Disclaimer: I do not own any rights on the original scripts and character for LFN, or any agencies connected to the production or creation. The characters in La Femme Nikita are WBTV`s property.
``Lost memories of a dark angel``
He was alone, isolated. The room was cold, with a heavy air, and a pale light. It looked like a cage to him. He was a man who loved nature, he did not like confinement. This was the last place he wanted to be.
He was remembering. As he walked in circles, he deepened the labyrinthine paths of his memories. For some reason, he was a bit groggy; maybe it was the drugs that had been injected again to sedate him. But beyond that, beyond the pain he felt, he was committed to remembering. With a hint of will, the images came back to him.
Every memory shocked him. Every detail activated his wolf gaze more and more. They were memories stained with blood; infused with a singed, synthetic odour. But what tormented him the most were the screaming, the crying, the shock. He kept remembering and another image revives his retina, that of a little girl trying to wake up a woman who would never open her eyes….``….Maman?... Maman, ça va? réveille-toi Maman! J'ai peur ... je veux rentrer à la maison Maman…``. The words of the little girl rumbled in his head, while the images were coming back. What he remembered, frozen him.
In the middle of the storm, he took his head with his hands. He still couldn't believe what had happened. The mouth from the young french man started to move, trying to say something...``Ce que j'ai fait?``...``Pourquoi ... pourquoi ai-je fait ça?``
The big question left him shaking . The crisis invaded and paralysed him at the same time. Other images absorbed his attention: through the smoke he could saw the immobile figures, dismembered bodies that represented ruined lives, interrupted dreams and ruined families.
The great wave, that great dark tide of consequences came so fast towards him that he could not contained it. That wave got through the heart of the tormented young man, like a knife. His logic was so precise, so fast that it hit his mind like a bullet. That was the moment when part of his soul had started to break. In some way, he was aware that part of him died.
After the situation have became chaotic, he thought that he had took his last breath on the main streets of Paris. His last thought was about her sister, then a hit on his head let him unconscious. It was during the mass protests and a wave of strikes which paralysed France after new plans to privatise private schools. Rene wanted to leave a symbolic message: that nothing has changed after march of 68`, that there was no equality and hypocrisy was still there in the society. The same lies was still there, suppressing the poor ones.
It was there that he understood that he had wasted everything: his ability, his intelligence; the knowledge acquired as an engineering student...his family or what was left of it. And what is even worse for him, he failed the promise to protect her.
At the beginning, he wanted to defended students rights. He needed to feel useful and protect equality of education. He had found in Rene's words a place where he could release all that intensity that arose from his emotions. However, he was not looking for this inhuman act. Then he realised that he wanted to free himself from his driving force: the anger from the loss of his parents. After that, he understood the dimension of his mistake. It was a point of no return.
While the prisoner was still tormented, on the other side of the screen they watched him.
- This is his profile ...
In silence, the individual receives the folder and begins to coldly read `` From middle class family… advanced level engineering student; his performance was above average… outstanding cognitive ability… idealistic-romantic tendency…. Attitude of violence and rebellion: he was isolated and sedated on several occasions. His behaviour suggests a sense of guilt and responsibility. ``
- His physical attitudes? - asks the guest wearing a black suit
- He is quite violent ... - answers the prison authority - ... he has no training in martial arts, but beyond that, he fights without fear...he has a reaction speed and an impressive physical coordination that I have never seen before ... he is a wild wolf wanting to get out of his cage. .
- Perfect ... We will tame the beast then... - the mysterious man answers in a comical way-
- Pierre, are you sure that he can be useful to you?
- Oh yeah! It is just what we need. Young, with vigour and charm…. His profile is too interesting to leave him here. I'm sure he would end up dead in a year...We need young blood...
- Or perhaps earlier... the authorities decided to transfer him from the juvenile center after what he did there ... because of his violence, they decided to bring him to this prison... and he has already caused me enough problems ... ask my guards ... he has too much anger...
- Do not worry Anton ... We will take care of his fury and rebellion. His youth plays in our favour ... so we will be moulded him according to our needs... all he needs is a purpose. Guilt will serve to keep him in his cage for the rest of his days..
After making clandestine arrangements with the prison authorities, the Fenix protocol was initiated. The prisoner was transferred to an isolation cell and sedated with a drug that simulated the death of the subject. After that, the person had to be extracted in less than one hour, to inject the Reboot, a substance that brought him back. By that time, the individual was already out of jail. With the Fenix protocol, while Michael Samuelle was being released from prison, the institution began the procedure related to Samuelle's death. This included the notice to his only relative, Jacqueline Samuelle. The cause of death: suicide by not bearing the guilt for the death of more than a dozen people.
Hours later, the mysterious silhouette who took the decision to extract Samuelle from prison had a telephone conversation:
-… I have a young promise for your Valentine missions… a great idea of yours to obtain Intel , Maddy … a bit perverse but astute.
On the other end of the phone, attention was perceived on the subject in question:
- Thanks Anton… I received the individual's file… it seems interesting. But I still have to evaluate his profile… maybe the prison staff overestimated him….
