The timeframe is set during season 1, episode 19 (Girl's Best Friend). The first part of this chapter will have a detailed recap on what went down in the second half of this episode. Later on is when things start to twist and turn into an alternate plot. Hope you enjoy my first Nikita fanfic.

The chilly night air bit at Alex's exposed skin as she quickly and silently made her way around the luxurious mansion in Geneva. Division's mission tonight was to obliterate the private laboratory beneath this mansion and kill Kalume Ungara, son of the Liberian President. Kalume was managing an illegal weapons operation behind his father's back and Kalume's first client was scheduled to meet him after he hosted another one of his legendary parties. Division's objective was to intercept the first purchase and distribution of a newly developed nerve toxin.

"Alex, this is Michael back in operations. Are the charges set?" Michael asked with Birkoff beside him monitoring the computers.

"All charges are set." Alex replied in a monotomous voice. Even though her voice sounded calm, she was anxious as hell hoping that tonight's plan would work. Anxious and oh so desperate to get out of Division. To move forward in life. To live on with a new purpose in life, Life with a new meaning. She saw the possibilities of a future with Nathan and the joys of living like a normal citizen. Tonight just had to go as planned. Michael, Nikita, and Alex had gone over the logistics and have ultimately planned to fake Alex's death during the explosion of the private underground laboratory on a mission. 'Just a while longer until complete freedom' thought Alex.

Without looking up at the monitor to check Alex's location, Michael continued on with the planned correspondence, "But you're still in the lab. Get out of there."

"So I should proceed, according to plan." Alex responded, carefully annunciating every word, each word harbouring a second meaning. Everything had to go according to plan. Anything out of the ordinary would offset the order of events in faking her death.

Michael, fully comprehending Alex replied, "Proceed as planned."

Starting to get impatient, Birkoff mumbled, "What is this? Spy 101? Just do it already." Michael just glanced at him for a brief moment before the next step of their plan followed through. All Alex needed to do was act as if she was trapped and detonate the bomb. Her death could be faked perfectly this way.

Alex quickly announced in a feigned anxious tone, "Wait, we have a problem. I'm stuck in the lab. I see other guards…I think I'm trapped." Surprise flashed across Birkoff's face while worry and anxiety began to nip at Michael. Worried that something may go wrong. Anxious for this to be over.

Alex took out her activation device and was setting it up when she heard a female in distress, possibly being shoved around roughly through her intercom. Something wasn't right. Confused and unsure of what she was hearing, Alex asked, "Operations, do you hear that?" Michael looked over at Birkoff, waiting for him to inform him of what Alex was hearing.

After a few quick clicks on his keyboard, Birkoff told Michael, "I don't know what she's talking about dude. I can't hear anything." Michael involuntarily frowned and panic etched its way up his spine. He had a bad feeling about this. Something definitely is off. This wasn't what they planned.

Michael still managed to maintain a steady and calm voice, "No we do not, what's going on?" By now, worry was written all over Michael's face now, he silently hoped that Nikita was close enough to help sort out any obstacles that came at them.

Needing to listen in some more, Alex said, "Standby." After a few more seconds, she thought out loud, "It's Jaden. Her intercom's been damaged." Something definitely went astray. "This wasn't supposed to happen." thought Alex.

A male voice with a thick African accent, Kalume Ungara, boomed through Alex's intercom, "Who are you hmm? Who do you work for?"

Jaden sounding strong answered, "No one." Suddenly a loud slap and scream sounded. Jaden had been slapped hard, so hard she fell to the ground.

Automatically, Alex pressed a button on her intercom and said, "Jaden do you read me? Are you in the lab?"

"Where is your friend? I know you are working together." Kalume demanded roughly from Jaden.

With tears glistening in Jaden's eyes, she bravely said, "Yes, yes is the answer."

Immediately picking up on what Jaden meant, Alex continued to gather more information, "Did he get out of there?"

Kalume crossed his arms and demanded from Jaden, "Keep talking while you still can." An evil glint surfacing in his eyes.

Jaden stood her ground and said under clenched teeth, "All I want to do is blow you away. Do you hear me? Blow you away!" She hoped that Alex understood her. "NOW!" Jaden thought helplessly, "What was there to live for anymore?" Jaden hoped that the end of this mission would mean the end of her life. She didn't want to live anymore.

Alex understood Jaden instantly and held the activation device in her hands, ready to activate the bomb and walk away towards a freedom that she has yet to experience in the 19 years of her existance. Alex started to break out in a sweat, torn between saving Jaden and saving herself from Division's grasp.

"Alex, what is going on?" Michael demanded impatiently through the intercom, worry beginning to take a toll on his calm composure. Alex began to pace back and forth, her heart rate escalating and pulsating at an ever increasing pace. Her fight and flight response was kicking into full gear. Adrenaline pumped through her blood as she continued to decide upon what she wanted to do.

With a look of determination Alex lowered the small activation device and replied, "It's Jaden, she's been captured by Kalume."

"What?" Michael anxiously exclaimed. "Alex, report!" Michael knew clearly what Kalume was capable of and if Michael knew Alex well enough, he had a feeling that she would try and save Jaden.

After another small pause and a shaky intake of breath, Alex stated, "I'm going to save her." Alex pulled out her fully loaded gun and headed down towards the main level of the lab.

