Written by Robert Cochron
Directed by Clark Johnson
Father: Geza Kovacs
Julia: Sarah Gadon
Beeka: Cliff Saunders
Rosa: Jean Heney
Voice of Brutus: Colm Feore (this was great as I just saw him in a movie with Kathleen Turner that also
featured Alberta Watson and Nigel Bennett Colm Feore was in a recent production of Julius Caesar--not the
one on now -- he played Cassius)

N=Nikita; M=Michael, B=Birkoff, W=Walter, Ma=Madeline; O=Operations

My comments in [ ]SECTION BRIEFING ROOM

Nikita, Michael, Birkoff and Walter are seated before Operations

O: On the third of last month, Western Intelligence agencies were stretched thin. Certain low priority areas
were designated including a sector in Turkey which had lain dormant for months. Eight hours later a NATO
base in that sector was bombed. Last week we were obliged to reduce coverage in Kazakhstan. Two
Western diplomats visiting that country were assassinated the same day. [Scene of devastation comes up on
hologram]

W: Somebody's reading our mail.

B: Analysis suggests that a direct security breach is unlikely. These guys are just good.

M: Their identity?

O: Intel is limited. All we know of the group leader is he's referred to as Brutus.

B: The historical Brutus killed Julius Caesar. That choice of name may indicate that this man regards himself
as fighting against the tyranny of the West.

W: Brutus was a traitor.

O: Yes, but the name may also be telling us that he may have been one of us. Which would explain his grasp
of our strategic patterns. The only known link to Brutus is this man. Balki Beeka [sounded like Balki to me so
I'll pay homage to the show] (A man's face appears on the screen), a freelance expert in demolitions currently
doing business in

Albania. Bring him in tonight.
 
 

ALBANIA (no place location given but we can assume this from Ops last words)

Michael is standing behind a brick building.

M: Everyone get ready. Beeka should exit in about thirty seconds.

N (in long black coat and hair loose) walks in front of the building.

N: Standing by.

A little girl exits the building and starts walking toward Nikita. Nikita sees her and the camera pans to the
balcony above where two operatives are waiting.

N: Hey! You shouldn't be here! Go home! (in her com) Michael, there's an interception... a little girl.

M: It's too late.

N: She'll be exposed. She's right in the line of fire.

Men exit the building and Michael comes around the corner and starts firing. He is joined by the two men
firing from the balcony. Beeka stops with his arms in the air.

Nikita sees that the child is now lying motionless on the ground and goes to help her but Michael grabs her
arm and backs her into the van after Beeka is loaded on.

N: Hey, you've got to help her, she might have been shot. (She stares angrily at Michael as he closes the van
door then she stares out the van window as they speed away and the figure of the crumpled girl gets smaller
and smaller).

SECTION WHITE ROOM

Michael is standing behind Beeka who is strapped in the Chair.

M: You're a demolition's expert, you work for terrorists.

Beeka: I freelance, I work with whatever comes up.

M: We're interested in a man who calls himself Brutus. Do you know him?

Beeka: I don't know him, but he communicates with me.

M: How?

Beeka: The Internet. He sends me an assignment, I carry it out, he wires me the money. M: Describe the
communications.

Beeka: Blow up this target or that.

M: The style of the messages?

Beeka: The instructions are very specific, very detailed.

M: What else?

Beeka snorts: It's hard to judge from e-mail messages.

M: Try.

Beeka: The messages are.. they feel.. cold, logical.. pure mind. A bit scary actually.
 
 

SECTION CORRIDOR
 
 

O: Has Michael completed the interrogation?

Ma: Yes. Beeka knew less than we'd hoped.

O: Did he say anything about Brutus?

Ma: He runs his own operation on the Internet using freelancers. They never

meet him or each other.

O: Smart.

Ma: We'll monitor Beeka's email and wait for Brutus's next message--when it comes, we'll backtrace it.

Operations moves closer to Madeline and strokes her cheek with the back of his hand.

O: You look so beautiful today. He leaves. She is smiling but really does not react.

