Nikita brushes past Walter and Michael briskly and takes a seat in the crowded room. Michael looks at Nikita and then looks away. Walter moves away and decides not to get involved with this one. Nikita might never talk to Michael after this one.

Nikita watches a tired Operations walk into the room and turns her head to give Michael one more hard stare.

"As everyone knows, Madeline has been seriously injured. She will be fine, but will be taking an extended leave." Operations says and Michael looks at Nikita. He knows that Nikita blames him for what happened on the mission. "With discussions with Madeline and George, I am going to name a temporary replacement." Operations says and all the operatives look over at Michael.

"Nikita will be taking over those duties." Operations says and Nikita stares at Operations as Michael turns and stares at Nikita.

"Are you joking?" Nikita asks and Operations looks around the room.

"I suggest you adjust to it by the time you leave this room... Nikita... you may stay." Operations says and Nikita stands up and grabs Michael's arm.

"I didn't want this, Michael.." Nikita says as she can see the anger written on his face.

"Sure, Nikita." Michael says and walks out quickly and Nikita comes face to face with Operations.

"I didn't want you to have this power, Nikita. But, Madeline and George made a powerful arguement for you. Since you have been in the second hand position before." Operations says and Nikita turns her head and smiles.

"You mean when I could have killed you." Nikita says and Operations stares at Nikita and then looks away from her.

"I do not want the next six months becoming a power struggle." Operations says and Nikita walks to face him.

"Isn't that all Section One is, one big power struggle?" Nikita asks sharply and she turns to her heels.

"Where are you going?" Operations asks and Nikita lifts her head back, but does not face Operations.

"To my office to get acquainted." Nikita replies and she continues out.

"You forgot SIR!" Operations hollers.

"Madeline doesn't say sir. Why would I?" Nikita questions and shuts the door.

*******

Michael opens the door and walks down the four steps to look at Nikita. It was too wierd for him. He did not answer her pages all night, and she had to send a team to knock on his apartment door and drag him in. Nikita looks up from the desk and stares at Michael. This is not what she called fun either. Michael was making sure to make everything so hard for her. In her first week, Michael would not directly speak with her.

"The mission is to use profile number two." Nikita says tensely and Michael looks at Nikita and lifts his chin up.

"I believe that profile number one is the correct mission for the current make-up of my team, since we are lacking a member." Michael replies and Nikita stares at him.

"I order the use of profile number two. It is more thorough." Nikita says and Michael stands up.

"Are you enjoying this, Nikita?" Michael asks and Nikita looks at him. She will not answer him. This would be the second time this week he had done the same thing. "You will put my entire team in their graves with profile number two!" Michael says and Nikita stands up and looks at Michael.

"I ORDER IT!" Nikita says in a deep and smoldering voice.

"I won't do that." Michael says and Nikita snarls at him.

"And you are only questioning my orders because you are jealous that I am sitting here and you aren't!" Nikita says and Michael turns his head away and then turns it back with the blank stare that she hates. "You are trying to make me look like a fool in front of Operations so that he will change his mind and place you in this fancy office.. watching over Madeline's precious BONSAI trees.... and making the same decisions that I have been making, and making correctly!" Nikita says firmly and she sits down.

"My team leaves in twenty minutes. We are using profile number one." Michael says and turns and leaves.

"MICHAEL! IT WAS AN ORDER!" Nikita screams as the door shuts on her face. She can't believe Michael. She only made up the profile number one because it was a safer mission for Michael and everyone involved. Nikita did not want any unnecessarily dead operatives on her mission profiles.

********

Nikita walks down the hallway with her black suit clinging to her body. She sees the last member of Michael's team entering the van access and Michael turns from the door to see Nikita staring at him. Michael shuts the door so that the other operatives don't hear this conversation. He does not want them to know that there was an alternative mission that was ordered.

"Nikita, you are throwing off sequencing." Michael says softly and Nikita frowns at him.

