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304. Gates of Hell
Written by Robert Cochran
Transcribed by Christine
[Note: Transcript is dialogue only until updated.]
MICHAEL’S STUDIO
Michael is submersed in grief for the loss of his son.
WAR ROOM
OPERATIONS: This is Mihai Brevich, the man responsible for the recent wave of terrorist attacks in the Ukraine. He’s affiliated with Red Cell, but he runs an extremely competent organization in his own right. He’s been recently joined by his son, Laszlo.
OPERATIVE: He’s just a kid.
OPERATIONS: A kid, who’s already showing signs of being even more talented than his father. One of their colleagues is currently in Warsaw. His laptop contains the location of the group’s current safe house in the Balkans.
OPERATIONS: Michael, are you getting this?
MICHAEL: No.
OPERATIONS: We’ll acquire the laptop, and the entire team will mount an assault on the safe house. Pick up the profile from Birkoff. There’ll be a delay. I’m making some changes. Michael, my office.
OPERATIONS’ LOFT
OPERATIONS: I’m pulling you and Nikita out of Phase One, substituting Van Haven and Cuellar. I want you to assist Birkoff with tactical, that way I can keep an eye on you in case you drop the ball.
OPERATIONS: Michael. I know you’ve been through a difficult time, but Adam and Elena are being well provided for. You need to get past it.
MICHAEL: Get past losing my son?
OPERATIONS: Yes.
MICHAEL: How?
OPERATIONS: However you can. I didn’t see my son grow up either, because I was in a P.O.W. camp in Vietnam. It wasn’t pleasant, but life goes on.
MICHAEL: Really.
OPERATIONS: Yes, really. Get over it.
MAIN AREA
NIKITA: Everything all right?
MICHAEL: We’ve been taken off Phase One.
NIKITA: Did we do something wrong?
MICHAEL: Not ‘we’, me. I’ll be on tactical here. You’re free to go, if you wish.
NIKITA: I’ll stay. You know, just to observe.
MICHAEL: Well, suit yourself.
COMM
BIRKOFF: Van Haven, you’re in the clear. Proceed to break point.
VAN HAVEN: Okay, we’re here.
BIRKOFF: Hold your position. There’s an anomaly in the east corridor.
VAN HAVEN: How serious?
BIRKOFF: Two hostiles. They may have back up.
VOICES: Cover me! I’ve got a link down the hall!
VAN HAVEN: This wasn’t in the profile.
BIRKOFF: I know.
VAN HAVEN: Do we abort?
BIRKOFF: Michael?
VAN HAVEN: Birkoff, do we abort?
NIKITA: Proceed.
BIRKOFF: Proceed.
NIKITA: Van Haven stays in the hole; Cuellar gets the laptop.
BIRKOFF: Van Haven, stay put. Send Cuellar for the laptop.
VAN HAVEN: He’s got it.
BIRKOFF: Pull back. Quickly.
VAN HAVEN: Lost all contact.
BIRKOFF: Use the fallback route.
VAN HAVEN: Fallback route is blocked. Birkoff?
NIKITA: Change the pick up point. Use the van as a shield.
BIRKOFF: New pick up. A hundred meters north, northeast.
VAN HAVEN: Two down. We’re on our way.
ELEVATOR
NIKITA: Michael. I can’t imagine what it must be like knowing that you’re not going to see Adam again. You can’t be like this. Not here. If there’s anything I can do…
MICHAEL: There’s not.
NIKITA: It might help to talk. You can’t keep this inside you forever.
MICHAEL: Talking won’t help.
NIKITA: If you change your mind, I’m here.
MICHAEL: Thank you.
COMM
BIRKOFF: Walter, I got to talk to you.
WALTER: Yeah, I’ve just got to make a run…
BIRKOFF: I was using Operations’ access code to filter the mission. When I went to log off, the directory wasn’t empty.
WALTER: Yeah?
BIRKOFF: I think it’s an umbrella file.
WALTER: What did you do?
WALTER: Are you nuts?
BIRKOFF: Walter, you’ve got to see this. It’s huge
WALTER: Not here and not now!
BIRKOFF: When?
WALTER: I don’t know. I’ll get back to you.
OPERATIONS' LOFT
MADELINE: I noticed that you altered the Brevich profile.