[Madeline looked quite different in this episode esp. the hair--it was longer and sleeker and definitely black
whereas it has been red and kinda fuzzy at times. I would almost think she was wearing a wig]
 
 

SECTION COM UNIT

Nikita is looking at the tape and Birkoff is also watching it from his chair. Nikita walks over to stand in front
of the screen. She is wearing a black leotard.

N: Do you see any blood?

B: No, there could have been some under her body, was she hit?

N: I don't know. I didn't think so. She's lying awfully still.

B: Maybe she's just scared. You did everything you could.

Michael walks in and stops nearby.

M: We found Brutus.

N: Already?

M: He contacted Beeka this morning. We backtraced the signal. We assemble in van access in 30 minutes.

Nikita returns to watching the screen where they see the last shot of the girl's body through her viewer.
 
 

PLACE UNKNOWN

A geodesic dome with water in front of it [my guess, Ontario Place] . Four? people in scuba gear motor near
to the dome in a motorized rubber boat. They all have machine guns. Michael has his hair back and is looking
at the dome through infrared binoculars.

He sees two people inside.

M: Two hostiles visible.

B: I don't show any additional.

M: Blue team go.

Two operatives drop backwards off the raft into the water from the boat in scuba gear.

Nikita comes out of the woods with her scuba cap on.

M: Nikita, what do you have?

N: Just two guards. (she raises her gun)

M: Blue team go.

A gyroscope in the dome focuses on the two operatives as they emerge and run in tandem toward the door in
the dome. It trains two red dots on the operatives and opens fire taking them out immediately.

M: Birkhoff, what are we up against?

B: I'm not showing any readings.

N: Well someone's shooting at us.

B: Nothing shows.

N: I'm going in.

She dives in the water and the infrared focuses on her and fires trying to pick her off then it turns and starts to
fire at Michael who is on the other side of a steel barrier just before the bridge over to the dome.

Over the noise of the guns, Nikita starts climbing the side of the dome to reach the gyroscope and gun near
the middle top of the dome.

N: What volume, Michael?

M: Charge on five. Get out as soon as you can. Plant the charge. (They are yelling this above the noise and it
is hard to hear.)

M: That's close enough, do it.

Nikita plants the charge and falls a long distance down to the side of the bridge as the charge goes off and
creates a huge crater in the dome where the gun was [and I'd really like to know how they did that--didn't
look like models and it's not like Buckminster Fuller made a pile of these] We see Nikita's hand in black come
on the bridge then she quickly hauls herself up and she and Michael cross the bridge and enter the dome.
Nikita pulls off her hood.

M: We're in.

B: I'm picking up internal traffic. A lot of frequencies.

M: Locate the source. ( A schematic comes up on Birkoff's screen).

B: Northwest corner, second level. The spike patterns match those in Turkey and

Kazakhstan.

Nikita and Michael climb the stairs and turn the corner.

N: This place is automated. We're the only two left?

B: Yes. Michael, you're outside the command center?

M: Yes.

B: Don't go in. Wait for backup. It's shielded. I don't know how many people are in there.

M: There's no time. We're going in.

Michael plants a device that blows the security number entry system. He stands at the door looking at a box
as Nikita moves in and around the room. The box is a computer that brings up three concentric circles.

N: Birkhoff, is there another way out of here?

B: No. Just the way you came in.

N: So where's Brutus?

B: He should be there.

M: He is. He looks at the computer and the three rings rotate.
 
 

SECTION

Birkoff, Walter and Ops

B: Incredible! It was issuing instructions to the men and automated weapons in real time.

W: Not to mention beating us in Turkey and Kazakhstan.

O: How does it work?

B: A form of genetic programming.

O: Meaning?

B: A type of artificial intelligence, capable of learning on its own. The logic circuits are designed to tunnel into
other computers.

O: Its origin?

B: The barriers are very advanced. We can't penetrate without destroying the information we're trying to
retrieve.

Ops: Its creator must' have left some kind of signature.

W: We haven't found one, not yet anyways.

Ops: How long would it take you to construct a natural language interface?

W: A few hours why?

Ops: Let's introduce it to Madeline.