Meanwhile, back at operations, Michael took a deep breath and tried his best to calm down. Countless thoughts raced through his mind, "What's happening? Where is Nikita? How did Jaden get captured by Kalume?" Without another thought, he quickly informed Birkoff, "I'm heading over to extract them both." and with that, he disappeared from headquarters.

"This doesn't look good." Birkoff mumbled to himself as he turned his attention back to his monitor and keyboard.

As soon as Michael exited Division, he immediately patched through to Nikita. "Nikita, Jaden's been captured by Kalume and Alex is heading to the lab right now as we speak to save her. What is your status? Can you get to the lab?"

Alarmed at the new update, Nikita responded quickly, "My job is done. Everyone at the summit is safe and the perpetrator has been silenced." Worry consumed Nikita as she quickly loaded her gun and ran in the opposite direction. "I'm heading to the lab right now."

Michael continued to accelerate towards Kalume's mansion and responded, "Affirmative. I'm 5 minutes away. Nikita." Fear was no longer hidden in his voice. "Please becareful."

With both Nikita and Michael racing to get to the lab, both of them had only one goal in mind - to get Alex and Jaden out in one piece.

Alex swiftly made her way down through twisting hallways leading to the long corridor connecting to the north entrance of the lab. Her intercom continued to send her snippets of Kalume's dominating voice and sickening sounds of Jaden's body getting beaten.

This was Alex's second time passing through this area. The first time, which should have been the last, was to set multiple charges inside the multi-million laboratory. The lab had a self containment system that can be automatically triggered if any gaseous toxins or particulate contaminants leaked. Kalume had this installed a year ago by the top engineers in the continent. This "perfect" protective system was the loop hole that Division needed to plan the incineration of this dangerous level 3 lab. As soon as an explosion goes off in the lab, everything would be contained nicely without harming the summit party members above ground. Chemical warfare perpetrated by Kalume and his men could cease to exist if the mission was completed, but for Alex her first priority was to get Jaden out first.

A part of her was screaming at her to turn around and just detonate the bomb. Even though Jaden signalled for her to blow up the lab 2 minutes ago, Alex just couldn't do it. Sure Jaden was a rival, enemy, and in general just unwelcomed company, but Jaden was in immediate danger and could most definitely use some help.

"Fine, so be it. Take her into the gas chamber and put her down with Paratoxin-3A5. We haven't yet tested that nerve toxin on a human." Kalume commanded at his henchmen. "Now seems to be the perfect time." Kalume's patience had dissolved and he walked away to the opposite side of the lab to access his stash of alcohol for a quick drink before another kill. To him, it was ritual to take a sip of alcohol before taking a life.

There were at least a dozen of Kalume's men standing by.

"Kalume, this isn't over!" Jaden screamed through the gas chamber. She pounded and kicked at the bulletproof gas chamber. She was weaponless, losing faith in her survival, and for the first time in her life she felt completely helpless.

'Almost there.' Alex thought as she turned a sharp corner. The entrance to the lab was in site.

Kalume's men placed a blue translucent sphere, the size of a Canadian quarter, into a small compartment within the gas chamber. It looked completely harmless in this solid compact form. Jaden looked at it in confusion and a movement up ahead caught her attention. As she blinked away her teary vision, she spotted the other Division agent, her partner Alex, running towards the entrance. Alex was heavily outnumbered by the sheer size, number of men and weapons. Jaden began to panic and scream. "Alex. I told you to blow them up! What are you doing here. Don't be stupid! Go back. Now!"

Feeling threatened, Kalume took cover behind another bulletproof gas chamber nearby.

Nikita was closing in to the underground laboratory. 'Just a few more hallways to sprint through.' Nikita thought desperately as she pushed her body to go faster. Multiple gunshots rang out through the white hallways leading to the laboratory. She quickly pressed a button on her intercom connecting both Michael and Alex's signal. "Alex, what is your status?"

Alex easily got through the entrance and took out the two nearest guards immediately. She ran behind a sturdy shelf and took cover from the oncoming bullets. Panting and trying to think fast she responded to Nikita, "I'm in the lab, there are at least a dozen men on guard. Jaden's in one of the gas chambers and Kalume is somewhere in this room. Nikita, I need backup asap." Turning her attention back to the situation at hand, she reloaded her gun with the last set of ammunition. There were at least twelve more men in the room, not including Kalume. "I'm not leaving you behind Jaden. Hang on!" Alex said loudly.

"Alex, I'm almost there." Nikita said trying her best to reach Alex and help her.

Upon hearing the brief conversation between Nikita and Alex, Michael stated, "I've arrived on scene. I'll head towards the South entrance of the lab."

"Alex to your right!" Jaden screamed as she powerlessly watched a guard take a shot at her. Alex responded quickly and took down that guard but a sneaky bullet managed to graze painfully at her left arm. Alex let out a grunt of pain and took cover once again in a new location across the lab.

With tears streaming down Jaden's cheeks, she was in disbelief that Alex, out of all people in Division would try and save her life. "Alex" Jaden whispered hopelessly. It was hopeless, there were too many men and only one active Division agent on scene.

Behind all the chaos and flying bullets in the laboratory, Kalume hid behind a gas chamber with his cell phone in hand clicking away. Just a few more clicks before he can activate Paratoxin-3A5 and silence at least one of the girls ruining his multi-million lab.

Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it! Any thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?