"Michael, have you forgotten, you are no longer my mentor... in fact.. it is almost the other way around." Nikita says with a raised eyebrow.

Michael shakes his head and goes to open the door and Nikita slams it shut. "Michael.. don't you trust me!" Nikita says firmly and Michael stares into Nikita's eyes. She watches Michael's eyes twitch back and forth as they focus on her eyes.

"I don't know who you are anymore." Michael says and Nikita shakes her head and pushes him against the wall.

"Between you and me, Michael... don't use that profile. Trust me." Nikita says and turns away.

*********

"Michael.... team one needs to be to the west by 500 meters." Birkoff says and Nikita stops and turns towards Birkoff.

"What profile is he using?" Nikita questions. Birkoff holds up two fingers and Nikita spins on her heels.

"Walter.. I need the explosives found on profile number one... a semi- automatic rifle. and some back up guns." Nikita says as she peels off her black suit and starts to dress into the field clothes as Walter stares at her.

"You aren't going out there." Walter says as he starts to gather what Nikita had requested.

"I have to. They are using the wrong profile." Nikita says.

*********

Nikita stepped out of her car and tightly pulled the weapons and items to her body. She was entering from the other side of the building. Birkoff knew not to allow Michael to know about her position, as Nikita moved covertly. The mission profile that Nikita had ordered to be followed, had the placement of explosives in the back of the warehouse before the operatives started in. The explosives would be used to cause a distraction.

Michael's team was already starting to close it on the warehouse, and time was running quickly out. Nikita had the first three explosives planted before she even drew her gun out to kill a passing guard. Nikita pressed her body against a cold wall as an operative from team one passed to her left. Nikita looks out and slowly climbs up the pipe to her right. She had to get to Michael. He needed to move his men out of the back of the warehouse.

Her hands moves silently up the pipe as the gun knocks against her hip with every move upward. She slides her foot up onto the cat walk and is hit with a bullet in the shoulder. Nikita flips the gun up and kills the guard. She watches the guard fall over the side of the cat walk. Nikita doesn't even register the bullet wound. She moved silently down the cat walk.

Michael had frozen in his position as he heard the two gun shots. He pressed against a wall at the end of the catwalk. He barely saw the shadow move, but he could hear the breathing. Before he could turn, the gun is on his throat. Michael steps away from the wall, as the gun urges him to move.

"You have to learn to trust." Nikita says as she moves the gun and pulls out the comm unit from his ear.

************

"What channel are you on?" Nikita asks firmly. Michael looks at her and frowns.

"Channel B." Michael says and Nikita pulls the unit to her ear and mouth.

"All units full retreat." Nikita says and hands the unit back to Michael. She stares at him as he stares back at her.

"Get out of here. I will finish up." Nikita says as she pushes Michael towards the other direction.

"YOU ARE JEOPARDIZING THE MISSION!" Michael hisses loudly and Nikita stops and frowns at Michael.

"You.. you... jeopardized the mission by disobeying my orders!" Nikita hisses and she turns from Michael to circle around to find the room with the computer. Nikita shimmies down the pole and places the last explosive device on the top of the room and starts back up to the catwalk.

"I TOLD YOU TO ABORT!" Nikita hisses and Michael stares at her. He gathers his gun and starts across the cat walk. Nikita looks over and then stares at Michael.

"GET OUT OF THERE!!!!" Nikita yells as she notices that the team that she thought had exited the area, hadn't. Michael had lied about the channel. Nikita turns and stares at him briefly.

"GET OUT! NOW!" Nikita screams as she sees the ticking on her watch ticking down. There was less than a minute before it blew.

Michael stares as guards start running to Nikita's screaming voice. They shoot and Michael watches as Nikita's body takes three more bullets.

Nikita doesn't even remember hitting the catwalk, as the explosions rock the building. The men that Nikita were calling out to shot the guards. Michael stands up and looks at Nikita's body laying on the catwalk.