I don't own Nikita or any of its chapters etc.

Hey, sorry for the really bad chapter but this one is a lot better! Hope you enjoy it. Read and review please.

Jayden held her cocktail glass in between her fingers which were laden with jewellery and she paraded around. She was dressed in a short, lime green dress and if the green and fuchsia pink feathered mask hadn't been covering her face, her expression of pride and arrogance would have been clear for everyone to see.

Jayden was extremely glad with mission she had been given, despite the fact that it was blackmailing that had gotten her it in the first place. She had no remorse for pressuring Michael, she was too focused on looking attractive. But she was determined to exceed everyone's expectations and take her target down flawlessly.

Nikita and Owen entered the masquerade ball arm and arm. Nikita was in a floor length blue gown, dotted with sparkles that looked like the sky at midnight, with a sparkly silver mask, to match. Owen was wearing a plain black tuxedo and a box tie, his striking features were covered with a gold mask that a bird's beak protruded from.

Alex, however out shone them both in her knee length gold dress and matching mask.

I wish Michael was here. He could be the only thing to make me feel even more special, Alex thought and she caught up with Nikita and Owen.

Jayden took of her mask for a second so she could check her reflection in her mirror.

Owen whistled, "Wow. She's smoking hot."

Nikita punched him in the arm but Owen misinterpreted her frustration and said, "But er, not as hot as you."

Nikita punched him again and hissed, "That's not why I punched you! That girl you're making googly eyes at? That's Jayden."

Owen looked over at Alex to see if she had heard him compliment her arch nemesis in Division.

Alex shrugged and said, "Sure, she hot. But she's a bitch, so I'm all good."

"Alrighty then," Owen said shifting nervously on his new shoes which were giving him blisters. "Are we actually going to sabotage the mission? Because if we're not, I'd like to go home."

Jayden walked over to the long table that stretched the length of the room and refilled her cocktail glass with a bright pink punch, that tasted like melons and tropical fruit.

Nikita didn't realise that Jayden could hear every single word she said, "Would you calm down please? Just observe for a minute, find the actual target. And then we'll sabotage."

Jayden inched closer to the group to pick up their conversation.

Owen said, "But Nikita, don't you think we should act soon, before Jayden has a chance to get away?"

Jayden was terrified to hear her name and the word sabotage in the same sentence and the punch in her glass started to shake.

She edged even closer, until she was stood directly behind them, but they were too involved in their conversation to notice.

Alex sighed, "I really wish Michael was here to help out, he has a different perspective of things than the rest of us."

Something in Jayden's head clicked. Nikita, sabotage, Michael, Division.

The other voice was male, most probably Owen but Jayden couldn't make out the last voice even though it was hauntingly familiar.

Nikita noticed the extreme closeness of Jayden's proximity and whispered, "He wanted to come but Percy's got him on a leash ever since that incident with Birkhoff in the mission room."

Jayden realised she needed to tell Percy everything she had overheard. Sure, it would cut her mission short but she'd had her fun and she'd get to bust some ass. Plus, it would make her teacher's pet and not Alex, so it was a bonus.

Jayden spoke loudly into her earpiece, "Mission aborted. I repeat mission aborted. I'm coming back to Division."

Nikita, Owen and Alex passed each other confused glances through their colourful masks.

"Well that can't be good," Nikita said.

"Yeah," Alex wondered. "What scared her?"

Percy walked up and down his office and said, "So Jayden. Are you positive the information you heard was from Nikita, and about Michael?"

Jayden said smugly, "Yes sir."

Percy sat on the edge of his deep brown, varnished oak desk and smiled, "Well done recruit. I underestimated you. I think you will become a Field Agent quicker than you expected. You are dismissed."

Jayden gave one last proud smile and left the room.

Percy picked up his phone and spoke into it, "Send Amanda to my office immediately, and keep it quiet."

A faint voice answered back, "Yes sir. Right away."

Amanda knocked on the door of Percy's office and asked calmly, "You needed to see me?"

Percy rubbed his brow and said anxiously, "Come in and shut the door behind you."

Amanda closed the doors and sat in the old leather seat opposite Percy at his desk.