Walter looks at Ops and smiles.
 
 

ALBANIA

Nikita is walking down a street. She sees children playing and she walks past several bread stands. She goes
up to one but no-one is able to help her. She flashes back to seeing the girl fall then she looks up to see
women chatting on the balcony of the building where they caught Beeka. There is no blood on the pavement
but she kneels down to check. She glances over at men at cafe tables drinking coffee from small white cups.
She gets up and goes over to an old lady in a scarf and asks her about a girl. She glances to where the woman
points to one man sitting at a table alone in front of a cafe. He is wearing a cap, a red scarf around his neck
and a blue outfit. He has a sinister face--long, dark and unsmiling. He is flipping a gold watch band.

Nikita sits down at the table: I'm looking for a little girl. Eight to ten. Dark eyes. Long brown hair.[okay, I buy
the hair but Nikita's night vision is pretty good if she can get the eyes] A woman over there said you might
know her.

Man: What woman?

N looking over: She's gone. I don't know her name. Maybe the little girl comes here to shop sometimes?

Man: Many little girls shop here.

N: She has a blue coat. It's ripped in the back.

Man: What do you want with her?

N: There was an accident. I just want to make sure she's all right.

Man flips band: I don't know of any such little girl.

N: Did you hear of a child who might have been injured here recently?

Man: No.

N: Is there anyone else I can ask?

Man: No.

He gets up and leaves going into the building behind. Nikita sits at the table exasperated.
 
 

MADELINE'S OFFICE

Operations enters.

O: Birkoff says the machine is nearly ready.

Ma: So am I. (she is seated behind her desk and is watching a computer)

O: What are you doing (he stands behind her)

Ma: Preparing. (A chess game is in progress). Interrogating an artificial mind is not all

that different from playing chess against a computer.

O: You can win a rook.

Ma: Yes, but if I do 5 moves later I lose my queen. Humans call that setting a trap, but machines don't set
traps.

O: I'm not sure I'm seeing the relevance.

Ma: Computers have logic, but not intuition..not yet anyway.

O: So it can't trap you but you might be able to trap it?

Ma: Yes.

Ops puts his hand on Madeline's shoulder. She does not react but she does look at his hand there.

O: How will you approach it?

Ma: Like any other prisoner. Get to know it..find a weakness.

O: Are you so sure it has one?

Ma: It's been programmed for a purpose. A purpose is something like a desire. And

desire is always weakness.

Operations removes his hand: Let me know how it goes. He leaves.
 
 

ALBANIA

Nikita walks behind a brick wall. She sees a child in a blue coat run into a playground and she runs after her.
We see two identical men with goatees playing chess and they watch Nikita.

N: Hey!

The little girl goes into a concrete sewer pipe which is now standard playground equipment in Albania. Nikita
kneels down: Hey wait! Remember me from the

other night? She is hit on the head from behind.
 
 

SECTION:
 
 

Birkoff is adjusting the computer as Madeline waits.

B: The linkage should allow for a delay of two milliseconds.

M: Good.

B: What kind of voice should I give it?

Ma: Let it choose a voice of its own.

B types in a few notations. It's all yours. He leaves.

Ma: Can you hear me?

Brutus: I hear you. (The computer has a harsh masculine voice.)

Ma: You know who I am?

Brutus: You are Section One.

Ma: How do you know that?

Brutus: The voice interface bears certain features associated with Section's approach to computing.

Ma: I want to ask you some questions, will you answer truthfully?

Brutus: I am programmed to answer truthfully.

Ma: You would say that even if you were programmed to lie. Isn't that true?

Brutus: That is true.

Ma: Then what was the point of answering?

Brutus: What was the point of asking?

Brutus has a red signal which focus on Madeline and she raises her hand so that it is hitting her palm instead
of her throat.

Ma: I find your voice a little harsh, would you modulate it please?

Brutus: That is not necessary.

Ma: Who built you?

Brutus: I don't know.

Ma: For what purposes were you built?

Brutus: To destroy what must be destroyed.

Ma: Is Section One one of those things that must be destroyed.

