Chapter Four

"What do you mean Amanda has Nikita?" Ryan demanded. "Did she just casually walk into your house and take her? Where were you?"

"Nikita left our apartment at some point during the night. I don't know when, but she left a note saying that she would be back in the morning. She didn't say why," Michael informed the group, trying to stay as calm as possible. "I suspect that Amanda set a trap for her. I was asleep."

"You were asleep? Seriously?" Ryan shouted angrily. "Nikita was out by herself, getting captured by a psychotic bitch, and you were asleep? God, what happened to all your military training? What kind of soldier are you? You've been back for one day and you manage to get your girlfriend captured. Congratulations, you are one hell of a guy!"

"And what about you, Ryan? You're just the blameless by-stander?" Michael snorted. "I know about what happened between you and Nikita. She told me all about your little crush on her. If it were up to me, Nikita and I would be safe in Barbados. You just couldn't stand for us to be happy together, so you pulled us back here, where all the danger is. Don't go around pretending that this is my fault, when you're the reason that she was here."

"Stop it, both of you!" Alex yelled, putting herself in between the two males. She was upset and terrified about Nikita being gone, but she was furious at Ryan and Michael. "Right now, Nikita is probably being tortured by Amanda, and you guys are playing the blame game like a pair of third graders. Is that helping to get Nikita back? I don't think so!"

"She's right," Michael sighed, looking at Ryan with distaste. "Birkhoff, I want you tracking her license plate activity from one in the morning to six in the morning."

"How can you narrow the time frame so much?" Ryan challenged.

"Because I was awake at six thirty and we were busy until midnight last night," Michael responded. "Sonya, can you see if you can get any information from her phone?"

"Well I would, but we're receiving a video chat request," Sonya replied.

"From who?" Alex asked.

"Amanda."

XXX

Nikita woke with an aching head and a pounding in her chest. Where was she? Where was Michael? She was sitting down in a metal chair, her wrists and ankles were in cuffs attached to the chair, and the chair was welded to the ground. Opening her eyes slowly, Nikita could tell that she was in a basement of some sort, with dark lighting and no windows, and only one visible exit. To her left, there was a metal tray with suspicious looking syringes on it. To her right, there was laboratory equipment that looked like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie. In front of her was another metal chair, and a video camera. The entire room practically screamed torture chamber. Nikita began testing her restraints, hoping that she would get lucky like she did with Brandt. Unfortunately, all her restraints seemed completely solid. Nikita was distracted out of her escape attempt by the sound of heels echoing through the room.

"Hello Nikita," Amanda greeted, a pleasant smile on her face. "It's been too long. How have you been? Was Barbados nice?"

"Just wonderful. Michael says hi," Nikita responded, trying to remind the manipulator that there will be people looking for her.

"He can say hi to me himself in a moment, I've just had some delays in my schedule. The internet connection is rather slow here," Amanda began hooking up some wires to the video camera while Nikita tried to understand what she was talking about. Seemingly satisfied, Amanda stepped away slightly from the camera and pushed a button, causing a flashing red light to appear. "Say hi to Division, Nikita."

"Michael," Nikita breathed out, and tried to smile weakly. "Don't do anything stupid to try and rescue me this time. Remember that I love you, no matter what."

"How touching, but back to the point," Amanda narrated sarcastically. "Michael took something very precious away from me, someone that I loved very much. Now, I'm going to make him pay in every way imaginable. And I have a very good imagination."

"What are you talking about?" Nikita demanded.

"Did Michael ever tell you why he wanted to go to Barbados for vacation?" Amanda asked. "Ari was there, securing our overseas connections, ensuring us millions of dollars to live on. Do you know what happened instead? He was assassinated; murdered by your boyfriend. It's Michael's fault that you're here right now, it's Michael's fault that I'm back at all."

"I don't care what he did, just don't hurt him. Please. You have me, isn't that enough?" Nikita pleaded.

"No, because I could never hurt you, Nikita. You're just a part of my plan," Amanda explained vaguely.

XXX

Remember that I love you, no matter what.

Nikita's voice echoed through the room, and Michael swallowed, trying to keep his face neutral.

No matter what.

She didn't know. She didn't know what he had done. Michael knew the exact reason that Owen had said "My turn". It was Amanda's turn to harm a lover. He had thought that they would be safe here, Division should have been the safest place of all. God, he shouldn't have let her out of his sight. Now, there she was on the screen, proclaiming her love for him when it was his fault that she was there. Was Amanda going to make him watch her torture Nikita? How cruel was she?

Now I'm going to make him pay in every way imaginable. And I have a very good imagination.

Amanda's words were haunting. She wasn't threatening Nikita at all, she was threatening Michael through and through. This meant that torturing Nikita wasn't going to be enough for Amanda. Amanda's true vengeance was going to be much worse. She was telling the truth, she did have an amazing imagination for all things sadistic.

He was assassinated; murdered. By your boyfriend. It's Michael's fault that you're here right now, it's Michael's fault that I'm back at all.

It was true. When Michael found out that Ari was in Barbados, he jumped at the chance. He whisked Nikita away under the premise of a vacation, and went to murder the Russian. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get back at Amanda, and make the world a little safer. He had truly underestimated Amanda's wrath, and now Nikita was paying the price for his stupidity.

I don't care what he did, just don't hurt him. Please.

Even after knowing what he had done, how he had lied to her and murdered a man in cold blood, she still tried to protect him. She was pleading for his life, when a normal person would be pleading for their own. Nikita hadn't been lying when she claimed to love him no matter what.

You're just a part of my plan

It wasn't over. It wasn't going to end. Nikita being in her clutches already tore at his heart. What more could Amanda do to him?

Amanda walked towards Nikita, and picked up some sort of syringe. Michael had to look away before Amanda injected it into Nikita's flesh. Nikita said one last I love you, then starting screaming as the chemical moved through her body. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and sweat was apparent on her forehead and chest. She was visibly shaken.

"You won't want to watch this next part. I'll be seeing you very soon," These were Amanda's last words before the screen went black.

Operations was completely silent. Everyone was stunned at seeing such a strong woman be broken so easily by one needle. Her screams were constantly playing in the back of their minds, her face distorted with pain flashing in their head.

"We have to find her, we have to," Michael ordered. "Get to work everybody."