to disappear.

Julie looks at Nikita incredulously.

JULIE:  Disappear?  Wh… What are you talking about?  Look… I’m, I’m, I’m, I’m not going to do anything until you tell me what’s going on!

NIKITA:  When you saw me in the pool hall, I was involved in something very dangerous.  No one was supposed to see.

JULIE:  I didn’t… I didn’t see anything.

NIKITA:  You saw me.

JULIE:  So who cares?

NIKITA:  I can’t tell you anymore.  Julie, we’ve got to get you out of the country.

Julie frowns at this news.

JULIE:  Out of the country?

She gasps and turns from the balcony doors, stepping down into the living room area and sitting on the couch.

JULIE:  What about my family?  What do I tell them?

NIKITA:  You don’t tell them anything.  You don’t tell anyone anything.

JULIE:  But, they’re going to think that I…

Her face is stricken as dawning surfaces in her head.

JULIE:  Oh, my God, I’m supposed to make my mother supper on Saturday night.   Oh my God.

Nikita passes a soft hand over Julie’s clasped hands in comfort, but Julie flinches away.

NIKITA:  I’ll protect you, I swear.

This time Nikita passes a comforting hand over Julie’s, and places a teacup in them.

AIRPORT

Mijovich’s jet taxis on the tarmac, which is surrounded by Section operatives.  Michael and Nikita wait side by side in the night.

MICHAEL: (via radio)  We’re in position.

The planes’ hatch opens, and Michael and Nikita approach as the stairs lower.  Mijovich steps out, looking about, until he spies Nikita.  He descends the stairs.

MIJOVICH:  Well, I had thought I would be too busy for pleasure, but, I think you have changed my mind.

Nikita ignores him and turns to lead him toward the nearby building.  He rushes up behind her, touching her arm then hair.

MIJOVICH:  Very nice, very beautiful hair.

Nikita glances irritably at him.

NIKITA:  Stop it.

MIJOVICH:  Yes, that’s much more interesting.

They enter the building, followed by Michael.  As Nikita walks ahead of him, Mijovich reaches out and touches her butt.  She whirls on him.

NIKITA:  I said ‘stop it’!

MIJOVICH:  Oh, we don’t need to take it so far, then it won’t be fun anymore.

NIKITA:  I’m part of the security team.

MIJOVICH:  What?

NIKITA:  Hands off!

She glances over to Michael, who wears an amused expression.  And, Mijovich doesn’t believer her.

MIJOVICH:  You?  Are a bodyguard?  Oh, sweetheart…

Laughing, he tries to touch her face, but Nikita lunges for him, shoving him against some windows and pinning his arm behind his back painfully.  He yells.

MIJOVICH:  Ow!  All right, all right, I believe you.

Nikita looks to gauge Michael’s reaction, but he only has a very slight smile.  She unhands Mijovich, who is gasping.

MIJOVICH:  Yes.

He clears his throat.  Nikita has proceeded down the hallway, and now Michael gestures to Mijovich to follow her.  Mijovich hurries to catch Nikita.

MIJOVICH:  My, uh, sincere apologies.

NIKITA:  Forget about it.  Sorry if I was a little rough.

MIJOVICH:  Oh, I don’t mind a little roughness now and again.  You must allow me to atone for offending you.  A dinner, perhaps?  I’ve always wanted to try sushi.

NIKITA:  (sarcastically) There’s a rumor going around that the real reason you’re here is to negotiate peace for your country.

MIJOVICH:  Yes, but does that mean I must ignore my natural human urges?  Speaking of which… the facilities on the plane were sadly lacking.

He runs into the men’s room to their right before she can stop him.

NIKITA:  You can’t; we’re on a tight…  schedule.