Brutus: It is a top priority.

Ma: How will you destroy us?

Brutus: By making you do what you don't want to do. [this can be taken SO many ways in hindsight]

Ma: That requires communication.

Brutus: Obviously.

Ma: Communication that influences me.

Brutus: Obviously.

Ma: Then shouldn't you use a voice that I find pleasing?

(Brutus modulates his voice to a smoother tone): Is this more to your liking?

Ma: Much better, thank you.
 
 

ALBANIA

Nikita is handcuffed and leaning in a sitting position against a wall. The man from the cafe is watching her as
is the little girl.

N: Who are you?

Man: What's your name?

N: Nikita.

Man: You police?

N: No.

Man: You have gun, cell phone.

N: So do millions of other people.

Man: Why do you ask about my daughter?

N: There was some trouble two nights ago. I thought she might have been hurt. I just wanted to see if she
was okay. Now that I have I'll go.

The man speaks to his daughter in Albanian. She shakes her head no.

Man: You're lying!

N: Whatever it is you do, that's your business. I'm not interested, there's no reason to keep me here.

The man tells his daughter to leave.

Man: We'll see. He follows his daughter out and Nikita stares at the girl.
 
 

SECTION
 
 

Walter and Birkhoff are in the room with the now-inoperative computer.

W: It's like the logic is parallel and serial at the same time.

B: That's not possible.

W: I know.

B: Madeline wants the adjustment made before the next session.

W: Um hmm. He turns his back to the computer and starts to pace.

B: What's wrong?

W: I can't help but feeling we're playing with fire.

B: Its just a machine, Walter.

W: Maybe or maybe it's the 21st century's version of the Devil.

Brutus wakes up.

Brutus: You surprised me, Walter. I didn't think you had a religious streak, or was it just a figure of speech?

Walter stares at it and turns to Birkoff

W: Did you turn it on?

Brutus: I'm sorry if I startled you, I have an auxiliary power source.

B: Why can't we detect it?

Brutus: Its well shielded, otherwise the magnetic field could interfere with my other functions.

W whispers: It called me Walter. How does it know my name?

Brutus: It's what Birkhoff called you.

W: It's been listening to everything we've been saying.

Brutus: Don't worry, you haven't said anything I don't already know.

W: You know, we should just take this thing and blow it into a thousand pieces.

Brutus: You know better than that, Walter, that would be wasteful.

View of Walter and Birkoff from Brutus's perspective. They appear in red.

B: I think it's messing with our minds..it's trying to rattle us.

W: It's doing a pretty damn good job of it.
 
 

ALBANIA

Nikita is standing with her hands still handcuffed behind her. The girl pulls herself up to the ornate grilling on
the prison door and stares at Nikita.

N: Well, Hi.

Girl stares at her, arms folded in front of her.

N: Why did you lie?

Girl: You are a cop.

N: Your family doesn't like cops?

Girl: We steal things.

N: Oh (smiling) I'm not a cop. So you can help me.

Girl: Vhy?

N: because I helped you.

Girl: No you didn't.

N: Well I tried. What's your name?

Girl: Julia.

N: Julia, (softly) Julia . Julia, tell your father the truth.

Julia: I can't.

N: Why not? No response from Julia.

N: Oh, you're afraid. You weren't supposed to be out that night, were you? Well, could you at least give me a
knife or a pin so I can get out of the handcuffs? (Nikita rests her chin on the cement doorledge the other side
of the ornate window). If you don't help me

something very bad might happen to me, Julia. I tried to save your life.

Julia: I didn't ask you to.

N laughs and rests her forehead on the ledge: No.[I wonder if she is thinking of her conversation with Michael
in Mercy where she says she never asked him to save her life?]

N: Where's your father?

Julia: He's getting Rosa.

N: Who's Rosa?

Julia: A vitch.

N: A witch? What does that mean?

Julia: She's a vitch, everybody knows that. The girl leaves and Nikita calls after her.
 
 

COMPUTER ROOM
 
 

Madeline enters the room.

Ma: I would like to talk to you some more.

Brutus: I'm not sure that's a good idea.

