Break Down

Nikita and Michael met with Operations and Madeline behind closed doors. First off they were told that they had a ten day window to complete their assignment. Nikita asked what happened in ten days and was told she didn't need to know that. When she looked over at Michael, she was certain that he knew the reason, and equally certain that he wouldn't tell her what it was.

Madeline explained what needed to be done. Michael and Nikita would be going inside a mental Hospital. Nikita as an aide, Michael as a patient. They needed to get close to a man named Sammy Weiler. He was a patient as well, and he had information that was vital to them.

As if reading Nikita's mind, and perhaps she was, Madeline explained. "Sammy is austistic and one of his problems is that he hates women. Can't bear the sight of them, makes him scream and throw fits, so you won't be very useful to us in that respect, Nikita."

"I'm sure he can," Madeline allowed. "Only problem is, Sammy is in the lock down ward of the hospital. The only way Michael can get in there to see him is to....freak out. The moment he does that he'll be strapped down and pumped full of drugs. It will be your job, Nikita, to give him a neutralizer..as it were, so he can keep a clear head."

Operations was the one to explain. "Sammy Weiler is Paula Weiler's brother. Paula was an operative for section. She was killed 2 days ago. The last place she went before she died was to see her brother. She hasn't seen him since she came to section seven years ago, for obvious reasons."

Nikita knew that Operations was referring to the fact that Paula would be *dead and buried* as far as any of her friends and family were concerned. "So....you believe that Paula gave Sammy some information that Section needs?" Nikita guessed.

"And that's why she's dead," Nikita replied, knowing that she was stating a fact. She was startled by what Michael had just told her, but it explained the stonefaced expression that Ops wore, and the cold glint in Madeline's eye that was uncharacteristic of her. Even Michael seemed...edgy...although his eyes gave nothing away. Nikita was beginning to realize that this was extremely serious, and she was a bit surprised that they were letting her in on it. She didn't say that, however, for she felt it wouldn't be well received. "You think that Sammy knows the name of the traitor?" Nikita said, her eyes locking with Michael's.

"I'll walk you out, Nikita," Madeline said. She had a few things she wanted to explain to the beautiful blond, about the importance of her role. If Michael wasn't able to function, the mission would fail, and it would be up to Nikita to see that he was fully functional. Madeline had spent several hours with Michael, since last night, filling him in on the characteristics of the condition he would be emulating. A schizophrenic with psychotic, negative symptons. Not easy to pull off. Michael had to be convincing, or they would fail. And, as Operations had said, there was no room for error. The information they sought was of vital importance.

Operations watched Madeline and Nikita leave. He saw Michael move to follow them, but called him back. "Why did you ask for Nikita on this one?" he asked, bluntly. Ops had not wanted the young woman going on this mission, but Michael had insisted, and Madeline had backed him up.

Michael locked eyes with the other man, seeing the questions and the doubts in Operation's glacial stare. "Because I trust her," he said softly. And it was the simple truth. Michael knew the score. No one could be trusted....no one was who they pretended to be. Except for Nikita. She was not the traitor.

He was right. Operation's eyes narrowed as he studied Michael. He knew that the young man had feelings for Nikita. And he was willing to use those feelings to manipulate Michael. Whatever it took to get the job done. But he hadn't expected this response. "If she hasn't learned, Michael, then you weren't a very good teacher."

Nikita wandered the halls of Lock Down. She knew that Michael would be on his way in soon so she was keeping an eye out. After being given the grand tour of the facility, Nikita was glad that she would be in this section, the rest of the place gave her the creeps. At least here the patients were either restrained, drugged or locked in their rooms. Sometimes...all of the above. Just as she was about to head down the second hall way, Nikita heard a commotion coming from the area of the front desk. She ran in that direction then skidded to a halt. Michael had arrived. Nikita watched his performance with a glimmer of admiration in her eyes.

It took four men to drag Michael into Lock Down. He was screaming at them and struggling for all he was worth....and he was very good at it. They were hard put to hold him. He had arrived at the facility less than an hour ago, had just been settled into the recreation room in population when he had thrown a fit. Picking up the television and throwing it into the wall. The destruction was a work of art. A code one had been called for and now Michael was on his way to being locked down.

A nurse came running by Nikita. She tossed a set of keys at the young woman and ordered her to open room 6. In one hand she held a syringe. After Nikita opened the door, the attendants carried Michael, still screaming at them and fighting, into the room and placed him on the bed. "Get the restraints on him!" the nurse yelled to Nikita.

Nikita hurried to obey. As she fastened the heavy cuffs around Michael's wrists and ankles, she studied his face. If she hadn't known better, she would have sworn he truly was mad. There was no sense of *Michael* in his green eyes. There was only rage and pain and emptiness, and it burned like a white-hot flame.

