Darkened Ashes

by Dizzy Dreamaway

A Dark Angel/Crow crossover. When Max finds out about the possibility of another X-5 in the area, she knows she has to find him. But when she does, it's more than she could ever have expected. Will she help Matt on his mission of revenge? Or will she keep

People once believed that a crow carries the soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes a terrible sadness is carried with that soul. And sometimes - just sometimes the crow can bring the soul back to set the wrong things right - because sometimes love is stronger than death.

          Max was just hanging and having fun with her friends. She and Original Cindy were watching Sketchy show-off and try to impress a pretty blond girl. He was on his bike using a ramp some other guys had made in an alleyway. He could do some nice spins and stuff, but Cindy just thought it was kind of funny how hard he was trying. Max was laughing about something Cindy had said earlier when her pager beeped.

          "Oh, gotta bounce, I'll see you later, gurl," Max said as she hurried off to a pay phone.

          She found a phone outside a store and dialed Logan's number.

          "Max?" he answered on the second ring.

          "Hey, did you page me?" Max asked.

          "Yea, I need you to come down here, quick."

          "I'm on my way."

Max hopped on her motorcycle and roared away, to where her friend Logan lived in a penthouse suite.

Logan was the only one who really knew about Max. He had all kinds of contacts and he knew a lot of people in different places. He had realized from the moment he met Max, that she was one of the genetically engineered 'soldiers' from the government lab she had escaped from years before. Logan used his contacts and 'friends' to help Max find her Manticore siblings. Ever since she met Logan, and knew there were more of her siblings still alive, she was more determined to find her sisters and brothers.

         

          When she got to the mansion she was quickly let in and went straight to Logan's computer lab. When she got there she saw windows pulled up all over his screen. He'd been looking for something and, obviously, when he found it, he had called her.

          "So, what's up?" Max asked.

          "I found something you might be interested in," Logan replied. "Do you recognize this face?" Logan asked as he handed her a picture from his printer.

          Max looked at the picture for a minute. The face was so familiar, Matt! He was her brother from Manticore. He'd helped her out when she had that seizure and fell. He'd gotten her through the wood.

"Matt," she whispered.

"Yes," Logan confirmed. "I found this file when I hacked into the government computers. It was floating around, I don't think they knew it was still there. It doesn't say much, just where his barracks were and things like that. There is information about where they thought he was headed when he escaped, though."

"Is he still alive?" her voice trailed off as she thought about the possibilities.

"I don't know for sure, that's the problem. He could be dead, this information is really outdated."

"I'm going to look for him anyway. If he's out there, I want to find him. No matter what."

"Well, I have some guesses to where he might be. The only problem is, when you go to find him, will that put him in danger? We know who's after you, but what if someone is after him? We have no idea what's happened to him. You have to be careful."

"I always am," Max replied with her usual smug smile.

It took Max a week to search all the possible places Logan had supplied her. It took a lot of her athletic ability and training from the lab. She had to sneak into places, unseen and it took a lot of energy to search every possible angle to find Matt. But, even after a week, she still found disappointment, when she couldn't find him anywhere. Maybe he moved, or maybe he was better at keeping a low profile than Max was. Either way, it was like he didn't exist.

She had left Seattle on Tuesday, now it was almost Monday. She had missed a week of work and Angela didn't even know where she was. She had to return home. But before she could start up her motorcycle again, Logan paged her. She had to find a phone booth now. When she finally called Logan he had bad news.

"Get back over here, I have more information, and some bad news," he informed her.

"I'm on my way," she said, concerned.

Two hours later she arrived back at Logan's place, in Seattle.

"What now? More news on Matt?" she asked him.

"Yea, but it's not good," Logan shook his head. "I hacked into more government files, and I found this report."

"Two escapees of failed project X-5 found outside Seattle…" her voice trailed off as she read the headline. She continued to read aloud, "2 more project children were brought back and, " Max took a sharp breath, "terminated."

"Yea, I'm pretty sure the reason you haven't found Matt is because he was killed for disobeying orders," Logan said quietly.

Max didn't know what to say, so she left with a contemplating and sad expression on her face. How could this have happened? She was so close, it seemed that whenever she thought she was close to finding one, they slipped right through her fingers and were gone. It was so hard, dealing with this and trying to keep her life normal. (Boy, was normalcy over-rated or what?) She sighed and left.

That night, he awoke. Matt didn't know what had happened. He was in the ground. He didn't know how, but he just knew he had to get out. He slowly clawed his way back to the surface. When he got out, the first thing he saw was a large, black crow. It cawed at him and he heard its voice.

- How do you feel?

"What? I don't know." Was he talking to a BIRD?? Funny, but it didn't seem so weird, after what he had lived.

- Do you know why you have been brought back?

"No. Why?"

- Well, what do you remember?

He closed his eyes and thought, "I remember, the lab, Manticore, a ditch just outside a city, a girl, escaping from the lab, being chased, followed." His words were detached, parts of memories. Suddenly, "They killed her!! They killed my baby sister!" he cried out. He closed his eyes at the painful memory. But then, "Why can't I remember more? Why can't I remember the girl's name? Why can't I remember my own name? Why can't I remember why they were killed?" he asked of the crow.