Nikita steps to wait before the bathroom door; and Michael takes a stand beside her.  Looking over at him, Nikita sees a red laser dot centered on his forehead.  She shoves him roughly to the ground, then dives to the opposite side.  A bullet hits the wall where Michael had been standing.  In the overhead air conditioning unit, a sniper begins firing, killing one of the Section operatives.  Nikita throws herself into a slide on her back, firing up into the unit, and killing the sniper.  In the adjacent air conditioning unit, another sniper hides and begins to shoot.  Michael takes him out.  Seeing no other snipers, Nikita stows her gun in her back waistband.  Another Section operative drags the dead operative out of the hallway.  As Mijovich exits the bathroom, Michael places his palm over the bullet holes in the wall to hide the past event.

MIJOVICH:  What is wrong?

Nikita takes him by the arm and leads him away.

NIKITA:  Nothing.  Ready to go?

MIJOVICH:  Oh, absolutely.  In fact, I would like to suggest that you be my personal bodyguard, no?

As they move off, Michael waits until they are out of earshot.  He speaks into his radio.

MICHAEL:  Remove the bodies.

NIKITA'S APARTMENT

Nikita enters her apartment just come from her mission.  She doesn’t see Julie and begins looking around for her.  The last place she checks in the hidden compartment under the landing, where she finds Julie sound asleep.  Nikita calls softly to her.

NIKITA:  Julie?  Julie?

Julie wakens with a start, crying out in alarm.

JULIE:  I’m sorry.  I must have fallen asleep.  I didn’t hear you come in.

Nikita shoves the shelf unit back to allow Julie to get out.

NIKITA:  You all right?  Watch your head.

Nikita goes to the refrigerator and take out two bottles, twisting the cap off one as she heads to the living room where Julie sits on a chair.  Nikita hands a bottle to her, then takes a chair diagonally from where Julie sits.

JULIE:  Thanks.  So what’s going to happen to me?

NIKITA:  You’ll need a new name, a new identity.

JULIE:  A new name?

NIKITA:  I can arrange that.  In a couple days, we’ll put you on a train.

JULIE:  To where?

Julie looks flabbergasted.

NIKITA:  Wherever you want.  Just can’t tell anyone.

JULIE:  Well, except for you, right?

NIKITA:  No, not even me.

This seems to panic Julie, and she tries to reason with Nikita.

JULIE:  Nikita, I don’t think I can live like that.  I mean, every moment of my life is gonna be a lie.

NIKITA:  You have to, and you will.

Nikita leans forward in her chair and looks Julie directly in the eyes, then stands and goes over to a trunk.  Julie follows her.

NIKITA:  Your name, how you look, the pieces of paper that you carry…

She begins pulling out various clothing accessories, such as scarves and boas and hats and wigs; tossing them to Julie.

NIKITA:  None of it matters, because nothing can change what’s inside here.

Nikita indicates Julie’s heart.

NIKITA:  Put it on.

Nikita stands behind Julie, as Julie looks in a mirror and tugs on a bright red, spiky wig.  They laugh at her reflection.

JULIE:  I don’t even look like myself.

NIKITA:  See?  There’s a lie…just don’t ever lie to yourself, and you’ll be okay.

They proceed to play dress up, trying on hats and sunglasses and scarves and clothes, striking up poses, and dancing to music.

NIKITA:  There’s one thing missing…  A tattoo!

JULIE:  No!

NIKITA:  Oh, come on.  Don’t worry, it’ll wash off.

Nikita takes a transfer and presses it to the back of Julie’s hand.

JULIE:  This just reminded me of the time when we slipped into your mom’s bathroom…

Nikita’s face sobers at the memory.

NIKITA:  … and stole her lipstick.

JULIE: (grimaces) She got mad at you.  Is it going to be all right, Nikita?  I mean really?

Nikita smiles reassuringly and nods.

NIKITA:  Really.

Julie looks at spot where the tattoo is, which we don’t see.

JULIE:  Oh, nice!

They hug and begin to dance again.

Later that night.

Julie is asleep in Nikita’s bed, while Nikita sits on the landing, leaning against the support post and keeping watch over her friend.  She reminisces about their childhood, remembering various times when they played together.  Nikita smiles over at Julie’s sleeping form, then sobers sadly as she thinks of the sacrifice Julie must make for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A loud crash outside jerks Nikita out of her reverie, and Julie jumps with fright.