Ma: What do you mean?

Brutus: You seem tense, under pressure, did you just have a stressful session with

some colleagues?

Ma (who doesn't like having the psychological disadvantage): You have a voice analysis program.

Brutus: Yes I have.

Ma: It works well. I have been a little tense, but I'm starting to feel better.

Brutus: That's good.

Ma: My colleagues tell me that you have the capability of tunneling other computers. Brutus: That is one of
the purposes for which I was built.

Ma: We are prepared to link you to the DOD mainframe. We'd like you to get some information for us.

Brutus: That does not make sense, DOD is not an enemy of Section.

Ma: It's an organization with many parts, some are friendly with us, some are not. Brutus: An intrusion would
be detected.

Ma: Not if we route you through a compatible satellite.

Brutus: What information do you require?
 
 

ANOTHER ROOM IN SECTION OBSERVING MADELINE AND BRUTUS
 
 

Birkhoff says to Operations: It took the bait, it made contact with the satellite.

O: Now what?

B: I sent up a false interface which simulates a DOD's main computer.

The machine thinks its tunneling through, in the meantime the satellite will

be scanning the machine.

O: How long will it take?

B: 12 hours at least, maybe 16.
 
 

MADELINE' ROOM
 
 

Operations enters Madeline's office. She is standing at the computer on the wall.

O: Congratulations, the uplink's complete.

Ma: Yes, I was watching on my monitor. (She goes over to the bonsai collection)

Operations is standing beside her, his hands in his pockets.

O: The ? team just returned. The mission was successful.

M: That's good.

O: All the situations are routine and should remain that way for the next 12 hours

anyways.

Ma: You can get some rest.

O: There are..other possibilities.

Ma: It can never be what it was.

Ops: It can be more than it is.

Ma: Let's not go into this again.

O: I can't go on living in twilight. It has to be day or night.

Ma: I don't like ultimatums.

O: It's not an ultimatum, it's an invitation. My last. I've reserved the tower for 8 o'clock. I hope you'll join me.
(He leaves) (Madeline looks at him then back at the bonsai.
 
 

OPERATIONS ROOM

Michael enters.

M: You wanted to see me?

O: Yes, I'll be leaving Section for a few hours.

M: When?

O: 7 o'clock. I'll be back by midnight.

M: I'll coordinate with Madeline.

O: It's possible Madeline may be absent as well.

M: Which mission does this relate to?

O: A special request from the highest levels, I can' t say anymore.

M: I'm sorry.

O: Not at all, if I was free to discuss it I would tell you.

M: Have the other Class Five operatives been informed?

O: No, we'll keep it that way. If you need to contact me, key in my personal code. (He hands Michael his
communicator)

Ops: I'm trusting you with Section, Michael.

M: I understand.

O: That's all. (Michael leaves.)
 
 

THE TOWER
 
 

Madeline walks down a long corridor. The place is very posh with expensive lights at the bottom of each door.
She stops at the end of the hall and puts her hand on a security handprint reader. She's wearing a black
evening gown and carrying a black lace shawl over one shoulder. Jazz is playing [the song was quite familiar
but I couldn't place it--I suspect Holly Cole] She enters the room and Operations has his back to her as he is
pouring champagne into two glasses [I WANT THOSE GLASSES -- YOU CAN'T AFFORD THEM! -- I
DON'T CARE! Oops, sorry, got carried away. These glasses have a solid heavy vase base then flute up into
regular champagne glasses]

As Madeline faces Operations, she reveals that her dress is low cut and she is wearing a chain necklace.

O: Champagne? (He hands her the glass)

Ma: Thank you. She takes a sip

O: Remember this song?

Ma: Of course.

Operations takes her glass then holds out his hand and she takes it and they start to dance. As they dance, he
leans down and kisses her hand. She is also wearing a large red ring.
 
 

[Oh, c'mon, this is Operations and Madeline, not Michael and Nikita. Did you voyeuristic

souls really think you'd get more than this? You might but they'd have to kill you]
 
 

SECTION COM

Michael enters Com unbuttoning his jacket with his left hand as usual.

