Shadows of the Past

Shadows of the Past

Chapter 1: Cry for Help

~Dark Angel is not mine, never was and never will be. So if you planed on suing me I'm sorry I had to disappoint you.

~PG-13 I guess. It's not really necessary yet but who knows what I'll end up doing?

~PLEASE review. I'm not sure if I'm gonna continue with this story yet, but if you like it I will. :oD

~ What would happen if Max repressed all her memories of Manticore after the escape, and she found a home with a family and grew up as a normal kid? But then one day her past catches up with her? This is my take on the situation:

Dear Eyes Only,

            I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing by writing you, but I don't know who else to turn to. I think I'm in trouble and I need your help.

            I was 'adopted' by the Guevara's in 2009 not long after the pulse. All that I remember is suddenly having a home. My 'parents' took on the huge task of taking in a child that they found on the streets of Northern California with an unknown past and odd medical problems into their home and raising her as their own. For that I am eternally grateful, but there are so many unanswered questions. I didn't remember anything about who I was, where I came from. Nothing, not even my birthday.

            Because of the Pulse there was never an official adoption, they just brought me into their family and called me their daughter and that's how it stayed. I became Maxine Guevara. I have an older brother, Noah, whom I trust more than anyone. He's actually the one who told me to come to you for help. But to do that you'll need to know some things about me.

Growing up I was always different than the other kids. I was smarter than the class 'genius', faster than the track team and stronger than the jocks. I could jump higher than the basketball players, and I could see in the dark better than anyone I knew, and I never got sick - except for random unexplained seizures that I still get today. I was constantly questioned about why I was so weird, but the mystery of my tattoo became a favorite subject among my classmates. Why would a ten year old have a barcode tattooed on her neck? The possibilities were endless.

            I hated the fact that I couldn't remember anything from before the pulse. I had so many questions that I had the answers to only I couldn't remember them. My Mom always told me the reason that I don't remember anything from my early childhood is because of a traumatic event or something. And I would have been perfectly happy with that explanation if I hadn't received that phone call I did last week.

            Some guy called saying that he knew who and what I was, and that he would turn me in of I didn't pay him $75,000 upon our meeting at a Seattle port next month. The way he acting made me really nervous, whispering all the time and talking about protocol and the threat of turning me in to some unknown authorities and Manticore. It scares me to think that there's someone out there who knows more about me and my past than I do. That's where you come in.

            I need your help finding out who or what I am Eyes Only, so I can be ready for this guy when I meet up with him. I don't want any surprises and I want to shut him down ASAP. I know that this isn't your usual thing, but I was hoping you would make an exception this time. If you don't help me, I don't want to think about what may happen. I could be putting my family at risk, and that's the last thing I want. Their safety comes before mine. I am really scared and I don't like it. I've never been in a position like this before. I have never been this scared because I've never had a reason to be. I could always handle anything that came my way. But this time I am a sitting duck.

            Eyes Only, please, I really need your help right now.

Sincerely,

Max Guevara

***

Logan Cale sat in front of his computer as he finished reading the young girls desperate plea for help. Logan had been a journalist since college and he always had a hard time resisting a good mystery. And if what Max Guevara said in her letter is true this would be the best mystery he had seen in years. Then again it could always been some cheap tabloid concocting a tragic story in hopes of revealing Eyes Only's true identity. It wouldn't be the first time. But there was something about this girls story that made Logan believe her.

            "Hey Bling?" Logan called hearing his friend banging around in the kitchen.

            "Yeah?" Bling answered emerging from kitchen with a sandwich in hand.

            "Where'd you get this?" he asked holding up the letter in question.

            "I found it in the contact room. Why?" Bling asked sitting down in a nearby chair.

\\Obviously, Cale. Everything that comes for Eyes Only Bling gets from the contact room.//

            "Logan, what's the big deal about a letter? You get them all the time. How is this one different?" Bling said breaking into his bosses thoughts.

            "I don't know. This girl sounds really scared. I can't out my finger on it, but there's something...really wrong here." Logan tapped the letter on his desk his curiosity obviously peeked.

            "Did she include a picture or something? You usually don't get worked up so quickly about total strangers unless they're female." Bling said with a chuckle.

            "Bling I don't use Eyes Only as a dating service. Not anymore." he smiled.

The last time that Logan had gotten involved with one of Eyes Only's clients she turned out to be a drunk and almost wiped out his bank account with her gambling debts. After that Logan had vowed to stay away from any and all clientele.

            "Was there a number left so Eyes Only could contact her?"

            "Nope. Looks like you've got some extra work to do." Bling paused as he scanned through the letter.

            "She could just be over reacting about a prank call you know. Or letting her imagination get the best of her."

Handing the letter back to Logan, Bling shook his head and smiled knowing his friend too well.

\\There are so many reasons why he's gonna take this case. One being the female factor - even if he may not act on it, he can always appreciate a 'work of art'. But even more than that, Logan can never resist a mystery like this one. Especially when the government is involved.//

            "You gonna get some more details on this chick?" Bling called from the hall as he picked up his leather jacket.

