CHAPTER 2

"Sir," Michael's assistant said, " we need your help with something."

"What?" he demanded, exasperated. He had stayed late working and as a reward gotten stuck due to a large storm that had moved in sooner than predicted. Since then, the power had gone off twice and half the security systems all decided to go haywire at the same time. Due to the continuing alarms and frustration he now had a pounding headache and wanted nothing more than to be home alone.

"We have a security breach."

"A real one this time?" he questioned cynically.

"An unauthorized person entered the building and was headed toward this end of the building."

"Security has caught this person, I assume?"

"Yes, sir. She says she wants to speak with you."

"Why can't you just turn her over to the local police with a charge of trespassing on government property like any other person?"

"She threatened to blow up ever car in the parking garage," the assistant explained, " the bomb squad is checking out the validity of this threat now."

"You act like there is more. Is there something else I should know?"

"She's seven."

"Seven? As in seven years old?"

The white-clad agent nodded.

"You have two college degrees, and you can't handle a seven year old girl?"

"Sorry, sir. It's just that it's not your typical-"

"Just send her in here," he cut her off. "I'll handle it myself."

"Yes, sir." She hastily disappeared beyond the office's double doors, only to be seen again briefly five minutes later when she escorted the girl in.

Michael eyed the innocent looking blond-haired blue-eyed girl critically. She had on a pink romper and shiny silver heels far higher than he knew they made for children her age. She looked completely inappropriately dressed for the weather outside, but otherwise there didn't appear to be anything different about her than any other average kid.

"My name is Michael. What's yours?"

"I already knew yours, but I'm Nikita. Or you can just call me Niki if you want."

"Alright, Nikita, what were you-"

"Archangel," another person interrupted as he walked in the door.

"I evidently have an open door policy today, so feel free."

"I just thought that I would tell you five of the cars in the garage did have remote detonated C-4 explosives wired to them. They've been disarmed though and are being taken to the weapons bunker."

"Thank you."

He waited for the door to close again before looking at Nikita.

"Did you do that?"

She nodded, looking proud of herself.

"Do you know you could go to jail for that?"

Again, she nodded.

"Then why did you do it?"

"So you'd believe me. Not too many grown ups take a seven year old serious. You couldn't really send me to jail anyway."

"How are you so sure about that?"

"Cause Mommy'd start hurting people if you did."

"Is she the one who taught you how to do that?"

"Yep."

Someone really needed to work on their parenting. Who in there right mind would teach a first grader to wire explosives? he wondered.

"Who exactly is your mommy?"

"My real mommy's name was Katya Zykov, but she died with my dad in a big car crash. Now my mommy is actually my sister, but she said to tell everyone she is my mommy because it's less complicated that way."

"Who is your sister then?"

"Her name is Lexa."

"And Lexa taught you how to wire the explosives?"

"Yep."

Figures. He would definitely have to talk to her when she got back.

"So why is it you're here?"

Nikita shrugged, climbing into the chair in front of his desk. "I dunno. She said that if she wasn't back by this morning to stay here with a guy named Michael until she did in case something bad happened."

"She probably just got stuck in the weather. Where were you staying before you came here?"

"At home."

"She left you alone?"

"Yep. She does that a lot, but it's okay cause I can take care of myself and I ride the bus to school so nobody has to drive me."

"How did you get here?"

"I walked."

"Weren't you cold? It's freezing out there and you wearing-"

"I wanted to wear this so I did," she answered defiantly.

"Alright, alright. You live close by?"

"Yep. In an apartment two buildings away."

"Okay. I'm going to get my jacket and then we can drive over there if you'll show me which one it is."

"We aren't staying here?"

"No. Would it make you feel better if I took someone with us for protection?"

She shook her head. "If a bad guy comes you can just shoot 'em."

"Shoot them?"

"Yeah, with Mommy's gun."

"It's not within your reach is it?" he asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"Which one?"

"Any of them."

"I can't reach the one at the top of her closet or the cabinet without standing on something, but I can reach the ones on the counter and the one in the living room. She also has a big one in her bedroom that leans again the wall,but she said I can't touch that one 'til I'm bigger."

He was definitely going to have a nice long talk with her.

"Have you had any bad guys at your house recently?"

She shook her head, shoulder length blond tresses falling in front of her eyes.

"Good. Let's go then."

Nikita agreed, sliding out of the oversized chair.

Michael followed, although not before tucking his side arm into his waistband, just in case.

Nikita skipped down the hallway then proceeded to press every button in the elevator, making him glad there were only four floors in the building. Outwardly she seemed like an ordinary seven year old girl, but with every step closer to Lexa's apartment he grew more afraid of what wasn't outwardly visible. Lexa Cole was a highly efficient agent, and very good at what she did, but her methods, including her parenting ones evidently, were often...unorthodox. Usually he tried to ignore that and tell himself that it was the end result that mattered. The idea of her acting as a mother to any child, ever her sister, quite frankly terrified him. Keeping a collection of weapons, although many of them illegal, was one thing, leaving them within the reach of a little kid though was entirely different.

Another question plagued his mind. How had he missed it? He should have known something about Nikita before she showed up in his office, even if it was only a name listed as a relative. How long had Lexa been guardian of this child? And perhaps more importantly, how much had she taught her? Nikita already proved to be very intelligent for her age, but he still wasn't so sure it was a good idea to teach even a responsible seven year old to wire explosives.

"It's here," the girl announced, and the car pulled to a stop outside the apartment complex.

For better or for worse, he was involved now in whatever mess Lexa had created, and it was up to him to clean it up.