Episode LV

Peace and quiet.

Ok, so running a resort didn't normally give Marla that, but she made sure her quarters were far enough away that the general noise didn't reach her. And her staff knew that when she was in there with the door closed after hours, she was only to be reached in an emergency.

Since getting out of the hospital, Marla had been taking it easy, letting her employees do most of the work and hiding out in her room. And she was definitely leaving the monster to someone else. There was no reason that she had to fight him. If he were willing to leave her alone, she'd do the same.

The peace and quiet was shattered on the third day, however. The bad news came in the form of a phone call.

"Marla, it's Jane Harper from Witness Protection Services."

Marla groaned to herself. Everytime Jane called, it was always bad news.

Jane continued uninterrupted. "Someone has been poking around asking about you."

The smile that had been on her face froze. "What?!"

"So far, it's just been local. Your friends, the resort. Basically, your life in the last 25 years. We think it's connected to the attack that sent you to the hospital, but we aren't sure."

"So this person is no closer to finding out about my past."

"We don't think so, but there's more. The gangs in Mammoth City are behaving differently. Most of them are working together, including the two you testified against all those years ago. Somehow, this increased cooperation might have revealed a detail or two about you. We're still looking into the possibility."

"So what do I do? Is it time to move?"

"Not yet. We want to figure out what is going on. But we need to protect you. We'll be sending you two agents to work undercover, help protect you, and figure out what if any danger you are in. Agent Evan Evans will be checking in for an extended stay as a guest and Agent Molly Murphy will be a new employee of the resort. They will arrive separately in the morning. Will there be any problem?"

"N-no."

Jane barreled on. "Good. They will be available any time if you need to get in touch with us or are in any danger. You are to keep a low profile until we figure this out. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. We think this will blow over in a few weeks. Don’t worry."

And with that, Jane was gone.

Despite Jane’s parting line, Marla spent the night worrying about the phone call. She had always known in the back of her mind that her secret might come out and she'd have to move and take on a new identity again. But after so long, she become to think that she was safe from her past. Now here it was again causing problems in her life. Maybe. Either way, someone poking around wasn't good news. Despite Jane's order, she'd have to investigate. And she had her superhuman strength to help in an emergency. She wasn't the helpless woman she had been when she became Marla Stewart.

But there was something even more troubling that played through Marla's mind as she finally drifted off to sleep. What kind of parent names their son Evan Evans?