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Date Posted: 20:56:32 12/29/07 Sat
Author: Mary
Author Host/IP: cpe-72-224-142-55.maine.res.rr.com / 72.224.142.55
Subject: Characters & Shadows - Chapter 24
In reply to: Mary 's message, "Characters & Shadows - Cont." on 12:34:19 12/19/07 Wed

Chapter 24

After Lisa left it didn’t take Michael long to decide where he was going next. He pulled up in front of the townhouse and was knocking on the door.

“Ok, ok, I hear ya’. Give me a minute.” A very grumpy Walter stood there as he opened the door and Michael plowed into the house.

“Please come in.” Walter said sarcastically to the young mans back.

“I need to talk to you.” Walter sensed that Michael was wound tight and saying the wrong thing right now would not be a good idea.

“All right. C’mon in the kitchen. Have some coffee.”

Michael ran an agitated hand through his hair as he sat at the counter of the surprisingly comfortable kitchen, “It’s been quite a morning. Sorry for barging in like that.”

Walter raised an eyebrow, “I could tell something was going on. Want to tell me about it?”

After a sip of coffee Michael began, “I went to Nikita’s this morning and she wasn’t home. When I got back to my house Lisa was there waiting for me.”

“There’s trouble. What’d she want?” he asked while pouring more coffee for himself .

“It seemed she wanted me. At least until I pissed her off. Then she started telling me things that she knows about the company.”

A frown marred Walter’s features as his cup paused in mid-air and he asked with caution, “What about it?”

Michael had always felt like he could talk to Walter about anything so he thought nothing of plunging ahead with his questions. “Financing Issues. She says that Paul went to her father for funding after he was turned down by everyone else. Do you know anything about that? Are there financing issues I don’t know about?” Michael’s mind was starting to work now and he didn’t like some of the conclusions that he was coming to.

Walter knew better than to try to lie to Michael, but he thought perhaps he might be able to skirt this one a bit and get away with it. “Michael. You and I both know that there are always financing issues with a show.”

Michael was trying to be patient with his friend but it was hard, “Walter, don’t bullshit me right now. I need straight answers. Are there unusual problems this time around?”

“Yeah there are.” Walter sighed. “I know that Paul struggled at the beginning to sell the idea. But obviously he found a backer or we wouldn’t be moving ahead like we are.”

“But who? Who did he find?”

“I don’t know. But they have some big dollars, we have spent a lot of money.”

Michael hesitated before asking the next question. But then decided he needed to know, “Lisa said that you were working for free.”

“She did huh? Well she’s partially right. This time around I’m working based on a percentage of the take. I don’t need the money right now anyway.”

“Did Paul ask you to?”

“He, shall we say, suggested it.”

Michael got up and started to pace the length of the kitchen. His mid was spinning as he was taking all of this in. Paul must be in trouble big trouble. And that meant that all of them may be in trouble. Where had he gotten the money from?

Then his mind went in another direction. He had gotten Nikita wrapped up in all of this. He may have placed her unknowingly in some type of jeopardy. His protective instincts immediately kicked in when it came to Nikita. He had never remembered feeling that way about anyone else before but when it came to her he just had to know that she was always all right. She had become so very important to his very existence that protecting her was his utmost priority.

“Things just aren’t right and I can feel it. Madeline offered a deal to Lisa to play the part of Katernya, she had it arranged.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. She seems pretty obsessed with making sure that this is a success.”

“I don’t like this at all.”

“I bet Lisa is pretty pissed off that Nikita came along.”

“Yeah you could say that. Angry enough to have her father investigate Nikita, try to get her thrown out of the show.”

“Care to tell me what she found?”

“Nothing. That scares me most of all. They found nothing. It’s like for years Nikita Wirth just didn’t exist.”

Walter furrowed his brow at this, “I don’t get it.”

“Neither do I. But I have to talk to Nikita about that if I can find her. I am worried about her.”

Walter, and the rest of the cast and crew, had all noticed the physical decline that there new leading lady seemed to be heading down. “You should be. Most of the crew are concerned. She is so sweet and likable that she’s already made a lot of friends really quickly. But they can see how hard this is on her.”

Michael took a deep sigh and rolled his shoulders to try to release some of the stress that was building. Suddenly everything felt very, very wrong. He needed time to sort all of this out, but he also needed additional information.

“Do you still have that computer friend of yours from a few years back? I met him a couple times? Short hair, glasses, has a strange name?”

Walter smiled, “You mean Birkoff.”

“Yes. That was his name. Pretty good at it wasn’t he?”

“He’s one of the best hackers I have ever seen. He designs security systems for some of the best.”

“Are you two still in touch?”

“Yeah. We hang out a lot actually. What are you thinking?”

Michael looked directly at Walter and played his card, “I want him to see if he can find out where Paul got the money from.”

There was a pause as Walter considered this, “I’ll ask him. But only on one condition. Don’t ask for me what, but I owe Paul from year’s ago when he saved me. It was during a really bad time in my life and he was there. I have to be a part of this, what ever it is you are going to do.”

Michael nodded, “I understand. But if Paul has done anything that puts us in danger, particularly Nikita, then we have to find out and we have to fix it.”

“Ok. I’ll call Birkoff right away.”

“Thanks Walter,” Michael grabbed his coat and headed for the door. “I’m going to find Nikita and make sure that she is all right. And try to get some answers.”

*****

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