Mystique's Journey

by Daniel A. Jones

  “I am Mr. Shensi. Mrs. Montagu instructed me to clear up yesterday’s unfortunate events,” he informed Mystique as he stepped into the hall and closed the door to the classroom behind them. He bowed slightly to Mystique as she stood trying to figure out why Bruce’s mom would send her a lawyer.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve taken the liberty of contacting the New Sydney embassy on your behalf. I also needed a copy of the latest diplomatic agreement between the Federation and New Sydney. Is there somewhere more private for us to talk?”

  “My dorm room is fairly close,” Mystique suggested. This was quickly getting out of hand. If Shensi asked too many questions at the embassy, they might start looking into her background. She had to figure out how to stop the investigation before they figured out her ID was faked. Once they figured that out Angelica and Daemon’s IDs would get flagged as fakes also.

  “That is a little too private; how about the Café Caffeine? It should be quiet enough,” Mr. Shensi suggested.

  “Okay. I could use a tea anyway,” Mystique replied deciding to be friendly until she discovered just how much he knew about her.

  They walked to the café in silence. Mystique had expected him to ask her a few questions, but, so far as she could tell, he never even looked her way. Mystique spotted an earphone mounted on his left ear and wondered if he was on a call with someone, which was why he wasn’t showing interest in her. He had a round head that seemed a little large for his body, and his black hair was only about a half-inch in length.

  As they entered the café, Mystique noticed a pair of men sitting at a table in the center. They had the look of professional fighters: broad shoulders and broken noses. Mystique assumed they were each carrying a pistol or two, but their suits were tailored to help hide any weapons. Mr. Shensi walked past them without sparing even a glance at them, which told Mystique they were with him. She didn’t like the idea that she had been herded here. Mr. Shensi ordered their drinks, while she observed a woman sitting in one of the privacy booths. She was the only other costumer and Mr. Shensi went to sit with her after he finished ordering.

  “Mrs. Montagu, may I present Miss Grayson,” Mr. Shensi said, bowing to Mrs. Montagu. Mystique realized immediately what was going on, or at least she thought she understood. Mrs. Montagu was an attractive woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties with short brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Mystique couldn’t tell how tall she was, but thought they were about the same height. She was wearing an expensive-looking powder-blue business suit. She motioned for Mystique to take a seat across from her.

  “Nice to meet you, Miss Grayson. I have a few questions for you,” Mrs. Montagu said as Mystique slid into the booth next to Mr. Shensi.

  “Why are you interested in my son?”

  “He’s the one who’s interested in me. He met me here two days ago, and that was the first I’d ever heard of him.”

  “Why would you care if he was being harassed by a bully, if you didn’t know him?” Mrs. Montagu was trying to trip her up.

  “After our meeting, Bruce agreed to do some research for me. The information I wanted was on his computer, and I didn’t want to risk losing it.”

  “That would be the research he did on your file? You wanted to see if he could penetrate your fake ID?” Mrs. Montagu sat back, impressed with herself for surprising Mystique with how much she knew about her. She had no way of knowing that Mystique wasn’t surprised or impressed, but she was concerned.

  “Yes, I know a lot about you, and I want you to stay far away from my son,” she told Mystique with a smile of triumph pulling at the corners of her mouth. Mystique’s mother used to smile that way, which was bad for Mrs. Montagu.

  “You are one arrogant, stupid bitch. You set all this up just to tell me to stay away from your son?” Mystique told her as she started to slide out of the booth. She’d been worried Bruce’s mother was going to kill her, or turn her over to the authorities.

  “How dare you. You little tramp. Nobody talks to me like that,” Mrs. Montagu yelled. The bodyguards stood up in unison, anticipating action. The girl at the counter decided it was a good time to get something from the back room, and scurried away.

