"Her strength is returning." "Yes." "Not that she ever seemed|what you would call weak." " I'll set up a program.|" " No." "She's ready." "Yes, but we've decided|to let Jurgen handle it." " Why?" "|" " You're the one who brought her out." "You're too close to the situation." "We need complete objectivity." "You're familiar with the case history|of an agent named Nikita?" "I just got the file." "About six months ago|she was placed in abeyance... and sent on a mission|against the Freedom League." "At first we thought she was dead." "Then we received word|that she'd been taken prisoner." "You think she cooperated with the League." "That's what we want you to tell us." "I want a complete evaluation.|" "Physical, psychological, and emotional." " She's mine.|" " You own her." "Find out the truth." "You have one week." "Good to see you, Michael." "I was wondering|when you'd come and see me." "You were in observation.|" "It wasn't permitted." "Does that mean I'm out now?" "As of an hour ago." "I've lost sync on five." "We have two minutes." "Do you know a man named Jurgen?" "I've heard of him." "Special Ops." "You'll be spending some time with him." " Is that bad?" "|" " Yes." "Operations is not convinced|you're telling the truth." "Jurgen's been assigned|to find out for sure." " I won't let him.|" " It's not going to be easy." "Supposedly, you were tortured|for six months." "Progress too slowly, you'll seem damaged.|" "Too quickly, and they'll be suspicious." "I can handle him.|" "When are we gonna see each other?" "I don't know." "Just be careful." "We received a message this morning|from a contact in Hong Kong... concerning a man named Kudrin." " Wasn't Kudrin in the Freedom League?" "|" " Yes." "He was at a base|we incinerated two weeks ago." "Apparently he survived." " That's impossible.|" " Not so." "Our contact is reliable." "It's very likely Kudrin's back in touch|with the remnant of the League." "So we need him alive for questioning." "Michael, put together a team,|you'll leave in an hour." "Of course." "Wow." "Look who's here." "Back from the dead." "Hi, sugar." "I wanted to come to see you,|but they wouldn't let me." "I know." "The Freedom League... was it bad, what they did to you?" "It was bad enough." " Anything I can do, you tell me.|" " I'll be fine." "But thank you." "So what's next?" "I'm not sure." "I'm going into rehab|with a man named Jurgen." "Do you know him?" " Yeah, I know him.|" " And?" "I've seen him help people,|" "I've seen him destroy people." "You can catch me later.|" "There's a mission on the pad." "What's the mission?" "One of the Freedom Leaguers|survived the assault." "Could've been one of the guys|that worked you over." "If we bring him back,|maybe you can pay him back." "Wish us luck." "Is it true|that someone survived the assault?" "A man named Kudrin." "Hear about him when you were|with the League?" "No." "But he might know I was only there|for two days instead of six months." "Right." "If he's captured|and questioned by Madeline..." "I'll take care of it.|" "Just make sure you handle Jurgen." "We were supposed to take him alive." "I had no choice." "Hope you can sell that to Operations." "This must be your lucky day." "What do you mean?" "He's not dead." "Not yet, anyway." "Maybe he'll pull through." "Bring him in." "It's open." "Do you know what this is?" "Go." " Do you play?" "|" " No." "You should." "You'd be surprised what it can teach you." "I'm not much for games." "Why are you here?" "They sent me." "Why are you here?" "To increase my proficiency levels." "To become a better operative." "I thought you didn't like games." " I'm here because I don't want to die.|" " Good." "You might just live... if you obey one simple rule:" "Don't tell me any more lies." "The truth, the whole truth|and nothing but?" "That's right." "I'm not sure that's possible in Section." "No need to worry about the Section." "You need to worry about me." "Shall we begin the session?" "We just finished." "I'll see you tomorrow." "You've had a rough couple of days.|" "The doctors say you're gonna live." "That's the bad news." "There is no good news." "You'll notice the pain is minimal,|given the severity of your wounds." "It's because we've pumped you full|of painkillers." "The painkillers we've used|are highly addictive... and they work very quickly." "If the supply is cut off... you'll suffer not only the pain|of your wounds... but the pain of withdrawal." "Most people|find the combination unpleasant." "The remaining members|of the Freedom League... where are they?" "When you feel|you'd like to speak with me... just push the button next to your hand." "Hostile action." "One twenty." "That's enough." "Sorry." "I must have finished it." "Stop." "Your report said they used neuroshock." "Yes, that's right." "It damages nerve tissue.|" "Sometimes it's permanent." "Meaning what?" "You may have already reached|your maximum performance level." "It's not good enough?" "No." "Then I'm gonna have to try and be better." "Michael's report|didn't mention the neuroshock." "He wasn't there, I was." "He did the initial debriefing." "I was in pretty bad shape." "Then I made a final report later." "I'll see you this afternoon." "He found some discrepancies|between your report and mine." "That was deliberate." "A complete agreement|would suggest collusion." " What happened to Kudrin?" "|" " They're keeping him alive." "Have they questioned him yet?" "They're doing it now." "So what do you want to do?" "Wait." "So what are we gonna do, you and I?" "Something happened between us.