Hi guys! Okay so I thought I'd say a few things before ya'll read the next chapter. First off I just want to say this is a Nikita/Alex friendship story. Sorry for those who thought otherwise but there are still plenty of Nikita and Alex friendship moments in this story so if you love those then please continue reading! Secondly My friend and I just want to say thank you for all the reviews. You guys are awesome! Alright, now is the moment you all have been waiting for: Chapter 4! So, sit back, relax and enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Nikita. *Sigh*

Chapter 4: Catch 22

Birkhoff was still staring at Sonya confused. "Where's Amanda?" He asked again.

It was quiet on sub level 9. "Don't worry, no one will hear us. You can tell me."

His arms still held onto her shoulders in a reassuring gesture. His touch calmed her, Sonya took a deep breath and began to tell her story.

"She told me she had a plan." Sonya began. "That I was supposed to leak her location for you to find her, but it was all a trap. She flew to Romania the moment I updated her, Nikita was headed her way. She knew Alex would be in Romania too."

"Is Alex part of her plan?" Birkhoff asked worriedly.

"She wouldn't tell me but her instructions were clear." Sonya replied. "Make sure Alex goes to Romania and Nikita goes to Spain."

His eyes widened in fear. "We have to warm Alex!"

Sonya shook her head sadly. "It's too late. Alex can't be saved".

"No." He replied quietly unable to believe what was going on. "We will save her and we will save you too." A lone tear fell down Sonya's cheek but Birkhoff quickly wiped it away and pulled her into a hug. "I promise."

"What do you mean Alex is gone!" Ryan yelled worriedly listening to Sean yell over his coms as he paced back and forth in ops. "How can Alex be gone?" Ryan thought. "We had everything worked out and a backup team. What's going on?"

"Amanda took her! We have to save her!" Sean screamed in his ear.

Ryan froze. "No, this can't be happening". He thought. He stood there paled face for what felt like forever until he heard a moan of pain coming from the other end of his coms.

"Sean? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"My leg. Anne shot me when I tried going after them." Sean groaned. "I can't move it."

"Alright, I'm sending an extraction team to come help you." Ryan told him motioning an agent over. "Where the hell are Birkhoff and Sonya?" He thought knowing they would need them. They had to find Amanda before it was too late.

"But Alex, we have to save Alex!" Sean replied his voice laced with pain.

Ryan sighed. "We will, but we need to get you help first or you'll bleed to death."

As Anne quickly drove away, Amanda relaxed in her seat and looked over her shoulder. She smiled down at an unconscious Alex sprawled out on the floor of the van. "Phase two completed." She told the man in the hood. "Good job."

He looked up at her clearly conflicted. "She's just a girl. Why did we have to capture her alive?"

"Alex isn't just any girl. She's the key to helping your friend. You still want to help him right? Alex will lead us to him."

Anne looked at Amanda knowing this wasn't all Alex was being used for. "So now that your old friend is here, is it time to chat with Nikita?"

Amanda held up her tablet and saw Nikita pacing back and forth wondering what was going on.

She heard Nikita yelling through her coms. "Hold on Ryan, talk slower! What happened?"

As she watched the scene unfold before her, Amanda couldn't help but smile. "I think it's time to say hello"

"Alex is gone?" Nikita questioned Ryan. She couldn't believe this.

"That's what Sean told us, he said he saw Anne and a mysterious man in a hood pull her inside of a van with Amanda and drive off."

"Why didn't he stop them!?" Nikita yelled.

"Nikita! Calm down, I'm sure Sean tried everything he could to save her." Michael said, trying to convince her. "Who was this man in the hood? Another dirty thirty?"

"Sean was shot in the leg and wasn't mobile." Ryan began to explain. "He did try everything he could. Don't blame him. As for the man in the hood, we don't know yet. His face was hidden."

Nikita tried to calm down. Ryan was right, it wasn't Sean's fault. "It's my fault."

"No, Nikita. It's no one's fault, we couldn't have predicted this would happen. Let's focus on getting Alex back."

Nikita nods her head and stares at the bomb under Cyrus's seat.

Michael turns to her and whispers "If we get any closer, we're in the blast radius."

"Nikita, just go!" Cyrus yells at her.

"No I can't!"

At this moment the television screen next to Cyrus flickered to life.

"It's Amanda, she must want to chat now." Michael says.