- You will learn that in time. It will all come back, from a touch, a smell, a sound, a sight, it can be anything. You cared so much for her, you wouldn't leave her, or let them split up. That is why you are back. So that even though you were unknowns, your deaths weren't in vain.

"You mean - I'm dead?" Matt whispered.

- Yes. And now you know what you must do.

"No, no I don't know what I must do. Tell me!" Matt said eagerly. "What do I have to do?" he asked.

- I cannot tell you that, you will know once you get your memory back, but until then.

People once believed that a crow carries the soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes a terrible sadness is carried with that soul. And sometimes, just sometimes the crow can bring the soul back to set the wrong things right, because sometimes love is stronger than death.

The next day, Max was wandering about her neighbourhood, thinking about Matt, when she saw a familiar face. He was just passing by her when she realized she's seen that person before, somewhere. She didn't have anything else she had to do, so she decided to follow him until she could figure out who he was. She walked behind him for quite some time, still thinking, when she realized that face, that perfect, beautiful male face belonged to Matt. He also had long, wavy, shoulder length brown hair, and round, intense brown eyes. She followed him to his apartment. Memorized the address, then left and returned home. She had things to tie up and she had to talk to Logan.

Later that night, after a harrowing hour arguing with her boss about her week absence, she ended up winning the fight and keeping her job. She made a quick explanation to Cindy, saying she had needed some time to get away and think, (hey, she was under pressure, and it wasn't like Cindy didn't know her well enough to know that when Max doesn't want to tell you something, you gotta deal.) Then she went to Logan's. They talked for a while, debating whether Max should just go and talk to this guy whom she THINKS is Matt, or play it safe and watch him for a while.

"I think you should wait. Watch him for a while. Make sure he's who you think he is. Don't just rush in there. You don't know what you're up against, for all you know, he may have been captured and then altered, again, to be more vicious. This could be dangerous." Logan warned her.

"But, what if he isn't? What if needs our help?" Max asked.

"Then, we'll help him, but only after we know. There are a lot of 'what if' s in this."

"I know."

"Then wait. Play it safe and then jump in when you're needed."

"Fine. I'll do it your way," Max grumbled. But she knew she didn't really mean it. She planned to go right back to his apartment and knock on the door tonight. She didn't care what Logan said. She needed to know for herself. And if he was like her, maybe he wanted to find his other siblings too, then there would be two of them to do this, and maybe it wouldn't be so hard.

That night, Max climbed up his building and into the apartment. She was as quiet as she could possibly be. She waited in the shadows till he got back. But when she saw him, she knew. It was Matt. It was unmistakable. She waited until he closed the door before she emerged from the shadows.

"Matt?" she whispered, her eyes so full of hope.

Is that my name? He thought.

- Yes

You can hear my thoughts?

- Yes, now talk to her. She is an important part of regaining your memory.

"Do I know you?" he asked. "How did you get in?"

          "You don't remember?" Max was disappointed. She hadn't expected this. "It's me, Max. We escaped together, with all the others."

"There were others?" he was hopeful now. Maybe she could help him remember.

"Yes. But, what happened to you. Why didn't you try to find them? Why didn't you want to know what had happened to them?"

"Because I knew what had happened to the one I cared for," he answered without really knowing what he meant. He just knew it made sense.

"What do you mean?" she wondered.

"The one I cared about were taken, terminated, and all I knew was I didn't care anymore."

"I thought you might be dead, I found a report from the government saying they terminated 2 of us," Max didn't know what more to say.

"I was dead, until last night. Last night, I was reborn. I awoke."

"You were dead? Then why, how are you here now?"

"The crow. He brought me back. To take my revenge and to make sure our deaths weren't in vain," he answered, repeating what the crow had told him.

"To take your revenge?" Max asked, not really knowing what he meant.

"Yes, on the ones who killed my sister in front of my eyes. And when I am done, I think will be able to return to the land of the dead."

"But, what happened that night? How far did you get? What did they do to you?" Max asked, desperate for answers.

          "I still don't remember exactly what happened. All I know is that it was only a couple years after we escaped. Makaila and I refused to split up, we wanted to live together in Seattle, it was the closest city we could reach. But they killed us one night when we were totally unsuspecting. We were still scared, and there were so many. The crow says I'll get my memory back from a touch, a smell, an emotion, but nothing's come. All I know is I seek revenge for what they did to us. If I don't, I will never rest in peace," he said all this so solemnly, so seriously, calmly. He knew it was true.

          "And the crow brought you back?" Max asked, after a long pause, while she thought about what he had said.

          "Yes, and I can talk to it. And it will guide me through this."

          "I want to help you," Max said at once.

          "What? Why?" he was taken aback.

          "Because you are my brother," she replied.

          "But, is it allowed? Can it be done? I am?" he wondered aloud.

Where the crow would normally have spoken, there was a silence. Matt got the feeling it wasn't telling him something, that he had to learn something on his own. Or maybe it just hadn't been listening.

          "Please, let me help you. It's the least I can do, Zack made us split up, after we escaped, after all you helped me do to get away."

          "What? Who's Zack?" Matt was confused.

          "You – you don't remember? You don't remember anything about Manticore? Or the other X-5s?"

          "No, but the crow says I will in a matter of time. Do you mean - there are others?" Matt looked so hopeful.

          "You don't remember anything, do you? Only one. Who was it? Who else was killed with you?" she asked.