Percy looked at Amanda, wondering whether or not he should trust her with the gem of information. But he needed her help so he said, "It seems one of our own has been playing cat and mouse."

Amanda said in a monotone yet manipulative voice, "Percy, you always did have an overactive imagination."

Amanda didn't have as much respect for Percy as she let on and had always thought that she should be in charge of Division, because she thought it needed a strong woman.

Percy clutched his hands together and said in a mumble, "I have it from a very reliable source that Michael has been in alliance with Nikita and Owen."

Amanda picked up a pen from Percy's desk and examined it, entertaining herself because Percy's words were boring her so much, "Who is your reliable source?"

Percy said, "Jayden. She overheard Nikita, Owen and an unknown person having a conversation regarding Michael's involvement."

Amanda laughed patronisingly, "Percy. Jayden is hardly our best agent, after all she's still a recruit. She would do anything to move up the ladder."

"She was adamant about what she heard."

Amanda pouted her lips and said, "And who is this mystery person supposed to be?"

Percy said, getting slightly more excited, but only slightly, "That's exactly what you're going to find out. I want you to use whatever you have to get some answers out of Michael. I've been suspicious of him for quite a while now."

"And if he doesn't say anything?" Amanda asked, with an evil smirk on her face.

Percy watched as Amanda's eyes lit up, "I'm confident he'll tell us everything we need to know."

Amanda's face dropped again, it was almost as if she was disappointed she didn't get to do anything truly awful.

Percy said, "Go and get him from his office. I've had him doing paperwork all morning. Take him to yours, but don't let on anything is happening. We don't want him to be suspicious. Then when you're ready, start whatever it is that you do."

Amanda got up from the old leather chair and headed for the door, her heel's clacking on the hard floor with every step she took.

Amanda turned round and questioned Percy, "What if you're wrong Percy? After all it won't be your first time. You were clearly wrong about him and Nikita. That's probably what made him distrust you in the first place."

"I won't be," Percy said as Amanda shut the door behind her. He turned around in his chair to observe Michael's recruits through his office window.

Michael was sat at his desk, that was significantly smaller than Percy's. He flicked through all of his work in frustration and twiddled his pen back and forth through his fingers.

He looked up when Amanda cast a shadow over his work, blocking the light.

Amanda said blankly, "Come with me."

Michael put down his pen and shut his file. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he asked Amanda questioningly, "Why?"

Amanda said, "Don't ask questions Michael. Just come with me to my office."

Amanda and Michael walked down the hallways in silence but it wasn't the good kind of silence like when he walked Alex to her room so many times when she was a recruit at Division. It was a petrifying silence.

They arrived at Amanda's infamous office and Michael asked, "What is this about Amanda? Don't you usually play your little games on the recruits and not someone at a higher clearance level than you?"

Michael walked into the bright white room, looked around and she shut the door behind them.

"Yes Michael. I usually do conduct my experiments on recruits, but then again the recruits are the obvious suspects for betraying Division. But you on the other hand…" Amanda's voice trailed off and she watched Michael for a response.

Michael didn't react and slowly said, "I'm not sure what you're implying Amanda."

Amanda turned off the nice act and said bitterly, "I think you do Michael and Percy asked me very nicely to find out what exactly it is that you're hiding. You see, your friends Nikita and Owen decided to show up on Jayden's mission. Ring any bells?"

Michael got closer to Amanda, so he would see if she flinched, "Amanda, if this is some psychological thing. You can stop it right now."

Amanda ignored Michael's request and said, "They let slip your name and Jayden just happened to hear that. Ironic isn't it? That one of your own recruits would be the one to bring you down. Not Nikita, as we all initially thought."

Amanda chuckled to herself and Michael's nostrils flared but his voice didn't let on any emotion. He was matching Amanda's coldness.

He stuck by his story and said, finding it hard to control his volume, "Jayden was clearly lying. I have nothing to hide, so you won't be getting anything from me."

Amanda turned around from what she was doing. She showed Michael a suitcase full of injections and lethal mixes of chemicals. It was also full of needles, electrical charges and painful miniscule weapons, designed specifically for torture.

