Eric was in his second year at Section. He was working hard and gaining strength in each and every aspect of his training. Easy enough when you were motivated by fear. Fear. And Death.

He went back to his quarters on the eve of his *evaluation*. He had been asked question after question after question. He answered quickly and efficiently. He had been put through simulation after simulation, and had executed each and every mission faultlessly.

He took the towel from around his neck and used it to wipe the perspiration from his face and neck. He was exhausted. He finally came to his door and punched in his access code. While waiting for the door to unlock he casually looked along the corridor. Being here like this, alone, late at night, always gave him the creeps. The shadows seemed to come alive and he could feel the hairs at the back of his neck begin to tingle with apprehension. He took his hand and ran it behind his neck and under his long blonde hair impatiently.

When he first came to Section they had shaved his head. But now, his hair fell down to his shoulders, and it was the object of much adoration among the female operatives. They were always smiling and batting their eyes at him... trying to entice his interest in them.

Smiling to himself slowly, the corners of his deep blue eyes crinkled with the effort. *Women!*.. he thought to himself. Finally gaining access to his quarters, he closed the door firmly behind him and tossed his towel onto the table. Heading straight for the small bathroom, he turned the water on and began to disrobe. Pulling his tight black tank-top off he revealed a well sculpted physique. The 2 years of intense physical training had left their mark on him. He was now a finely tuned operative... and ready for missions.

Tossing the shirt into the hamper, he quickly added the remainder of his clothing and stepped into the shower. As the water rushed across his tired and aching muscles, he let his mind wander to the days and weeks ahead. This was now his life and he had best get used to it. Stepping out of the shower he toweled off briskly and threw on some sweats and headed back into his living area. He went into his small kitchenette to fix himself a protein shake. With his back to the door he went about blending the shake and poured it into a tall frosted glass.

Turning back to his small sitting area, he noticed a videocassette had been slipped beneath his door. *Strange.... that wasn't there a moment ago.* He padded across the cold floor and reached down to pick up the tape and noticed that it was an old VHS tape. *Now just where did this come from and how on earth will I find something to PLAY it on...* he wondered.

Holding the tape in his hands idly he casually strolled back into his den and plopped tiredly onto the sofa. He laid the tape down beside him and took a large gulp of his protein shake. Feeling the effects of the powerful mixture almost immediately, he decided that he would find a VCR somewhere and see this tape. Someone had given it to him... he knew not who... or why.

Grabbing some sneakers, he thrust his feet into them impatiently... and went back out into the darkened hallways of Section One.

Interestingly enough, Eric managed to unearth an old VCR in the media storage closet near the Comm station. Now the only problem was hooking up the darned thing. *This thing is Ancient!!*.. he thought to himself with a smile. But Eric always loved a challenge...and this was right up his alley.

After all, he was brought into Section after his arrest and conviction on numerous counts of vandalism and repeated hacking endeavors. He was an electronic wizard and could figure out almost any sort of hardware or wiring in next to no time.

He finally got the old videocassette recorder hooked up he went over to get the tape, and inserted it into the player. Settling back onto the sofa, the screen came to life instantly and the story began... Eric was hooked immediately. video confession...

"My time here is almost over and I have to clear my conscience. I was falsely accused of a hideous crime and came to Section like all others before me. Once I *died* in jail, I was brought in and trained. Fulfilling my obligations, I performed my duties to the best of my abilities, and quickly rose in the ranks. I have seen many lives needlessly wasted and have even caused great suffering and strife by my own hand."

Eric was enthralled. He wondered where the tape had come from and why he had been the one to end up with it. He leaned forward, spellbound.

"I have experienced love and lost love all at the same time here at Section. But the story I need to share is one of star-crossed love... of tasting the forbidden love of another operative. There are reasons for these rules... and consequences for the breaking of those rules..."

As the voice droned on and on... Eric knew instantly why this video tape had been 'delivered' to him so-to-speak. He thought of Arianna and her flaming red hair and bright green eyes. Her freshness and zest for life had captured his heart immediately. The two of them spent every stolen moment that they could together. *Someone must be on to us*. He turned his attention back to the tape to hear the tale of Section love...

"Michael and Nikita were bound together by a bond stronger than even they could imagine. One could not live or even breathe without the other. When Michael thought Nikita was killed in a massive explosion, he moved as if on auto-pilot. He was dead to us in mind and soul. Only his body was left and he moved about as if mechanized."

"When it was discovered that Nikita was in truth, alive, Michael was reborn and their connection was stronger then ever. In hindsight, they suffered at each other's hand, but they also righted the wrongs done one to another, and in the end their love was true and sustained"

Eric was having trouble keeping his attention from Arianna now and feared that she might somehow be in danger.

