Homecoming

Nikita leaned back in her seat and blew out a deep breath. She wanted to check the time on her watch, but knew in doing so, she would draw eyes in her direction. Even though those eyes were digital, she still did not want anyone to know that she was growing bored and annoyed with how long the meeting was going on. Being the newest member of the Council Board at Oversight, she did not want to give off any poor impressions. It was enough that her very presence in the room was collecting some awkward whispers and skeptical glances her way.

"Don't expect any parades in your honor, sugar," Walter had said upon her first Oversight Meeting. "Things may be different here, but not so much with our brothers and sisters in the other branches. Remember, they never saw you coming. None of us did."

Nikita smiled at the memory of her old friend Walter. No matter how many years passed, she would always remember the old flirt fondly and mourn his passing so soon after she had taken complete control of Section. Just about everyone she had become accustomed to was now either moved to a different branch of Section or were dead. Even though she detested Paul Wolfe, she could see no other person standing in his role as Operations. This was why she changed the name of the title, making him the last to be named Operations in the history of Section. The mantle would forever be buried with him in the most honorable fashion possible.

"Our contacts at VSP have corroborated our intel in stating the successful capture of a member of the Security and Defense Council, Sebastien Karloff. He has been arrested and is currently being detained with Interpol until his safe delivery to your care, Director Volker."

Nikita nodded. "Thank you Director Karvenchovich. We are most appreciative of the assignment. We will most certainly take great care of our material as he awaits his day in court for his crimes."

Director Karvenchovich gave Nikita a severe look as the holographic rendering glitched distorting the old director's face and causing the deep lines in his face to become trenches. Nikita attempted to ignore the harshness of his eyes as he stared at her. Instead, she turned her attention back towards another matter.

"Have we been able to intercept any of his communications with The Collective?" asked Nikita.

"The Collective has gone underground since our last encounter," said Director Jules of Section 2. "Their security grid has been down for almost three months leaving many of their supporters and financial backers exposed. Our teams have been able to pinpoint them and scoop them up quite easily with little effort."

"Are we certain this is not all part of some master plan they have set to catch us off guard?" asked the director of Section 6. Her dark navy blue sunglasses made an odd mirror effect in the hologram.

"If this were part of a master plan," said Director Jules, "their intel would have alerted us to it by now. The Collective are underground to recoup their losses and united themselves again under new leadership."

"It's true, The Collective has fractured," said Nikita within a drawn and exhausted breath. She typed a series of commands on her panel and displayed a rudimentary mockup of the different factions The Collective was thought to have broken into. "We conclude that because of past power struggles within the group, further breaks have occurred leaving the whole of The Collective no longer in existence. We are back to fighting the remnants of the old intimidations, which, if they are still using their previous tactics, will make them easily identifiable and attainable."

"Where did your information come from?" asked the director of Section 3, an old woman with a shock of white hair pulled into a very tight ponytail exposing her wide forehead.

Nikita did not bother to look in the general direction of her monitor. Instead, she leaned further back in her seat and steepled her fingers to rest on her stomach. Despite the seriousness of the conference meeting and her many years working within Section, Nikita refused to allow any of the members of the Council to rattle her. She grinned to herself, understanding quickly Council politics and exactly how she would need to navigate the shark-infested waters.

"My research team has done extensive intelligence work probing all aspects of data about and in association with The Collective. We have broken down each of its operatives, its commanders, soldiers, and their unassociated contacts. The T-79 file on your screen details their profiles. We have everything down to the type of ice cream they each prefer to eat and the type of toilet paper they have in their personal bathrooms. Whether it is one-ply or two. Be assured that each of their generals has been and currently is being monitored. Yes, they have gone underground and are in a mass recruiting process, but it is not for The Collective. In a few short months, we suspect some of the major groups that made up the Collective, such as Glass Curtain, Crystal Sky, and Red Cell will attempt to re-emerge. We will be ready when they do."

