Shadows of the Past
Chapter 2: So You're Eyes Only
Hey guys I know this is short and it took me a while to get this up, but more is on its way. Because of college my updates may not be as frequent but they will happen. I promise! Guys remember to review so I know if you like it. And if you think it sucks tell me too, but try not to make me cry. :oD ~Amanda
DA isn't mine, except for in my dreams and delusions.
Max followed silently behind Bling as he walked towards the elevator in the Fogel Towers lobby.
"Don't worry," Bling said noticing Max's nervousness.
"He's a good guy, all he wants to do is help. Your case really caught his attention." He said walking through the opened doors.
"What caught his attention? The freakish abilities, amnesia, mysterious tattoo, a possible government conspiracy or the threat?" Max said harshly while she entered the elevator behind Bling.
"All of the above actually."
"Where to?" She asked with her finger hovering over the floor panel.
"Pent house." He replied flatly.
"Oh goodie a rich boy." Max said matching his apathetic tone. Her family was far from poor, but Max's experience with rich guys had been anything but pleasant. Their arrogant, self-righteous, demanding, overbearing, self-absorbed and indulgent attitudes just pissed her off. And now one of those very men held her life in his hands.
"Well I guess there's no turning back now." Max muttered watching the doors open to reveal the pent house door.
"Remember, his identity-" Bling began.
"Needs to be protected at all costs. If I compromise his safety I die, blah blah woof woof." Max finished, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah." Bling said shaking his head. He liked Max, really he did. He just didn't trust her. Logan was one of his best friends and he had a lot of people after him. How could he tell if this was a trap or not?
"Ready?" Bling asked before unlocking the door.
"As I'll ever be." Max answered adjusting the strap on her shoulder.
"Okay." Bling swung open the door to the pent house and walked in.
"Logan, we're back." He called closing the door behind Max.
"Hey." Logan said leaning over on the counter in the kitchen. "Come on in." He said as his head disappeared once again behind the wall. Max slowly walked towards the kitchen, setting down her bag on the way.
\\ Come on Max. You can do this. You have to do this.
He's not a super-hero or anything; he's just a normal guy. Just remember to
breathe. //
"You must be Max." Logan said with an out stretched had when she had entered the kitchen.
"Yeah. Max Guevara. Nice to meet you." She said cautiously, as she noticed his eyes do a quick sweep of her body.
"Logan Cale." He said as he shook her hand. Max had to force herself not to do the same sweep of Logan's body. He was defiantly easy on the eyes.
"Please sit." Logan said nodding towards a chair nearby. "Can I get you anything?" He asked, pouring a glass of water for himself.
"No, I'm fine."
"Bling?"
"Naw, I'm heading home." Bling said turning back doors the door.
"Alright. Thanks a lot for getting Max. I'll see you later."
"Yeah. Later!"
"Bye Bling. Thank you!" Max called as he reached for the doorknob. Bling turned to look over his shoulder at Max.
"No problem. Good luck." Bling said with a slight smile before walking out the door.
"Sure you don't want anything?" Logan asked, sitting down across the counter from Max.
"Yeah. I'm sure." Max said with a slight grin.
"So, you said that you needed my help." Logan said leaning forward on the counter to look Max in the eye.
"So you're the man behind Eyes Only?" Max asked with a slight grin.
"Yeah that's me. The mysterious cyber journalist cable hacker." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"As for the help- yeah I need it." She said with a sigh
"Alright. You said in you letter that someone threatened to turn you in to a government faction unless you coughed up 75 large?"
"Basically. But if I can find out what this guys thinks he knows about me, then I've got the upper hand in the situation and I can shut the psycho down. I really need to find out everything I don't remember about my childhood."
"Okay. Come with me." Logan stood as he spoke to walk around the counter. Nodding in the direction of his office Logan followed behind Max. To silently guide her in the right direction, Logan put his hand on the small of Max's back gently pushing her towards the unopened door. Max slightly jumped at Logan's unexpected touch. It was almost as if some electric spark passed through them and they both felt it. Logan did his best to ignore it thinking that it was just his hormones talking again, while Max dismissed it as nerves. Opening the door Logan walked into the room and sat down in front of his computer.
"I ran a search on your name just to see what I would come up with. I got the usual – police record; which is spotless, high school transcript; valedictorian- impressive, and various family information." Logan said pulling up each file as he mentioned it on the screen.
"But," Logan said turning around in his chair to face Max who was leaning on a file cabinet behind him, "all that begins in the fall of '09, when you began 5th grade. Before that, there's nothing. It's as if you never existed until then."
"Sounds familiar." Max quipped.
"Yeah," Logan smiled as he turned back around, "So, I ran a search in the missing children's national database for anyone who's disappearance' matched the time of your 'appearance'. I came up with about 75 possible matches, but because I didn't have a description it's a long shot. All I knew was that you're about 19 now, which would make you 8 at the time of your disappearance, and that you're female.