Amanda said, "Good then you won't be afraid for me just to confirm that then will you?"

Michael sat down on the chair and Amanda strapped his arms onto the arm rests, wrist sides up, with the help of a guard.

He said through gritted teeth, "No I wouldn't."

Amanda stuck in the first syringe into a bottle of bright green liquid that swirled around, it was almost hypnotizing to Michael, the way it swished back and forth as Amanda tipped it upside down and drew the syringe.

She said in a sickly sweet voice, turning her nice act back on, "Two cc's of this and your heart rate will go up to at least 120 bmp. Four cc's and every beat of your heart will cause you excruciating pain, the blood running through your veins will feel like toxin and at six cc's, well your body will start to reject your own blood and then you'll be dead. So, how far do we have to go Michael before I get what I need to know?"

Michael looked at her in disgust, "You can do what you like to me because I've done nothing wrong. All the time I've been at Division I've done the right things and been faithful to the right people."

Amanda said, coming down to Michael's level, "It's a shame it had to come down to this isn't it really? I always thought you had something different in you than everyone else, but then I realised it was just idiocracy."

She stuck the needle into Michael's arm and he bit down on his lip so hard he drew blood.

He didn't let out a sound but his head started to sweat and his breathing got shallower and faster by the second.

Michael said, "Damn you, Amanda."

Amanda said, "Who is the other person you're working with Michael? Come on, you can tell me I'm your friend."

Michael shook his head and said, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

Amanda slapped Michael and he spat out blood next to her on the ground, so it splattered on her shoes.

Amanda sighed and said, "Oh, Michael. I tried to be nice but I guess that you always had to do things the hard way."

Michael closed his eyes and laid his head back as Amanda put another two cc's of the poison into his blood stream, making four.

Michael's heart started beating uncontrollably and he wasn't a religious man but he screamed up at the ceiling, for god to help him.

His whole body felt like he had been stabbed and his hands started to seize up.

Amanda said, "Are you ready to speak now."

Michael was silent and he stared down at his hands which had gone a slight purple colour from lack of circulation from his restraints.

Amanda said, "Fine we'll try it another way."

She signalled the guard over and he hit Michael in the head with his gun, just hard enough to stun him, but not make him unconscious.

Amanda said, "For every question you don't answer Grady here will make sure you wish you had.

Michael looked at them both and said, "Whatever you want. I'm not saying anything."

"What does Nikita want?" Amanda asked, looking at Michael, finding it hard to feign the slightest bit of sympathy. "Why is she trying to bring down Division Michael?"

Michael said, slurring his words, "Revenge probably, on people like you. But since I haven't spoken to her since the Kasim mission I wouldn't know."

Grady thrashed Michael in the face with his gun and a steady stream of blood started to run from his nose and dropped on his lap when it hit his lips.

Amanda said, her voice getting tenser, "Come on Michael, we know you're not telling us something. We just want to know what it is."

Michael held his head up and looked Amanda dead straight in the eyes and said, "I'm hiding nothing."

Grady was about to hit Michael for the third time when Percy walked into the room.

Percy said, "Oh Michael. Look at that. It seems that you've run across a little accident."

"You son of a bitch!" Michael shouted at Percy, tugging at the restraints with all of his remaining power to attempt to get free. But they were too tight and the toxin had made him weaker than usual. Michael felt like giving up and telling them everything but that would mean putter his friends lives in danger and he couldn't do that not after he'd promised to look after them.

An image of Alex smiling and laughing with Michael hit him like a ton of bricks and tears pricked at his eyes. He remembered what he had said to her the first time she had gotten into trouble,

I won't let them hurt you. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I'm not going to lose you too.

Michael would prefer to die before he broke his promise to Alex.

Percy smiled and Michael and turned to Amanda and said, "So have you gotten anything out of him yet?"

Amanda said, "No. And to be honest I don't think we're going to."

Percy sucked on the inside of his cheeks and then released them to say, "Neither do I. Take him to the top floor."

Michael gulped and closed him heavy eyelids.

The top floor is where recruits or agents who just weren't good enough were sent to get cancelled. You never went up there for any other reason. You were lucky to be shot, usually Amanda would make it extra special.