OPERATIONS: You don’t approve?
MADELINE: It’s premature.
OPERATIONS: You saw what happened in Phase One.
MADELINE: Michael’s on the edge right now. We have to be careful. Perhaps he needs some time alone. A chance to pull back.
OPERATIONS: There’s no such thing as pulling back in our line of work. You know that as well as I do.
MADELINE: Perhaps better.
OPERATIONS: Then, what’s your point?
MADELINE: My point is if we push Michael too hard, we may destroy him and that would be a pity.
OPERATIONS: Would it? He’s behaved erratically lately.
MADELINE: You know his potential.
OPERATIONS: Yes, but managing him is not without difficulty.
MADELINE: In my judgement, he’s worth it.
OPERATIONS: I miss the Cold War too, Madeline. It had clarity and a structure. We could bring our people along in a sane manner. Nowadays, we don’t have that luxury. Michael keeps up, or otherwise he falls by the wayside like everyone else. We’ll proceed as planned. If Michael can’t cut it, we might as well find out now.
MISSION
NIKITA: Okay, Birkoff, there’s two on the perimeter. How many inside?
BIRKOFF: Eight. Focus on Brevich and his son. We need them alive. The others are incidental.
NIKITA: Go.
MAN: Gun it!
NIKITA: Hold it! That’s Laszlo.
NIKITA: Where’s your father?
LASZLO: You’ll be hearing from him soon enough.
NIKITA: Just tell me where your father is and save yourself a lot of extra pain. All units, any sign of Brevich?
OPERATIVE: No. Nothing here.
2nd OPERATIVE: Negative.
NIKITA: Birkoff, is this intel certain?
BIRKOFF: Top of the grid. He should be there.
NIKITA: All right.
BREVICH: Laszlo!
LASZLO: Father!
NIKITA: He shot his own son.
OPERATIVE: He’s gone.
NIKITA: Michael! Michael! I’m with you.
BREVICH: Don’t shoot!
NIKITA: Latex. Michael, this isn’t Brevich. Van Haven?
MICHAEL: Section wanted me to believe that Brevich killed his own son.
MADELINE'S OFFICE
OPERATIONS: You wanted to show me something?
MADELINE: I assume you’ve reviewed the Phase Two playbacks?
OPERATIONS: Yes. Van Haven’s incompetence was mind-boggling.
MADELINE: It’s possible the plan itself left something to be desired.
OPERATIONS: We needed to get Brevich and to restore Michael to his normal capability level. It was an attempt to do both that didn’t work. We move on. I’ve already made the necessary adjustments.
MADELINE: Before you finalize those adjustments, here’s a secondary tape you may not have seen. One of Brevich’s men had the presence of mind to perform surveillance during the fighting. I had the lab do a reverse angle generation. This is what the camera picked up.
OPERATIONS: So, they know what Michael looks like. Doesn’t mean they can find him.
MADELINE: We find people with far less intel than this.
OPERATIONS: What are you getting at?
MADELINE: What I’ve said all along. We’re pushing the envelope too hard, trying to do too much.
OPERATIONS: You of all people aren’t going to warn me against playing God?
MADELINE: No. Provided we do a decent job of it. God doesn’t make clumsy mistakes.
OPERATIONS: Nonsense. Scientists say 90% of the species ever created on this planet are now extinct. That’s a 10% success rate. Ours are much higher than that. End of discussion.
OUTSIDE SECTION
WALTER: So, show me.
WALTER: Whoa. He was spying on Oversight?
BIRKOFF: It has to do with Adrian. Operations was cleaning up. He must have forgotten about this file.
WALTER: If George knew about this, Operations would be stuffed and mounted in about ten seconds.
BIRKOFF: That’s what I figured. What do you think?
WALTER: When you have an ace, you gotta play it.
BIRKOFF: Meaning?
WALTER: We won’t ask for the moon and the stars, just a planet or two.
COMM
NIKITA: Where have you been?
BIRKOFF: What do you mean?
NIKITA: I’ve been looking for you.
BIRKOFF: Oh, I had something to do on Level Four.
NIKITA: I heard Brevich had a recon photo of Michael.
BIRKOFF: Yeah, that’s why I ran a sim. The chance of Brevich locating Michael from a recon photo’s less than 1%.