NIKITA:  Shhh.

JULIE:  They’re coming for me.

NIKITA:  Stay here.

As Julie sits up, clutching the sheet to her chest nervously, Nikita takes up her gun and very cautiously moves toward the balcony doors.  She kneels low, pushing the curtain aside to peer outside, then pushes the door open.  It is windy out.  Nikita looks about the balcony, her eye catching an empty pizza box flying across the ground.  She goes toward it, thinking she has found the noise source, then leans against the balcony railing a moment.  Off guard and turning to go back inside, a man jumps her from overhead.  Nikita struggles wildly, while Julie listens and calls for her from inside the house with growing alarm.

When Nikita doesn’t return, Julie creeps off the bed and to the balcony.

JULIE:  Nikita?

There is no answer.  Julie looks about worriedly.

LEGION HEADQUARTERS

Nikita’s wrists are secured with an old seat belt, which is attached to a thick chain hanging from the concrete ceiling.  Her arms are over her head and her feet scraping the floor.  Water drips from the cracks in the ceiling onto Nikita.  Her midriff is bare and a young man presses large, wet sponges to her, which are hooked up to a current.  Her body convulses violently, and she cries out with each electric shock.  Another man stands before her questioning her.

INTERROGATOR: Where is Mijovich staying?

NIKITA: (shakes her head) I don’t know.

He prompts the other man to shock her again.  He does.

INTERROGATOR:  Well?

She is weak from the torture, and shakes her head, gasping from the pain.

NIKITA:  I don’t know.

NIKITA’S APARTMENT

Michael stands in the hallway outside Nikita’s door and slowly pushes the door open.  The interior is dark as he steps inside, looking around.  He sees the balcony doors wide open, swinging in the wind, and quickly strides toward them.  Finding nothing on the balcony, he reenters the house, heading to her bedroom, where he sees the dress up items scattered all over the floor.  He steps around them, checking in the bathroom, then the closets, but finds nothing.  He pauses, his face thoughtful as he tries to understand what has transpired and where Nikita might be.

LEGION HEADQUARTERS

Nikita continues to hang weakly from the chain.  She is choking and gasping from the pain and the cold water dripping on her.  She watches the interrogator, but won’t answer.

INTERROGATOR:  It’s in your power to end this.  You can be safe again, free of pain.

When she doesn’t respond, he prompts the other man to zap her some more.  As the young man goes to hold the shocks to her belly, Nikita flinches inwardly, away from the devices.

NIKITA:  Wait!  (whispers)  Wait… wait.

The interrogator turns his back to her a moment.  Summoning all her strength, Nikita lifts herself and kicks him in the back with her booted heel, activating her tracker.

NIKITA’S  APARTMENT

Having found nothing in the apartment, Michael readies to leave.  As he nears the door, the transmitter to the Nikita’s tracker begins beeping.  He pulls it out of his pocket, zeroing in on her location.  He closes the apartment door after him.

LEGION HEADQUARTERS

Nikita watches the interrogator with more strength in her eyes than her body can summon.  She is weak and tired from the torture.

INTERROGATOR:  You have the courage of a man.

She gives him a deadly look.

NIKITA:  How would you know?

INTERROGATOR:  Perhaps you think I’m the good cop, and he’s the bad cop.  We’re both the good cop.  In the next room is the bad cop.

NIKITA:  Bring him on.

A pair of booted steps approach.  The bad cop stands before Nikita, wearing aviator glasses.  It is Julie; much different from the friend Nikita thought she had.  This Julie is hard and ruthless.  We see a large red rose transfer tattoo on her hand.

NIKITA:  Julie?

JULIE:  Nikita, I’m upset with you.

She hold ups her hand and shows Nikita the rose tattoo.

JULIE:  You told me this would wash off.

Julie turns off the water supply.