"Move away," the nurse said, pushing at Nikita. While one of the attendents held Michael's arm, she injected the contents of the syringe. It contained a strong sedative/tranquilizer. Just before Michael lost consciousness, the nurse popped a pill into Michael's mouth and forced his jaw closed. She then massaged his throat, making him swallow it. It was smoothly done, thanks to many years of practice. Michael couldn't have resisted had he tried.

The nurse, Mary Crawford, smiled as she smoothed a lock of hair off Michael's face. He was different from most of the other patients. Beautiful, and Mary felt herself drawn to him. That was something she didn't usually allow to happen. She felt the eyes of the attendents upon her and shooed them out of the room. "He'll be out for at least eight hours," Mary said. Then she turned to Nikita. "Dr. Fremont will want to see him in the morning. I've got a feeling that this young man is going to be quite a challenge."

"Right," Nikita drawled. "Rounds." She moved to the bed and reached beneath the skirt of her uniform for the small, black case strapped to her thigh. From it she removed a syringe and she injected Michael, sliding the needle into the vein in his neck. Madeline told her the drug would take effect more quickly from there. She waited a moment, watching, then she saw his eyes flicker open. "Welcome to insanity, Michael," Nikita whispered.

Nikita nodded. "Room eight." She heard footsteps approaching and moved to spread a blanket over Michael. He was pulling at his restraints and Nikita smiled. He was so helpless now, completely dependent upon her. A part of her felt powerful...but the other part felt scared. Nikita shrugged off both feelings and whispered, "Sweet dreams." Then she quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

The lights flickered off and on and he barely saw the movements of the shadows on the walls...calling for him and warning him of his impending doom. One of the voices was warm and pleading for him to come to her..the other was dark and cold and told him there was no escape.

The room began spinning around him and he felt only the cold hard steel in his hand and the presence of someone standing behind him. Sweat glistened off his forehead as he swung around and pointed the gun at the masked figure behind him. As the explosion of gunfire ricocheted through the room, he began to bolt for the door. That was when he heard the cold hard laughter..and he knew that the darkness was still alive..and coming for him.

He raced over to where the body lay on the floor and reached down to find a pulse..for he had to be sure that this madman was dead before he could escape...to find Nikita. He felt the blood stream onto his hand and he reached to pull off the mask, to find who had been searching for him all these months.

His heart dropped when he felt the silky hair fall around his hands and he looked down into a pair of glazed blue eyes. She was dead..and he had been the one to kill her. Sobs racked his body and he pulled her into his arms. He picked the gun off the floor and placed it inside his mouth. Before he pulled the trigger, he had time to only scream her name..."NIKITA"...

She had heard his cries from down the hallway at the nurses station and she raced to his room as fast as she could. Shoving the large male nurse, Cory, out of her way, she shoved open the door and stopped for a brief second, to watch as his body convulsed and he screeched her name and the lay silent on the bed.

He felt her place her gentle hands on his forehead, and he opened his eyes to find her eyes filling with tears as she stared at him...and he knew then that it had been a dream. But he could not stop the tremors which ran through his body. His body racked with the violent seizure as he grabbed her hand and mumbled repeatedly. "Just a dream..just a dream.."

"Michael?" She saw the fear in his eyes and for a moment, understood his confusion and agony. She had learned from Madeline that one of the side effect from the sedative that Nurse Crawford gave him was that it was likely to cause nightmares and excessive trembling and even a seizure. Only Michael had not been aware of this, and she could plainly see the struggle within him as he lost control of the only truly one thing he ever had control of, his body.

"I'll give him this tranquilizer..it should calm him down...Yes, you need to calm down young man, you have an appointment with Dr. Fremont in thirty minutes." She injected the syringe into his neck and then Cory and another intern soon had Michael tied up in a straightjacket.

Nikita straightened up beside the bed and locked eyes with her. "Yes, ma'am." She looked back one last time before Cory and another intern struggled to get Michael into a wheelchair. She led them down the hall to the elevator and pressed the button to the top floor...all the while aware of the feeling of Michael's eyes burning into her. Nikita gasped as they entered Dr. Joseph Fremont's 'office.' She had expected the same cold, drabby looks of the rest of the hospital, and there wasn't one peice of black leather or chrome in sight. Instead, the walls were complete with carved paneling, worn flagstones on the floor, and a big fireplace dominating one wall. The tapestryupholstered couch and large recliner looked well worn and fabulously comfortable.

Knowing that the doctor was entering through the far corner, Michael looked up at Nikita and asked her very curtly. "Can you please let me out of this thing? I thought a alien was behind me and I left my dog on the commode, beside a politician."