          "Makaila," he replied. "She was the only one with me, and she's gone now. I want to see her again. I have to see her again, and the crow tells me that the only way I can do that is to go back to the land of the dead."

          "So, kill yourself," Max shrugged.

          "It's not that simple. I can heal, but I can't die again. I don't know, I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm already dead."

          "Then how do you go back?"

          "They'll call for me. After I get my revenge," Matt nodded confidently.

          Beep, beep, beep, Max's pager beeped.

          "I have to go. I'll be back tomorrow night," she promised.

          With that, she leaped out the window and disappeared into the black of the night.  She ran to Logan's place to talk to him.

          After she left, Matt looked around his apartment, looking for the crow.

          "Where are you?" he yelled. "Why didn't you answer my question? Is there something I'm supposed to know, but you won't tell me?" he asked.

- I cannot say. It is not my part or duty to do that.

"But, how am I supposed to see my sister again?"

- You have one, right there. She just left.

          "What do you mean? Max is my sister?" Matt asked, confused again. "Aaarrrrrrg!!" He angrily smashed his fist into the table in front of him. "I hate this! I can't remember anything! And I can't even ask for help, can I?" he shrieked.

          "Where were you Max?" Logan asked. "Cindy was worried. She didn't know where you were or when you were getting home. So she called me. I thought maybe you were watching Matt."

          "Yea, I was watching Matt. But I can't do that now, after you paged me and he noticed someone watching him," she griped.

          "Well, I just wanted to know, we were worried about you."

          "Well, you don't have to be anymore. I'm going home to sleep," Max yawned as she left the room.

          "See you tomorrow morning," Logan called at her retreating back.

          When she arrived back at her apartment, Max quietly slipped into her room and fell asleep right away.

          The next day, Max had to go to work. She worked in a delivery company in the inner city with her friends, Original Cindy and Sketchy. She arrived late, but when she arrived, the normal hustle and bustle was slower than usual. It seemed that everyone was crowed in front of the TV hanging from the ceiling. When she got closer, she could hear a newscaster.

          "In other news, a government agent, Cloz Greby was found dead this morning. He was in his home when his wife found him this morning, stabbed in the heart and pinned to the table. Forensic scientists found blood, Greby's blood splattered on the table and floor, in the shape of a crow. Suspects still haven't been decided and there were no witnesses."

         

          "Whoa," Sketchy breathed as he turned and started picking up packages. "Freaky."

          Original Cindy shivered. "Really freaky," she agreed, nodding.

          Max, though, knew what this was about. Matt had finally remembered who had killed him and had already started his revenge. She knew she had to see him that night.

- You shouldn't have done that.

What? Do what?

- Kill that man. That was a bad move, Crow

I am not a Crow! I am an X-5. I was designed to kill!

- But you weren't brought back for that. You weren't brought back to kill. And that wasn't smart.

What wasn't smart?

- Killing him. He might be able to come back. He can come back as a Snake. He has powers like yours, but he's evil and bent on killing you. A Snake is brought back to kill, because they carried anger and fear with them. A Crow isn't brought back to take revenge. You were brought back for something else. All you need is to regain your memory.

And when will that happen? Huh? When will I get my memory back? I've touched everything and still only have scraps of what I should know. And one scrap is that I have to have my revenge. They killed Makaila. They must pay.

          He heard the sigh of the crow's wings as it took off in exasperation.

          When Matt found her in his apartment again that night, he wasn't surprised. Max had been hiding in the shadows, like before.

          "So, I saw your work on TV this morning," Max mused.

          "Am I good?" Matt smiled.

          "No evidence, no footprints, fingerprints or hair. No suspects determined, no witnesses, and I don't believe they have any proof or a motive. I'd say the police must think this was a perfect murder," Max said, almost admiringly. "Actually, they're telling everyone it was suicide."

          "Wow, I'm good," Matt had an evil smile on his face as he peered at Max through his long bangs.

          "Matt, before you do anything else. What happened? What happened that night, do you know? Do you remember?" Max asked quietly.

          "No, I don't remember much of that night. All I can remember are the gunshots and the pain, the pain ripping through my body. And red all around me, blood was everywhere. And the loudest sound in my mind all the time is the laughter. They enjoyed killing us. We were victims, no matter how evil Lydecker made them think we were."

          "But, you don't remember anything?" Max asked. "Other than that? You don't remember Ben? Or Tinga, or Brin, or even Zack?" she asked.

          "I don't even remember you. All I know is that you were there when we escaped," she reached out to touch his hand sympathetically, and the flashes came. Memories were rolling over him like tidal waves! Too fast! He couldn't understand them! Slow down! He screamed over and over in his head, but not a sound came from his mouth. Wait, the girl, he knew her name now, Max. It was Maxi he helped save that night, Max had collapsed and had a seizure, Zack wanted to hide her, he didn't want anyone to find out about her. He thought it would be safer, he didn't know what they'd do to Maxi. He relived every moment of that night again. Zack and himself, in total synchronization, knocked out the two front soldiers. Then Zack took one of the guns to protect them and they left. They just broke out, dived out windows and jumped the chain link fence. He recoiled his hand with a yelp.

          "What? What is it? Is your memory coming back?" Max asked anxiously.