"Then lets chat." Nikita replies.

Amanda's face appears on the screen, "Hello Nikita."

Nikita stared at her.

"So glad you could make it. And I see you brought your fiancée, what a nice surprise. Congratulations you two."

"Where's Alex?" Nikita yells.

"She's right here." Amanda pans down her tablet to show Alex still unconscious. "Don't worry, she's safe with me."

"Nikita, the bomb" Michael reminds her.

"There's no way to disarm the bomb on site" Amanda states. "What's the hurry to leave? Sit tight Nikita, I have a new lesson for you."

"What's the point of a test I can't pass?"

"It's not a test. It's a lesson. The first of many. This one is simple. To stop me, you're going to have to sacrifice the people you care about. Even the ones you care about just a little, like Cyrus there."

Nikita glances at Cyrus who looks up at her.

"As a bonus, I'll return Alex to you as a reward." Amanda says.

Nikita tries to show no emotion. She won't let Amanda have the satisfaction of her breaking down. Nikita stares at the image of Alex on the screen. "I have to stay strong."

"If you really wanted to teach me a lesson, why aren't you here?"

"It's not in the lesson plan. Not this time. I'll give you twenty seconds." Amanda replies.

"Nikita we have to go." Michael tells her. "She has Alex."

"No, I'm not leaving."

"Listen to Michael." Cyrus says. "She will kill you and believe me or not that would upset me very much. Now please go."

Nikita shakes her head. "No." I can't let Amanda kill Cyrus but I can't let her take Alex either. What I do? She looks back at Amanda who was watching her, waiting for her next move. She stares at her a moment when the realization hits."I get it now, the lesson. The things we care about can hurt us so the trick is not to care." Amanda grins nodding. An idea forms in her head, it's risky but she has to do it. "It's the only way" She runs in front of Cyrus and looks directly at Amanda.

"Nikita!" Michael exclaims. "No!"

"Let's see how well you learn." Nikita tells her. "What are you waiting for?"

Amanda looks at her, confliction in her eyes.

"Do it!" Nikita yells.

Amanda huffs, frustrated as she glances at Anne, the man in the hood and Alex before looking back at Nikita.

"Do it!" Nikita yells again. Cyrus closes his eyes in defeat while Michael looks from Nikita to Amanda fear in his eyes. Amanda stares at Nikita angrily as she turns off the bomb and shuts off the screen.

Michael, Nikita and Cyrus all sigh in relief but its short lived once they remember Amanda still has Alex and that she is in danger.

Amanda's van had just pulled up to what looks like an old abandon ward. Ari came out to greet her.

"Hello Dear, how was the lesson plan?" He said.

Amanda was in no mood for chit-chat. She was still upset at Nikita for pulling that little stunt of hers. She should've blown them all up. "It didn't go exactly as planned."

Ari looked at her confused.

"But not to fret, we still have Alex." Amanda says as she gestures toward Anne and the man in the hood hauling Alex's limp body out of the van. "Bring her inside!"

They nod at her. Ari looks back to Amanda with a conflicted gaze. "What are you going to do with her now that Nikita has ruined your plans?"

"Who says my plans are ruined?"

Ari raises an eyebrow and stares at her.

Amanda gives a devious smile, "I choose to look at this like a new opportunity. Our friend, Alex is going to help me teach Nikita a new lesson."

Alex finally woke up and realized she was strapped down to a medical chair. "What the hell-"

"Where am I?" Alex calls out, but no one responds to her. She was completely alone in a dark room facing a long mirror.

On the opposite side of the mirror, Anne watched her with a careful eye from another room. As far as Alex knew, that mirror wasn't a one-way window.

"Amanda?" Alex calls out again. "Are you here?" No response. "Is anyone here?" Alex thought to herself as she began to cry. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

Anne walks out of the room to find Amanda.

"She's awake. And she was asking for you." Anne says to Amanda.

Amanda looks up from her laptop and smiles at the news. "Good."

Back at Division, Michael and Nikita had just returned with Cyrus in tow.

"Why did you do this for me? Why did you risk your life?" Cyrus asks Nikita.

"Don't take this the wrong way but I didn't." She replies. Cyrus looks at her. "Amanda wants to teach me a lesson. She can't do that if I'm dead. She cares too much. She's not done with me yet."

Ryan comes down to meet them.

"Why did you give up Alex for him?" He says while glaring at Cyrus.

