By Jeremy

January 8, 1995

Whatever had been happening in meeting this guy, Claudia knew, it had been a lot to take. The proof of it was sitting in the backseat of the car, gazing through the window, his eyes clearly showing a mix of excitement, anger and downright confusion. Part of what he was feeling obviously came from the fact that Nate had finally awakened, and the strange request/order he had given them all. Yep, part of it.

But certainly not all of it. And although they had tried their damnedest to refrain from asking about it, they weren't going to sit still with this either. The one who was going to ask first was already determined: Alex had been building up to it from the moment they had started the ride to the hospital. A decade of firm friendship was preventing her from asking, but her boyfriend didn't have that depth of it. She was just waiting for it to come out.

It did, about halfway to the hospital. It came as no surprise to anyone. It was just that the way it was asked seemed so...crude, given the circumstances.

"All right, that's it!" growled Alex. "I'm not taking this anymore, Jer! What in all h*lls did that guy tell you to get you so fucking screwed?!?"

Claudia winced. This could have been put far better than that. But then again Alex had no true knowledge and no patience with the subtleties of language, especially when he was feeling exasperated. Jeremy seemed to make nothing of it. In fact, his expression of confused emotions barely sharpened. When he spoke, it was in a soft, neutral tone.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked. That only seemed to agitate Alex further, and she had to admit he did have a point. Jer could be so bottled up it was frustrating at times, and this seemed to be one of the worst times.

"You know damn well what I mean!" the blonde man took a breath, calmed himself with effort, and then managed to talk more steadily. "Ever since you've had your 'talk' or whatever that was with that guy, you've been acting so detached its scary. It seems like you barely CARE if Nate has finally woken up."

Jeremy waved the comments away. "Well, I'm glad he's awake. Pretty angry at him for not letting me tell Tom..."

"He must have his reasons." Claudia cut in. He barely seemed to notice.

"...who really should know about this. And then there's what that guy - Hemmerson - told me. It a dose that I didn't need, and I don't know how I'm supposed to be feeling." his voice took on a dangerous edge. "But I DO care, Alex. Don't ever doubt that."

Alex seemed about to press the issue, but Claudia shot him a look from her place at the wheel - the kind of look that had made this slight, beautiful young woman respected by all, even the strongest - and the wrestler subsided into gloomy mutterings. Jeremy again looked out the window. Taking another peek at him, she was stunned by the slight trembling she detected, as if he was not only confused, but afraid of what he was dealing with. Seeing this coming from a guy who had stood up to violent bullies and fighters without batting an eye, was something very uncomfortable to deal with. What had they talked about, for God's sake?

No point asking right now. She just hoped Nathan would help to get through to him. Of course, he would. Her fragile friend always had a highly deductive mind, and had a knack for finding about things. He had wormed many things out of them all, sometimes without their knowledge. Yes, he'd find a way to straighten things out. Another reason to add to fuel the joy she was feeling at knowing her childhood friend was back.

Because she was happy. Jeremy might be bound up in God-knew-what and Alex may be feeling testy, nothing could ruin her day! She had been praying for this to happen, and it seemed that someone up there had been listening.

Jeremy finally sighed. He tapped Alex on the shoulder, calling his attention.

"Sorry I snapped at you, Alex. It was uncalled for." he said.

Alex gave a weak grin. "Don't worry yourself over that. I was over the line myself. I'm sorry too. Look, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't. I'll deal with it."

The brown-haired young man - who was so precocious he seemed like an eighteen-year-old rather than sixteen - only shook his head. "I wish I could explain, but I have some things to think through still. All I can really say is that Shadowlaw's involved."

She saw Alex stiffen at the name, and knew it wasn't good. That name seemed trouble just by the sound of it, but by the look the two exchanged, it was even worse news than that. Another street thing. They might be right calling street fighter uncultured - most of them anyway - but one thing they didn't lack was the knack for finding information. Especially on what lay below ground, where people never looked. They were very good at finding out about these things.

At length Alex spoke again. Although he seemed calm, his eyes told another story.
"Shadowlaw, huh? That's bad news."

"You bet. Heard the rumors?"

"Who hasn't?" asked the giant restlessly. "If even HALF of what I heard is true, these guys are worse than just a bunch of terrorists. More. Far more. Monsters, that's what."