JULIE:  I don’t want you to get me wrong, Nikita.  I really enjoyed our time together; I did.  It’s just there are more important things in life than playing dress up.  Like fighting for what you believe in.  But then, you know, you’re not in this because, uh, because  you have a cause, but because you have no choice, right?  Hey, you know, tell me, what do you believe in?

Nikita is crying.

NIKITA:  How did you…

JULIE:  What?  Get onto you in the first place?  Section One isn’t quite as invisible as it likes to think, and we’re very good at what we do.

NIKITA:  But, all those things you knew about me.

JULIE:  Actually, we probably know more about you than you know about yourself.  And the real Julie Roark was most helpful… before we disposed of her.

Nikita looks at Julie with murderous eyes and clenches her teeth with rage.  Julie steps up to Nikita and gets in her face.

JULIE:  Now you tell me what I want to know.  Look at me!

Julie lifts Nikita’s chin up with a finger.

JULIE:  You tell me what I want to know and you’re free.  You’ll live.  Where is Mijovich right now?

NIKITA:  You-go-to-hell!

JULIE:  Hmm.

Julie turns away as if to leave, then suddenly turns back and belts Nikita across the face hard.  Nikita’s head is thrown back from the force, and when she raises her head, her nose is bleeding.  But, she looks Julie in the eye with defiance, and Julie realizes that Nikita is not going to crack.  Julie turns to the interrogator.

JULIE:  She’s not going to tell us what we want to know; not in time anyway, so I’m going to do what I can.  Kill her.

Julie leaves, and the interrogator cocks his gun to shoot Nikita.  She kicks out, knocking the gun out of his hands.  They eye each other, trying to read each other’s next move.  The interrogator bends to retrieve the gun from the floor, and as he does, Nikita locks her legs around him tightly, crushing him as hard as she can.  The interrogator yells for the other man to come shoot Nikita.

The other man enters the room with gun drawn and takes aim, but the Nikita and the interrogator are jostling all over the place as they struggle against each other.  The shooter fires, and accidentally kills his partner.  Without the interrogator’s body to protect her, Nikita is hanging wide open to the shooter’s aim.  Just as he goes to shoot, Michael crashes down through an overhead window, shooting as he falls and killing the shooter.

As Michael stands, Nikita looks to him with a tremulous smile on her teary face.  He moves to her, stowing his gun in his jacket, then lifts her up holding her from behind her legs, so she can unhook her wrist bonds from the overhead hook.  Gently, he lower her back down and her arms latch about his neck.  He holds her a moment, looking at her with concern, then unfastening her cuffs.

NIKITA:  I thought she was my friend.

MICHAEL:  The Legion kidnapped her.  They must have been onto our contact from the start.

Knowing this isn’t the truth, Nikita starts to protest, but Michael takes her face in his hands, and makes her look and listen to him, as he gives her the “story” to tell Section.

MICHAEL:  They followed him to the café, saw the three of you together.  They grabbed her first.  Then, when they realized their mistake, they came after you.

NIKITA:  No.

MICHAEL:  Yes.  I’ll notify Section.  When they debrief you; that’s the story you’ll tell.

He stokes her face gently, but Nikita is confused.

NIKITA:  Michael, why are you doing this?

MICHAEL:  Mijovich leaves in an hour.

He wraps an arm about her and helps her walk out, flinging the chain away as they exit.

AIRPORT

A limousine drives along the tarmac sandwiched between two cars, one in front, the other behind.  Near the waiting jet, the vehicles stop.  Michael exits the limousine, holding the door open for Mijovich to step out.  Nikita approaches them from the rear car and joins Mijovich.  The area is heavily guarded.

MIJOVICH:  The peace talks are concluded before our own negotiations had a chance to get started.  What a pity.

NIKITA:  Cheer up, if war breaks out, you get to come back.

MIJOVICH:  Oh, I don’t suppose either one of us would want that to happen.

NIKITA:  I’ll drink to that.

They stand at the foot of the plane steps.

