Dark Tomorrow
Chapter 5: Don't I Know You?
The diners in Enzo's Café judged the good-looking black-haired man to be about twenty-nine years old. The woman with him-about twenty-five, they said-was beautiful and agile, but the diners were struck by the hooded jacket she wore. It wasn't cold, or windy at all, and yet she covered her head with the grey hood, her hair invisible and her face almost completely in shadow.
They sat down at a corner table, and the man ordered two burgers. He glanced at his companion and frowned.
"You could look a little more cheerful." He said in a low voice. "There's no need to act like someone just died."
"That's how I feel." She said softly, her voice tightly controlled.
She knew she should be grateful to him, but some part of he refused to be. That part of her was strange, she thought, because it rebelled against everything he said to her and seemed to have a voice of its own. He had rescued her from the streets - he had told her when she had woken up, and he had taken care of her for months now.
But try as she might, she simply couldn't remember her life before she woke up in his bedroom. She couldn't remember what the world on the streets had been like and she couldn't for the life of her remember why she was, well - different. Sometimes, in the cold darkness of the night, when she couldn't sleep, she'd get flashes of something - images, and voices.
If she strained hard enough deep into the night, she could bring a pair of deep, incredible brown eyes into her mind. It gave her some sort of comfort, some kind of peace. But through it all, deep in the darkest hollows on her heart, that rebelling part of her would scream for release.
What had happened to her to give her such a mental block and amnesia?
He was talking to her, and she forced herself to forget her thoughts and listen. His eyes, an emerald green behind his dark sunglasses, narrowed thoughtfully. "You're trying to remember, aren't you?"
"Trying." She said pointedly. "Isn't there something in your high-tech lab that could jerk my memory or something? I really hate not having any memories, or not knowing who I really am."
"What's the point?" he reached across and took her hand. "All that matters now is you and me. You - a great bed - and me. Nothing else matters anymore, honey."
She sighed. Sometimes when they were - together, that part of her would scream even louder, screaming that it was not what she wanted and she'd lie limp, trying not to feel anything, believing that he was almost forcing himself on her.
A sudden crash from the alley outside made them both turn in that direction. Some part of her wanted to go there and see what was going on.
"Trouble down there." He muttered, his eyes flashing an inhuman gold as he peered through the glass window down into the depths of the alley. "Let's go. We don't want to be found by any GSA agents."
She had heard about these agents many times from him, but had never really understood what they wanted or why they were after people like her and him. She stood up and obediently followed him out, pausing only when he stopped to cancel their order.
As she walked quickly to keep up with him, the hood pulled low over her head and her hands shoved into the pockets, her mind drifted back to her shadowed past and her future, which to her, only consisted of dark tomorrows.
***
"It was one of Ekhart's traps, Adam!" Emma yelled into her comring, knocking out the agent running towards her with a psi blast. "We're going to take them down and then get back to Double Helix."
"Be careful." Adam's voice warned.
Brennan fired a bolt of electricity at one of the agents and began exchanging blows with another one, a swift Chinese with lots of skill. Jesse was massing and phasing at alternatives, thoroughly throwing the men attacking him off-balance, and seemingly having a good time doing it.
The last man was down when the three young mutants turned and saw two figures hurrying around the corner of the alley. The first one was definitely male, with dark sunglasses, a slightly misshapen nose that must have been broken at one point, and short black hair. The second figure was smaller and slimmer, but when they both stopped, frozen less than twenty feet away from the Mutant X team, they realized that it was a woman. Her face and hair were indistinguishable because they were in the shadow of her hood.
Emma's eyes froze on the woman and she was hit with an image of a solid brick wall. Memory loss?
What drew their attention most was the fact that the man's eyes flashed an uncontrollable golden.
"A feral, huh?" Brennan asked. He frowned at the man and thought he looked just a little bit familiar. "Are either one of you the mutant that contacted Adam?"