"I just love it when I'm in the dark." said Claudia sarcastically. She was even more annoyed when they didn't seem to hear her. The two young men fell silent again, but the difference was that Alex also seemed worried now. Great, just great!

The sight of the hospital lifted her slowly sinking spirits again. Finally, she was going to see her old friend again! No matter how gloomy he seemed on the phone, it probably was nothing. The guy who had beaten him so badly was gone - Jeremy, Thomas and, yes, even their old uncle/father Matthew had looked quite thoroughly, finding nothing and no one. So the case was close. No problems detected ahead.

So there really was no point in Nate's worry, right?

* * * * * * * * * *

10 minutes later...

Nathan was far more worried than he even had let on on the phone. Not because he was worried of being beaten again - although he was concerned of that too, of course. But he was afraid Claudia hadn't truly listened to him, which would give up a very nasty result. Not that he thought he'd be in danger - there'd be Alex and Jeremy, they were strong enough to contain the situation. He was afraid of what it would destroy in the hearts of his friend. Better to talk and explain first. No more rash action, no more thinking the mind was so much stronger than the body - as he so foolishly thought and paid for.

He had just managed to momentarily get rid of his parents. Not for long of course. A lump still formed in his throat when he remembered his mother's clinging embrace, his father's relieved but shaking voice. It was clear that they had been broken by what had happened to him, and he had expected them to. But not that much. All his life, friends and family had always liked him, but his analytical and bookish nature had always left him out of much of his friends' activities. How could he hope to be fully understood by robust, athletic guys like Jer and... and Tom. How could he be understood by the one hundred percent extroverted Claudia? And how could he fully understand them? Because he could never truly relate to anyone, he never felt that they had. Even his family.

In this too, he had thus been wrong. Wrong in a good way, however, a stark contrast with his other mistake...

That put his overactive mind straight on the problem. What he had to say to his friends was an hard truth, but a truth nonetheless. He thus felt no true reluctance, only a lingering doubt in the back of his head, doubt about his ability to convince, to explain the facts without looking either crazy or paranoid. He knew they were bound to think him both - Claudia and Jeremy especially - if he messed up here. And he couldn't allow himself to mess up. Not if he wanted to finally stop what had almost happened to him.

He heard voices, excited voices coming from the doorway. He had trouble recognizing the male voices, but he'd know the female voice anywhere. At last, they were here. Worry mixed with pleasure boiled inside him as he waited for them to com.

Athey did, the first thing he felt was relief, then surprise. In the months he had been out of commission, the three had changed so much! Claudia was more beautiful than ever, with her figure slimmer and more elegant. Alex, who had always been impressively tall and strong, was now a mountain of rock-hard muscle that nearly burst out of his clothing. And Jeremy had gained in height and weight. Still slender for an athlete, his shoulders had nonetheless broadened and the added weight didn't seem to be fat. He also had telltale signs of a beard, and a tighter, harder face than he remembered. Looking at his friends, he felt that he had left them for years instead of months. They no longer seemed like teenagers, but real young adults.

His analysis complete, he gladly accepted the hug that Claudia gave him, as well as the fond slaps and handshakes the two guys gave each in turn. He suddenly felt reluctant to talk about what he wanted to talk, but knew they'd have to come around to it sooner rather than later. However, he felt no driving need to rush things.

So they talked of all and nothing for a while, each keeping difficult subjects out of the way. Nate insisted that he be told the entire tournament in detail, and he rejoiced that his friend had accomplished such a distinction as martial arts champion.

"Jer's the guy to beat in the region now." told Alex. "And he's really showed us quite a show back there. You really had him with that...what's the name of that tech?"

"The Flare Talon. A very imperfect one."

"Right. You know, your uncle told me you'd finally outranked his level by being able to do a full-fledged chi attack, even an imperfect one."

"I dunno. Maybe my techs are stronger but Uncle's got decades of experience on me. In a real fight, I'm sure I'd get in trouble rather easily."

Claudia laughed. "Oh, save us the modesty, Jeremy Storm! I've talked with both your uncle, your aunt and even your granddad. They all agree you're probably the one with the highest potential in this family. Higher than your mother, even, and that seems to be something."

