Sarah
By Kimberly
Nikita walked into the briefing room, earlier than Michael for once. She'd been told as she passed Birkhoff's communications station that a briefing had just been called.
When she walked in, she surveyed the room as she always did, looking to see who was there, and to gauge the tension level.
Madeline sat in her usual seat at the end of the table. Operations wasn't in the room yet. There was another woman in the room, with Cinnamon colored wavy hair that hung down to her shoulders. The woman turned to look at her, and Nikita saw recognition flicker quickly, only to disappear again, in her eye's.
It was Sarah. Sarah, who was Michael's sister. The woman in question would not recognize Michael though. An accident had stolen her memory of her childhood and family.
Section One didn't know who Sarah had been though. Unless of course Madeline and Operations had stumbled accross the any evidence. The chances of that were slim. Birkhoff was careful, Michael was carefule, and Nikita had learned well.
Nikita hesitated, reaching her usual chair, unsure of what she should do. Revealing Sarah's identity was not an option of course. But Nikita did want to warn Michael. She just didn't know how she was going to get out of the briefing room gracefully.
Fate intervened though. Michael walked through the door at that moment, paused to introduce himself to the new person in the room.
Nikita followed suit for lack of a better thing to do.
" Sarah is from the agency," Madeline explained, " She is on loan to us for this particular assignment."
" Welcome to Section," Nikita said, shaking the woman's hand, keeping her expression calm. Sarah new where she recognized Nikita from of course. Nikita just hoped she had the good sense to keep her mouth shut - at least until Nikita and Michael could come up with a decent alibi.
" Where do you know our target from?" Michael asked her Sarah, after the introductions were over.
" I came across him by accident several months ago - on a separate assignment. He had contact with a target of ours. I saw him at a distance," Sarah explained.
The room was starting to fill with operatives, and Nikita took her seat, Michael sitting down with her.
She looked over at him, one eyebrow raised, and he shook his head. It was barely perceptible. Nikita turned her attention to Operations as he walked through the door.
"Our target, Sergey Valishnokov, was a low level KGB agent when the Soviet Union fell to pieces several years ago. He's been dealing in arms ever since then. His clients are all middle eastern terrorists - many of which have managed to elude us. Needless to say, the means to reach these terrorists would make our jobs much easier," Operation's began.
Madeline spoke up next, "Valishnokov's profile suggests greed, impatience, and carelessness. He was in the KGB long enough to have been several ranks above where he was. His ego bruises easily, and he's known to be very fond of women, and nightclubs. He likes to play the big successful business man, and he has one club in particular he frequents often."
" You will all be in that club every night until Valishnokov makes an appearance. Sarah, who is on loan to us from the Agency, knows that he looks like. Her role will be to spot him, and stand back while we bring him in," Operations told him, "Michael - your team leaves in an hour. Sarah will meet you at the Van Bay."
The din of chairs scraping the floor as they all stood up and stretched was just enough to cover Nikita's voice as she spoke quietly to Michael.
" She recognized me," Nikita told him.
" You saw her with a previous target of ours," Michael reminded her, " Use that."
Nikita nodded, and turned to follow the other operatives into wardrobe.
It There that Sarah approached her, quietly.
" College student?" Sarah asked her quietly, while examining an evening gown that Madeline had just handed her.
Nikita chuckled a little, pulling a dress off the rack, " You were working someone I was working - I was checking you out - and I came up with exactly what you told me in the restaurant - whoever made up your cover was good."
Sarah smiled, satisfied with the answer, " Ah - I was playing girlfriend that time . . . and the Hispanic man with the nice butt - is he a section operative?"
Nikita knew she was referring to Darren. Darren had made a complete ass of himself to get a view of Sarah's face before they knew she was Michael's sister.
" Yeah - he is actually," Nikita answered, smiling at Sarah's description.
Nikita pulled out a jade colored dress that Alexandra had worn a few times. She knew it would look good on Sarah too, " Try this one out too."
Sarah took the dress, " Any chance I'll get to see that particular operative while I'm here?"
Nikita blinked, " I uh . . . maybe - he's not on this assignment - he's out on a different one actually . . . they might be back soon though . . ."
Darren and Alexandra both were out with another level 3 operative right now. An operative Nikita didn't think much of either - but it was out of her hands. Michael had pointed out to her that both Darren and Alexandra had proven that they could handle themselves already with their rescue mission that hadn't been sanctioned by Section One months ago.
" Ah . . . well, maybe I'll get lucky and they'll be back when we return, then maybe I'll really get lucky," Sarah whispered, and turned towards the dressing room.
Nikita bit her lip. The whole situation was going to be a real nightmare.