"Yes, some. You, it was you who collapsed. We were going to hide you from Lydecker. But they found you on the floor before we could do anything. But Zack and I wanted to save you. He took a gun and shot down three soldiers in the facility. Then we all broke lose. Then Zack split everybody up and sent us to different locations. I never saw any of you again, except Makaila. I just got that, from touching you."

"That's good, you have most of your memory back."

- But sadly you still don't know what to do with those memories.

"Shut up!" he screamed. "Get out of my head, stop listening to me!" Matt screamed at the black bird on the windowsill.

"Why? Why do you want it to stop listening?" Max asked curiously.

"It's annoying me."

"So, what did you do between the time you settled and the time you died?" Max asked, to change the topic, and maybe cool him down a bit.

"We escaped at a pretty low point in the economy. Right after the pulse, or so I learned when I tried to get a job, nobody had room to hire me. They blamed the pulse. But Makaila and I managed to survive, that's what we were designed to do, survive. But after a while we decided Seattle wasn't the place to live. So we wanted to see how we'd fare in another city, and since we didn't have a vehicle of any kind, we had to walk. But on the first night, we were found. I had no idea Lydecker was still looking for us. It had been three years."

"He's still looking. I've had a few runins with him and Zack," Max broke in.

"Yea, well, these soldiers were patrolling outside the city, and we were stopped and searched. But one of them recognized me by sight. He'd worked with us really closely, I can't remember who he is, yet. But he knew we were from Manticore, so he dragged us to a ditch and his buddies, drunk, killed us."

It pained Max to hear him talk about his life and his death like that, past tense. "Is that all you can remember right now?" she asked,

"Yes, that's all I can link properly. But I know there's more. "I must kill again tonight," he told her in a more serious tone of voice. "I know who the killers are now, there are still seven left."

          "Let me come with you," Max said. "You're going to need help if you're going to kill more than one person tonight. "

          "Fine, you can come along, but there is one rule, you cannot kill, only I have that right," he warned.

          "I understand. I'll leave that to you," she nodded.

          "Good, then let's go. Oh, and don't leave any evidence of yourself. You should know how to do that."

          The two of them then left the apartment to find the other men who had killed Matt and their sister that night.

          They found three of them, buddies, in an alley, drinking and smoking. The crow perched on Matt's shoulder while the two partners sneaked up on the three, burly men. Matt moved in, he and Max placed themselves one on either end of the alley, blocking the exits. Then, while in the shadows, Matt spoke.

          "Hey fellas! What'cha doin on a night like this?" he asked, with an almost jovial tone.

          "Huh? Who's there?" the biggest man asked the darkness.

          "Your worst nightmare," Matt growled.

          Max decided she'd wait a moment before making her entrance. But she paused a moment longer when she saw Matt's face the next second. She had watched, fascinated at his entrance, very dramatic, she thought. I should get some tips from him. But when she looked at him again, she saw something amazing. She could tell that as soon as Matt had heard his murderer's voice, he had felt a sudden rush of anger, she watched as he looked away for a moment and when he lifted his head again, his face had changed. His face was pale, milky white, and his lips and eyes were painted black, with tear-like drips under his eyes, and the black on his lips curved upward. She was held in wonder and surprise for a moment before she realized that Matt was fighting on his own.

She quickly jumped in and threw one guy off his back as Matt screamed in rage. She easily, almost effortlessly tossed him against the wall of the alley, knocking him out. But then she paused again. She had just heard gunshots and a laugh ring out and echo through the alley. She didn't feel anything, so she knew it wasn't she who had gotten shot. She fearfully turned around hoping Matt wasn't hurt, or worse, dead. She almost screamed in anger when she saw the holes in his shirt, in his chest. But shut her mouth when she heard his laughter. He wasn't hurt. But he'd been shot…Max watched, along with their victims, as Matt lifted his tight, black shirt and showed them all the bullet holes in his chest, and when he turned around, his back. To her horror the bullets had gone right through him. But Matt was not screaming in pain, or crouched on the ground bleeding. Actually, when Max looked closer (something she could do from that angle and distance and the humans couldn't) there wasn't any blood. She watched as he stepped closer and showed the wounds healing. The holes closed up and there wasn't any trace of the bullets. Matt had been looking down at himself too. It seemed, she thought, he had realized this ability the night before when he had killed the other murderer. So, he wasn't as fazed as he might have been. Then, he did the most amazing thing Max had seen him do so far. He lifted his face, threw back his head and let out the most terrifying laugh she had ever heard.

"You think you can hurt me now, mortals?" he smiled a wicked smile. "I was better than you before, but you still killed me. Now I am stronger, with the training I had in that lab, and I cannot die, I am immortal."

"What the fuck are you?" one man yelled.

"What do you think? Do you not remember? Have you killed so many of us that you do not remember?"

"What? Man, I dunno what you're talking about," the only other guy who was conscious said.

"You don't remember? Maybe it's because you never thought of me, or my brothers and sisters as humans. Maybe, just because we were born and lived in a lab, that we didn't have identities. I watched as you killed her. Then, I felt the pain as you killed me, as you watched me die and thought, 2 down, 10 more to go," Matt said in a venomous voice. "Now, I will watch you die in fear, and pain, both physically and mentally. I will hear you plead and beg for your life as I give you your punishment. The punishment for you and your friends, total termination," Matt smiled evilly as he drew a gun from the belt in his black jeans.