|" "We can't keep pretending that it didn't." "This isn't the right time." "We may never have another time." "We can't kiss, we can't touch." " There's nothing stopping us.|" " They'll know." "They'll see it in our eyes|when we look at each other... and it won't be long|before they figure out the truth." " Then they'll cancel us?" "|" " Yes." "I'd be willing to die|if it meant in the meantime I could live... really live, for just one day." "Nikita, wait." " Until when?" "|" " Until you've finished rehab." "Until their attention is somewhere else." "And after that,|will there be another excuse?" "I don't know." "I just know right now it's too risky." "I came back for you." "For us to be together." "That's going to be difficult now." "We'll have to be careful." "I'm tired of being careful." "Get over it." "He talked?" "He gave me the location|of a safe house in Munich." "It may lead to other locations." "I'll take a team out tonight." "It's a start." "But I think he knows more." "More about what?" "About the League, what else?" "Nothing." " How's Nikita?" "|" " She seems fine." " What does Jurgen say?" "|" " Nothing yet." "From what we've been able|to extrapolate from Kudrin... our best point of entry is here." " Where's the host system?" "|" " In here." " Room traffic?" "|" " Minimal." "But they will be there|to protect the computer." "It has all Freedom League data on it,|including their directory?" "Most of your hostile activity|will be in the corridor... which means we can't saturate." "If we set off an alarm too soon,|they'll destroy it themselves." "I'd run it single." "Only one?" "If you enter from here... you can get to the room|with minimum resistance." " You take it.|" " No." "What?" "I've run this pattern before.|" "I have a higher P.O.S." "All right." "Do it." "Once you get the hash table|give me a pulse..." "I'll be bringing everyone in for your egress." "If we pull this off... it's more intel in one place|than we've ever seen." "Every mark was a hit.|" "The computer was yours." "What happened?" "By the time I secured the room,|they had destroyed the computer." " What's going on, Michael?" "|" " Nothing." "When Nikita was missing,|you had a rough time." "Now that she's back,|you're having another." "It has nothing to do with Nikita." "You of all people|should know the dangers... of an emotional involvement|with colleagues." "Is there anything you want to tell me?" "No." "Another firefight sim?" "What else did they do to you|besides the neuroshock?" "Sleep deprivation, propaganda, threats... promises." "Promises?" "Of what?" "Money." " A safe haven on some island.|" " Sounds great." "Why didn't you accept?" "I didn't believe them." "They'd kill you|whether you cooperated or not." "That's right." "So why resist?" "Why not get it over with?" "Why does anybody resist torture?" "Most don't." "Why did you?" "Loyalty." " To the Section.|" " Yes, that's right." "I told you before... if you want to live... don't lie to me." "I'm loyal to the Section." "That is the way we're trained, isn't it?" "Birkoff just cracked|" "Freedom League's directory." "So I hear." "There's no longer any reason|to keep Kudrin alive." "He may still have some useful information." " We have all we need.|" " Why are you so anxious to see him die?" "He's wasting resources." "Not necessarily." "Ask Kudrin about Nikita." "What about her?" "He may have been in the camp|when she was tortured... he could tell us|exactly what they did to her." " Is that important?" "|" " Yes." "There's something she's not telling me." "She's probably repressing the worst of it." "It's not repression." "Deception?" "Anything Kudrin can tell us|would be useful." "Unless Michael objects." "No." "It's a good idea." "Then it's settled." "We're interested in a woman|who was held in Base Camp 4." "There was no prisoner in Base Camp 4." "That's not true." "She was rescued during the assault." "Impossible." "She was held for six months." "We want to know|what your people did to her." "We don't hold prisoners." "We interrogate and dispose of them." "Whatever was done to her,|we won't hold it against you personally." "In fact, the only way|you can make things worse for yourself... is if you lie." "There was no prisoner." "Certainly not for more than a few days." "So?" "I've come to know Mr. Kudrin|rather well lately." "There's a good chance|he's telling the truth." "Perhaps Nikita was a prisoner,|but he wasn't aware of it." " Perhaps.|" " Jurgen's evaluation of Nikita?" "That she's hiding something." "If she wasn't a prisoner of the League... then she's been outside the Section|for six months, free." "Yes." "So why would she come back?" "I don't know." "But it raises another possibility." "What's that?" "That Michael knows the truth,|and he lied to protect her." "A bond between two agents|isn't always such a bad thing." "This level of betrayal|would be unacceptable." "Yes." "Get to the bottom of it,|then we'll do what we have to do." " Are you happy with your new office?" "|" " Very." " I'm glad.|" " Thank you." "All right." "How am I doing?" "Your reflexes are at 90%." "But your coordination|is no better than 75%." "I can feel it." "I'm still out of sync." " So we'll step up the pace.|" " All right." "Have you started playing go yet?" " No, I haven't.