"Excuse me?" Nikita asked, her mind a jumbled mess. It was only after she saw the tall handsome doctor in the back of the room that Madeline's words came back to her. Maddy had told her that the hallmark of a schizophrenic mind is disorganized thinking, jumbling all thoughts and making it hard for them to hold a conversation or follow instructions. She looked down at him and kept her face a hard mask, the twinkling in her eyes being any sign that Michael knew that she was following his lead. "We'll kill the alien and get your dog back later, first you need to talk to this nice man, all right?"

"He's evil...he can hear my thoughts," he said to her. He looked and growled over at the doctor and continued. "He can hear yours too...I can hear yours...You think to loud. Did you know that crystals can store psychic energy and my toes get cold in the winter? By the way, what is that big man in the white jacket doing in here? He's following me, isn't he?"

"Hello Michael," the doctor butted in. He was aware of Michael's file and had been reading it as he listened to the oneway conversation between the young man and the pretty nurse. "My name is Dr. Joseph Fremont. You can call me Joe, or Fremont..whatever you wish to."

Nikita held back a huge smile and looked over at Cory....only to find him wink at her and struggling to hold back his own smile. He had seen it all in the few short years he had worked here....so far, this Michael character was actually pretty tame.

He read the charts which showed that the young man before him had paranoid schizophrenia with a high level of negative symptoms. Dr. Fremont went into explaining exactly what Michael's symptoms were to him..to make him feel somewhat at ease and feel free to discuss his condition....and his problems with the doctor.

He explained exactly what he meant by negative emotions after Michael tried to leap from the couch claiming that he was actually a positive person...not negative in the least...or so his 'friends' from the Howard Stern show said. After calming him down, Fremont explained that his past history shows that Michael went from a carefree young man with lots of friends, to a reclusive man who hid in his room and spoke to no one, except the voices on the radio, in a matter of months.

That his lack of emotional expression, except when thought he was being threatened, his failing to socially interact and talking little to others, were all signs of his disease. Yet, he felt that Michael had promise..if he could speak to a complete stranger such as he did Nikita here..that showed that he was more responsive to the outside world than his previous doctors had thought.

Another facet which he explained where the jumbled thoughts and "word salads" which Michael was known to use from time to time..in fact, as he did just a few moments ago with the young blond. When Michael told him that he was crazy and that he had never heard of such a thing, the doctor told a story which explained a similar young man and how he once explained how he had just started taking a medication which would be like the one Michael was.

"A sturdy looking young man named John tried to explain why he likes taking the medication Clozapine. 'It's better than antidepressants," he began, sounding reasonable enough. And then he went on, 'They're made from crushed spiders. Arachnids. A voice told me to cut myself open today. I thought a vampire was behind me.' And as if in afterthought, he added. 'I could look a point on the floor and just crawl right into it.'"

Fremont noticed the glazed look in Michael's eye and knew that the had lost him. Apparently, this one was not as bright as he had originally thought. Sighing, he walked over to his cabinet and opened a bottle of medication and dispensed two pills into his hand. Walking over to Michael, he forced the pills into his mouth, and then had the young nurse help Michael force them down with some water.

"From now on, you will be taking this medication. It is called Clozapine and you will be taking it probably twice a day for now. It will take at least three days to see any marked improvement, and you may have your hands become shaky, and your mouth may feel really dry. But it will make you feel better and it will reduce the signs of the disease. However, I will be honest with you, it is going to take a combination of intensive psychotherapy and these drugs to make any change, and it will be up to you to help us help you. "

Michael felt the weigh of the medication begin to take effect, as he realized that the doctor forgot to tell him that the first large dosage was inclined to make one sleepy. So, right before he dozed off into never neverland, he heard the doctor joke to Nikita.."I forgot to warn him about one other side effect of the rug."

"Really?" Nikita asked, and she had to stifle back another laugh, as she watched Cory place the near unconscious Michael into the wheelchair and begin wheeling him back to his room. *This was going to be fun.*Michael grunted and groaned as Cory put him back in his bed and refastened the restraints...yet, he sensed that Cory would not intentionally hurt him..so Michael did not intentionally try and hurt him. He sighed as he looked around the room...his quick little jaunt into the dreamworld had been quick..lasting no longer than fifteen minutes, long enough for Nikita and Cory to stop at the nearby nurses station and talk while they left Michael cooped up in his wheelchair.

He had to smile through his grogginess as he acknowledged the fact that fact that Nikita was doing her job well..she was spending more time with the nurses at the nurses station than with him. Something which Madeline had warned her about earlier...she was not supposed to stick to Michael like glue, as that would arose the suspicion of not only the nurses, but some of the patients as well.

