Chapter 1: A New Life (Part 1)


Every part of Nikita burned. Her suit and gas mask protected her well enough, but she could still feel the flames pressing into her flesh, and the smoke inching into her lungs. Clearing another room, she returned to the hallway, and narrowly avoided a chunk of ceiling as it crashed into the ground.

"Christ, Nikki. Mansion's going to be rubble in five minutes, tops. Where the hell are you?"

She pulled her comm unit closer to her gas mask so Birkhoff could hear her better.

"Gee, Nerd. There are over 50 rooms in this place. Maybe if you'd done your job better, I would've found the father already."

"That is so not my fault. Why do you always blame me whenever anything tech-side comes up short? I mean, sure, I'm a computer genius and no other shmuck here comes close …"

Nikita cut off Birkhoff's rant and continued to search the floor. She was fairly certain the super-geek didn't know the mission's full parameters. Percy preferred his pawns to work under the illusion they were acting for the greater good.

She almost wished he'd never told her about the girl. But Division's Director hadn't gotten to his position by being a chump. He knew she was different. Probably from her first mission, he'd known she could see through his lies, and the biggest lie of all that Division was a force of good. She remembered her fear when she'd first met Roan and learned how he dealt with agents who couldn't follow orders. It was the reason she'd worked her ass off in training, and become one of Division's best recruits.

Despite her exceptional first few years as an active, she'd always felt Percy watching. Waiting for her to turn. It had all come to a head earlier that week, when he'd called her to his office and outlined her role in Operation Pale Fire. She hadn't dared object. But from the moment she'd seen the girl's picture, she'd known it was over for her. She could no longer save herself from cancellation by completing her missions flawlessly. Now, she had to cross the line she'd sworn she never would.

It wasn't a contest for her. Now, she had to save Alexandra Udinov.


17 hours earlier


"Michael, please. Don't let them do this."

Her handler glanced up from his desk. He looked exhausted, and Nikita had no doubt he'd been losing sleep over the mission, too.

"Nikolai Udinov hasn't built Zetrov on feeding the homeless and hugging puppies. He's not a good man. Nor the greatest loss to the world."

"Tell yourself what you want," Nikita said. "There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that justifies the murder of an innocent child. She's 13 years old, for god's sake. How can you turn a blind eye to this?"

"Percy's gone over every scenario with Strategic Operations. There's no other way."

"This isn't the first operation you've known about where Division's killed a child, is it?"

Michael swallowed hard and averted his gaze. Feeling tears pricking her lower lids, Nikita felt her hatred of Division spread to the one part of her heart it had never touched before.

"If you let them do this, you might as well admit that Kasim Tariq had just as much right to murder Haley."

Anger flashed over Michael. Regret flooded Nikita, but it was too late. Rising to his feet, Michael pointed to the door.

"Get out."

"I'm sorry, Michael …"

"If there was even a chance I could stop this, I'd take it. I can't, and neither can you. Follow your orders, or you'll end up next on Roan's to-do list."


Climbing over a flaming heap of plaster blocking the end of the hallway, Nikita placed a hand on another doorknob. Everything was getting hotter to the touch. She was about to breach and clear when she heard sobbing from the other side of the door. A man ordered his daughter in Russian to get underneath a bed.

Nikita opened the door. Her eyes widened as she saw the Yarygin in Nikolai Udinov's hand. He wasn't supposed to have a gun. When had he had time to grab a gun? Her surprise jumped to the man as he caught sight of her. He swung the gun around, aiming for her chest.

Division had trained her too well. In a split second, she snapped her SIG-Sauer up and shot him twice in the heart.

"Papa!"

The cry cut through Nikita. Bracing herself, she lifted the bed sheets. A pair of huge blue eyes peered out at her, terror and horror intermingling into the most heartbreaking thing Nikita had ever seen.

"It's alright," she said, beckoning at the girl. "I won't hurt you. Come with me."

Alexandra didn't move, her eyes fixed on her father's corpse. Nikita realised she'd already gone into shock. She reached toward the girl to pull her out from under the bed before it collapsed. However, Alexandra let out a scream loud enough to bring the rest of the mansion down.

"No!" she shrieked, clawing at Nikita's arms. "You killed Papa! You killed Papa!"

After a brief struggle, Nikita managed to haul Alexandra out. She hadn't wanted to shoot her father. Her plan had counted on at least one of the parents surviving and getting her to safety. Now she had to contend with a hysterical child she didn't have a clue what to do with.

She tried to figure out the most tactically sound approach to getting blatant proof that one-third of Operation Pale Fire was incomplete past two-dozen Division agents. As she hatched a plan, she felt Alexandra sag in her arms. Noticing that she'd passed out, Nikita took her gas mask off and placed it over Alexandra's face.

"There you are. That the father?"

Nikita recognised Roan's cold voice and imposing figure through the thick smoke. She froze as he knelt beside her and checked Nikolai Udinov's pulse. He turned back around, and stopped dead.

"Why'd you give your mask to the daughter?"

Flicking her leg out, Nikita bashed Roan's left shin. He faltered, allowing Nikita the chance to grab his MP5. However, he kept his hold on the submachine gun and slammed it into Nikita's face. Blood spurted from her nose. She tore his gas mask from his head, attempting to off-balance him. Instead, his hands found her throat.

"I knew it," he said as she gasped for air.

She was about to die, yet Nikita felt the most peace she had in two years. She'd finally defied Division. She'd finally done the right thing. She'd saved an innocent, but if she died here, it would all be for nothing.

The last thought caused a surge of newfound strength to flow through her. With everything she had, she raised her numb arms and clapped Roan's temples. He fell back. Springing to her feet, she picked up his MP5 and struck him in the face. It took three more hits before he went down.

Slinging the MP5 over her shoulder, she lifted Alexandra in her arms. She stared around the burning bedroom, and for the briefest moment wondered whether it would be better for the both of them if they died here.

Then she ran.


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