"Wait a minute. I remember you. You were one of those government project kids. We were ordered to kill you when you all escaped. The experiment had failed. It wasn't us, I swear, we didn't want to kill you. We were just following orders," the biggest guy pleaded. "Please, it's not our fault."

"You say you didn't want to kill us. For someone supposedly reluctant, you sure had fun and enjoyed it," Matt was breathing hard from the memories.

"I know. And I've regretted it all my life. I never agreed to any of it. I never wanted to kill children. You were young, naïve, and unprotected without the lab. I understood you needed the lab, I was told you were better off dead than in the world alone. But, you're ok now. You're alive, I think," he said.

"I am not alive. I am not ok. I am dead. I was thrown into a hole in the ground with my sister and buried. Those deaths must be avenged."

"You're dead? But how can that be? You're here," the second man said.

          "I was brought back to avenge the death of my sister," Matt simply replied.

          "Wait, now I really remember you, we killed you and a girl, in a ditch three years after the escape happened. Damn, if you'd been any closer to the city, you would be alive," the second man mused.

          "Yes, if it weren't for you, I would be alive, whether I was in the city or not," then Matt, still holding the gun instructed Max to hold the first, largest man against the wall. "Max, hold him up, don't let him go."

          She nodded and strode over to him. Max was a fairly average woman. But compared to this huge man, she only came halfway up his chest.

          He laughed, "You don't really think this little girl can hold me, now, do you?" he was cocky. He had insulted Max. Big mistake.

          "What was that?" she whispered. Then she kicked him in the stomach, and while he was doubled over clutching his middle, she grabbed his hair and yanked his head up. Then, while he was still moaning, she put one hand under his chin and pushed him into the wall. She held him with his feet dangling inches from the ground. He coughed and clawed at her fingers with no prevail. She had a tight grip on him and wouldn't let go.

          "Loosen up, Maxi," Matt smiled. "I want him to be able to talk to me."

          Matt stepped closer to the man. He writhed in Max's grip. As Matt neared, she loosened her hold on his throat and let him stand on the ground. As Matt talked in a cold voice, dripping honey, she simply glared at the man she held pinned against the wall.

          "Well, well, well, what have we got now? It is your time to die. That is why I was sent here. Open your mouth, and feel the pain," Matt's lip curled upward as he forced the man's mouth open with super human strength.

          "No, no, no, please, I'm begging you

Max helped him hold the man's mouth open as Matt put the barrel of the gun in his mouth, and pulled the trigger. The bullet went through the roof of his mouth. He didn't make a sound, but was dead in seconds.

          "Now for the rest of you," he easily shot the unconscious guy and then turned to the last, remaining murderer. But he wasn't as stupid as his friends. He was much smarter. He knew when to run, he turned and fled.

          "After him," Max said.

          "No, it's ok. I can catch him easier now. I know where to look. The crow will guide me. You go back to my apartment, and wait for me there. There are still more to be dealt with," Matt told her as he watched the crow take flight, and he followed in the shadow of the quickly disappearing bird.

          "Fine," Max grumbled to herself as she made her way back to Matt's apartment to wait. But before she had left the alley, she thought of something. She turned and bent down next to the large man. She slid two fingers through the puddle of blood on the ground, and used it to draw the shape of a crow on the wall. Matt's mark.

          She only had to wait a few minutes before Matt returned to the apartment to regroup. When he returned, she saw that his face was back to normal. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him. But Max knew this wasn't the time. There was more to be done.

          "Ok, here's the next plan of attack," Matt started right away.

- That was stupid. I already told you not to kill. You'll never be called back now. And one of those men could become a Snake. Bad move, Crow.

Don't call me Crow! I have a name! It's Matt!

- No, you don't have a name. That's a name your friends made up for you. You were never given one. Only a barcode number, isn't that right?

Shut up! I'm Matt!!

- Stop being so naïve. You'll get yourself killed, again.

No I won't, now stop arguing with me!

- I have to warn you again. With all your revengeful killing, you'd better be ready for Snakes, and they're totally evil, I told you before. Don't you want to cross back over to see your sister?

Matt was quiet.

Yes, I do. But if it means not showing those murderers my anger, maybe I don't care.

- You don't have to show them you anger by killing them. That shows more mercy than anger.

Then what else can I do?

- You'll know, when the time comes.

          And with that, the crow took off.

          "Ok," Matt said, after his mental battle with the crow was over. "Let's start here," he pointed to his notes.

          "Well, what's the plan? How many more are there?" Max decided to get on with the mission.

          "There are still four more. After we kill those three, I will have peace of mind."

- Who are you kidding? No you won't. You'll just have Snakes on your tail. You're making stupid moves, Crow.

Go away! Who invited you back? Matt sneered in his mind at the crow.

- That attitude won't help.

Stop it! I thought you left!

- Yes, I left the building, but I still have a psychic link to you no matter where I am.

Aaahhh!! Leave me alone! I can do this by myself!

          Max hadn't heard any of what had gone on inside Matt's head, and said "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" but just as she said this, Max's pager went off. "Shit. Do you have a phone I can use?" she asked a little apologetically.

          "Yea, over there," Matt smiled.

          Max went over to the phone and dialed Logan's number.

          "Max. Where are you? I just saw the news. Three more men were killed. They were Government Agency men too. That makes four of them. You have to stop the next murder," Logan sounded concerned.

