Part 13
As Nikita and Michael finished their lunch in the corporate dining room, Nikita couldn't help but be drawn to the sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean.
"Were you able to get into the financial accounts?" Nikita asked.
"Yes," Michael said. "But Birkoff says they don't match up with the original files Gant provided."
"That's odd," Nikita said. "Could someone have doctored the accounts since Gant gave us the originals?"
"Or the account information Gant gave us was doctored," Michael said.
"I thought Gant had priority one access to all of World Links files," Nikita said.
"He does," Michael said. "Which is why it's odd that the files we tapped into today don't match Gant's."
Nikita looked down on seagulls as they swooped up and down in a circular motion along the expanse of beach down below.
"You and Gant seem to be getting along," Michael said.
"He's really a brilliant man," Nikita said. "I'm sure there's an explanation for the discrepancies in the files. Preston lives and breathes this company. It's like it's a part of him. He's having a hard time believing that the people he brought in to help him build the company could betray him like this. He sacrificed a lot to make it what it is and I think it's really affecting him that his creation could all fall apart."
"Affecting him how?" Michael asked.
"I don't know," Nikita said. "Some of the things he told me last night lead me to believe that a man as passionate as Preston is about World Links would go to any lengths to save it. I admire that about him. I admire his determination and his strong will for survival."
"We all do what we have to do to survive," Michael said.
"But it's more than just survival to him," Nikita said. "He has a real thirst for life and he has dreams of making the world a better place. He has a vision and he knows how to use his passion for life to make those dreams come true."
"I'd be careful about getting too caught up with him, Nikita," Michael said. "Even though he appears to be cooperating with us, his part in this operation is still unclear."
"Do I detect a note of jealousy, Michael?" Nikita asked, smiling to herself.
"We need to stay on profile with this," Michael said without expression. "Gant didn't get where he is by not manipulating situations to meet his own needs. We have to be aware of all possibilities."
"Michael, you amaze me," Nikita said with exasperation. "Isn't there one ounce of humanity in you that allows you to see the good in people?"
"Sometimes I wonder," Michael said. "I wonder if you can ever see the good in people when you've seen the darkest depths of what people do to attain their own ends."
Part 14
Nikita woke up with a troubled start and looked over at the clock on the bedside table. It was 2:00 a.m. She felt a slight unease. It was the feeling a mother has in the night when she senses that her child is in trouble.
She looked over at Michael lying next to her in the bed. His fists were clinched on either side of his pillow. He laid on his stomach and his head thrashed back and forth. She could hear him speaking but couldn't understand the words he said.
Nikita knew that Michael suffered from nightmares, but she was unprepared to witness such violence while he was in the throes of his own internal terror.
She got up and walked into the bathroom to get a drink of water. She felt a moment of sadness as she realized the hell Michael must suppress in his waking hours. She thought of Preston Gant and how he had been able to take control of his life by realizing his dreams. For someone in Michael's situation it would be a luxury to even be able to have dreams of a better life.
While he appeared to be in control of his emotions, today at lunch she was sure she saw a tinge of envy for the life Preston Gant was able to lead, and jealousy for the feelings of admiration Nikita had for him.
Even though she knew that Michael's soul was heavy with the grief and guilt of his past, she was sure that there was a part that was untainted. A part that burned with as much passion and intesity as Preston Gant did for a better life.
He once told her that the only part of him that was good was her. His overwhelming fears kept him from showing any recognition of that part of him. She knew that it was there. She just didn't know how to help him heal his wounds from the past so he could be at peace within himself. She knew that unless he was able to recover that part within him that anything between the two of them would be nothing more than an unfulfilled dream.
Nikita returned to the bedroom. Michael was lying on his back, awake.
"Everything okay?" Michael asked.
"You were having a bad dream," Nikita said.
"Sorry if I woke you," Michael said. "I don't remember what it was about."
But Nikita could tell that he did remember what it was about. She climbed back into bed.
"It looked like it was pretty intense," Nikita said.
"They are sometimes," Michael said.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. "Tell me what I can do."
Michael was silent for a moment. Then, he moved his body over next to hers, pulling her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her spoon-fashioned. Nikita snuggled against him with a contented sigh as she drifted off to sleep.
