Chapter 2

Standing at the Perch,  Nikita is observing the mission that is currently running manned by Quinn and Jason at Communication Centre.  She is worried that the mission’s success rate will be bad again, like in the past year after Michael ‘left’ Section.  No one is allowed to leave Section, something that Nikita is trying hard to change. 

She has already made changes when she was put in-charge of Section One, like reducing the number of recruits and keeping them in training longer at the Farm before sending them out in the field.  This has resulted in less casualties and higher success rate across all missions. 

The morale of operatives are higher than before as they realize that Nikita really cares for their welfare, unlike in the past where they were seen as mere ‘operatives’ who had a mission to complete, failure to do so would result in them being in abeyance, where the next mission they go to, they would be cancelled.. 

So even when they are sent for missions that have low success rates, they are willing to go.  The fear of being cancelled is still there but now there’s a greater sense of belonging to a ‘family’ with someone watching out for them as they lay their lives down to keep terrorism at bay. 

But their success rate is still lower then before.  Oversight is breathing down her neck expecting miracles from Section One.  As she feels the tension gathering on her shoulders, she starts to caress the PF3 unit hanging from her neck, thinking of the numerous times the Voice has helped her pull out her operatives with less casualties then if left to her own decision and the computer’s.  She still is not able to trace the origin of the communication device, but she suspects either Michael or Oversight has something to do with it.

Quinn speaking into her comm unit with quiet assurance, “Hostiles on approach.  50 feet straight ahead.”  She is monitoring the team’s progress into a warehouse via the surveillance satellite ‘borrowed’ from NASA. 

Team operatives melt into the shadows as they wait for the approach of their enemy.  The enemy did not even realize they were there.  When the footsteps were closer, operatives stepped out as one and shot the hostiles down.