  “Lady” was as much as Mystique was able to say before Mrs. Montagu reached out to slap her. Mystique grabbed her by the wrist, stopping the blow before it landed. Mystique was seeing too much of her mother in Mrs. Montagu, and it was causing her to react more violently than she’d intended to. Mystique knew that hurting Mrs. Montagu would cause even more problems, but she couldn’t help herself. She squeezed and pulled, causing Mrs. Montagu to shriek in pain as she was yanked forward into Mystique’s other hand. Mystique realized what she was doing barely in time to shift her hand, causing the heel of her right hand to hit Mrs. Montagu in the forehead instead of the nose.

  The sound of the impact was loud enough to stun everyone in the café except Mystique; they all thought Mrs. Montagu was killed by the blow. Mystique had heard the sound of the bodyguards’ pistols being drawn and jumped to the side. The guards had hesitated because Mystique was so close to their boss, but after she moved away they had no reservations. Both men fired and both men missed; they had not expected Mystique to move so fast. Mystique grabbed the dagger pendent from her neck, squeezing the small glass vial and breaking it. Faust had given her the necklace and pendent a few years back in case she needed protection from one of her mother’s clients. Mystique threw the tiny dagger at the nearest guard as she leapt over the counter. The dagger sunk up to the hilt in the man’s neck. The vial had contained a very powerful paralytic poison, which quickly spread through the guard’s body and caused him to collapse.

  The second guard continued to fire into the counter, pinning Mystique while he moved to check his companion. A quick hand pressed to the man’s neck told the guard that he was still alive. So the guard refocused on Mystique. He fired off the last few rounds in his pistol to mask the sound of him drawing his second pistol. Once the first pistol was empty, he ejected the clip, expecting Mystique to hear it and attack.

  Mystique, for all her superior speed and agility, lacked experience, which caused her to fall for the guard’s simple trick. She popped up as soon as she heard the clip being ejected from the pistol with a coffee mug in each hand that she was expecting to throw at the guard. The guard let her get all the way up before he double tapped, sending two rounds into Mystique’s chest. Mystique had spotted the guard and realized her mistake at the same moment he fired. She started to turn and dodge, but she was too late—both bullets slammed into her chest, knocking her backward onto the counter behind her.

  The guard knew to treat even a badly injured opponent as a threat, so he carefully started moving toward Mystique. Mystique had slid off the counter and was lying on the floor when the guard reached her. He cautiously rolled her onto her back and checked her pulse. To his amazement, she was still alive; her pulse was weak and her breathing shallow. He could hear the sirens and knew the police would be arriving soon, so he went back to check on Mrs. Montagu.

  Mr. Shensi was helping Mrs. Montagu to stand when the guard arrived. “Is she dead?” Mr. Shensi asked, looking past the guard at the counter.

  “No, but I doubt she’ll make it to the hospital alive,” the guard told him as he took Mrs. Montagu from Mr. Shensi. He picked her up and carried her to the front door. Mr. Shensi pulled it open, allowing the guard to step through. An Agrotech limousine was waiting out front, the driver standing beside the passenger door. The guard carefully climbed in, setting Mrs. Montagu down on the seat as Mr. Shensi climbed in after him.

  The driver was barely able to get them away from the scene before the police started to arrive. They passed a few cruisers on their way to the café, but none of the officers paid any attention to the limousine. The group went straight to the Agrotech office building, as the medical facilities there were better equipped than the city hospital and Mrs. Montagu would receive the best care. She was conscious, but the pounding headache
caused by the blow was keeping her from thinking straight, so she kept her eyes closed and allowed the others to take care of her.

  ***

  Bruce was the last student to exit the computer lab. He always lost track of time during that class and was surprised when the bell rang. Sam was waiting for him in the hall. The concern on Sam’s face told Bruce something was wrong.

  “What’s up? Where’s Alan?” Bruce asked.

  “Some guy tried to rob the café. Rumor has it Mystique tried to stop him and got shot. Alan is trying to find out more. An ambulance took her to Sinclair General Hospital. I think she’s still alive,” Sam explained. Bruce stood staring at his friend in shock. Sam stopped talking when he realized Bruce had stopped listening.