After an hour of solitude and staring at the white plastered walls, he gave a halfsmile to Nikita as she waltzed in the room. "Since you've been a good boy, and have not caused any of the nurses any problem, you have been allowed to go down into the recreation area with the other patients. I am to be your escort. But any problems, and I'll have Cory on you in a heartbeat."

For a moment he was dead silent, until he saw her cover her face with her hand to keep out from laughing. She was truly enjoying this...and a part of him was glad, this was not a mission in which she was truly risking her life. She was risking his sanity, yes, but he had a feeling that she was already warily of it to begin with.

"A man by the name of Sammy Weiler...he is autistic and has about the same depth and personality you do. I figure, you two will be just hilarious together." She cracked, trying to sound like a woman who had seen everything and was not afraid to spout her emotions.

"I can't wait...he sounds like a righteous dude. Shall we go?" Michael said, and Nikita had to remind herself to act professional as she opened the door, because she felt Michael pinch her rear end as they left the room and headed down the vast hallway to go and meet the elusive Sammy Weiler.

The rec room was a large area with pale green walls, a deep, bluegreen rug and barred windows. There were half a dozen tables. An area set up with easels and paints. A television set resided in the upper corner on a ledge. It had been put up there after Michael had destroyed the last one. There were also various games and decks of cards strewn about. A beach ball was being tossed back and forth by a small group of patients, and three were tumbling on a mat off to one side.

Nikita decided that she did not want to be here, as she listened to the noise and gazed about at all the patients. There had to be about thirty of them, and they all looked crazy out of their minds, at least as far as she was concerned. She glanced over at Michael, who was completely in character. Nikita wondered at his ability to slip so easily into whatever role he had to play. "Over in the corner," Nikita said, whispering in Michael's ear. "The really big guy with the teddy bear. That's Sammy Weiler."

"I see him," MIchael said. He had scoped Sammy out the minuted he'd entered the room, and he was familiar with the man's likeness. So he wasn't surprised to see that Sammy was a giant of a man. Their file had described him as 6 foot 7 inches tall, three hundred and fifty pounds. And he sat curled up in a corner, clutching a raggedy teddy bear. Michael stifled a sigh. He had a feeling that getting the information they needed was not going to be easy.

Michael didn't make a beeline for Sammy. That would be too obvious. Although time was limited, Michael was aware of the fact that someone else wanted the information that Sammy had, locked in his brain. And that someone knew about Section One. No doubt, they were lurking about somewhere, watching for them. So he had to be careful. Michael wondered about the room, his eyes purposefully glazed. Although it wasn't hard to do. The neutralizer that Madeline had given Nikita to keep Michael alert, didn't seem to be doing it's job very well. It took intense concentration on Michael's part to keep his mind focused on the task at hand.

Nikita watched from the doorway as one of the patients ran over to Sammy and snatched the teddy bear from his arms. Instantly, Sammy began to wail. A high, keening, sound that cut through Nikita like a knife. She saw two of the male aids run forward, but they were sidetracked when a distubance broke out. Sammy's wailing had set off several other of the patient's and they were hurling things and becoming violent.

Michael saw the man with the teddy bear and he reacted quickly. Moving over to the guy, who was jumping up and down with delight at what he had done, Michael reached for the man's free hand and pinched the nerve, causing him to howl and drop to his knees. Michael then retrieved the teddy bear and let go, a smile on his lips as he said, "I'm so sorry. clumsy of me."

"Bad Michael," Nikita whispered to herself, a bemused smile on her face as she watched him. It was then that she sensed something out of the corner of her eye. A movement. One of the aides, watching Michael, his gaze intense. Two patients were tossing paint at each other, but he ignored them to turn and leave the room. On impulse, Nikita followed him. She moved with stealth and discovered him at the front desk, using the phone. There wasn't any way for her to get close enough to him to hear what was being said, but Nikita's instincts told her that it had something to do with Michael. She would have to let him know about it.

When Sammy stared at him with unseeing eyes, Michael reached out and took one giant hand, then he placed the bear in it and it was like magic. The wailing stopped. Michael did heave a sigh of relief, and was about to step back when strong fingers curled about his wrist.

Sammy pulled Michael down to him with easy strength. When he was on his knees, Sammy studied him. He took in the wavy, auburn hair and the cool green eyes. He saw no fear in the depths. Most people looked at him in fear. Even the doctors and the aides. Sammy hated that. But this man was not afraid of him. A moment later he leaned forward to whisper, "What is your name?"