          "I can't," was her simple reply.

          "What? You have to stop it the next time. What are you talking about? We're talking about real human's lives this time. We're talking about innocents here. And where are you?" Logan just sounded pissed now.

          "I can't stop what must be done. They aren't innocents; they did something horrible they must be punished for. And I can't tell you where I am," she said apologetically, as she hung up the phone before Logan had a chance to reply.

          "Thanks. To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure what you were going to say to him," Matt surprised her as she turned to face him sitting at the table.

          "What do you mean? You could hear what he was saying?" Max didn't know what to think anymore.

          "Not really me. The crow is back. It has more acute hearing than I, I heard through its ears. Who was that anyway? Your boyfriend?" Matt asked.

          "No, just a friend. You mean you can hear and see things through the crow?" Max was fascinated.

          "Yes, and I can talk to it, with my thoughts."

          "Wow."

          "Ok, well, let's get going!" Matt said suddenly, to change the subject.

          "Yea! O, wait, what's the plan?" Max asked again.

          Matt whispered in her ear, as if someone was listening. But better to be safe than sorry he added afterward.

          They found one guy in his house. He was watching tv and drinking. But he held a revolver in one hand. He had obviously heard of the deaths of his friends, and cleverly linked them to himself. Boy was he in for a surprise! Max rang the doorbell, Matt jumped in through a window while he was at the door talking to Max.

          "Hi, I'm kinda lost, and do you have a phone?" Max asked in a scared, girly voice.

          "Well, baby, I hope you want more than a phone tonight. Coz I sure do," he answered. Geez! The guy was already horny!

          Max tried her best not to make a face as she answered him, "Well, I just need to make a phone call." He let her into the house and led her to a phone in the hall, but just then he heard a noise in the den.

          "Hold on a minute. I think I heard something," he said as he hurried back to the den. When he arrived there was a terrible sight awaiting him. He had left the gun on the table, and now he saw a horrific nightmare holding the gun and pointing it right at him. "Who are you?" he asked nervously.

          "Who do you think?" Matt answered casually. Max also realized his face had changed again. There was the pale face and black lips and eyes again, weird. She also remembered she had forgotten to ask about that.

          "How would I know, you gothic freak," he answered, noting Matt's face.

          "What's going on?" Max was still playing her part.

          "Nothing, hurry, hide, you might get hurt," he warned, rolling up his sleeves. This guy was short, and kind of stocky, but he had a heavy, muscular build.

          "No, I think that would be you getting hurt," Max smiled as she closed in behind him. Blocking the exit.

          "What? You? You?" the man stuttered. Then, "Who the fuck are you?"

          "You don't remember?" Matt asked. "10 years ago, in a ditch outside Seattle…"

          "No, it can't be! We killed you!" he cried in fear, recognition, and horror.

          "Yes, you did. But now I can have my revenge," Matt growled. Then, he took a step back, drew out a weapon and fired. He fired a whole clip, leaving the shape of a crow in the bullet holes in his chest. Then they left. Out through the door. When they got to a phone, Max called the police to clean up the mess in the house.

- Idiot, when will you get it? A killing rampage won't help anything. You're just screwing yourself over.

I don't care. I just want them dead.

          "Next?" Matt grinned.

          "Just one street away," Max told him. Then they ran to the next house.

          They entered in the same way. But this time the crow went in with them on Matt's shoulder. It refused to leave, no matter how he tried to shoo it. Matt was just starting to repeat what he had just done, but suddenly he glanced over at a table against the wall. There were photos. He walked slowly over to it, he lowered the gun, while Max looked at him confusedly but kept a wary eye on the man in the middle of the floor.

          "What – what are you doing?" he asked.

Matt didn't answer. He stood above the photos and picked one up, it was of a family. He glanced back at the man, then to the photograph. He recognized him in the picture. There was a beautiful woman kneeling beside him, they were in a field, a campground somewhere. There were two boys with them, and a dog. They were all smiling happily into the camera, hair blowing in their faces. Matt's face softened.

Then he asked quietly, "Is this your family?"

"Yes," the man choked out. "That's us on our family vacation last year."

"How old are your sons?" Matt asked.

"10 and 13."

"Cute kids," Matt whispered, almost wistfully. "This is what I could have had if it weren't for you. No, I won't kill you. You don't deserve it, killing you is too good for someone who's done something like you have. You know what I'm talking about."

"No, no I don't," he stammered.

So? What can I do to him? You said not to kill him. What can I do?

- Give him your memories, your pain and grief.

How?

- Put your hand on his head, right by his temple.

          Matt moved forward and touched the man.

          "What are you doing?" he asked fearfully.

          "Showing you my pain. Showing you how you robbed me of a life and family. Any life is better than no life," Matt hissed. Then he felt all his memories and emotions pouring into the man before him. And in a flash, he felt his numbness leave and all the pain flow back. Matt screamed in rage, pain and surprise.