MIJOVICH:  Well, then, come with me.

Nikita smiles at his charm.

MIJOVICH:  I told them to have champagne on the plane this time.

Obviously she is not going to get on the plane with him.

MIJOVICH:  Well, perhaps I will come back one day.  Just to have sushi with you.

He walks up the steps.  At the top, he looks to Nikita, pursing his lips in a kiss, then enters the plane.  Nikita turns away and begins walking side by side with Michael.  As they walk next to the slowly taxiing plane, they turn circles to get views on all sides.

NIKITA:  I can feel her.  She’s here.

Nikita stops walking, spinning to look around her.  In the distance she watches the windows of the nearby building, her eye catching a set of blinds as they are swiftly drawn up, followed by the window opening.  Nikita immediately begins running in the direction of the building, pulling out her gun as she runs, then ascends several flights of fire escape stairs.  The door is locked, so she shoots the lock off, rushing inside.

Rounding a corner, she spies Julie at the window, a bazooka resting on her shoulder and aimed at the taxiing plane outside.

NIKITA:  Don’t even think about it.

Julie looks over at Nikita as if she were a pesky fly, then turns back to concentrating on the plane she means to explode.  Nikita shoots, hitting the bazooka, and knocking it out of her hands.  It falls to the floor.  Julie is enraged by the interruption, and looks at Nikita with rage, yanking off her gloves angrily.  Nikita calmly faces Julie, her gun aimed at Julie.

JULIE: (challenging & yelling) Come on!  Pull the trigger, Nikita.

NIKITA:  The world would be a safer place if I did.

JULIE:  Then, do it.  I’m not going to spend the rest of my life rotting away in some prison cell.

NIKITA:  Who are you?

JULIE: (yells) DO IT!

Nikita lowers her gun.

NIKITA:  What’s your name?

Julie is distracted, looking to the window, but not able to carry through her plan.

JULIE:  You want to know who I am?

She picks up the bazooka and holds it in her arms.

JULIE:  This… This is who I am.

The women hold a look, each trying to gauge the next move.  Julie’s finger inches toward the trigger, but Nikita shoots first, firing at Julie twice and knocking her to the ground.  Nikita walks over to where Julie lies gasping for breath.  She dies.  Nikita reaches down and closes Julie’s lifeless eyes, then heads back outside in time to see Mijovich’s plane safely take off.

OPERATIONS’ LOFT

Operations perches on the side of his long table, while Michael stands with arms crossed looking down into the Main Area below.

OPERATIONS:  She continues to break Section code, and yet she manages to succeed.

MICHAEL:  What code did she break?

OPERATIONS:  Please, Michael.  You’ve been here long enough.  Information is what we do here.  If you don’t think that I know every detail of every operation…  Why didn’t you find Julie the first time you went to Nikita’s apartment?

MICHAEL:  I looked everywhere.

OPERATIONS:  One would think you didn’t want to find her.

MICHAEL:  That’s not true.

Operations watches Michael as he speaks, though Michael does not look at him.

OPERATIONS: (angry) Nikita’s not a trainee anymore.  She has to be held up to the same standards as everyone else.  If you can’t demand that of her, then you both become a liability.  That’ll be all.

Operations turns and looks out his window, while Michael glances over to Operations as he turns to leave.  As Michael walks out, Operations once more looks at him, watching his retreat with a angry glare.

MAIN AREA

Having left Operations’ Loft, Michael walks into the Main Area.  Nikita passes by, sees him, and stops.

NIKITA:  Michael?

He stops and waits as she approaches.

NIKITA:  Everything all right?

MICHAEL:  It’s fine.

NIKITA:  Thank you.

Having just been told off and knowing Operations is watching them from above, Michael is distant.

MICHAEL:  There’s nothing to thank me for.

He walks off, and she watches a moment confused.  Then, as she turns to leave herself, she sees Operations glaring down at her.  She walks off.  Operations stands in his loft watching her with an angry glare.

END OF EPISODE