Nikita walked back from Conference with her head somewhat tucked between her shoulders and her mind working long on the closing arguments of the Council. She was only slightly annoyed by the continued skepticism coming from the other directors, but she understood their position. In a matter of weeks, all of The Collective was dismantled seemingly overnight. Their mission to destroy Section was all but abandoned as their lieutenants, captains, generals, and foot soldiers were targeted, neutralized, and subsequently canceled once their use became of no further assistance. Although she did not personally agree with how Section, along with the other international agencies partnered with them, preferred to handle the continued threats of terrorists and coups, she did not object to their tactics. The old ways worked, and it was what many of the directors were used to. However, since taking over Section One, Nikita worked hard to implement new policies and protocols that did not deal so harshly with those considered enemies without just cause and proven libel for their actions. She saw no need to execute everyone and allowed each government to try their cases instead of Section being both judge and jury. With Karloff coming to her to sit in Containment until Ukraine could build their case against him, she had every intention of showing to the other branches how civil Section could be, even with known anarchists bent on destroying an established government. Torture was still used in the most extreme cases, but she no longer felt it necessary. Especially since science had made it so that information could be extracted from people without them even realizing they had divulged anything.

Nikita walked into her office and immediately punched in a code to block any transmitting signals monitoring her room. It was the same signal blocker Michael once used in his office any time the two of them needed to speak privately. She had often wondered how Michael's office was equipped with such a device until she found it necessary to install one of her own. Walter was still around, if only for advisory. He took Nikita to the side and explained the reason Michael's office had the device installed, and that it was done in secret.

"If Ops knew I had put that thing in his office, he would have had my nuts for earrings," said Walter with a nearly toothless grin.

"Probably," Nikita joined with a slight giggle. "But I doubt he would have worn them. Probably would have given them to Madeline, instead."

"Yeah," Walter laughed. "She would have worn them all around the building. She always threatened she'd have my balls in her hands if I ever slipped."

"Well, it's not Operations, Madeline, or even Michael for that matter, asking you to install the system."

Walter nodded, understanding. "I know, I know. You don't have to twist my arm, sugar. I'll get right on it."

"Thanks, Walter."

Nikita patted Walter on the back. Walter winced as though the gesture hurt him greatly. He rubbed his shoulder where Nikita's hand landed.

"Easy there, honey! I'm an old brittle man now."

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

Walter smiled. "Brat."

"Director Volker…"

Nikita looked up from her thoughts and looked at the monitor showing a woman standing outside her door waiting to be allowed entrance. The woman looked up directly into the camera so that Nikita could see her face cleanly. Her light green eyes called to mind the same soulful glance as Madeline's deep brown gaze...whenever she wasn't plotting some evil scheme or hatching a diabolical plan. The affable grin that spread across Katherine Quinn's face further reminded her of Madeline, which Nikita presumed she might have looked like when she was younger. For a moment, the images merged, blending both women, then separated, leaving Quinn as herself and Madeline a ghost lingering just behind her before fading away completely. Nikita pressed a button to allow Quinn access. The doors opened and Quinn walked inside the office.

"Good evening, Kate," Nikita greeted informally.

"Quinn," she corrected with a very serious expression.

"Oh, sorry," Nikita apologized, but not completely genuinely. "I thought after all these years we would have moved past that."

"We have," said Quinn with a slight smile. "I just prefer to be called that. Never really liked my first name, anyway. Always seemed too...domestic."

"I don't know, Quinn. I rather like the name, Katherine. I never felt it domestic at all. Always thought of the name being rather regal. It is the chosen name of queens after all. Most notable being Catherine the Great."

"I suppose I could take some pride in the name given that," said Quinn thoughtfully. "I've never heard of a Queen Nikita."

"No, you haven't," Nikita agreed. "Because there is only one...and I'm not dead yet."

Nikita smiled playfully. Quinn smiled back, enjoying the small informality of their initial conversation. Her smile quickly left once it became apparent that she was there for business. She handed Nikita the panel she held in her hand and stood in wait as Nikita reviewed the information displayed.

"Set up Comfort Rooms on Level 10 for our guest. Make sure there is every necessary essential provided. Even though Karloff is our prisoner, he will not be treated poorly."

"So we are not to take him to Containment?"

"No. I don't want him in prison before he gets to prison. He has not been convicted, and we are not judging him. That is for the Ukrainian government to decide his fate. Not us."

Nikita handed back the panel to Quinn who took it back to her person as if grasping her favorite boy band notebook. She nodded and blew out a quick breath of derisive air.

"Is there a problem?" Nikita raised an eyebrow.

"No," said Quinn airily.

"Were you expecting something different?"