"Mutant?" the woman's voice was soft and tentative. "You're mutants too? Who's Adam?" she looked at the man. "Ray? Where have I heard of 'Adam' before?"
The man glared at the team. "Let's go, honey."
"Stop." Brennan growled. He was staring at the woman. That body, that sweet voice - it struck a chord in his heart that hurt so much that he could hardly breathe. "Don't I know you?"
"I-I-" she stammered, obviously suddenly very confused, and very frightened.
Emma stepped forward, her voice gentle: "Who are you?"
"That's none of your damn business." The man snapped. "Adam's Underground is strictly voluntary. You three have no control over us."
"Maybe not," Jesse said in his reasonable voice, "But we would like to know who you are. Why don't you take off your sunglasses and ask your friend there to lower her hood?"
The woman looked at him. Then she shrugged and lifted a hand to pull down her hood.
"No!" the man said, so forcefully that they saw the telltale surprised jerk of the woman's shoulders. Her hand froze. "Don't take off your hood, honey. These people are dangerous. They want to capture us and do tests on us. If they know who you are, they'll come after you."
They were astonished by the flash of backbone that the woman displayed then, but not as much as they were by her voice when it was clear and indignant.
"If they know who I am, Ray, then I'm willing to take that risk!"
"That voice!" Jesse was unable to move.
She pulled off her hood and a cascade of gorgeous blonde hair swirled around her shoulders.
"That hair!" Emma gasped.
"Those eyes!" Brennan choked.
The woman stared at them, her eyes completely bewildered. They could see her growing fear, and the growing of the puzzle pieces in her damaged mind. She was so confused.
"Who - who are you?" she asked.
Max Reyes lost his temper. "You ruined everything, you little whore! Dammit, Shalimar, I thought I ordered you not to remove your hood!"
TBC.
A/N: A twist in the tale, huh? Hope you liked this, and I hope you're all dying with suspense and delight! Sixth chapter coming up soon; please R&R for this one.
Chapter 5: Don't I Know You?
The diners in Enzo's Café judged the good-looking black-haired man to be about twenty-nine years old. The woman with him-about twenty-five, they said-was beautiful and agile, but the diners were struck by the hooded jacket she wore. It wasn't cold, or windy at all, and yet she covered her head with the grey hood, her hair invisible and her face almost completely in shadow.
They sat down at a corner table, and the man ordered two burgers. He glanced at his companion and frowned.
"You could look a little more cheerful." He said in a low voice. "There's no need to act like someone just died."
"That's how I feel." She said softly, her voice tightly controlled.
She knew she should be grateful to him, but some part of he refused to be. That part of her was strange, she thought, because it rebelled against everything he said to her and seemed to have a voice of its own. He had rescued her from the streets - he had told her when she had woken up, and he had taken care of her for months now.
But try as she might, she simply couldn't remember her life before she woke up in his bedroom. She couldn't remember what the world on the streets had been like and she couldn't for the life of her remember why she was, well - different. Sometimes, in the cold darkness of the night, when she couldn't sleep, she'd get flashes of something - images, and voices.
If she strained hard enough deep into the night, she could bring a pair of deep, incredible brown eyes into her mind. It gave her some sort of comfort, some kind of peace. But through it all, deep in the darkest hollows on her heart, that rebelling part of her would scream for release.
What had happened to her to give her such a mental block and amnesia?
He was talking to her, and she forced herself to forget her thoughts and listen. His eyes, an emerald green behind his dark sunglasses, narrowed thoughtfully. "You're trying to remember, aren't you?"
"Trying." She said pointedly. "Isn't there something in your high-tech lab that could jerk my memory or something? I really hate not having any memories, or not knowing who I really am."
"What's the point?" he reached across and took her hand. "All that matters now is you and me. You - a great bed - and me. Nothing else matters anymore, honey."