          Memories of the dark halls of Manticore they were forced to march through, the stories Ben used to tell them of a lady on high, Tinga's stories of princesses and castles. Then the night of the escape, the fear and fatigue of running from the compound into the city. He and Mikaila hid and lived on the streets for weeks, until they could steal enough food and clothes to make time to find jobs to make money. They eventually got a tiny room they could rent out and live in. It was dirt, cramped and old. But it was somewhere. He remembered the eternal fear and paranoia of being somehow discovered by Lydecker. Of being recaptured and brought back to the lab. Then that night when they had been walking along and realized they were being tailed. Mikaila had thought they were safe now, three and a half years after the escape, still children, but absolutely able to fend for themselves. They hadn't expected people to still be watching for them. Then the fear and total surprise of having seven men jump them. They had thought they could take them on, and they would have, if the men hadn't been dead drunk and also armed with special weapons. They had shock guns. They shot Mikaila first with a powerful electric jolt. He watched helplessly as she fell the ground writhing in pain and jerking spasmodically from the electricity. Then he had moved for the biggest guy, he had laughed out loud and shot Matt, too. He lay, paralyzed, unable to move at all. Then he heard the gun shots and laughter as they killed Mikaila. Then as they stood over him, he shut his eyes and thought, Without Mikaila, my sister, there is no point in living. And they shot him and the pain ripped through his body like fire. The pain came back to him, and he screamed, he screamed and couldn't stop.

          Max looked panicked, but she didn't know what to do. So she stood and watched.

          A few seconds later, Matt could pull away. He dropped the man to the floor, like a stone.

          "Why didn't you just kill him?" Max asked.

          "Because he didn't deserve that mercy, he deserved this torment and living hell. Now he will see those images and memories in his dreams and he will never sleep well again, he will never feel whole and clean."

          She nodded and they left.

          "The crow kept telling me not to kill. That I would create a Snake by killing my murderers. So this is what I've decided to do," Matt said. "So, I can take this by myself. You should go home and rest, people will worry about you."

          "No," Max told him firmly. "I'm not leaving you to do all this alone." But just then, beep, beep, beep. Her pager went off again. She quickly found another pay phone and called Logan.

          "What?" she asked as soon as he picked up.

          "Where are you?" he asked, almost demanding an answer.

          "I told you already. I can't tell you that."

          "I know you're with Matt, and that it was you two who killed all those men. Why, Max? Why?" Logan was pretty confused. He didn't have any idea why Max would help in killing those men, all he knew was that, this was Matt's fault. His fault for coming back and probably ruining it for them to bring justice to a world destroyed by lack of communication and technology. It was hard, after the Pulse. It turned the United States, once the biggest economy in the world, into almost a third world country.

          "I can't tell you that. Maybe someday, when I can understand this, I'll be able to tell you."

          "But why did you kill them?" he demanded.

          "I didn't. I didn't kill anyone," she answered truthfully. And, again, before he had a chance to answer, Max hung up on him. "Let's go, before he decides to bother me again, and I have to throw this thing off a cliff. I don't want to do that right now, I like this pager."

          Matt grinned again, "Sure thing. Let's get on with it."

          The last man to fall victim to Matt's wings of torment would be Jonathan Rylie. The appointed leader of the group. It was he who had ordered the triggers pulled, and the children dead.

          "Hello there Jon," Matt started, as he stepped out of the shadows.

          "Who's there?" he answered.

          "Let's just say, an old acquaintance," Matt said as he stepped out of the shadows.

          "Who the fuck are you?" Jon asked, partly in fear. He knew, he knew Matt was here to kill him.

          "I'm the angel who will deliver you to Satan. When you meet the prince, tell him I said hi," Matt said in a psychotic voice as he rushed Jon.

          Jon put up a good fight. He delivered strong punches, and high kicks. He wasn't as slight or quick as Matt, but he tried his best. Max decided to jump in, so she held Jon as Matt slapped him hard.

          "Who are you?" Jon cried as Matt delivered a painful backhand to his face.

          "You don't remember me?" Matt screamed in anger as he delivered another blow causing a painful welt to appear on Jon's face. "I was a child, but a soldier. Ordered to split up with one sister with me. You found us in a ditch, we couldn't overpower 7 large men. We were trained, but not yet strong enough. And you killed us!" Matt started sobbing. "You killed them as I watched. You killed me. And now," he stopped crying, "I will torture you. Slowly. In my way."

          "What? No! That can't be!" Jon cried.

          "Yes it can! You ordered our deaths!" Matt screamed. "You ordered us dead!" as he backhanded Jon again.

          "But, I couldn't help what happened. I was convinced you were better off dead than out in the world you knew nothing about," Jon tried to reason with him.

          "No, we were better off without Manticore. We would have lived happier lives, even if we were genetically engineered soldiers, you took that chance away from us. We never got the chance to prove we could live without the lab," Matt told him.

          "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Jon cried.

- Good, he's onto the apologising. That was quick. You're a fast boy. I like you.

I know.

          With that exchanged between Matt and the crow, he tied Jon's arms and legs with barbed wire. Then poured gasoline all over him.

          "Please, no, don't do this!" Jon pleaded for his life.

          "Don't worry," Matt replied as lit a match and held it threateningly, perilously close to Jon's gasoline soaked clothes and body. "I won't kill you, I'm not supposed to. But I can do this," and he grasped Jon's head and poured his emotions, memories and tormented dreams into his head, as he had before.

          Max listened to Jon's screams and pleas for mercy. Until Matt took his hands away and stood up to leave. Before he left he looked down at Jon, lying helpless on the garage floor, bleeding. "I'll see you in hell," he sneered.