Mary Crawford was observing the exchange between Michael and Sammy on a video screen. She reached for the phone and called doctor Fremont. Sammy and Michael were both his patients, and Mary had just witnessed a miracle. Sammy hadn't to anyone in over two years, but he had just spoken to Michael.Dr. Freemont studied Michael as the young man paced a half circle before him. After Nurse Crawford's phone call, he had asked that Michael be brought to him as soon as Sammy was taken back to his room for his meds. He knew that Michael didn't want to be here. It was obvious that the young man didn't trust him. But that was secondary in importance. A breakthrough had occurred on two accounts. Sammy had spoken, and Michael had been the one to get him to do so. Michael had interacted...on his own. He had a question. "Why did you help Sammy, Michael?"

Michael fell to his knees, his arms wrapped around him as his body began to shake. He fought to control it, and the thoughts that filled his head. But they slammed into him, like the crashing of waves and he felt as if he were swimming in and out of darkness. That's when he saw her, lying in the snow. Angie. She was dead. Dead because of him. "Don't leave me.." Michael whispered.

Michael felt shadows rushing in on him again. And with them came voices, echoing in his head until they became unbearable. Michael shouted for them to stop, his hands covering his ears. Then there was silence, as he fell into darkness.Nurse Crawford stood beside Michael's bed. She reached out to brush a lock of hair off his forehead, and nearly jumped when he stirred. As she watched, his eyes flickered open. She saw a moment of confusion, then his eyes focused upon her. "How do you feel?" Mary asked.

Michael had to think about it for a moment. He didn't feel right, but neither could he determine exactly what was wrong. "I'm fine," he whispered as he made a move to sit up. Only to discover that he was in loose restraints. Both wrists and ankles. "What happened?" he asked, although he remembered. He had been in Dr. Fremont's office.

Mary reached out to brush her fingertips across his face. He was so beatiful, and it had been such a long time since a man had stirred desire within her. Ignoring Michael's question, Mary leaned over and pressed a kiss against his sensual mouth.

Michael was more than a little surprised, not to mention the fact that this was a complication that he didn't need. He moved to turn his head, but found Mary's fingers curling in his hair, holding his head still as she slid her tongue between his lips. Michael knew that if Ops were here, he would accuse Michael of not having anticipated this scenario. In other words, Michael wasn't prepared. This was one point he would have to concede to Operations. Michael was definitely not prepared for this.

"I....won't say anything," Michael told her. He was just happy to see her go. But his eyes widened in surprise when Mary closed the door and locked it with the key. "What are you doing?" he asked, but the answer became all too obvious when Mary smiled at him as she stepped out of her shoes. Michael watched with a kind of morbid fascination as Mary peeled down her nylons, then stepped out of her panties.

Mary sauntered over to the bed again and pulled down the blanket that had covered Michael. He was wearing a loose shirt and the buttons popped, easily. She caught her breath at the sight of his muscular chest. He was like a greek statue. Her fingertips glided over his smooth skin then slid down to the drawstring of his hospital trousers.

Michael pulled against his restraints, but he couldn't get free, or shake her off him. "I don't think you should do this," he said, hoping to make Mary see reason. Somehow he doubted that he had gotten through to her as she climbed onto the bed and straddled his hips. "Please," Michael hissed, as he felt her hand reaching for him.

"Nikita..get Cory, we're going to need his help," Mary Crawford shouted towards the door. "Cory?" Michael shouted against her hand, and she felt his face screwed up with disgust. He had no idea what kind of kinky ideas this woman had in mind, but so help him, he would not GO there. Now if only he could find a way to free his restraints.

"What is going on?" Nikita shouted as she finally was able to get the heavy door opened. Michael calmed for a second as he saw her beautiful face enter through the door. *So, the door hadn't been locked at all. Thank God* His panic began to calm until he looked back over from the naked nurse straddling his waist to Nikita...why was Nikita naked as well?

She ran to the bed and put her hand on his forehead, "He doesn't seem to have a fever." Michael froze as she gave him a sensual kiss on the forehead and then trailed it down ot her mouth. Nikita on the other hand, was only aware that she had bent over to see if his eyes were really dilalated or of this was another trick.

"No..but I came in and he was going into violent spasms and I had to find someway to keep him from hurting himself. Then he started shouting crazy things about how I shouldn't take off my clothes.." the nurse replied as she released her hand from Michael's mouth to place her hand on the rails of the bed, and jumped down off the bed. He had calmed down and his body was not in such stress as he was earlier so it was safe.

"I could not find Cory earlier, that is one reason why I was looking for you, Nurse Crawford. He seems to have disappeared..could you help me look for him?" Nikita asked as her hand unconsciously moved the silky hairs off Michael's forehead.

Nikita just looked over at Mary in horror as the nurse raised one eyebrow and closed the door. Mary Crawford had worked too long in institutions like this and nothing surprised her anymore. Nikita, however, was a different story.

