Nicole's fake conversion to Pearl Girls

Nicole's fake conversion to the Pearl Girls was the culmination of a carefully orchestrated Mayday operation designed to smuggle her into Gilead as a covert agent. The plan, devised by Ada and Elijah, required Nicole to pose as a homeless, abused street girl named Jade, a role that would attract the attention of the Pearl Girls, who actively recruited vulnerable young women from Canada. The operation was a high-stakes gamble, as Nicole was not only a Canadian teenager but also the iconic Baby Nicole, whose return to Gilead had been a propaganda goal for years.

The Street Persona and the First Encounter

Nicole's transformation into Jade was thorough. She was given a street makeover by a woman with pastel green hair, who dyed Nicole's hair the same shade and applied a scarified tattoo reading "GOD/LOVE" on her left forearm, as demanded by the mysterious source within Gilead. Dressed in worn-out, ill-fitting clothes—black tights with a rip, magenta shorts, a dingy pink top, and a grey hoodie—Nicole sat cross-legged on a sidewalk with a cardboard sign reading "HOMELESS PLEASE HELP." Garth, a Mayday operative posing as her abusive boyfriend, stayed close to maintain her cover and to run interference. The first time the Pearl Girls approached, Garth acted aggressively, telling them to "fuck off," which made Nicole's rescue seem more authentic. The Pearl Girls left a brochure, but Nicole did not go with them, as the plan required a second, more convincing encounter.

The Second Encounter and the Sale

Days later, the Pearl Girls returned. While Garth briefly left to get food, they approached Nicole again. They asked if the man with her hit her and made her have sex, and Nicole, hating to lie about Garth, nodded. When Garth returned and grabbed her arm, she screamed because the scarification hurt. Aunt Beatrice, the taller Pearl Girl, pulled Garth aside and, as Nicole later learned, bought her from him for half the money he demanded. This transaction, though brutal, was a necessary part of the cover story: it made Nicole's conversion appear genuine, as she was being "rescued" from an exploitative situation. The Pearl Girls then took Nicole to their condo, where they gave her a shower, a silvery grey Pearl Girl dress, and a fake pearl necklace.

The Journey into Gilead

Inside the condo, Nicole was treated as a "precious Pearl" but was also closely watched. Her door was locked at night, and she was never left alone. The Pearl Girls prepared false identification for her, using the name and papers of Aunt Dove, who would stay behind in Canada. Nicole's picture and fingerprints were taken, and a fake passport was created, infiltrating the Canadian immigration database. She was then flown to Gilead on a private jet, landing at an airport where a double line of men in black uniforms saluted her. From there, she was taken directly to the chapel at Ardua Hall for the Thanks Giving ceremony, where she was presented as a new convert, kneeling before Aunt Lydia and the assembled Aunts and Pearl Girls. The ceremony marked her official, though entirely fraudulent, entry into Gilead.