          Matt and Max returned home to rest.

          "I'll see you in the morning, then," Max smiled.

          "Maybe, I don't know how I'll go back," Matt sounded sad. "I wish I could have seen Zack, and told him I forgive him for not being able to stop what happened to us. Then, maybe he could have told you where the others are."

          "I wish you could."

How long do I have until I have to leave again?

- Until midnight tomorrow.

Fine. Good. I can still talk to Max before I go.

          "I'll meet you at the cemetery, tomorrow night. 11:45," Matt said as he turned and left.

         

          Max got back to her apartment to find her friends still awake and Logan sitting in his wheelchair staring out the window.

          "Why did you do it?" was the first thing he asked.

          "What? I didn't do anything. Leave me alone," Max said and she started to enter her bedroom.

          "No. Not until you tell me why you were with Matt and why you were acting that way," Logan demanded.

          "Ok, I don't think I want to see this," Original Cindy immediately said. "I'm gonna go to the coffee place down the street, you wanna join us after, you're welcome to come," she said as she turned to leave. "Hey, you coming Kendra?" she asked as Kendra stood, not knowing what to do.

          "Um, yea, I'm coming."

          After they left, Logan started chewing out Max.

          "What were you thinking? Lydecker could've found you and killed you. He could have taken you back to Manticore. He could've done anything!" Logan shouted.

          "Well, that didn't happen, did it?" Max snapped back.

          "You risked getting killed, getting found out, getting put in jail. Why?" Logan wasn't yelling anymore. He just sounded scared.

          "I didn't it wouldn't have happened anyway. Lydecker didn't even connect me to the murders. He was still looking for me somewhere else."

          "Why would you risk everything, just for his revenge. Yea, that's what I narrowed it down to. His revenge."

          "Because he's like my brother. He needed my help and he's like me, and Zack. But he's more like me, he wants all of us to come together and get rid of Lydecker," Max's voice softened at the thought of the other Manticore X-5s.

          "But is that a good reason to risk everything?" Logan asked.

          "For me it is."

          "Well, even in light of what happened. What's up with Matt? Is he like Zack, or did he turn out to be what you'd hoped for?" Logan asked kindly.

          "Almost what I'd hoped to find. He's very different from Zack, he wants everyone together, to fight it out together. He probably thinks that if we have to die like he did, better off dying together," Max had a sorrowful look on her face. She was really thinking about Matt.

          "Wait, what do you mean die like he did?" Logan asked suspiciously.

          "He's dead. He was killed in a ditch outside Seattle. Him and one other, didn't make it," Max frowned. "I don't think I'll ever see him again. He told me to meet him at 11:45, tomorrow night. Maybe it's to say goodbye, again."

          "How can he be dead?" Logan asked again.

          "He says he is the crow. He was brought back from the dead by a crow. He came back to avenge the death of those killed before his eyes, that night. That's what the deaths tonight were. He told me this - People once believed that a crow carries the soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes a terrible sadness is carried with that soul. And sometimes - just sometimes the crow can bring the soul back to set the wrong things right - because sometimes love is stronger than death."

"That's sad. I understand now. Go see him tomorrow. I have to go now. I'll see you later," Logan said as he wheeled himself out of her apartment.

"Bye," Max said as he left.

A few minutes later, Cindy and Kendra were back.

"So, what happened?" Cindy was concerned.

"Nothing. I'm tired, I'm gonna hit the sack," Max said absently as she headed for her room.

"Night," Kendra whispered.

"Night."

The next night, at 11:45 pm sharp, Max and Matt met in the old cemetery. Both wore black to hide in the darkness.

"Hey," Matt said as soon as he saw her.

"Hi," she greeted him. "No death missions tonight, huh?" Max grinned.

"No, I'm finished here. That's why I wanted you to be here before I left. I have some final requests," Matt said.

"Name them and they're done," Max promised him.

"It's not that easy. Some might take you a while, but I know you can do it. I just wanted to say, could you find Mikaila's body, and bury her here? It's the least I can do for her, when I wasn't able to protect her. At least give her a nice resting place, better than that crude hole in the ground. And, don't give up, you'll find the others, they're out there somewhere. Keep trying, for the rest of them, keep trying. Don't forget me," as he spoke, a white light came and engulfed him.

- It's time to go now. You have to leave.

Wait, just one more moment. I have one last thing to say.

- What could you possibly have left to say, boy? You've said a lot already.

          The light receded for a moment, "And, Max, they did a great job on you. You turned out ok," he smiled, then the light came forward again, and when it left, Matt was gone.

          "Bye," Max whispered. She knew she would never see him again. But she was determined to grant his wishes, to give their baby sister, Mikaila, a proper burial place and to find the other survivors.

          She then turned and slowly walked away. Without turning back, her walk turned to a run, and soon she was running as fast as she could to the old, abandoned rocket needle to think. She loved standing on the tall tower and looking at the top of Seattle, and just be alone.

"I know that no matter how much I want it, it'll be harder than ever now that I've found both Zack and Matt, and in turn, they left. I know they won't all leave, but when will they stay? Nothing is ever what it seems or what I hope it will be. It's not disappointments, just setbacks. Now I have to start from scratch again, and do this all over again to find more. I know they're out there somewhere, just, where? Maybe, I'm not ready to find out everything yet."

- Max