Michael said, begging them, "No. Please, no."

The normal Michael wouldn't have begged but he was defeated and broken.

Percy pointed to the guard and he walked behind Michael while Amanda took off his restraints. The guard pushed him forward and cuffed his hands behind his back. Then he pushed him out of his seat and Michael stumbled forwards landing at Percy's feet.

Percy and Amanda watched and Michael muttered something under his breath.

The guards dragged him roughly by the shoulder up and out the door with Amanda and Percy on either side of Michael, parading him around as an example and to shame him.

They marched him down the hallways and into the elevator without changing position.

When elevator doors reopened, Michael saw he was on the training level.

All of the recruits turned to look at him.

"What are we doing here?" Michael said.

Percy said, "Aw, you didn't honestly think we were that heartless did you? We're going to let you say bye to your recruits."

The recruits muttered amongst each other.

Jayden said, "Shit. I didn't mean for this to happen."

She turned to an athletic looking boy next to her and asked, "Where are they taking him?"

"To the top floor probably," he replied.

The guard shoved Michael up to the group of recruits that had gathered on the mats.

Percy and Amanda stood proudly on either side of him and Percy said, "Now, young recruits. This is what happens when you don't follow the rules. Michael has one final thing to say to you all."

Michael looked at all the expectant faces and swallowed and said, "I'm sorry for letting you all down. I hope you'll continue to be strong men and women even when I'm gone and don't let your training slip. But most importantly don't be afraid to make friendships, they are important. I know Division says not to, but really Division is full of crap."

Michael's tears stung in his eyes but he couldn't wipe them away so he let them fall. Even Jayden let one slip as her humanity showed.

Percy frowned at Michael and said, "Right, that's enough. Come on."

It took all three of them to drag Michael to the elevator as he took one last look at the people he had trained. Some of them for over a year, and others only months. What would happen to them if he was gone? They would probably get cancelled or Percy would bring someone else in to train them, but no one understood them like Michael.

Birkhoff's assistant pointed out what was happening in the training room. All of the recruits were either crying, hugging each other or talking about it. Birkhoff looked up to see Michael being taken away in cuffs.

He said, "Shit, dude. What did you do?"

Percy pressed the elevator button, but it would only take Michael up.

Birkhoff bit his nails and set up the old shell that he had destroyed. He typed in the code that he had thankfully memorised and managed to pull up the chat box.

He typed in a message that said, Nikita it's B. Reply ASAP.

The computer in front of them beeped and Nikita, Owen and Alex, all looked up from their planning.

Nikita was the one to rush over and she replied, What is it?

Birkhoff said, Just seen Percy and Amanda drag Michael, who's a bloody mess, by the way, up to the top floor. Jayden just met with Percy a few hours ago. Mean anything to you?

Birkhoff looked at the computer but it already said, User offline. He set back to work on deleting it again without leaving a paper trail.

"Shit!" Nikita shouted.

Alex came over to the computer and read Birkhoff's last message, "Shit. Shit. Shit. What the hell are we going to do?"

Alex ran her hands through her hair the way Michael always did and knelt on the ground.

Nikita looked at Owen who had already come to see what the commotion was about, and said, "We're going to break into Division to get him."

Alex looked at Nikita like she was crazy but there was nothing else for them to do.

She said, in shock from the thought of her losing Michael, "What now?"

Nikita replied, "Yes. All of us. Right now."

Michael, Percy, Amanda and the guard all appeared on the top floor.

Percy said to the guard, "Right you can take it from here. You know what to do."

Percy and Amanda disappeared behind the elevator doors and Michael was left alone with only the guard for company.

He took Michael through the maze of hallways, past multiple doors and around countless corners until they came to one room.

The guard said, "You'll be in there for twelve hours. After that you'll run out of oxygen. I'm sorry mate."

Michael nodded and patted the guard on the back as he led him into the room. The only thing in the room was a chair, right in the very far corner. There were no windows and only one door, that the guard would be guarding until the twelve hours were up.

Michael sat down on the chair as the guard shut and locked the door, leaving Michael to look at his watch and count down the hours.