  Bruce snapped out of his stupor and took off running, leaving Sam standing alone and confused. Sam didn’t hesitate for long before he was running after his friend. Bruce wasn’t much of an athlete, but when he needed to he could move. At five-seven and weighing over two-hundred-and thirty-pounds, Sam was not a skilled runner, but it wasn’t hard for him to figure out where Bruce was going. He was heading toward the dorms, which meant he was going to his room.

  Bruce was already in the hospital computer system when Sam reached his room. Bruce barely looked up when Sam came in and Sam didn’t say anything, just collapsed on Bruce’s bed to catch his breath. Bruce was focused on finding the admission reports. A few minutes later, he slammed his fists down on the desk, causing Sam to look up.

  “What did you find out?” Sam asked as he climbed off the bed and walked over to Bruce.

  “It was Mystique. She was sent for emergency surgery. The guy who shot her was one of my mother’s bodyguards. He was admitted with a stab wound to his neck, and is suffering from some unidentified paralytic poison.”

  “Your mom’s bodyguard? Was your mom there?” Sam asked, confused as to why Bruce’s mother would be meeting Mystique.

  “Either she was there, or she sent Alfred to meet Mystique, which means she’s responsible for Mystique getting shot.”

  “Call her and find out what happened,” Sam suggested, knowing if he gave Bruce time to think, he would just get angrier at his mother.

  “What do you want me to ask her? ‘Hey, Mom, were you there when your bodyguard shot my girlfriend?’ Or how about, ‘Mom, did you send one of your bodyguards to shoot my girlfriend?’” Bruce yelled venting some of the anger he felt towards his mother at his friend.

  “Hey, for all we know, Mystique might be the one who started it. You saw what she did to Mark. She might have attacked your mom, and the bodyguard was only doing his job,” Sam argued, causing Bruce to recall how Mystique had threatened to kill him for simply mentioning her siblings.

  “Bleen, her brother and sister; I forgot all about them,” Bruce realized as he spun around and started back to working on his computer.

  Chapter 2

  A New Friend

  The restaurant owner cringed when he saw Daemon and Angelica walk in. He had never seen the couple before and, by the size of them, he hoped they wouldn’t become regular patrons. Daemon was a young man in his late teens to early twenties, the owner guessed with a groan. Men, his age always ate a lot and he stood over six and a half feet tall and must have weighed at least three-hundred pounds of muscle. Angelica looked short standing next to her brother, but that was just an illusion that masked her own height of easily six feet. She had the pleasant curves of an athlete with long black hair framing her high cheekbones and sparkling black eyes. Angelica had an air of friendliness that made her approachable.

  The waitress covering the door led the pair to a booth, but after realizing that Daemon wasn’t going to fit, she instead seated them at one of the tables. Angelica started her meal with a salad, while Daemon went straight for the fried fish. He was still not used to the idea of going back multiple times, so he piled as much food on his plate as he could. When Daemon finally returned to the table, he was using his hands to cup the sides of his plate to keep the food from spilling over. Angelica had almost finished her salad by the time Daemon sat down.

  “You don’t have to put it all on one plate. You know you can go back as many times as you want,” Angelica teased. She was happy that Daemon was enjoying himself. The first time they’d gone out, he could barely eat because of all the aggression he felt coming from the other patrons. He was quickly gaining control over his ability, and he no longer felt constantly threatened.

  “I know, but why waste time going back and forth? Plus, the plates are tiny, if you haven’t noticed,” Daemon replied around a mouth filled with food.

  “You keep eating like that and you’re going to get fat,” Angelica told him as she got up to get another plate of food.

  The fish smelled good, so Angelica decided to get a few pieces. A few people were waiting in line ahead of her, so she took the time to look at the rest of the selection. The fried chicken didn’t interest her, but the ham steaks looked good. She was a little startled when her phone started to vibrate in her pants pocket. Only two people knew her phone number, and one of them was having dinner with her. She looked over to make sure Daemon wasn’t calling to ask her to bring him something. He was focused on finishing off his plate and, by the looks of it, he would be up to get more food before she made it back to the table.