"Nikita was put through test after test at Michael's hand. She was hurt and abused by him repeatedly, but always by the order of someone else. Someone... in authority. The love shared between Michael and Nikita was well-known, even though they desperately tried to keep it hidden. Those in the position of *Power* in Section set a plan into action to separate the operatives... forever."

Eric felt the cold beads of perspiration as they developed on his brow.

Eric stopped the tape and ran from his room.

Arianna was in another part of Section... but he could look in on her and assure himself that she was indeed, truly safe. He ran through the darkened halls of Section One. The only light was the eerie blue glow cast off by the computers left on in the Comm center.

He ran through the halls and his mind screamed her name over and over in his fevered rush...*Arianna!! Arianna!! If anything has happened to her... I won't be able to live!!* He ran faster still. He rounded the last corner in the corridor and came up short at the door to her quarters.

Taking a moment to catch his breath he punched in her access code and silently stole into her room. He crossed the living area to her bed on tip-toe so as not to awaken or frighten her.

Standing at her bedside he finally let out his pent-up breath in a long slow sigh. She lay before him in all her beauty, with her hair tumbled across the pillow like a firey flame. Her face was relaxed in sleep and she even smiled slightly in her dream. *Talking to the angels...* Eric thought to himself. It was what his mother always said whenever she saw a baby smile in their sleep. That they were 'talking to the angels'.

Reaching a trembling hand out to her, he caressed her cheek tenderly and turned to make his retreat. Just as he placed his hand on the latch to pull open the door he heard her breath his name. "Eric..." Turning he looked back over to where she was, but smiled as he saw her still sleeping soundly. *Must be dreaming of me...* he thought to himself, smiling.

Retracing his steps back to his own quarters, he felt that odd tingling sensation at the nape of his neck again... as if he were being... watched.

Without sparing a backward glance, he sped up his pace and gained the security of his own quarters. Locking the door firmly behind him he resumed his position on the sofa and re-started the video tape. The figure on the recording started their confession once again.

"A mission was planned that required both Michael and Nikita to take extreme risks with their lives. Those in the position of ...authority... knew that the operatives would risk their own life to save the other if needed. However, they had hoped that this not be the case. In truth, they were hoping that if one saw the other killed, knowing that every possible scenario had been exhausted in a rescue effort, that the remaining operative would return and once again be a fully effective operative."

Eric was starting to feel sick to his stomach. He was due to go out on his first *real* mission this week... and Arianna was on the team as well. The confessor droned on still...

"At the pre-determined location, the mission was carried off without a single anomoly. That is... until Michael was injured by a stray bullet. Nikita fought valiantly and almost won their escape. Michael, though bleeding from the wound profusely, had managed to get them to their egress point. But... there was no vehicle waiting to retreive them. Once Nikita and Michael discovered this, they knew what was to happen."

Eric had trouble swallowing as his mouth had suddenly gone quite dry.

"Nikita made a last effort to win their freedom, but the hostiles were reinforced and gaining on them rapidly. Michael was almost at death's door from the blood loss he had sustained. The bullet had struck him in the leg, but had severed his femoral artery, and the end was near. As Nikita watched the life ebbing from her one and only love, she became a fighting madwoman. Grabbing the ammo clip from Michael, she managed to hold off the hostile forces and she dragged Michael to a nearby shed. Holding him in her arms, he breathed his last breath and told her he loved her."

Eric stopped the tape and barely made it into the kitchen to the sink before he vomited. Turning the water on he rinsed his mouth out and splashed some cold water on his face. He couldn't bear to hear any more... and yet he had to know the ending to the story. He went back into the room and stood in front of the screen and played the rest ofthe tape.

"In her anguish and frustration, Nikita took the only route she felt was left open to her. She turned her weapon on automatic and, after kissing Michael one last time, she ran back towards the hostiles. She didn't feel a thing."

"I must cleanse my soul of this deed as I am the one who set this plan into action. My time at Section One is over and my cancellation is emminent. I have recorded this confession and hidden it away in the hopes that one day it will save a life... or even... two lives."

Eric felt the salty tear as it traced its path down his cheek. He knew that he must turn his back on Arianna... for her own protection. He could feel his heart hardening already.

Unbeknownst to him, the confessor on the tape was the same person who had slipped the informative item under his door. This person still resided in the deep recesses of Section... and only moved about at night... like a wraith. This person was even now watching him from another room via closed-circuit monitoring.

The older woman could feel the tears as they stung her own eyes. She reached up an impatient hand and brushed them away. She then laid her hand against the cold surface of the viewing monitor and closed her eyes, "You must leave her Eric. It can come to no good end."

Nikita turned away from the monitor and retreated into the shadows of the innermost recesses of Section One.

......THE END.......