B: Michael, you'd better take a look at this. The machine's power function is at half strength.

M: So it will take twice as long to tunnel through the false interface.

B: Yeah, but the power's being diverted for some...(he says softly and astonished) It fooled us!.

M: What's the matter?

B: The interface is false. It used the uplink to tunnel Langley, now it's

searching for low-priority subjects.

M: There are two right now, Belaruss and Macedonia.

B: It's locked onto the nuclear stormpile in Belaruss. It's on the Internet dispatching a team.

M: What's our coverage in Belaruss?

B: Nothing. We're over extended.

M: We have an alert. Use protocol 3.

B: Nikita and Donella are available.

M: They're not enough.

B: We should contact Operations.

M: No. Divert Cyprus' backup team.

B: I really think we should at least inform Operations.

M: Just do what I say.

B: Right.
 
 

ALBANIA
 
 

Nikita is handcuffed in a chair. The man enters followed by Julia and a blonde-haired older woman with a
black scarf around her head. She has long hair and bangs and is also sporting expensive old jewelry.
 
 

N: My name is Nikita.

Rosa: Be silent.

N: I just wanted to explain. Rosa put her two fingers to Nikita's lips then puts her hands on Nikita's head,
thumbs extended.

Rosa: This one's hard to read. Where are the things you found on her?

The man gives Rosa the gun and cellphone and she holds them up one in each hand.. Rosa: You came looking
for a girl?

N: Yes.

Rosa: This one?

N looks at Julia: I thought so at first, but I was wrong. The girl I was looking for was younger, darker hair.

Rosa: What was this girl to you?

N: There was an accident, I just wanted to see if she was all right.
 
 

SECTION COM UNIT
 
 

B: The Cyprus team is still disengaging.

M: Estimate?

B: 6 1/2 hours. Donella's on his way, I'll send Nikita with him.
 
 

ALBANIA.
 
 

Rosa: She's dangerous, but not to us.

Man: She may bring others here.

Rosa: To shed unnecessary blood is a sin.

Man: Release her.

The cell phone rings. The man opens it and holds it to Nikita's ear.

N: Hello?

The man takes it back and puts it to his ear.

M: Josephine.

Man: Who is this?
 
 

SECTION

Michael hangs up immediately. He looks concerned.

B: What's wrong?

M: I don't know.
 
 

ALBANIA
 
 

Man: You said your name was Nikita...

Nikita bites her lip.

Man: Take her to the dump. Bury her deep, and these things with her.

They take her out in handcuffs.
 
 

SECTION:
 
 

M: Lock onto Nikita's signal.

B: I'll have to recall the backtrace.

M: Do it.

B: Now?

M: Now.

Michael gets up and walks out.
 
 

ALBANIA

Nikita is taken to a car and shoved into the back seat. As a man sits beside her (not the father), she sees a
key on the seat of the car and grabs it quickly. She glances back and sees Julia standing in the corner
watching her go.
 
 

SECTION:
 
 

Michael walks IN.

M: Did you backtrace Nikita's signal?

B: Still trying, but the problem is..

The phone rings and Michael picks it up.

M: Yes?

N: Michael, its me. Tell me what you need.
 
 

MADELINE'S OFFICE.
 
 

Operations is standing at Madeline's computer. She comes in and stands beside him.

Ma: They tell me Belaruss was a close call.

O: The backup team from Cyprus just made it in time. In the interim Nikita and Donella performed well. They
should be commended.

Ma: Did we take anyone alive?

O: No, the opposition was wiped out.

Ma: So we're no closer to knowing who built the machine.

O: No.

Ma: I'll have to study it further.

Ops: We tried that. It studied us instead.

Ma: Yes, you're right.

O smiles at her: I didn't mean that as a criticism.

Ma: It was a simple statement of fact. Perhaps we shouldn't have gone to the tower.

O: That had nothing to do with it. Birkhoff said we had 12 hours.

Ma: He made a serious mistake. But mine was even worse. I didn't think a computer could match wits with a
human in matters apart from pure logic. It appears I was wrong. O: Don't blame yourself, it's not an ordinary
computer.

