Sergio, Report to 3rd Floor Nurse's Station Immediately

Nikita's voice as heard over the PA system of the hospital... Her pleading voice is answered only by eerie echoes from the empty building.

Sergio... Please answer.... Where are you? I don't even know if you got my note... Sergio the place is empty. Antoine never came back, no one ever came back. Sergio, I had to eat through those fucking restraints to free myself. I refuse to starve to death while tied to a bed. There are better ways to go. If I am going to die while tied to a bed, I would prefer it to happen from reasons other than being ignored to death. I drank what was left of the IV fluids. I spent the next 2 days sneaking around this building until I became sure it was empty and now I am too weak to look for you.

Oh God, Sergio, it feels so good to be able to speak again... The swelling in my brain must have finally gone down. I just wish my first real words to you have to be these.... after all we have been through lately... Sergio what I would give to just be alone with you, in private... Just you and me looking into each others eyes and having a real conversation about things other than this mess.

Sergio... I am on the third floor, in the nurse's station. Sergio, do you know that is the only part of this building that looks like a hospital? The rest is just an abandoned warehouse.

Sergio.... I heard some things in my morphine stupor. They kept me pretty high on that stuff right after I wrote that note to you... But I heard some things... Saw some things.

Sergio, you know this is a desperate situation if I am about to announce this information over a PA system, but really, this is all I can do. I am weak. There is no food or running water in this place.

Sergio. They did capture Konrad. I saw them dragging him down the hall. He was laughing. He was saying that it was too late for everyone, that his plan was already initialized. That nothing mattered because in less than 24 hours everyone here would be in a useless blissful, 'Sanctified' state and totally under his control. Sergio, I am ok. I don't feel affected... I am weak, and don't have much fight in me.... but I am full enough of rage to know that there is no Sanctity in me.

They had Konrad chained, hobbled, straight-jacketed and he was laughing. The had 4 armed guards sticking their AK47's in various places on his body and he was laughing. He said he would come back later to collect his 'Nikita-toy' now that he is sure she is alive and well. I suppose by 'well' he meant he was pleased that I was willing to shoot you.

Heinrich was telling him that when he showed them where the Celtox was, he would be brought back to collect his toy. He said that I was no use to the agency anymore and that they were trying to figure out how to get rid of me (and you) in a way that they could be free of blame (and that involved minimal paperwork).

Sergio... did they get to you? I can't believe I shot you... It just seemed to make sense at the time, but now I see I may be the one to prevent you from escaping. That thought alone is enough to kill me.

Sergio, if we are not alone here, making this announcement is suicide for me, but it is my last chance of finding you.

Sergio....

Sergio.... Are you there?

Third floor.... Nurse's station.... I.... Oh God...... Sergio.......I think I see.......

There is feedback, then the sound of the microphone hitting a surface, sliding, falling and hitting another surface... crackling of static. Then the distinct click that is the doorway to silence. It is the click of a system being turned off... Or a power supply being cut.

Love Hurts

Dear Sergio,
You must understand, I had to shoot you. I aimed for just below your knee, it was the body part in line with the bruschetta... had to make it look terrible (and the tomatoes really helped for that effect), but with the best chance of survival or at least a relatively easy amputation. Prosthetics are really remarkable these days... Sergio, you will be fine.

As we sat there in my room, I saw Syd, the security guards and the doctor through the viewing window behind you. I recognized the doctor from the agency training days... you know him... it is Antoine. Remember, he and Grigori never got along, and he was kicked out. Do you remember those days with him? Remember our crazy secret signal we had with him? We were new spies in training and thought we could do anything.... out smart the old pros... We would touch the bridge of our nose three times as a signal that something changed and to trust whoever made the signal.

I recognized him through the window. He made the gesture just as I saw another figure come into view. Konrad. I remembered what I heard the young agents and doctors had said: That Konrad and I were 'together'.

In that split second I knew that I needed to keep you in this hospital, close to me... I needed to keep Konrad on my side in order to keep us all safe and to get the rest of the information about Sanctity, and to really get Konrad put away or better.... put to rest... for good.

Seeing as I already had the gun in my hand, the easiest way to accomplish all of this was to shoot you. It would prove my loyalty to Konrad and get you in the hands of this doctor, Antoine.

Sergio, this is our ticket. From here we are positioned perfectly to get it all... we will be heroes. We will be together. Oh yeah, and we will have saved the world.

I'm not exactly sure how it will happen since I can't speak and am tied to a bed, and you can't walk. Antoine will relay these messages. He has not been able to explain his role in this yet, but he will help us.

Your love,
Nikita.

AAARRRGGGGHHH

"You fucking Bitch! You shot me!!!!! I'll fucking kill you! I will hunt you and track you down and kill you...ugh, I don't.. feel.. so... good...."

Blood & Bruschetta

Sergio, you stupid, passionate, reckless spy. I don't know how you survive this life. There probably could have been better plans than to walk straight into my hospital room.

Oh, but it does feel good to get these restraints off... And your bruschetta is to die for. Hopefully that last statement won't end up being true, but my arms are a little shaky and I can't trust my aim, what with the brain-surgery, loss of blood and all.

God, it felt so good for those 2 minutes between you getting the restraints off of me and this moment. Your eyes asked... And yes, I do remember that night... with the straps. The image of you as you strode into the back garden of that castle in France, still in shape from the days in the circus... you swung the gate closed, did an arabesque, then backed against the privacy fence, (and boy, did we need privacy), threw your head back and stated: 'To the boudoir!'

Sergio, I'm sorry. You will understand soon, I have to ---

BLAM!!!!!

Damn it Sergio, no silencer... how dramatic.
Fuck
Well, I got him. Shit, sorry Sergio... I shot through the Bruschetta... it looks worse than it is... That is mostly bruschetta... well, ok, bruschetta and blood.

I'll contact you soon, my love...
Oh Sergio, don't look at me like that.
Sergio I do love you....

"Yes!!" I scream out loud

"YES!" I do love you, Sergio, I DO.

Of course all that came out of my mouth is the 'Yes' part, not the 'I love you part'. (Damn brain-swelling.) So my exclamation came off more like the kind of 'Yes' that is shouted somewhere between making a touchdown and getting a high-five or a pat on the ass.

Unfortunately the high-five came from Syd, and this ass was not going to get patted anytime soon. Oh Shit Sergio... I'll contact you, I'll explain. The look in Sergio's eyes as his leg collapsed (confusion, betrayal, lost love), gave me more pain than it caused him.... Well... maybe not quite that much pain.

The restraints are getting put back on. Oh, dreamland please come back. Morphine, yes, give me more morphine.... France...... castles...... Sergio.... leather straps.....