- Believe me Madeline ... he is different. The testimonies from my contact and the guards suggest something else ... the look of that young terrorist says that there is something else in him ... perhaps power ... but his fury dominates him ...
- We will see Anton ... if so, we are experts in handling these kinds of profiles ... I already have in mind a manipulation strategy that will be very useful for this case ... something else Anton?
After organising a few more adjustments the communication ends. Hours later, Michael Samuelle arrived for the first time in something worse than a prison: a purgatory for the most veteran. For the authorities it was called, Section One.
He woke in another room. Alone again. The room was a circle, all white and cold, with a large metal door. Then a the door opened and a blond man appeared. He was tall, dressed in black with a serious look. The young man start to talk in french. And not in a friendly way. After make some arrangement with his glasses, the mysterious man started to talk.
``Section One is the most clandestine organisation on the planet. It's our job to bring down the criminals and terrorists that no one else can get. We've decided to give you another chance. You died yesterday at 5:00 p.m. The prison doctor confirmed suicide after an overdose of tranquillisers. You're buried in Saint-Pierre, row 8, plot 30. From now on, you are dead to the world``.
He Frenchman stood up. He had understood every word. Tears began to flow from his green eyes. His fury began to show and with a cry `` Je suis un homme libre! '' he attacked wildly. The mystery man avoided the attack and struck the young man so quickly that even the defence movement could not be seen.
The counterattack had hit the stomach, reducing the young man to the ground. As he tried to catch his breath, the man in black continued.
``We know you speak English. Section One is an international organisation and we use English as a global language. So you will get used to speak this language.``
``We know many things about you. You were an advanced engineering student, from a middle class family, you speak three languages. A very smart and charming young man. You have potential and we will used it. Now you belong to Section One. This is where you will train; this is where you will learn. After two years and if you survive, you will work for us. You will learn to take advantages from the weaknesses from you opponents, among other things``.
After the silence of the mysterious man, the young man responded defiantly, but now in English ``What if I don't want to?``
The man in black, smile and answer before left the white room ``Your training will start tomorrow, 5 a.m...and I will be your mentor. My name is Jurgen``.
After one year, a meeting between Jurgen and Madeline was done during a Go game. The main piece of the game was Section One's young promise, Michael Samuelle.
Beyond the numbers, there was something that Madeline perceived in the young man. And it was something she did not like at all.
- I see that Anton was not exaggerating ... his numbers are above the historical average for Section ... and for all areas ... this young man will be a very versatile resource for our plans ...
- That's right, Madeline ... - answered the Spec Ops agent - ... we are facing something new. After the protocol you used on him, an adaptation to all areas was observed with unprecedented speed ... - Jurgen's gaze did not suggest any joy-
Madeline emitted a slight smile and continued: - Is there something else that Jurgen should know?
Jurgen looked at her confused. Before the silence of Samuelle's mentor, the head of strategies continues: - I perceive that he is hiding something ... what is your observation?
- The same thing that any other rookie wants to do here ... make the big decision. He wants to live ... - there he stops and with a slight smile he continues - ... well, survive ...
- According to the tests that I did on him, I still perceive humanity in him ... what is your point of view on this?
- With the approach that you used Madeline, any other rookie would have lost his mind ... Samuelle presents a lot of resistance ... but if we keep digging we run the risk of irreversibly damaging his psyche ... we already invested millions in this guy ...
- I understand Jurgen. When do you think it will be ready? ...
When the game finished, the dialogue ended. Everything was in place.
As the door closed, Madeline's eyes reflected pride in the experimental approach she had developed. His strategy was perverse: she exposed the young man to continuous sessions where all Michael could see were images of the attack in which he participated. Madeline also had the grace to show him photos of corpses, and records of different funerals. In parallel, Michael was subjected to recordings with subliminal messages in order to implant in his mind the following ideas:
``You no longer have value as a human being. Your cage is your guilt``
``You will regain your honour with your own life``
``Your body and mind are no longer yours. You belong to Section One``.
At the beginning, the sessions were chaotic. Several times Samuelle had to be sedated to avoid an irreversible nervous breakdown. But after one month of continues exposure, the young man began to show the saddest behaviour: he began to accept those perverse messages.
But according to his mentor, Michael found an inexplicably way to keeps apart his original side. It's so hard to believe, but the young recruit was smart enough to find the way to protect himself. In some way he was able to encapsulate part of his own soul.
On the other hand, Jurgen knew that if he keep digging Samuelle´s psyche, he won't be useful for this purgatory. As Jurgen belongs to the 5% group, he could not allow that.
The Spec Ops was sure that with all what Madeline had done to Michael, guilt will operate as his own cage of punishment. A permanent belief that his life doesn't worthy is now operational on his head.
Every time Jurgen thinks about that, he feels sorry for Samuelle, because he sees in the look of that young man that he will never forgive himself for what he did. If the soul exists, Jurgen could ensure that Section has broken the recruit's soul in an almost irreversible way.
The path of the dark angel has began.