Jeremy smiled and bowed, saying nothing, noncommittal as always. When he straightened, however, all of the mirth washed away. His face became worried and serious. Nathan sighed inwardly. It was coming. He knew he expected it, wanted it even, but felt dread of it either way. He thus waited for Jeremy to make the opening move. He didn't have to wait very long.

"By the way, speaking of family, why were you so adamant about not seeing Tom? I'm sure he would have liked to come as well - our personal feud notwithstanding." He crossed his arms.

Claudia frowned while Alex seemed to really want to be elsewhere. "Jer, I don't think..." started the girl. He cut her off impatiently.

"I asked a reasonable question, Claudia." he retorted, never raising his voice, still calm and mild. "And reasonable questions usually mean reasonable answers. Well, Nate?"

The blonde girl seemed to recognize the fact that her friend's question was valid, but also seemed ready to step up the confrontation. Nate decided to stop this before things could escalate.

"You're absolutely right, Jer." he said softly. "I have to explain myself. And I will. But for that, I need to explain things from the beginning, and its rather long as far as stories go."

His gray-eyed friend only shrugged. "Go ahead. Its Saturday. We got plenty of time to spare."

"I gotta admit I'm curious." added Alex. He raised his hands as Claudia looked at him. "Hey, hey! I didn't say anything wrong, here! I just think getting all the facts straight's a good idea. Don't you think so?"

Claudia seemed torn for a moment longer, but finally seemed to deflate a bit, and nodded. "Gotta admit, I'm as curious as you guys. But still..." she shook her head. "Fine, go ahead, Nate. Just don't push yourself."

Nathan nodded, wearily choosing how to begin, as his three friends took up more comfortable positions to listen, Alex leaning by the window, Claudia sitting at the edge of the bed and Jeremy sitting on the small chair of the room. Nathan swallowed hard, breathed, and launched himself unto his narration.

"I think you all know that, for the past five years or so, there have been irregular murderous acts around our town, specifically around our own neighborhood. Seven cases of violent murders: Anna Sheldon in October 1990, Frank Hammerbound in May 1991, Bernard DuChateau in November 1993, and on and on. Following me?" Jeremy and Claudia gave firm nods, having been around. Alex was more hesitant, but then again he never had had direct news of the murders, only stories in the news and some info from Claudia.

But then, he wasn't important in this. "Right. So, about a year and a half ago, I started to look into it. Just for fun, at first. But then I became more involved in it. Its about that time you started to see less and less of me. I was occupied pestering anyone who could give me clues, hacking away at files on my computers, and all the info together with things I had observed at the time."

"Must have been hard keeping up with all that." mused Claudia, looking at him with worry and disapproval. Jeremy said nothing.

Nathan nodded. "You can say that again. In fact, I was completely overflowed with info, thoroughly incapable of doing anything else. Involvement became obsession, I started to neglect everything else in my life. You, school, my family... I really worried everyone then, I guess."

"We did wonder what you were doing all that time. More than once." said Jeremy with a nod.

"But then I stumbled across something. A piece of information that you wrote, Claudia. It startled me, and I ventured in a new direction, reluctantly. But then things started to click, small bits from my memory and from what you guys had said started to fill gaps in my reasoning. And, as I was getting closer to the truth, the less I wanted to believe in it at all."

"What was that piece of information?" asked Alex curiously.

"Well, it was in an old book of Claudia's." Claudia glared at him. He smiled nervously. "Sorry. Yes, it was a diary. Now I only read this," he added quickly, " because I had knocked it off a shelf and I absent-mindedly read a few sentences. I really stumbled on that by accident and I really didn't read anything personal okay?" he finished with a pleading look at Claudia. She sniffed and he sighed.

"What was the info?" Alex pressed again.

Nathan swallowed hard, his throat dry. This was where it was going to get ugly. He looked at Jeremy: the guy was looking at him with interest. Obviously nothing had clicked in yet. He started again, choosing his words with great care.

"It...it was a note of hers, that was about Frank's murder in 1991. The note said that it was surprising that Tom, that Tom knew so much about the murder. Just a thought, but one that I really couldn't ignore. I checked it out of habit, but then I...I..." Jeremy's face became stony. What he was saying had become clear. Alex and Claudia just stared in disbelief. He knew he had to finish this, knew it and hated it. "I found evidence. Subtle evidence. Oh, nothing that could stand up to anything in court, but facts and little tidbits that made me sure of it."