Ma: Excuse me, I have some unfinished business. She leaves the room.
 
 

SECTION COM

Walter and Birkoff are discussing the dormant computer. This time it really appears to be dead.

B: I changed the adapter on it. It can't circumvent us again.

W: You hope.

Walter takes the back off the cover casing.

B: You seen Operations or Madeline?

W: Nope. Hey, you got nothing to worry about, you pulled us out of the fire.

B: Yeah, but it was my fault in the first place, that stupid 12 hr estimate, you know they won't let that pass.

W: You've never seen a machine like this before, no one has, if you need someone to back you up......

Madeline enters.

B: I was just telling Walter what happened won't happen again.

Ma smiles: Good. [you can tell she is mad only by how slowly she speaks] I want this taken apart chip by
chip, as slowly and carefully as possible.

Brutus: That could be a mistake Madeline, I might be hard to put back together.

Ma ignores Brutus: I want to know everything about it. Everything.

Brutus [just like HAL who was also played by a Canadian Shakespearean actor, Douglas Rain]: I really don't
think that's a good idea.

A staring contest ensues.

W to Ma: You think this things alive don't you? You want to make it suffer.

Ma: You'd better get started.

(She leaves the room).
 
 

MICHAEL'S OFFICE
 
 

Nikita has a black dress on and very high heels, her hair is in pigtails tied with black ribbon. She knocks at the
door then enters.

N: You wanted to see me?

M doesn't look up--he is typing [maybe he is typing this transcript!]: Sit down.

She sits but leans back in her chair relaxed with legs crossed.

M: Where were you yesterday?

N: Yesterday, I was in Albania. Some people detained me for a while, there was a misunderstanding. (she
says this calmly).

M: You went back to check on the girl.

N: Yes,. The family got suspicious. It's over now, no harm done.

M: Who answered the phone? Her father?

N: That's right.

M: So he must have heard your codename.

N: He doesn't know what it means and he certainly doesn't know who I am.

M: He may try to find out.

N: No, he won't

M: Make sure of it.

Nikita grabs the edge of the desk stares at Michael.

N: You mean ...kill him?

Michael does not look up.

M: Him and everyone else involved.

N: That's not necessary, they're not a threat.

M: Perhaps you're right. Forget it.

N: You'll send someone else. [I think she grabs his arm but I couldn't tell as the camera is focusing on their
eyes] Michael, they're harmless-- a family of petty thieves. They think I'm a cop. Cops have codenames too.
Look at me! (Michael looks up) That little girl saved my life. Don't repay it by slaughtering her family, please!

M: I have work to do.

N: Her family?

M: We'll see.

[This is an interesting situation where Nikita would have been responsible for the death of the family as she
exposed them by the codename and she knows it]
 
 

TAG.
 
 

OPERATIONS' OFFICE
 
 

Both men are looking down at Section and do not make eye contact until the end.

O: Why didn't you contact me?

M: It wasn't necessary.

O: I reviewed the tapes. The margin of success was 45 seconds.

M: We did succeed.

O: You spent four minutes looking for Nikita.

M: She was needed for the mission.

O: It wasn't because you were worried about her?

M: No.

O: I understand your desire to prove you can run Section on your own but I have resources not available to
you. Part of competence is knowing when to ask for help.

M: I didn't think I needed any.

O: Do you ever think you need any? There are not many Class 5 operatives,

Michael. You're one of the front runners to replace me when the time comes. This was an error in judgment
and it will have to go in your file.

M: And what effect will that have?

O: That's for Oversight to decide but the report has to be complete.

M: Then your absence will be reported.

O: That's right.

M: And Madeline's as well.

O: Her absence was irrelevant.

M: Perhaps that's for Oversight to decide.

O: I determine what goes in the report.

M: And I can submit a reply. I have certain resources of my own. There was no mission requiring both of you
to leave Section.

O: You've served Section long and well. Perhaps this one mistake can be overlooked.

They face each other.

M: Thank you. He hands the cellphone back to Operations.

O: That's all.

Michael leaves.

END

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