Quinn thought a moment before answering. "I just think it would be a little more prudent to hold Karloff in Containment so he can be fully monitored. If we set him up on Level 10, we can't monitor those rooms thoroughly. He could still send out messages to The Collective to be rescued."

"He won't know where he is being held."

"He could signal someone by a satellite," Quinn countered.

"The Collective never had such sophisticated tracking devices."

"What if it's not The Collective he was working with?"

"Our intel says that it was," said Nikita, pressing forward a little.

"Our intel states that it was someone that was connected to The Collective. A high-ranking officer, but since the split, we have no way of knowing which faction Karloff was working with. We can only guess. Some of those groups had access to highly sophisticated technologies that made them very formidable to Section. Glass Curtain could shoot down planes remotely from the sky. Red Cell stole Section's directory twice. Crimson Storm is known to have access to highly intellectual satellite tracking systems."

Nikita steepled her hands on her desk and looked at Quinn with a very blank expression.

"Your point?"

Quinn's eyes widened a little at Nikita's answer. She tucked the panel under her arm and rested one fist on her hip.

"My point," Quinn began. "We shouldn't be relaxed about this assignment. We should handle it with the utmost care."

"Level 10 is even further below Containment and is equipped with signal jammers and even further guarded by surveillance. We will strip Karloff of any and every device he may have, both real and imagined, on his body and given our issued garments to wear. It is as close to prison as I want to take him at this point. Once he is delivered to the Ukrainian government, he will be theirs to care for as they see fit. We are only his babysitters until then. I do not want to punish him before time. He is not being punished by us." Nikita glanced at her watch and noticed she had missed a call on her phone. She considered the number a moment before clearing the screen.

"It's your call," said Quinn, giving up her argument. "I'm only saying it would make better sense to have Karloff held in a more secured location rather than placing him someplace we can't watch him."

Nikita stood up from her desk, collecting her phone. She logged out of her computer and started towards her office door.

"I'm sure you're right, and if things were different, I probably would have Karloff taken to Containment, but...Forgive me if I maintain a small measure of diplomacy and allow the man a bit of decency and respect for his station. Especially since it will all be stripped away from him very soon."

Quinn nodded, respectfully. "Yes, ma'am."

Nikita gestured for Quinn to follow her out of her office. She waited a moment, watching Quinn walk down the corridor, heading back towards Communications before she followed. She pulled out her phone and returned the missed call on her cellular. Placing an encryption device on the phone, she gave the word that the line was secure to speak.

"My darling. How are you?" asked Helmut after a brief pause.

"Tired," Nikita answered.

"I'm just about done here at the office. Shall I meet you for dinner?"

"I would love that, but I'm afraid I'll be here for a tad bit longer. I'm waiting for a package to be delivered."

"Oh! Anything I should know about?" asked Helmut.

"You should. It's coming from your division."

Nikita began up the staircase in the back stairwell leading up to The Perch. She passed by only a few operatives busily transporting data files from one level to the next. As customary, none of the operatives met eyes with her but averted their glances. Nikita barely noticed as she made her way towards Command.

"Ah yes," said Helmut. "That package. Well then, I'll have dinner ready for you when you get home."

"And a bath," Nikita added.

"And a bath...With your favorite bubble solution and rose water."

Nikita smiled as she entered Command. She glanced at the bank of monitors on the back wall noticing there were only three missions still active. The convoy carrying Karloff was en route and was only three hours out.

"Don't forget to get Lizzie from the sitter. I'm sure she is ready to come home. She has been there pretty much all day."

"Ah, yes! My princess. I would never forget her. She is my whole reason for existence."

"I thought I was your reason for existence," said Nikita jokingly.

"You are my reason for breathing, my queen."

"I do hold your life in my hands, don't I," said Nikita.

"My life and my heart."

"I'll see you this evening."

"I shall await you, my love."

Nikita did not respond, only smiled as she canceled the call and took the device from her phone. She stood at the wide expanse of the window overlooking the main floor of Section watching as operatives worked tirelessly on various projects and missions. She glanced at her watch again, only seeing that barely five minutes passed since the last time she looked and blew out another long line of air. Even though she knew the night was going to be long, she could not help but feel a little at ease knowing that after Karloff was settled in his accommodations, she could leave "the office" and return to a warm dinner, a glass of wine, and the loving arms of her husband and her daughter.