"I didn't give up Alex. Amanda won't hurt her. If she can't kill me, she won't kill Alex either. She cares about her too."

"That was a very risky move, Nikita!"Sean screams, as he limps his way toward her.

"I know. But we'll get Alex back. I promise you!"

"Hey Sean, take it easy on that leg." Michael says, noticing his crutches.

Sean walks away angrily.

Nikita glances up at Michael. He replies, "I'll go have a talk with him." She nods. Michael follows Sean out of the room.

Ryan turns back to Nikita. "Bring Cyrus into interrogation. Maybe he can help us ID the man in the hood."

Alex was frantically trying to loosen the straps on her wrists when Amanda walked in. "Hello Alex, I'm glad you're here."

"I'm sorry I can't say the same about you."

Amanda pursed her lips. "At least your manners have improved."

"Enough small talk, Amanda. What do you want from me? Zetrov? It's too late, I've already sold all my shares."

Amanda steps closer to her. "I don't care about your father's company anymore Alex. I've moved on, what I'm more interested in now is you." She says smiling. "Tell me. Why did you start using again?"

Alex stares at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Amanda hold up a blue pill bottle and reads the label. "Sobelex. Isn't this the experimental drug Division was working on?"

Alex's eyes widen. "Maybe. I don't know, those aren't mine." She says nervously.

"Stop lying, Alex. You were always such a bad liar."

"I'm not lying!"

Amanda suddenly smacks Alex right across the face.

"I'm not lying." Alex whimpers.

"Just admit you're an addict, Alex!"

"No."

"Stubborn child." Amanda grabs Alex's right shoulder and digs her thumb into the closed bullet wound.

Alex screams in pain. Amanda digs deeper.

"Stop! Please, stop!" Alex screams.

"Admit it!"

"Okay, okay! I'm an addict! Are you happy now?"

Amanda releases her thumb. "Yes."

Alex pants. "What difference does it make to you?" She says coldly.

"If you don't want my help then I'll just go." Amanda starts to head to the door.

"Wait..."Alex whispers quietly.

She turns around. "Yes Alex?"

Alex doesn't say anything, only shifts uncomfortably in her chair. Her shoulder was killing her again.

Amanda lifts up the blue pill bottle again and raises her eyebrows. "Do you want one of these?"

She was torturing her. It was true. Alex was an addict. She wanted so desperately for the pain to go away.

"You don't need these Alex."

Alex grew angry and screamed at Amanda. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"I can't Alex."

"Why not?"

"Because I need your help with something first."

"Screw you."

Amanda smiled at the Deja Vu feeling and pressed a hidden button she had been holding in her hand.

An electric current ran through Alex's body as she let out a frightening scream.

Behind the one-way mirror, the man in the hood looked on with guilt. "It's the only way to save him" He reminded himself. "Alex is the key."

Alex's heart was beating so fast, she thought she was going into cardiac arrest.

"Alex, you're going to help me whether you like it or not." Amanda says, turning around to face Anne. "Message my mole; I want to chat with Nikita again."

Michael walked into medical where he found Sean sitting on a chair, a sad expression was on his face. Michael sighs; he knew he was worried; hell they all were. Alex was a big part of the whole team and if anything happened to her…he shivered at the thought. He didn't want to think about that. It wasn't going to happen anyway. They were going to get Alex back, they had to.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" He says walking over to Sean. Sean didn't move. He just continued to stare at the ground. Michael exhaled and sat next to him. "We will get Alex back, Sean."

"I know." He drops his face into his hands. "This is all my fault. I should have told her to stay with me and we should have never split up."

"It's not your fault Sean. You couldn't have known this would happen. No one could." Michael tells him. "The only person we should be blaming is Amanda."

"But if something happens to her…" Sean's voice caught in his throat. "I'll never forgive myself. How could I let someone I love just walk away and now-"

"Don't worry Sean, you'll help us save her." Michael says smiling at Sean saying he loves Alex. "We will get Alex back and when we do she's gonna need you more than ever. And if you love her like you say you do then all you need to do is be there for her."

Sean nods. "You're right. We will get her back and I'll do anything to help find her."

Michael grins. "Good, we could use you."

"I think we should tell Nikita." Birkhoff tells Sonya as the two sat in his office thinking of solutions for this whole mess they were in.

