I stuck around for a bit after I finished my mission. I had to because of my special probationary status. They told me, “Just float around for a bit.” Some would say, I was a little messed up back then. Right now, I would agree, but during that time floating around, I didn’t really care. I just kept my focus on this Robert Wilson. Oh Robert, what a lucky guy.
Robert and I never met before, and it was a coincidence that I even floated through him. My old friend from camp had decided to join Robert’s institution as an underlying. On the first day, he ran into Mr. Wilson in an elevator.
My friend stammered a bit, “Mr. Wilson… it’s, it’s, a plea—“
“Put ‘er there son”—Robert interrupted my friend—“glad to see ya passed your background check. It was Michael, right?” To be fair, Michael could pass any background check – Mika couldn’t.
Mika’s voice was softer and steady, “Yes, Michael. I’m surprised you remember.”
Crow’s feet popped up around Robert’s eyes, “Of course, you’re a very impressive man.” He grabbed Mika’s hand – sorry I’m used to calling Michael, Mika – and shook it while speaking, “Would you be interested in joining my wife and I”—his grammar had improved immensely once Mika spoke properly—“for dinner?”
“Of course.” Mika said with a smile, “It would be my pleasure!” The doors to the elevator opened and they walked onto the trading floor of Goldman Sachs. Cubicles stretched before them like a white and depressing sea. At the edge of the sea, were frosted glass windows that enclosed offices. The fluorescent lighting made Robert squint, but Mika’s eyes remained unchanged; he was used to the desert sun.
As Mika walked forward, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Robert turned Michael and talked with raised eyebrows, “No, I mean we are going to have dinner. None of that empty promises stuff”—his voice’s tone lowered to a whisper—“all these snakes promise dinner but never come. You’ll have to join me!”
A smile popped onto Mika’s lips – it was genuine – and he responded, “Friday?”
Robert’s hand fell on my friend’s back, “Excellent, that’s what I like to hear!”
The dinner went well, I would know, I was there. Even though it was in an affluent house with expensive paintings and hand carved woodwork, Mika’s hardened heart had melted. It was only two Americans, but I was slightly disturbed that it only took him a dinner date with Robert and his wife. That evening, I followed my friend home and watched him review his plans. Nothing had really changed, except the location. Unlike me, he had fallen for Mr. Wilson and his wife. So, he changed the location which changed the plan. I was so mad; I liked Robert at the time, but he represented everything we hated. Then again, Michael had come from this world and it only seems realistic that Mika would be seduced by Michael’s past experiences.
On their second dinner date, I started to change. Unlike Mika, I can travel through floors. Bored with their financial discussion, I decided to explore the old home and see what I could find. I found an odd thing, a cube constructed out of six inches of concrete. During camp, I had seen some sick stuff, but once on the other side, I was surprised. There was a woman and a man chained to a post in the basement – this reminded me of camp. They were clothed, had a private bathroom with a flushable toilet and shower, and two beds. I didn’t stick around to see what happened, because I can travel through floors, walls, and freezers… I knew what was in the taco meat.
So, here I am privy to all this information, and Mika is just shoving taco after taco down his gullet. I wanted to say something, but I felt it was disrespectful with the guy right next to me. So, a few days passed and Mika had prepped the bus in the middle of the night. He slipped out of the office and left his phone on his desk. Once at Wall Street, he grabbed a hotdog and waited for the bus. But low and behold, here is Mr. Wilson walking into the famous establishment. I tried to distract Mika, but well, I’m a ghost so that didn’t work, and he ended up seeing Mr. Wilson crossing the street. He noticed the bus was going to hit him, luckily (not really if you were in Mr. Wilson’s basement), Mika pressed the receiver and the bus transformed from object to shrapnel – saving Wilson. The guy next to me sighed – he was still in Mika – and then spoke, “Now Wilson won’t die for another thirty years.”