            "Who said I'm taking this one?" Logan said reading Max's letter again.

            "You'll take this one." Bling's voice echoed through the room.

            "I'll see you tomorrow Logan!" The front door slammed shut before Logan could respond.

            "So what if I do take this one? There's nothing wrong with that. There could be a legitimate story here. This girl could really be in danger. What kind of journalist would I be if I didn't at least check it out?" Logan said to himself as he ran in a search for Max Guevara on his computer.

***

The phone rang in the living room of the Guevara's middle class apartment early that evening. Max and Noah were lounging comfortably on the sofa watching old TV movies. Reaching over his sister Noah grabbed the phone and answering with his attention still on the movie.

            "Hello?"

            "Yes, Noah? Is Max there?" Logan said casually.

            "How'd you know my name?" Noah asked, his attention ripped away from the television. The worried tone in his voice caught Max's attention, causing her to tense immediately.

            "I'm a friend of Eyes Only. I need to talk to Max. Is she there?"

            "It's one of Eyes Only's guys. He wants to talk to you." Noah whispered to his sister after covering the mouthpiece on the phone.

            "Gimme the phone." Max whispered back.

            "Don't tell him.."

            "Hello?" Logan called uncertain if anyone was still on the line.

            "I know Noah. I won't" Max said gently, taking the phone from her brother's hand.

            "This is Max."

            "Max, hi. I need to get some information from you for Eyes Only."

            "Look I don't want to be a jerk, but I won't tell you anything over the phone. And I won't tell some lackey either, no offence." Max said leaving little room for an argument.

            "None taken. But how do you expect any help form Eyes Only without any additional information so he can get any information pertinent to your situation." Logan smiled at the girls spunk.

            "Oh I know that he needs more info than what I already gave him, but I want to talk to Eyes Only directly - face to face." Max said matter of factly.

            "That's just not possible." Logan was slightly shaken by Max's demand but he didn't let his voice show it. No one had ever said that and actually expected for it to happen. Until now.

            "It has to be. My life depends on it." she responded with a desperate tone in her voice. Noah gave her hand a gentle squeeze to reassure her.

            "I'm sorry Max but for his own safety, Eyes Only never reveals his identity." Logan said feeling torn. He wanted to help Max, but was it worth risking his life?

            "Then I'm sorry too. Thanks for trying to help. I appreciate the thought." Max said ready to hang up feeling like she was just handed a death sentence, but the voice on the other end stopped her.

            "Max!" Logan called hoping that he had got her attention, before she hung up.

            "Yeah." Max said defeated.

            "The Space Needle, 12 tonight. Pack for at least a week." Logan said abruptly before he could change his mind, leaving Max with a stunned smile on her face as she slowly hung up the phone.

            "What happened? Maxie? What'd he say?" Noah fired questions at his sister while he followed her to her room.

            "I'm going to the Space Needle tonight, and from there I'm going to Eyes Only's." Max stopped turning to face the tall blonde following her.

            "He's gonna help me! Noah he's gonna help me!" she squealed throwing herself into her brother's arms.

            "Well let's get you packed and figure out what we're telling Mom and Dad" he said leading Max into her room shutting the door behind them.

***

Max stood waiting at the base of the Seattle Space Needle with her bag slung over her shoulder. It was the middle of November and it wasn't exactly warm out, but Max stood unaffected by the cold wind. The cold never did bother her.

            "Come on. Where are you?" Max was loosing her few patience quickly. Noah wanted to stay with her until her ride showed, but Max refused.

**        "I need to do this part alone Noah. I don't want you to get hurt because of me. But thanks for the offer." Max kissed her brother's cheek.

            "Be careful little sister. I love you." He said giving her a hug.

            "You know I always am." Max said playfully. "I Love you too." **

            "Max?" A man called from the shadows starting Max out of her thoughts.

            "Maybe. Who are you?" She said settling into a fighting stance.

            "Bling." The man said stepping into the pale moonlight.

            "Don't worry, I'm a friend of Eyes Only." He said slightly raising his hands to show he wasn't armed or a threat.

            "Eyes Only has a lot of friends these days. You're not the guy I talked to on the phone." Max said still suspicious.

            "No I'm not. But I was there when Eyes Only got your letter. So you want to go see him or not?" Bling spat.

            "How do I know you really work for him? How do I know you're not one of the bad guys?" Max said weakly. The sudden change in mood shocked Bling but it only proved how desperate and scared this girl really was.

            "Unfortunately you don't. You're just going to have to trust me." Bling said taking Max's bag from her.

            "Let's go see Eyes Only." Max said quietly.

            "Okay, but first you need to know some things. You can never tell anyone who Eyes Only is or where he is. If you ever give away anything that threatens Eyes Only and his true identity he can and will make you disappear without a trace. Are you sure you can do this? Why he trusts you this much I don't know. And personally I don't think it's very smart." Bling said flatly.

            "Yeah. I can understand the need for secrets. It looks like you're just gonna have to trust me too." Max said looking Bling dead in the eye.

            "Alright. The car's this way." Bling said nodding.

Max took a deep breath, bracing herself for future events before following Bling to the car.