"I know what I saw Nikita....speaking of which...what is with your clothes? How can you walk around like that? I demand you go and put something on..." Michael sounded almost desperate as he stared at her 'naked' form. The next thing he knew she was leaning over and kissing him with all the pent back passion which she had held for a long time. As she pulled her face away she looked at him and smiled.

"I most certainly will not. Besides..this is a hospital..I'm a nurse, I'm wearing what nurses wear, I'm sorry if it doesn't live up o your tastes but I am on a job you know...Would you like me to go see if they have something else I can wear?" Nikita said this sarcastically, but in his drugenduced state Michael only heard the naked Nikita nibble on his neck as she whispered what sounded like sweet nothings in his ear.

Michael could feel the heat rising within him and he was powerless against it. Wasn't this what he had always wanted? She was here..willing and wanting, and certainly would not push him away this time. "No...you have the most beautiful body I've ever seen..." he confessed...rather loudly..these restraints were really beginning to bother him. He wanted to get out of them and hold her in his arms and...

"WHAT?" Nikita shouted, and she found herself flushing as she ran to the door and looked out into the hallway...she nearly crumpled over with relief when she found that noone was nearby nor heard his...remark. She slammed the door closed again and stormed back over to him. Unfortunately,, she had no idea that the angrier she got..the more he saw her as sensual and the harder she was coming onto him. "Is this another trick? What is wrong with you?"

"I mean every word....Nikita..." he said, frustrated. His hands were beginning to get really sore against the restraints, as he tried to break free. "You're torturing me...please, undo these restraints want to hold you, love you...why am I restrained anyway?" he asked. She saw him writhing on the bed and she thought perhaps his body was going into another seizure..so she repeated Nurse Crawford's attempt..and she straddled his waist.

"Forget Cory, Nikita. I don't want him to come in here...just you and me." He whispered these words as he locked eyes with her..and she saw...herself reflected within. She saw an intensity and a passion reflected within his eyes which she had never thought before..she saw..Michael.

"Michael..I.." she whispered, and he urged her to kiss him. And so she did. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth tentatively against his...but then he pulled his head up to deepen the kiss and soon both of them were lost in the torrents of pleasure which soared through them both.

Through her foggy emotions, she found herself surprised that instead of using the one free hand he had to free himself from the other restraints, he put his hand on the back of her head, cupping her neck and bringing her in for a closer kiss. He soon released his grip on her neck and began running his hand up and down her back as she reached for the other restraint..then the door swing wide open.

"Nurse Crawford said you needed me...... but I can tell when I'm not wanted," Cory joked, as he made sure the door slammed quickly behind him. As soon as he had seen the young nurse straddling the handsome patient, his suspicions were confirmed. They were sweet on each other..but Cory thought that they made a cute couple..especially since he already knew Michael wasn't half as crazy as he pretended to be..unless he was high on medication.

Cory raced over and helped her off the floor..he laughed as he noticed the flushed expression and her mussed up hair. "Don't worry girl...our little secret. Besides, all the nurses find him handsome..and I guess he is...in his own kind of way. But you know me, I don't go for that sort of thing." The large man stopped talking as he looked at Michael try and punch at him while mumbling "OH NO..you aren't touching me."

"Uh..yea. Nikita, as much as I hate to break your and loverboy's little rendezvous here, I have to follow Nurse Crawfords orders and give him this tranquilizer...hold him down, for some reason he's under the insane assumption that I'm naked or something."

"He thinks everybody is naked," Nikita managed to get out as a wave of giggles crashed over her. It really was too funny...the look of anger crossing Michael's face as he tried to swing at Cory. She laid across his chest, trying to keep his arms steady as Cory injected the needle into his neck...she felt his body begin to relax and she looked into his green eyes. She could tell he was fighting going under every step of the way.

"Girl, surely you speak that much. That boy just said I love you..""It's all those drugs he's on," Nikita managed to choke out to Cory. That had to be the reason...Michael never confessed that he even had emotions..much less those. She chose to ignore the dark shadows which crossed his eyes as he looked upon before he went to sleep.

"Great...two minutes. Oh, looks like Nurse Crawford's boyfriend is back...they're always talking together and if you ask me, I say he's nothing but trouble," Cory pointed toward the couple standing over near the payphones and then proceeded down the hallway.

Nikita's thoughts about Michael and his *confession* vanished as she stared down the tall man with the jagged scar running across his face. He was the same man who had been watching Sammy in the rec room and the same one who had been following him around the past couple of days.

"Tell Cory, I'll be right back," Nikita said to the head nurse as she turned and walked down the hallway. After discovering she was alone, she took out her cell phone and dialed Ops. She told him about the man and then saw Cory walking down the hall. Putting the phone back into her pocket, she walked up and gratefully accepted the coffee. And across town, Operations was calling in transit to go and make sure the man did not interfere with Sammy Weiler anymore."Hello Michael...I see you've made a lot of progress in the past couple of days. Made yourself a new friend."