He looked at Jeremy, brown eyes meeting gray eyes squarely. Then he said what he had been waiting to say all this time since he had woken up, the thing he should have said months ago. The thing that might well scar his friend forever.

"I found, then, for certain, that it was Tom that had killed them all. All those guys and girls. And the reason I'm in the hospital right now, is that I was foolish enough to go and ask him to stop killing."

* * * * * * * * * *
At the same time...

Melissa was worried and angry. Not surprising really. After all, her boyfriend and the two other people she had been with had just left her alone with barely a good-bye. And they hadn't even thought of asking her if she wanted to come along to see this friend. This really doing nothing to help her not feeling left out.

What's worse, she couldn't find old uncle out there. The man was lost amongst the people as minor prizes were being passed. She sigh. So mfor having some fun on a Saturday! She was starting to consider heading back herself, uncle or not, even if it meant going by foot, when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder. She jumped and turned around. Looming over her, tall and strong, was Thomas Storm.

She didn't know whether to be happy or not about this new turn of events. She had never seemed to be able to make her mind about the bigger of the Storm cousins. Jeremy she had liked on sight, and soon fell in love with him as she started to know each other. Strong, arrogant, extremely straightforward and as stubborn as they came, she had also seen him shy, mild, gentle and bound by a strict personal code that was vague to people around but that everyone had come to respect. And she had felt that there was no secret, no hidden darkness, in Jeremy Storm, even at his harshest.

She couldn't say the same about Thomas. Just as arrogant but louder in showing it, he was a most lively fellow, but also a very strange one. Prone to fits of anger, he sometimes acted like a bully with those he didn't like. He was very envious of his cousin, who was the only one in school whom he knew could stand up to him and deck him if it came to that. That envy had only heightened recently. Most importantly, he unlike his milder - if more powerful - cousin, seemed to hold parts of himself in, showing them to no one. The few glimpses she had caught of that hidden side had hinted at dark things, things that scared her. Yet he had always been nice and polite with her.

Her uncertainty as to how she should react made her look confused. To her relief, Thomas seemed to recognize this as startlement and apologized with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Bah, I went to see Jer, of course. It's his big day and I came to see him win." His tone seemed forced - he certainly wasn't enjoying this as much as he claimed. Melissa wondered if he had really come to see his cousin win, or gloat over him if he came down to losing to someone. Once again, she had mixed impressions of the large young man who, true to the precocious nature of the Storm family, looked maturer than his seventeen years.

He caught her uncertain gaze. "What is it?"

She flushed, kicking herself for being so obvious, but decided to stick to what she had thought, lies not being something she was good with.

"I thought, " she stated carefully, "that maybe you'd prefer not to come, you know. After the other day..." She stopped when he winced. Wrong thing to say, she thought.

"That wasn't the best action I ever undertook." he said gloomily. "Nor the smartest. But that's in the past, now. I really was coming to see him win this." He looked around. "And it looks like I went through all this trouble for nothing. It's obviously over or just about. So, did he win?"

She nodded, unable to hold back a smile of pride and triumph, and went on to tell about the spectacular fight between Jeremy and his final opponent. Thomas listened with rapt attention, occasionally exclaiming or making a small commentary. In the end, he looked both happy and disappointed.

"That's great. Too bad I can't tell him that." he shrugged in defeat and gradual acceptance. "Seems like there won't be any reconciliation today.

He seemed so down in that moment, so deflated, that she felt extremely uncomfortable and cast about for something, anything, to cheer him up. It fortunately came to her easily enough.

"Well, then, why don't you go tell him at the hospital?" she blurted. He looked at here curiously.

"He went to the hospital. Why? To see if Nate is any better?"

She shook her head. "Nope. To see Nate, period. Don't you know? He's woken up!"

For a moment he stood uncomprehending, then something changed in his face, or rather passed through for a moment. She couldn't pinpoint the expression, but it made faint alarm bells go off like crazy in her head. For a moment, it was like something deep inside him, something that could only be dangerous, had surfaced.

For a moment. And then he laughed happily and heartily, and raised his arms up, bellowing joy for all to see. Such was the contrast that she doubted herself for seeing the dark flash. Perhaps her imagination had played a trick on her. Or maybe he had just been unable to deal with the immensity of the news for a time. Whatever it was, it was something she couldn't tag, and thus stopp