NIKITA: Well, with all due respect to your sim, how would he go about trying?
BIRKOFF: He’d have to cross-ref against other databases. Most of the threads would dry up in a hurry. I really wouldn’t worry too much.
NIKITA: Where’s Michael’s new location?
BIRKOFF: You know I can’t tell you that.
NIKITA: Where-does-Michael-live?
BIRKOFF: There it is.
MICHAEL’S STUDIO
NIKITA: So, what are you doing?
MICHAEL: Playing the cello.
NIKITA: Your security isn’t engaged.
MICHAEL: Sometimes he couldn’t go to sleep at night, unless I played it for him. It’s his birthday today. I bought him a present.
NIKITA: That you can never give him?
MICHAEL: Yes, that I can never give him.
NIKITA: You’re not well.
MICHAEL: Who is?
NIKITA: Brevich has a recon photo.
MICHAEL: If he comes, he comes.
MICHAEL: You shouldn’t have done that.
NIKITA: Do you want to die?
MICHAEL: What’s that to you?
NIKITA: I’m your friend.
MICHAEL: That would be a big mistake.
NIKITA: Why?
MICHAEL: Because people who care about me, end up dead or hurt. Simone. Elena. Adam. Don’t follow their path.
NIKITA: I follow the path of my own choosing, just as they did, Michael.
MICHAEL: What choice did Adam have? I’ve caused you enough pain already. Go while you still can.
NIKITA: Michael, I understand what they’ve done to you.
NIKITA: You have to find a reason to live.
MICHAEL: Where?
NIKITA: Wherever you can.
NIKITA: Well, Brevich found you.
MICHAEL: I was an easy target. Would Brevich have missed? Maybe Section’s playing some more games.
NIKITA: I don’t know. Michael. You have to do something. Please.
MICHAEL: All right.
SYSTEMS
NIKITA: Morning, Walter.
WALTER: You still worried about Michael?
NIKITA: Yeah, I am.
WALTER: Well, I’m worried about you.
NIKITA: Well, there’s no need to worry about me.
WALTER: Oh, I think there is. For example, it’s not morning; it’s six o’clock in the evening.
NIKITA: Oh. Well, there’s going to be a briefing in a few minutes, so I’d better get this finished.
WALTER: You’ve been guarding him, haven’t you?
NIKITA: From time to time.
WALTER: Does he know?
WALTER: And, when do you get your sleep?
NIKITA: Walter, when I can.
WALTER: How long do you plan to keep this up?
NIKITA: ‘Til he starts caring about his life again.
WALTER: And, if he doesn’t?
NIKITA: He will. I’ll make him.
WALTER: Wrong answer, Sugar. If I was a little younger, I’d probably follow you around and protect you, but as it is, all I can do is give you a little advice. You can’t give him a reason to live. He has to find that for himself.
HALLWAY
WALTER: Birkoff. You, uh… you thought about, uh…
BIRKOFF: Yeah. That’s all I’ve been able to think about.
OPERATIVE: Walter?
WALTER: Thank you, uh… I’ll get it right to you.
WALTER: Tonight.
BIRKOFF: Yeah, we’ll talk about it.
WALTER: No. We’ll do it. Tonight right after the briefing.
WAR ROOM
OPERATIONS: You’re sure he knows about the briefing?
BIRKOFF: Yes, I talked to him myself.
OPERATIONS: Nice of you to join us.
MICHAEL: Thank you.
OPERATIONS: This is the warehouse outside N’Kar. It’s used for the storage of toxic chemicals. Brevich is going to be there tonight to pick up a shipment of biothalmide.
OPERATIONS: Michael!
OPERATIONS: This is Brevich’s staging area. It’s about twenty kilometers to the northeast. It’s not the target, but an alternative egress route passes close by, so familiarize yourself with the outer features. The mission leaves in about one hour.
OPERATIONS: Michael.
OPERATIONS: I don’t have to tell you that your performance of late is unacceptable. This might be your last chance to rectify that situation.
2ND MISSION
NIKITA: Birkoff, the truck’s here.
BIRKOFF: Confirmed.
NIKITA: Birkoff, hostile positions?
BIRKOFF: Five, counting Brevich.
NIKITA: Any in reserve?
BIRKOFF: No.
NIKITA: Michael, should we attack?