Dr. Freemont watched as Michael sat on the couch..wringing his hands nervously and looking around the room.. Michael's eyes pierced with his and Michael felt his heart drop into his stomach. Exactly what HAD Dr. Freemont heard about his...behavior two days ago. He couldn't remember everything which had happened with Nikita..but he remembered enough. And Nikita had avoided him for two whole days..sending in Cory to do her usual duties.

The grayhaired doctor stood up and walked over to him and smiled gently. He had to reassure this scared young man that he could trust him. That he was his friend. And the relationship between Michael, and another one of his patients Sammy, had simply blossomed in the past few days. They were often seen off huddled in the corner...with Michael acting as Sammy, and Sammy's teddybear seymour, bodyguard.

"I'm talking about Sammy, Michael. He is my patient also..and I am quite pleased you two have become such quick friends. It is not often that my patients..well, get along. And he has opened up not only in the rec room..but in here as well. And for that...I am going to allow you two more time together in the rec room..instead of only thirty minutes a day, I will allow you two to play together for two hours a day. If things continue improving, I may add more time or other awards. Friendship is something which is very cherished to me..and I feel that it can help speed up the progress you two have been making."

"Because...you two work well together, you get each other to open up. And...because a certain blond nurse around here says you're making remarkable progress and can't wait to see you gone." The doctor winked at Michael and then laughing..went back to sit down at his desk before going through another routine checkup.Michael stumbled in the rec room right after his meeting with Dr. Freemont. He was being 'rewarded' with time with Sammy...his 'friend.' Michael sighed as he wondered when all of this would be over with..as he truly felt that he was losing his mind. These drugs were having a weird effect on him..and everytime he saw Nikita...he could have sworn she was naked. For two days, he had stared at her as she walked down the hall, and he begged Cory to please, make her wear some clothing. The large nurse would just shake his head and tell him that she was indeed fully clothed and then lead him off. The weird thing was...he didn't see Cory or any of the other nurses naked anymore...only Nikita, and it was annoying the hell out of him that he couldn't figure out why. And why was this Cory guy always talking to him in french now?

He walked in to find Sammy in distress..rocking back and forth and clutching his teddy bear to his chest. He walked over and put his arm around the massive man's shoulders and asked what was wrong. Sammy explained that while Nurse Crawford and her male friend had been in here, two angry looking men came in and took the man with the scar away. And Sammy knew that he was going to die..and he knew why.

"Why...you can trust me, Sammy, I'm your friend. And you know that friends don't let friends drive drunk or you wanna go play yatzee. Elvis, why my notebook is attached to the wall. Sorry, my mind tends to go other places, like Colorado. So those two men would want to hurt that man?"

The moment Michael heard Sammy say Mary Crawford's name, he knew that she was the Section traitor. Now he had to get to Nikita and the two of them had to get out of this place. But even as Michael was about to excuse himself to Sammy, the big guy let out an ear piercing howl. Then he began shrieking in earnest, and he grabbed a chair and hurled it across the room. This sent the other patients into a frenzy. Michael tried to reason with the giant. "Sammy...what's wrong?" he shouted. But the moment he turned around to see what Sammy was staring at, he knew. Mary Crawford was striding towards them. Michael was furious. "Get out of here!" he hissed at her. "You know that Sammy hates women!"

Just then, Sammy upended a nearby table, and Michael turned back to him. It was a fatal mistake. A moment later he felt a pinprick in his neck and the world went black.Michael came awake slowly. His consciousness came in measures, and it felt as if her were moving through waves of water that had the consistency of maple syrup. When he was finally able to open his eyes and move his limbs, it was to discover that he was in an unfamiliar room and, once again, in restraints. Michael raised his head to search the room, only to discover a body on the floor. It was Cory, and he was dead. Michael felt a flicker of regret, but pushed it aside. He needed to get out of there. He had to find Nikita. But even as Michael worked at the restraints, the door open and Mary Crawford entered the room.

She smiled at Michael as she closed the door, then moved towards the bed. She held a gun in her hand and she pressed the tip of it against Michael's cheek as she studied him. One hand ruffled his hair, and Michael held her gaze, unblinkingly. "You really are exquisite," she whispered, feeling herself melt into his cool, green gaze.

"We might as well enjoy ourselves, Michael," Mary whispered. "No sense letting your...desire...go to waste. I'm almost sorry that I have to kill you." Mary paused to nibble the corners of Michael's sensual mouth, then drew back for a moment to study him. "I must admit, I'm very impressed," she told him. "You and Nikita are two of the best Operatives I've ever seen. You're very good at what you do, Michael. You had me convinced...at first." Mary continued to caress Michael.

