NOTE: Can you all believe it?! I have updated again! This is the fastest one in a while haha Thanks so much for the feedback on the last chapter. I'm satisfied with this chapter and it was fun to write. It's do or die now for the team. Let me know what you think!

Relentless

"Did you find it?" Michael asked anxiously.

"...ha! Here it is. Good thinking Mikey. And...got the floor plans right here. Downloading and connecting to the system…Alright, we are ready to go. Time to go get Cruella."

"Thanks Birkhoff. Lead the way." As Birkhoff gave directions, Michael ran down the corridors panting to catch his breath. He knew Nikita was in trouble; he felt it as adrenaline pumped through his body and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. I'm coming.

Alex watched in horror trying to figure a way out of her cage. She remembered her knife when Nikita cut Amanda's wrist. Always prepared…and she prepared me. Alex wasn't sure how good it would work but she began cutting across the rusted chain that kept her from helping the one woman that she could put all of her faith in. She couldn't sit there and do nothing while Amanda threatened to take her life away. With all determination, she cut as if she were using a saw, faster and harder, not caring that the rusted chain cut her back.

Nikita quickly dodged Spencer's attack. Spencer stopped and turned around to grab Nikita but Nikita once again avoided her. Maybe if I keep this up she will get tired. Nikita dodged punches and kicks trying her best not to hurt the President of the Untied States. She didn't need Spencer's real blood on her hands.

Amanda stood in the corner of the room disappointed that Spencer couldn't keep up. She looked for her gun and remembered that it was on the floor. Her wrist was still bleeding, but she felt confident that she could still shoot with her left hand. She cautiously walked passed Spencer and Nikita trying to avoid being caught in the battle and smiled when she got ahold of the gun. She picked it up and made sure she had a good grip on it. She weighed it in her hand before aiming it at Nikita.

Alex finally cut through the chain and was able to kick the door open. When she looked up she saw Amanda holding up a gun pointed right at Nikita.

"No! Nikita!" Alex shouted trying to run up to her targeted friend. Nikita turned around to look at Alex before turning to look for Amanda. After letting her guard down, Spencer punched her across the right side of her face as a bullet pierced through the soft flesh on the left side of her stomach.

Michael busted through the doors and when he heard Alex's piercing scream fused into the piercing sound of a gunshot. He watched as Nikita fell towards Owen's cage almost hitting the front of the cage with her head after being hit and shot simultaneously. The side of her head hit the concrete floor and, afterwards, she was silent.

"Nikita!" Michael yelled and ran over to her. Before Amanda could aim her gun at Michael, Alex ran over and smacked it out of her hand. She punched Amanda in the face and watched her fall to the ground.

President Spencer fell to her knees clutching her head. She had an immediate headache. All the sounds around her were loud and overwhelming. She tried to balance herself pushing herself back up with her right hand, but in vain.

"Damn it!" Alex yelled in frustration that she couldn't get to Nikita before Amanda shot her gun. She punched Amanda across the face again. "Where are your keys!" She searched Amanda's pockets. She found a ring of keys and grabbed them. Amanda punched Alex back and plied her way off of the ground. She ran out of the room. Alex hesitated wanting to run after her, but instead she rushed over to let Owen out of his cage and they both ran to Nikita's side.

"Is she okay?" Owen asked.

"The bullet went out through her back, but she is losing a lot of blood," Michael said as he pulled off his leather jacket and pulled off his T-shirt, ripping it up to wrap around her body and put pressure on her wound.

She lay there going in and out of consciousness.

"Hang in there Nikita," Alex said.

"Nikita I need you to stay with me. We need to get out of here," Michael said. Nikita's eyes opened at the sound of his voice. She blinked trying to focus her vision. When she saw him she gave a faint smile.

"Mich..."

"Shh..." He picked her up gently. "Come on." He signaled to Alex and Owen.

"Wait-" Alex remembered the president. She walked up to her ready to defend herself from any attacks but she only saw a confused woman holding her head.

"What is going on?" Spencer asked. Alex knew. She knew exactly what was going on. Spencer was put in the same situation Alex had been in before when she betrayed her friends, the people she loved. Amanda had her brainwashed to believe it necessary to hurt Nikita. Amanda was relentless; she hurt anyone as long as it advanced her plot. No matter the consequences. Alex helped President Spencer to her feet.

"Let's go," she said to everyone.

As they ran to the door, Amanda reappeared. She was holding a canister in her hand and sprinkled the last bit of liquid it held in front of the door.
The pungent smell of gasoline immediately hit them-they knew what she was about to do.
"I've been waiting...so long for this," Amanda breathed.

"Amanda…" Alex mumbled as she stood in horror of what she knew Amanda was about to do. Before anyone could react, Amanda pointed her gun at the ground and shot staring watery-eyed at Nikita who watched through hazy vision as the woman who she thought she could change only proved to be evil and heartless. The Fire, Nikita thought. This is how it all began…Amanda once said to her.

Flames roared as they spread down the corridor. Amanda stood staring at them on the other side of the flames before walking away.

"No…" Nikita said. "You can't let her get away—" Nikita struggled to get out of Michael's grip and get her feet on the ground.

"Nikita-" before he could stop her, she was already on her feet struggling to hold herself up with a hole in her stomach. She stared at the flames that trapped them in the room. Flash backs of being in Amanda's childhood home flooded back to her. She heard a girl scream and she visualized Amanda in the basement. She shook her head to make it go away. She turned back to look at everyone.

"We have to go through the flames," she said.

"What?" Owen scoffed. "That's insane."

"She's right, there's no other way out—Birkhoff I need you to guide us through the building so we can get back outside. Amanda lit a fire."

"What! I'll tell Avet to get the soldiers out. Head down the northern corridor and then make a left." Michael nodded forward.

"Wait—" Alex ran to the corner of the room where she remembered seeing plywood. She grabbed a piece and handed it to Owen. They each held one in their hands and put the pieces down at the same time. The wood was able to smother the fire in just enough time for them to walk through. They ran down the hall and went in the direction Birkhoff told them. They made a left turn and stopped to wait for Birkhoff's next instruction.

"Birkhoff—" Michael called to him. He didn't get a quick response and panicked. "He's not answering…lets just keep moving. The fire is going to spread." They all agreed and began to run down the corridor. Nikita began to run but was grabbed from behind with a strong hand clutched over her mouth. She was picked up and turned around only to face Amanda holding a gun up once more.

"Let her go." One of the German guards that had been responding to all of Amanda's orders put Nikita down. "Go after the rest of them." Without a word, the man ran down the hall. "Do not even try to escape…you're helpless." Nikita grunted at the pain in her side that was irritated after being moved so violently from the man's firm grip.

"You won't…get away with this…" Nikita managed to say as sweat streamed down the sides of her face. Amanda grabbed her by the arm and pointed a gun at her back as she led her down the hall.