Shadows Of The Light

Chapter One-The discovery

Scars

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut.

My weakness is that I care too much.

And my scars remind me the past is real.

I tear my heart open just to feel…

Gabe Logan sat in his office and pondered over his life decisions. He had let Lian go out and almost kill herself trying to capture Mara Aramov. She was now in a vegetative state and it was all his fault. On a darker note, Mara had escaped during a riot in the holding cells. She had put Lian in this bind, and now she'd pay for it. The pain Gabe felt now reminded him of his childhood. He thought of the horrific death of his mother because of his father's hatred for him. His two older brothers were of course treated like kings. All except him…

"NO!" He sat back and took a good few breaths. This Mara business didn't get him any closer to keeping the woman he thought he loved alive. Gabe finally settled on taking a short break, and returning to the work ahead of him.

A few hours later Gabe was sitting at his desk yet again … except this time he had a bottle of firewhiskey with him.

"Gabe?" Teresa had called from the door. He didn't bother looking up. All he knew was that she was bringing him news on Lian's condition. "Gabe, please… not again.

I'm drunk and I'm feeling down
And I just wanna be alone
I'm pissed 'cause you came around
Why don't you just go home?
'Cause I channeled all your pain
And I can't help you fix yourself
You're making me insane
All I can say is...

She cut him off. "Gabe! Mara has been sighted. If you wanna get up off your ass and do something about it, here's your chance." Gabe took this into concentration. "Where?" Teresa had been staring at the paper he had been pouring over. "Gabe, do you honestly know what you're doing? That old armory is probably six feet underground. Think about what you're doing." He had dressed casual, considering the president hadn't called them to a meeting with him in a long time. Gabe was ready to face Mara when and if Lian wasn't there.

The chopper was already on the helipad when Gabe and Teresa got there. Alima Haddad was ready to go. "Where to, boss?" It took Gabe a few minutes to get his head out of the bottle, and back in the mood. "Just outside agency parimeters. There's an old graveyard there." Sure enough, Mara was there. Teresa had notified the agency personnel that Mara was very close.

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut
And my weakness is that I care too much
And our scars remind us that the past is real
I tear my heart open just to feel…

"Gabe, I have a fix on her exact location. She is at an old tombstone labeled Erina Aramov. I don't think she is related to anyone in that rathole cemetery."

"Well, we don't know for sure. Hand me that gell, please."

"What?"

"You heard. Do it. I'm going for a disguise. She won't recognize me with my hair different."

"Oh boy… Lian will kill you when she finds out.?

He got out of the chopper. Mara was staring at the tomb with longing eyes.

"I couldn't help but notice you, miss. Do you know this woman?"

"Of course, you fool. She is-was my sister. I will not discuss family matters with you."

staring I tried to help you once
Against my own advice
I saw you going down
But you never realized
That you're drowning in the water
So I offered you my hand
Compassion's in my nature
Tonight is our last stand
at the stone. It read Erina Marovitzch Aramov-

Gabe had been staring at her for half a minute when she suddenly began to shake. Whether it be in fear or fury he didn't know.

"You're not usually this tense."

"How would you know how tense I was… you don't know who the fuck I am."

"Ah but I do… I know more about you than you could ever know…Mara Aramov."

She stared at him for a short time. All the time she had been standing there, he had been there.

"What else do you know… "

"You really should understand that I know who your enemy is. I know wverything, because I am your enemy. I am Gabriel Logan."

"You! You toil with my emotions, and then you say that you're my enemy… Tell me, why did you come here?"

"I came here because I was going to capture you.I was going to take you in, and of course I would torture you until Lian was awakened. Thanks to you, she is in a vegetative state. She can't eat, sleep, or anything else for that matter. I should kill you right now!"

Teresa stepped out of the shadows, and stopped Gabe from launching himself at her.

"Gabe, it won't do you any good to kill her now. You know that about as well as I do. Leave her alone. These are troubled times for us all, we don't need to make it worse by sending you to prison for murder when Lian wakes up. That would be a great surprise. Gabe, in short, control yourself."

"Teresa, I've waited for so long to do this, and now you say I can't. How do you think I feel about this woman who has rined my life, spirit, and great friend!"

"Gabe Lian is my friend too, and I know she wouldn't want to see you like this. She would tell you to act calm, and make a rational decision."

"And you think standing hre is rational?"

I'm drunk and I'm feeling down
And I just wanna be alone
You shoulda' never come around
Why don't you just go home?
'Cause you're drowning in the water
And I tried to grab your hand
I left my heart open
But you didn't understand
But you didn't understand

"Well that explains a lot of this. You wanted to take me alive, and torture me until I admitted to what I did to Xing… Well, it won't work. I have other plans."

"Oh and I care about that? Mara all I want is the truth. Why did you work for them? What was your motive? How could you do it to so many innocent people? Why did you target me and Lian?"

"Simple. You were the resistance. Why else did Stevens leave all his plans, weapons, viral bombs, and more at my disposal when he died at your hands? You know Logan, the hero you make yourself out to be is a complete lie. You have fooled yourself I thought that was impossible, but you have. Of course you have. There are many rewards that are given to you for being a hero."

"Believe me, it's no walk in the park. You spend your time causing me grief, and all you have to say for it is Well it sucks to be a hero!"

"What. You sit in that office of yours, and just dish out orders. Oh yeah, that's work!"

Go fix yourself

I can't help you fix yourself
But at least I can say I tried
I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life
I can't help you fix yourself
But at least I can say I tried
I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life'

"Well, theres one thing I can say about this…" Teresa had stood up again after sitting on a treestump. "There's a whole lot more to you two than meets the eye. That the whole world can be assured of. Gabe, you need to calm down, and Mara… I don't know. Both of you work too hard to piss each other off. This may sound weird comin' from me, but you two would work great as a team… I mean it."

"Nobody knows what it's like to feel rejected, not just by all the men in your life, but family too." Mara had begun pacing. "You see Lipan, you are a beautiful woman. You would have no problem. However, I was always the trouble maker, and I always got blamed for everything they did wrong." She indicated a few graves, apparently her siblings. "The only person who cared, or even bothered to speak to me lika a human being rather than a slave was Erina…She died for it as well. You see, no one is safe anymore."

"Are you sure about that? How do you know that nobody knows what living in a hellhole is like?" Gabe had stood rapidly, and stood facing her. "How do you know… I'll tell you. You don't know. I grew up having to kiss my father and brother's alles. I know what it's like. You think you're the only one… I should say not."