Sonya frantically shakes her head. "No! You can't! The mole will see and Amanda will find out and she'll…she'll…"

"Shh, relax Sonya." Birkhoff says placing his hand on her cheek. "We'll find a way, I promise." She nods and takes a deep breath to calm herself. "And don't-"

Ryan bursts in the room. "There you are! Where the hell were you guys?" Birkhoff rolls his eyes at Ryan's "impeccable" timing as he goes to answer but Ryan stops him. "Never mind, Amanda has Alex, we need you in ops now!"

"WHAT!" Birkhoff and Sonya exclaim.

"How the hell did that happen?" Birkhoff asks.

"We'll explain everything in ops. Let's go." He says. They nod and just as they were about to leave Birkhoff's computer dings. They look at it and their eyes widen.

"It's Amanda." Birkhoff says as he turns to Sonya and Ryan. "She wants to talk."

Nikita paces back and forth in ops trying to think of a way to save Alex. Michael and Sean had returned moments ago and were both deep in thought, worry on their faces. "This is all my fault" Nikita thought, "I should have told her to stay, I knew something bad was going to happen." She sighs and runs her hand through her hair.

"You're blaming yourself." Michael says watching his fiancée.

Nikita looks at him. "How did you-"

Michael smiles. "Because I know you." He walks over to her placing his hands on her arms as his expression becomes serious again. "This isn't your fault Nikita. You couldn't have known what Amanda was planning. She did this. But we will get Alex and bring her home."

Nikita nods, determination in her eyes. "I know we will."

"Nikita." They turn to see Ryan, Birkhoff and Sonya walk in the room.

"Amanda wants to chat." Birkhoff says going to his computer and pressing some buttons. Sean, Michael and Nikita glance at each other worriedly then Nikita nods.

"Fine, let's chat." She says turning to face the screen. It turns on and Amanda's face appears.

"Hello again." Amanda smirks. "Long time, no see."

Sean's eyes narrow. "Cut the crap, Amanda. Where's Alex?"

"Relax Sean," Amanda smiles leaning away from the screen. "She's right here."

Their hearts drop seeing Alex tied to a chair unconscious and beaten. It took everything in them to stay composed. Why Alex? Why her?

Nikita swallows the lump in her throat. "What do you want Amanda?"

"To teach you a lesson, Nikita." Amanda answers. "Haven't you been paying attention to everything that's happened? Or do you just not care?"

"Enough of your games Amanda!" Michael yells anger in his eyes. "Gives us Alex back now!"

Amanda frowns and presses a button on the remote she's been holding. Alex's screams echoed through the room as she jolted awake.

"Where am I? What's going on!" Alex exclaimed frantically looking around.

"Alex! No!" Nikita screams watching Alex in fear. "Stop! I'm listening!"

Amanda smiles. "Good." She turns to Alex. "Don't worry Alex, I'm just having a chat with some old friends of ours. Want to say hi?" Alex looks at Amanda confused then looks at the screen. Her eyes widen.

"Nikita?" She asks in a small voice. Nikita gives her a reassuring smile, tears in her eyes.

"You want to save Alex?" Amanda asks. "You'll have to find her first; all you have to do is…follow the clues."

"What clues?" Michael asks.

Amanda turns toward Alex, "Be a good girl and say your lines like we discussed."

"Screw you, Amanda. I'm not playing your games."

Nikita looks at Alex with a mixture of pride and worry in her eyes. She was proud Alex stood up for herself and stayed strong but she feared how far Amanda would go to get what she wants out of Alex.

Amanda gives Alex one more chance. Alex braces herself, another round of electricity surged through her body as she bite down her lip trying not to scream. The pain was too much and she let out another grueling scream.

Nikita yelled, "Stop it, please! Amanda stop!"

The screaming stopped and Alex was hyperventilating, trying to catch her breath again.

"Alex, I know you want to be strong, and I need you to be but for now I need you to play along."

Alex nods at her mentor. "Okay Nikita."

Amanda waits for Alex to say the clue. "The place where the Princess first met her Fairy Godmother."

"Good Luck." Amanda says before the screen goes black.

Ahhhh! Team Nikita better go save Alex and fast! Speaking of which, what do you guys think the clue means? Please Review and tell us your answers! If you answer right you'll get a special shout out in the next chapter! And don't forget to tell us what you think of the chapter too! Thanks for Reading!