| Subject: Priority Mail 4 |
Author:
Nikita507
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Date Posted: Tuesday, October 19, 07:18:27pm
In reply to:
Nikita507
's message, "Priority Mail (A New Story)" on Sunday, October 17, 10:48:18pm
Pulling up the satellite information, Michael felt his head pounding from the headache that had been building since he got that last letter. This time he did not wait two weeks. He waited one week.
Since then, it had been four days of steady work when he was not working on cases that others relied upon him to complete. He carefully worked around the edges, tracking the point in the mountains easily, finding that Walter was possibly not that far from him.
Then Michael went back and traced the ways that Walter could have found him. Michael had protected his location carefully and to know that someone had gotten around his own security and left letters in his mailbox was troublesome, but all things still seemed to be intact and safe.
Although he had spent time last night checking all of the old ways that Nikita could have contacted him, Michael did not expect that to change at all. There had never been any contact from Nikita after Michael left with Adam and he did not expect it to start now. He had warnings if any of those methods were used, warnings if any of Nikita’s identities that she had used while on missions with Michael would have alerted Michael within seconds. Yet, Michael spent the time to check them, just to be sure that his warnings and alarms had not malfunctioned.
Now Michael was back to looking at the land that Walter had bought about two and a half years ago. The man’s name was even Walter – Walter Adams. From the state identifications, it was Walter. Seeing his face on an official identification brought Michael closer to the life that he thought that he had walked away from.
But in his heart, he knew that he hadn’t left that life at all.
“Dad?” Adam spoke as he moved into the lab. “It’s the weekend…”
“I’m a bit behind, Adam,” Michael commented as he looked at the cabin and wondered if he would be able to hack the signal into a live satellite feed to get a live image. Part of him wanted to go to that cabin right away but part of Michael worried that it was a trap and that Adam could be in danger.
“You aren’t behind,” Adam stated and Michael turned to look at his son. He ruffled Adam’s hair and chuckled. “I don’t like to do some of my paperwork… just like you don’t like to work on that science project for the science fair.”
Adam pulled up a chair and sat there beside his father on the edge of the table. Michael knew that Adam could not see the screen and Michael turned back to it, pausing to read some further information about Walter Adams.
Walter Adams was a volunteer with a school group that paired children with older adults like adopt-a-grandchild.
“You are looking for Nikita, aren’t you?” Adam asked with a firm voice. Michael’s typing slipped as he was caught off-guard by the question. His son knew a lot but Michael was finding it disconcerting that Adam was getting so good at reading into things.
Michael didn’t take a chance and flipped the computer to another screen about a boring case of identity theft that he should have outsourced to another contractor. But it was good cover for when Adam came into the lab. “I’m not looking for her.”
“But you are thinking about her more… and I think you should try to find her,” Adam declared and Michael turned in his chair. Tilting his head, Michael studied his son. Adam was intense and right now it was like looking into a mirror of who Michael used to be. “Adam…”
“You shouldn’t have taught me,” Adam pointed out as he lifted his chin and looked back at his father with his eyes not blinking. Adam was calling his father out and Michael exhaled. “Adam… none of this is a game.”
“You have been calling out for her more in your sleep… when you sleep,” Adam turned his head away and rubbed his hands against the desk. Michael watched as Adam’s hands moved and he looked back at his father. “I opened your desk drawer. I know that those letters are about Nikita.”
Michael was sure that his mind had stopped functioning as he heard what Adam had done. He had taught Adam a lot of things that no other father would ever think of showing their son. It was done as a measure to help protect Adam if something would ever happen. Never did Michael think it would be used against him.
“Adam…”
“I have a sister, Dad,” Adam stated calmly as he shook his head back and forth. “I want to meet her.”
“It is absolutely not as easy as you think this may be,” Michael warned as he shook his head back and forth. “That was a dangerous life I left.”
“Nikita protected you. She protected us. But maybe she needs you now,” Adam pointed out as he reached out and touched his father’s hand. “It’s ok to look for her. I know that you love her.”
Michael patted Adam’s hand and pulled up the computer screen and turned it towards Adam. “I don’t know where to start to look for Nikita… or the child that may or may not exist… But I matched the handwriting…”
“To Walter,” Adam nodded his head up a down. Adam squeezed his eyes shut and then looked up at his father. “There were suddenly new boxes here… I looked inside. It was easy to see which writing matched up… plus, you kind of dog-eared the page.”
Michael slowly exhaled as he shook his head. Adam was too old for his age. He had taken his son’s childhood away from him, but it was too late to change any of that. Michael knew that his policy had always been to tell Adam the truth. “Walter was a dear friend.”
“I know,” Adam sang out as he rolled his eyes. “You’ve told me all about him. He is the head of munitions and had all kinds of experimental toys and gadgets. Saved you a couple times. Saved everyone a couple times.”
Michael nodded his head as he was hit with emotions that he had been pushing away and trying to ignore. The opportunity to make contact with Walter was bittersweet, but Michael had an innate feeling that Walter would love Adam. “He had a special relationship with Nikita. He called her Sugar.”
Adam looked at the screen and leaned back. “That’s two hours away from here. Why don’t we go now?”
“I am going to go…” Michael announced with a nod of his head. “Next weekend.”
“Next weekend? Why wait?”
“There are plans to be made,” Michael commented as he leaned back from the desk. “Find someone to stay with you.”
“I’m going with you,” Adam announced and Michael shook his head. “I can’t risk it.”
“If someone is trying to trap you… they’d expect you to leave me behind,” Adam outlined one very clear option that could happen. Michael rubbed his head and looked at his son. “You aren’t to understand any of this, Adam.”
“I’m your son,” Adam shrugged his shoulders. “Will you tell me more about Walter?”
Michael turned off the computer screen and stood up. He pulled Adam against his body and nodded his head up and down. Even if nothing from his past was coming up right now, Michael realized that his time with Adam was coming to an end. He would soon be a teenager and he would no longer want to be near his father like this. This was borrowed time and Michael felt his heart grow heavy.
“Sure,” Michael nodded his head as he pushed Adam out of the lab. “I’ll tell you more about Walter once you outline to me what your science project is going to be about.”
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