Since the mission involving the innocent, Gray Wellman, Psych Ops has been tracking two very distinctive patterns internally and externally. The patterns are as follows:
Pattern One: Unusual behavior on the part of persons inside Section.
Pattern Two: Insider knowledge made known to outside forces and/or events that unfold due to faulty intel.
Pattern One:
Although not a directly causal factor in Pattern Two incidences, it can not be discounted as a contributory factor in some of the mishaps.
Operations:
Operations (aka Paul Wolfe) by his own admission to Petrossian, was over committed. Add to that his blind pursal of Madeline which almost caused him his best operative. The other unusual factor in Operations' behavior was that toward the operative Nikita. Operations has never made it a secret that he did not believe that Niktia belonged in Section and saw her as a threat to the discipline that he expected of any operative. Twice he attempted to have her canceled only to be thwarted by Michael (unbeknownst to Operations) and Madeline (suggesting that if Nikita was canceled, what she had said at the end of the Adrian take-down operation, might be taken as the truth by other operatives and cause a mutiny).
Madeline:
For the most part, Madeline's behavioral patterns have been within the norm. However, three instants must be commented on. During the Armel mission, Madeline was distracted by the news of her mother's decline (even to the point of asking Operations if she could see her). After his initial refusal, Operations relented when Birkoff brought Madeline's "mood " to his attention. Madeline's reunion with her mother revealed her unresolved childhood matters (her sister's death and her mother's reaction to it). Unfortunately, Madeline's hope that her mother loved her was dashed when her mother called out her sister's name as she was leaving. (Adrian's comment on "killing mummy or the closest thing to it" bears some investigation.)
Madeline's relationship with Nikita has appeared to have changed after Petrossian's attempt to take over (See Coup Attempt). Nikita, against the advice of Madeline, became Petrossian's second in command. This brought her into a direct clash with Madeline leading to Madeline's observation that power was addictive and that she would be ready for Nikita the next time. Madeline's relationship upto that point was the closest thing Nikita had in the "mother" department.
Operations pursual of Madeline has been mentioned above. What is interesting to note is that, although Madeline had in the past be receptive to his attentions, she was no longer so. Her comment after her husband, Charles Sand (See Special Report: The Charles Sand Affair), was canceled by her that she had slept with Operations because he wanted it and that the foreplay was not only distracting him, but her as well, was the intimate relationship's death knell.
Michael:
Michael's emotional state has been very hard to define since the arrival in Section of Nikita. Almost from the beginning, a bond could be seen between the two. It became evident early on that Michael took extraordinary measures to ensure Nikita's safety. Helix has been watching the operatives from the beginning and has known (and remains unknown to Operations and presumably Madeline) that Michael had engineered Niktia's escape and return into Section. His behavior during the six months she was gone and the months soon after her return showed a man who was spiraling out of control (his constant risk-taking on missions, his obvious resentment of Jurgen's relationship with Nikita). After Jurgen's death, he made moves to make amends for his behavior towards Nikita. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how one view's it) Nikita would not permit him to talk his way out of it. In this observer's view, this was a positive thing for their relationship - forcing Michael to treat Nikita as an equal.
It has been obvious for sometime that the emotional walls that Michael has built around himself are starting to deteriorate. His admission to Nikita that he was uncertain if he could go through with the mission profile to take down Rene Dion (who was his friend and had taken care of Michael's sister after his "death") and his bending to Nikita's wishes with regard to the pregnant operative, Teri, and her insistence that they take the children along in Bosnia are good examples of this. It will be interesting to see if this continues.
Nikita:
Over the past year, it appeared that Nikita had come to some sort of understanding about her place in Section. However, she still cannot or will not suppress her humanity. She is learning how to live her life split in two.
Niktia has managed quite well to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Her attempt to manipulate Jenna (Red Cell), her ability to continue to work with Formitz after she found out about his extracurricular activities, her decking and cutting another operative's throat to secure her obedience and her willingness to kill on order (Operations' order to take out Charles Sand) shows that Nikita has begun to realize that she has no choice, but to do what is asked of her. However, this does not mean that she will not continue to bend Section rules and orders to protect innocents nor does it mean that she will compromise her ethics.
Pattern Two:
Unlike Pattern One, Pattern Two is much more defined. Surveillance and mission tapes clearly show the mishaps that has occurred over the last eighteen months.
The Directory:
Harding, a former Green List member (killed by Benko), managed to tunnel into Section's mainframe and extract The Directory. The Directory is never recovered. However, it does resurface during the war with Red Cell. How Red Cell came into possession of it is unknown.
Betrayals:
Ackerman's betrayal of Section to the Freedom
League.
Jurgen's blackmail of Section.
Operations being shot by Kronnen.
Petrossian's attempt to murder Operations.
Teri's betrayal of Michael to Sullivan
Bates.
Faulty Intel:
Red Cell's attempt to set off an explosion inside Section by using a human time bomb. The intel was faulty from the start. Who was giving bad information to Section? Was it instigated by Red Cell?
Red Cell's ability to once again breach Section by introducing a virus. Section was made to believe that the Red Cell site was a munitions warehouse.
Brutus was built with a top priority of destroying Section One. Was "he" the one feeding faulty intel to Section?
Unusual Occurrences:
Was Petrossian's attempt to gain control of Section by someone backed by someone in The Agency?
Why wasn't Madeline promoted when Operations was shot?
How did Dorian Renquist kidnap Madeline? How did he know (1) how to tap into Section's satellites and (2) which satellites where used by Section?
How did Bates come by the information that the Agency's operatives were coming after him?
Hillenger's attempt to blackmail Section into letting him go by planting a virus in the system.
Bright Star's leader knowing about and killing Section's mole.
The reappearance of Charles Sand, First Tier Operative and Madeline's husband, nine years after his "death. "
The kidnaping of Nikita by Adrain, the
founder of Section.
Mission Failures:
An entire team eliminated, general pandemonium
in Section, Section operative-light.