"You won't get away," he hissed at her. But then his body proved to be a traitor, and when Mary kissed him, Michael found himself responding. She climbed onto the bed and straddled his thighs. Soon Michael was begging to be released, so that he could touch Mary, and caress her as well. She laughed softly, but refused him. They kissed again, and suddenly she cried out and slumped over on top of Michael's chest. Then she was pulled off, onto the floor, and Michael found himself gazing up at Nikita's beautiful face. Her eyes were like twin flames.

"Sorry to spoil your fun, Michael!" She hissed at him, even as she ripped open one of the restraints. The moment his hand was free, Nikita was surprised to see him wipe the back of it across his mouth in disgust. He had seemed so in to Mary's seduction and, given his recent behavior, she had believed that he was truly enjoying himself. Nikita felt her anger abate. "Are you all right, Michael?" she asked, as she released his legs.

"Wasn't so hard," she replied, a smile curving her lips. "I put two and two together when I couldn't find Cory..." Nikita paused, once again glancing over at the body of the man whom she had considered a friend. Another innocent lost. But now was not the time for such thoughts, so Nikita focused on Michael. "Then I heard that Sammy had freaked out in the rec room. I looked for you, couldn't find you. Then I remembered that Mary had been with Scar face."

Nikita wasn't surprised by this news, but she was curious about something else. "Michael, are you going to tell me what's up with the *traitor in our midst* thing?" Nikita watched as Michael sighed and was about to reply, then she waved one hand to cut him off. "Never mind," she drawled. "Silly question." Nikita saw that Michael was very pale, and she was concerned. "I think we'd better get you back to section."

"I think those drugs they've been pumping into you are definitely mindaltering," NIkita countered, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You've got a new attitude, Michael. And I think you're developing an actual personality," she teased.

"Do you?" Michael whispered, deadpan. But then he reacted. He took Nikita into his arms and kissed her...deeply....passionately. Nikita was breathless when Michael released her. She wavered on her feet for a moment, then asked, "What was that for?"

Michael didn't reply. He offered a smile, then he left the room. He could feel Nikita's eyes burning into him, even after he was out of sight.Two days had passed since Michael and Nikita had completed their mission at the hospital. Mary Crawford was whisked away some where, and Sammy was taken to a new hospital. He still had Seymour, and Michael had promised to visit him often.

Nikita was happy with the turn of events, so as she made her way to Madeline's office, she was smiling. But the smile faded as she entered the room. Madeline and Michael were locked in a steamy embrace, and their kiss was shockingly passionate. Nikita swallowed hard, then muttered, "Uh...excuse me..." as she backpedalled. A moment later she was gone. Immediately, Madeline and Michael seperated. Madeline locked eyes with Michael as she used her thumb to wipe lipstick off his bottom lip. She didn't say a word, she simply waited for him to peak.

But Michael's thoughts were elsewhere, focused on the image of a beautiful, blondhaired woman, with crystalblue eyes.Michael was in his office, working at his computer, when Nikita came strolling in. She didn't knock. She simply entered the room and closed the door. Michael looked up when he heard the lock click. He was curious as she came to him, and a bit surprised when she kicked his chair around, then pushed it back till it came up hard against the wall. "What is it, Nikita?" Michael asked, only to find her fingertips pressed to his lips.

Nikita smiled as she straddled Michael's lap....facing him. Her fingers then slid into his hair and it felt like cool silk. Once his head was trapped between her hands, Nikita bent her head and kissed him. It was a deep kiss and she made it more intimate by sliding her tongue between his lips. Then she let him feel her desire for him, and she knew that Michael was stunned.

And he was, but that didn't keep him from responding. Michael lifted his hands to cup Nikita's head, only to find his wrists clapsed in her fingers. She deepened the kiss further, all the while pulling his arms down to encircle her waist. Michael was so distracted that it took him a moment to realize what Nikita was doing. And, by then, it was too late. She had handcuffed his wrists together, while wrapped around her back. "What are you doing?" Michael whispered against her lips.

Nikita laughed...softly. "You'll see, Michael." Reaching up, she closed the blinds that covered the window. Now there was only the two of them.Madeline and Operations walked down the hallway. Ops was discussing an upcoming briefing, and Madeline was only half listening. They were passing by Michael's office and she had noticed that the blinds were closed. Michael never closed them. As Operations droned on and on...Madeline smiled to herself. "Good for you, Nikita..." she whispered.

Madeline offered him a smile as she tucked her arm through his and led him off. "Because Michael needs.....to rest," she replied. Madeline knew that Ops was watching her closely. But if he was curious as to the glint in her eyes...he, wisely, didn't ask.