NIKITA: Michael, should we attack?
MICHAEL: Why not?
NIKITA: All units, now.
NIKITA: Birkoff, you said there were no reserves!
BIRKOFF: That’s the intel. What’s the problem?
NIKITA: They’re all over us!
MICHAEL: They have Nikita.
OPERATIONS: Do nothing without instructions. We need a snap profile.
BIRKOFF: We’re not set up for an assault.
OPERATIONS: Do what you can. Now. Michael, standby until I contact you. Hold your position until we work up a profile. Brevich is the target, not Nikita.
OPERATIONS: How does it look?
BIRKOFF: Given our current configuration, the loss of surprise, our best bet is to set a twelve hour shelf.
OPERATIONS: Nikita might be dead in twelve hours.
BIRKOFF: It’s the best we can do. Even then, our chance of success is less than thirty percent.
OPERATIONS: It’s not worth it. We’ll have to write her off. Tell the team to abort.
OPERATIONS: Tell them!
BIRKOFF: The mission is aborted. Return to base.
MICHAEL: No.
OPERATIONS: Michael, it’s a direct order. The mission is over.
BREVICH’S HEADQUARTERS
BREVICH: My men said a woman was on the raid which killed my son. Was it you?
NIKITA: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
BREVICH: Which one of your operatives killed him?
MICHAEL: Where’s the prisoner?
MAN: In the hut.
MICHAEL: Move!
BREVICH: Tell me what I ask, and it stops.
NIKITA: I told you… I don’t even know who you are.
MICHAEL: The man who killed your son is dead.
Michael shoots Brevich.
EN ROUTE TO SECTION
MICHAEL: Birkoff, I have Nikita. We will rejoin the rest of the team in nineteen minutes. Change egress to route three.
BIRKOFF: Check. Do you need a support team?
MICHAEL: Not unless the zone is dirty. Scan until we’ve crossed the perimeter.
BIRKOFF: Will do.
OPERATIONS' LOFT
WALTER: We came across something you might be interested in.
BIRKOFF: An umbrella file. You called it G4.
OPERATIONS: When did you come across it?
WALTER: We thought you might like to have it back, but we’d like a little something in return.
OPERATIONS: In other words, you’re blackmailing me.
WALTER: No. Just want to make a trade.
BIRKOFF: That’s right, a trade.
OPERATIONS: Keep it. In the first place, the file was planted 72 hours ago. You should have detected it at least 12 hours before you did.
WALTER: It’s a test.
BIRKOFF: That’s impossible. It was layered in a Z-cubed function.
OPERATIONS: So it was made to appear. It wouldn’t be much of a test if you could see it coming, would it?
WALTER: Listen, this trade idea… it was all mine. He didn’t want to go along with it.
OPERATIONS: But, he did go along with it. You should have come straight to me the second you found it, and you should have told him that when he came to you for advice.
WALTER: There was another alternative. We could have taken that directly to Oversight.
OPERATIONS: You would have been intercepted long before you made concept. Downtime is cancelled for both of you for the next six months. Understood?
BIRKOFF: Absolutely. Thank you.
WALTER: Yeah.
WALTER: Birkoff, I’m sorry.
BIRKOFF: I think it would be best if we didn’t talk to each other for awhile. Like the rest of our lives.
WALTER: Yeah, I heard you.
HALLWAY
MICHAEL: You okay?
NIKITA: Yeah. You?
MICHAEL: Better.
NIKITA: Good. Care for coffee?
MICHAEL: Why not?
NIKITA: Good.
OPERATIONS' LOFT
MADELINE: Brevich dead; Michael back in the fold. Congratulations.
OPERATIONS: Thank you.
MADELINE: It was a huge risk. Could have ended very badly.
OPERATIONS: But, it didn’t.
MADELINE: I doubt if it’s going to be that simple. There’s nothing keeping them apart now.
OPERATIONS: When I was a boy, my father and I were hunters. We had two retrievers. Good dogs. Very fond of each other. Being close kept them content and efficient, but occasionally it interfered with the hunt.
MADELINE: How did you deal with it?
OPERATIONS: A system of rewards and punishments, as with any living creature.
MADELINE: Did it work?
OPERATIONS: For awhile. Eventually, we had to put one of them to sleep.
The End.
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