|" " Why not?" "I told you to." "I didn't realize it was an order." "In go every move is a cover... for something else." "I'm sure it's the Section's|most popular pastime." " Anything else?" "|" " No." "There is one thing." "You don't seem out of sync now." " He knows I wasn't a prisoner.|" " How?" "He just does." " Does he know about us?" "|" " I don't know." "I'm under suspicion, too." "I destroyed the Freedom League computer." "I was afraid it might contain data|about their prisoners." "I wouldn't be in it." "You asked me once|what to do, and I said wait." "I have a better answer now." "Get away from here." "Be free again." " Do you mean it?" "|" " I mean it." "I have a plan." "It's not perfect." "But it should give you a two-day start,|maybe more." "Me?" "What about you?" "I'll have to stay behind." "And if the truth comes out when I'm gone?" "That's a chance I'll have to take." "You can do anything, can't you,|except be with me." "You can go to hell." "I ran once and it didn't work.|" "I'm not running again." "There's another way." "It won't be easy." "It requires something from both of us." "I'll get Kudrin to lie,|to say you were a prisoner." " How are you gonna do that?" "|" " That's my problem." "Your problem is to take care of Jurgen." "By doing what?" "Whatever it takes." "You're not scheduled." "I thought I'd get in a little extra work." "If that's all right with you?" "It's fine." " What'll it be?" "|" " Whatever you want." "Just give it your best shot." "Are you sure you're ready for that?" "I think so." "What did you do on the outside?" "You mean, before I joined the Section?" "I mean during the six months... you were supposedly held prisoner|by the Freedom League." "Supposedly?" "What were you really doing?" "Where did you live?" "How did you support yourself?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "This is disappointing." "I was hoping you'd take me seriously|when I told you not to lie." "I'm not lying." "You see, it felt wrong from the start." "You were repressing something... but not a memory." "More." " Like a secret.|" " You're wrong." "Am I?" "I don't think so." "I think I got it right." "See, I know why you're here." " What do you want?" "|" " What?" "To die." " I can help.|" " Then do it." "I want something in return." "If you do exactly as I say,|you'll die quickly." "If you betray me,|" "I'll see that you remain like this forever." "Whatever you say." "Just do it." "Tell me why you came back." "It was Michael, wasn't it?" "He has you under his thumb,|just like all the rest." "You think you're the first?" "Manipulating beautiful women|is his specialty." "You've heard of Simone?" "He loved Simone." "He's never loved anyone.|" "Not even himself." "You wanted to see me?" "Yes." "I'm listening." "There was a prisoner... blonde hair." "We used the most advanced techniques." "She suffered... but gave us nothing." "Why didn't you tell me this before?" "I've told you." "Now kill me." "I only wish I could." "But you kept this back... and you may be keeping|something else back, too." "I'm afraid we're going to have|to let you live a little longer." "He's dead inside." "He's made you dead, too." "You came to kill me|because he told you to." "If he told you to have sex with me|you'd do that, too." "You're his slave." "Medic to holding room, now." "The Section will know|it wasn't an accident." "I don't give a damn about the Section." "Neither do I." "Because death doesn't matter|if you betray life." "You're not thinking about the Section,|of being cancelled... or anything, except what you want." "To put that knife deep inside my throat." "Isn't that right?" "That's right." "Congratulations." "You're alive again." "As far as I'm concerned,|our sessions are over." " Is it over?" "|" " Yes." "He's no danger to us." "You just signed our death warrant." " You wanted to see me?" "|" " Yes." "Your evaluation is complete." "You should have told us the truth." "Jurgen told us everything." "The Freedom League used|forced hypnotic regression, didn't they?" "Reduced you to a little girl again,|tried to build you back up." "Yes, that's right." "It's nothing to be ashamed of." "Especially since you didn't crack." "I thought if they put me through it|one more time, I might." "The point is, we could've done a better job|of helping you if we'd known." "As it is, Jurgen says you've made it nearly|all the way back on sheer willpower." "Yes." "In any event,|" "I'm sure you'll be pleased to know... that a team returned just an hour ago." "The last remnants of the Freedom League|have been destroyed." "What now?" "You'll work awhile longer with Jurgen." "If all goes well,|you'll be returned to active status." "Well done, Nikita." "Forced hypnotic regression." " Does it even exist?" "|" " It exists." "It can destroy your emotional structure|in a matter of days." "Any residual effects?" "Report some nightmares,|just to keep it convincing." "Then in two or three weeks,|come up to full proficiency... you'll be in the clear." "Thanks." "You still don't trust him?" "Why should he protect us?" "I don't know." "But he just did." "You've been in the Section long enough.|" "You should know better." "If he was gonna betray us,|he would've done it by now." "Betrayal gets him nothing." "But he has power over us|because he knows the truth... and one day he'll use that power." " For what?" "|" " We'll find out soon enough." "I don't think so." "He's different." "Different from what?" "Different from you."