They were packing themselves into the van, leaving for the airstrip, when Nikita saw Michael again. He looked calm and collected - in mission mode - as Nikita called it - but there was something else that Nikita picked up on. Tension, and Nikita knew what the reason was too.
The 'reason' had latched herself onto Nikita, and chatted the entire way to the airstrip, while they were on the plane, and after they landed. She paused briefly when Michael was giving everyone instructions to get dressed to go directly to the night club, but it was a brief pause. The entire time, Michael hovered close by. He watched, he listened.
She talked about movies, movie star's, food, restaurants, cloths, fashion . . . by the time they got to the nightclub, Nikita was convinced Sarah's jaw must have been sore from talking so much.
Once they were in the club, she kept her eye's open and moving. Several hours later, the nightclub was closing, and Valishnokov had not shown up, and Sarah was wasted, despite several warnings from Nikita that she should slow down her drinking.
They all took various route to their hotels. Madeline of course, had paired Sarah up with Nikita. Nikita was just about ready to punch Sarah and knock her out cold by the time they reached the hotel. When Michael knocked on the door, Nikita was overjoyed.
" Come in, please," Nikita said, " I need help with this zipper - and she can hardly stand."
Nikita turned around, presenting the zipper, and Michael pulled it down to the small of her back.
" How's it going?" He asked quietly.
Sarah was in the shower at the moment.
Nikita stripped out of her dress, and pulled in a tank top and shorts.
" Fine - I asked her several times to watch her drinking - but it got away from her faster than I realized," Nikita said quietly.
" I heard everything through the comm link," Michael told her, " She accepted your explanation."
Nikita nodded, " Yes - she did . . . Michael, I just can't see her being an operative - even for the agency - she's not . . . she just doesn't fit." Nikita couldn't find words to describe Sarah's behavior without being insulting, and she was Michael's sister . . .
Michael sighed, and slipped his fingers into Nikita's, giving them a light squeeze, " She was like this . . . before."
Nikita knew instinctively that Michael's heart was being torn to shreds, so close to someone he loved - his sister - and to have her not know him.
" Are you gonna tell her?" Nikita asked him softly.
" No," Michael replied flatly, " She won't remember - it would put her at risk . . . just keep an eye on her."
Nikita nodded, and pressed a kiss to his cheek, " You better go."
The next night, they were back at the nightclub. It was just after midnight when their target showed up. Michael had ordered Sarah not to drink anything alcoholic before they walked into the club, but just the same, once she identified him, he ordered both Nikita and Sarah out of the club and into the van.
They were inside waiting for only a few minutes when the van opened up again, to have Sergey shoved into the van, the other operatives piled in behind him.
Michael sat down near Nikita and Sarah once they were on the flight back to Section One. Sarah had been talking up a storm again, and surprised Nikita when she asked the blond a personal question.
" Nikita, where did you grow up - if you can tell me that is," Sarah asked her.
Nikita took a deep breath, " On the streets mostly - in and out of the occasional foster home - what about you?"
Nikita felt Michael's tension level rise a little.
" I . . . I was in an accident - that's how I came to be in the agency actually. I don't remember my childhood. I'm told I probably grew up in Paris - what about you Michael?"
Nikita turned her gaze on Michael, wondering if she should change the topic fast.
" Lyons," Michael told her, " Like Nikita, I lived my life on the streets - but in Lyons."
Nikita yawned, and stretched, " I don't have many good memories of my childhood - lets talk about something more cheerful . . ."
Nikita spent the rest of the flight back keeping Sarah away from the topic of their childhood's. Michael sat close by, listening, occasionally taking part.
When the arrived back at Section One, Sarah stopped before she walked into her assigned quarters for her stay at Section One.
" I will probably be out of here early tomorrow morning . . . but if you happen to see that man that I met briefly in the park . . . send him my way."
Michael was standing behind Nikita when Sarah made the comment, and Sarah smiled at both of them, and went into her quarters, yawning.
Nikita started to walk again.
" What man was she talking about?" Michael asked her.
Nikita sighed, " Darren - she likes the way he looks."
Michael was silent, and they passed by his office. He reached for the door handle.
" Michael," Nikita said quietly, resting her hand on his shoulder, " I know this is stupid to ask you of all people - but are you OK?"
He looked down the hall, towards where Sarah's room would be if one walked far enough, " Ask me to coffee, tomorrow."
Coffee . . .coffee was where Michael always turned to her - when he needed to be away from Section One, and not be what he was.
" Sure," Nikita told him, "I'll be home - if you need coffee before tomorrow morning."
Michael cupped her cheek, " thank you."
Continue on to If only for a while . . .