"Okay. Do you want me to look through them and see if any of them are me?" Max offered. "You know weed out the rejects."
"Yeah, but let me narrow down the search first." Logan turned around once again to study Max trying to pick out any characteristics that wouldn't change with time. Shifting uncomfortably under Logan's intense gaze, Max's eyes slowly found his.
\\My God, his eyes are incredible. I never really noticed before how blue they are. They're crystal clear like I always imagined the ocean used to be. You could drown if you weren't careful. Stop it Max! You're here on business, not some blind date.//
\\ God she's beautiful. Her eyes are like huge dark pools of…forever. They reveal so much about her, her feelings and weaknesses, but at the same time show her strength. She's incredible she's…client. Don't even think about it. Remember what happened last time? //
"So," Logan began turning back to the screen quickly, "is there anything about you that make you stand out in the mix, that you can remember?" He asked as he typed in a description of her hair and eye color, ethnicity, ect.
"Ummm…" Max thought still shaken by the 'moment' she had just had with Logan. "I had this ridiculous hair cut when my parents found me." She said with a laugh.
"What did it look like?" Logan asked glancing over his shoulder to see Max moving to the other side of his desk.
"It was really short – like crew cut or something. It was awful trying to grow that sucker out into something more normal." Max shook her head remembering the hell she went through until her hair had gotten long enough to weigh down the 'puff ball'.
"Nothing." Logan said when the new search came up empty. "Not that I'm surprised, nothing is ever that easy." Logan's train of thought was interrupted by a long yawn.
"Oh, sorry." He said covering his mouth. Max simply dismissed it with a wave.
"Hey Max? I'm exhausted. Would you mind if we picked this up in the morning with Manticore?" Logan asked feeling a little guilty.
"No, not at all. It is almost 2am Logan." Max smiled as she hopped down of the desk.
"Thanks. Here let me show you your room."
Max followed behind Logan taking in her surroundings. This was going to be her home for probably the next few weeks, so she better get used to it. As they passed the living room Max went to pick her bag up from where she had left it.
"Hey, I've got that." Logan said reaching for her bag.
"I can handle it really." Max said shyly.
"Nope, I've got it." Logan insisted taking the bag from her hands.
"Okay." Max conceded, hiding a smile.
"What do you have in here?" Logan asked with a laugh, but Max knew that he was having a hard time.
"Only a dead body or two." She joked.
"Is that all?" Logan laughed to himself as he opened the guest room door down the hall.
"Well here it is, your room. I hope it's up to your standards."
"I'd say so." Max said shocked that this room was his guest room. It was huge, and beautifully decorated. She had seen pictures of places like this from before the pulse, but never dreamed that some one's home could still be this elegant. But his entire house was like that.
"Feel free to change it around if you want." He said rolling his shoulder after putting down Max's bag. "And help yourself to anything, make yourself at home." He said leaning on the doorframe.
"My room is down the hall from my office if you need anything alright."
"Okay, thanks." She said stuffing her hands in her pockets.
"Well, goodnight Max." Logan said hesitating at the door before turning away.
"Uhh, Logan?" Max called weakly.
"Yeah?"
"Would you mind if I used your computer. I promised Noah that I would e-mail him so he knows I'm alright."
Logan was torn by the question. He knew that she was close with her brother but what if she was working for one of his many enemies? He hardly knew Max, how did he know if she could be trusted.
"I'll just send it and go. I won't touch a thing. I promise." Max said seeing his struggle.
"Yeah sure. Go ahead. See you in the morning." Logan smiled.
"Thanks again Logan, for everything." Max said.
"Good night." Logan smiled to himself as he walked back to his room. He had helped a lot of people during his time as Eyes Only, but he had never seen anyone as grateful as Max. When she said thank you, she actually meant it. With other people they said it as a common courtesy, but Max was different.
A few minutes later Max walked barefoot to Logan's office in her flannel pants and tank top. Her eyes adjusted to the dark quickly, so she could see just as well as during the day. When she sat down in the chair a wave of Logan's scent hit her face.
Noah,
Hey big bro! I wanted to let you know I was okay. This guy is actually pretty nice. It looks like I'm gonna be here for a few weeks, so you're gonna have to deal with Mom and Dad for a little longer. But, I promise I'm okay Noah, I swear. And you know me; if I were I would either get out or throw some elbows. I love you Noah, take care of your self. If I need anything from home or if I just want to talk I'll call you, okay. I miss you Noah.
Love,
Maxie
Max sat back and looked at the screen. Slowly reaching forward to click the send button a tear slid down her cheek. She could handle the whole ordeal of her past and the threats but she hated being away from her brother. Noah was her best friend in the world, and having to keep secrets form him was torture.
"Just go to bed." Max sighed to herself. So what if she wasn't tired, she never was. But Max had the feeling that she was going to need all the rest she could get.