She sighed. Sometimes when they were - together, that part of her would scream even louder, screaming that it was not what she wanted and she'd lie limp, trying not to feel anything, believing that he was almost forcing himself on her.
A sudden crash from the alley outside made them both turn in that direction. Some part of her wanted to go there and see what was going on.
"Trouble down there." He muttered, his eyes flashing an inhuman gold as he peered through the glass window down into the depths of the alley. "Let's go. We don't want to be found by any GSA agents."
She had heard about these agents many times from him, but had never really understood what they wanted or why they were after people like her and him. She stood up and obediently followed him out, pausing only when he stopped to cancel their order.
As she walked quickly to keep up with him, the hood pulled low over her head and her hands shoved into the pockets, her mind drifted back to her shadowed past and her future, which to her, only consisted of dark tomorrows.
***
"It was one of Ekhart's traps, Adam!" Emma yelled into her comring, knocking out the agent running towards her with a psi blast. "We're going to take them down and then get back to Double Helix."
"Be careful." Adam's voice warned.
Brennan fired a bolt of electricity at one of the agents and began exchanging blows with another one, a swift Chinese with lots of skill. Jesse was massing and phasing at alternatives, thoroughly throwing the men attacking him off-balance, and seemingly having a good time doing it.
The last man was down when the three young mutants turned and saw two figures hurrying around the corner of the alley. The first one was definitely male, with dark sunglasses, a slightly misshapen nose that must have been broken at one point, and short black hair. The second figure was smaller and slimmer, but when they both stopped, frozen less than twenty feet away from the Mutant X team, they realized that it was a woman. Her face and hair were indistinguishable because they were in the shadow of her hood.
Emma's eyes froze on the woman and she was hit with an image of a solid brick wall. Memory loss?
What drew their attention most was the fact that the man's eyes flashed an uncontrollable golden.
"A feral, huh?" Brennan asked. He frowned at the man and thought he looked just a little bit familiar. "Are either one of you the mutant that contacted Adam?"
"Mutant?" the woman's voice was soft and tentative. "You're mutants too? Who's Adam?" she looked at the man. "Ray? Where have I heard of 'Adam' before?"
The man glared at the team. "Let's go, honey."
"Stop." Brennan growled. He was staring at the woman. That body, that sweet voice - it struck a chord in his heart that hurt so much that he could hardly breathe. "Don't I know you?"
"I-I-" she stammered, obviously suddenly very confused, and very frightened.
Emma stepped forward, her voice gentle: "Who are you?"
"That's none of your damn business." The man snapped. "Adam's Underground is strictly voluntary. You three have no control over us."
"Maybe not," Jesse said in his reasonable voice, "But we would like to know who you are. Why don't you take off your sunglasses and ask your friend there to lower her hood?"
The woman looked at him. Then she shrugged and lifted a hand to pull down her hood.
"No!" the man said, so forcefully that they saw the telltale surprised jerk of the woman's shoulders. Her hand froze. "Don't take off your hood, honey. These people are dangerous. They want to capture us and do tests on us. If they know who you are, they'll come after you."
They were astonished by the flash of backbone that the woman displayed then, but not as much as they were by her voice when it was clear and indignant.
"If they know who I am, Ray, then I'm willing to take that risk!"
"That voice!" Jesse was unable to move.
She pulled off her hood and a cascade of gorgeous blonde hair swirled around her shoulders.
"That hair!" Emma gasped.
"Those eyes!" Brennan choked.
The woman stared at them, her eyes completely bewildered. They could see her growing fear, and the growing of the puzzle pieces in her damaged mind. She was so confused.
"Who - who are you?" she asked.
Max Reyes lost his temper. "You ruined everything, you little whore! Dammit, Shalimar, I thought I ordered you not to remove your hood!"
TBC.
A/N: A twist in the tale, huh? Hope you liked this, and I hope you're all dying with suspense and delight! Sixth chapter coming up soon; please R&R for this one.