  Angelica smiled as she realized it had to be Mystique calling. She set her plate down and dug her phone out of her pocket. Bruce Montagu’s name was listed under the phone symbol, however, which caused Angelica to hesitate before answering. “Hello, who is this?”

  “This is Bruce Montagu; is this Angelica Grayson?” asked the young man on the other end. Angelica became a little worried and confused. How had he gotten her number and how did he know her name, Angela wondered. Through the empathic link they shared, Daemon felt the change in Angelica’s mood, and stopped eating.

  “Yes,” Angelica answered cautiously.

  “Mystique’s in the hospital. I got your name and number from her school files.”

  “What happened? Why’s she in the hospital?” Angelica demanded. Daemon was up and heading for Angelica. He didn’t know why, but Angelica was near panic and he was determined to help her. The atmosphere in the restaurant changed in an instant as people felt the presence of a primal predator wash over the room. Daemon said nothing as he moved toward Angelica. People felt his presence and scurried out of his path.

  “She was in a fight and got shot. Can you get to the airport, or do you want me to have a car pick you up?” Bruce asked, trying to avoid talking about what’d happened. He couldn’t help but feel guilty.

  “Airport? What airport? How bad was she hurt?” Angelica was starting to get angry that the man wasn’t making sense. Daemon arrived beside her and wanted to know what was going on. Angelica motioned for him to wait as she tried to make sense of what the man was saying.

  “I’ll have a jet waiting at the airport to fly you here, so you can be with Mystique. Do you want me to send a car to pick you up, or can you make it to the airport?” Bruce asked, becoming exasperated at Angelica’s lack of understanding and not thinking about the shock she was going through.

  “You know what, I’ll just send a car to pick you up. Where are you?”

  “We’re at Big Al’s Kitchen. What about Mystique? How bad is she hurt?”

  “The hospital won’t tell me anything. Please wait there; I’ll have a car sent over immediately,” Bruce said before hanging up the phone. He needed to contact a car service, but in his haste, he failed to consider the impact of his information on Daemon and Angelica.

  ***

  The sleek black stretch limousine pulled up to Al’s and the driver got out looking for the couple he was supposed to pick up. He had no description other than his fare was a man and a woman in their early twenties. Daemon opened the door to the restaurant and stepped outside when he saw that the man was looking for someone. Angelica followed him out and headed straight for the rear door of the limousine.

/>   “Mister and Miss Grayson?” the driver asked as he quickly moved to open the passenger door for Angelica.

  “Yes. You’re here to take us to the airport?” Daemon replied as he tried to open the front passenger door. Daemon barely resisted smashing the window and pulling the door off when it refused to open.

  “Sir, please, have a seat back here,” the driver requested as he held the rear door open. Daemon knew better than to answer, his anger was so close to the surface. He needed to remain in control, so he silently climbed in beside Angelica.

  The ride to the airport was quiet, as neither Angelica nor Daemon wanted to talk about what might have happened or how hurt Mystique might be. They both wanted answers, and they were both determined to get them. Daemon wanted to kill whoever had shot Mystique, while Angelica was more concerned about the injuries she had sustained.

  When the limousine finally came to a stop, Daemon didn’t wait for the driver to open his door. He was out and helping Angelica out before the driver had his own door open. The pair wasted no time talking to the driver; they simply ran up the stairs to the plane. A stewardess met them at the entrance and asked them to please have a seat. Daemon was surprised to find that he could stand up straight and not hit his head on the ceiling. Angelica and Daemon took seats close to the door as the stewardess closed and secured it. The plane started to taxi onto the runway as soon as the light above the door changed to green, indicating it was properly sealed.

  The two-hour flight felt like it took two days. The stewardess brought them a meal, but neither felt much like eating. Other than that, the stewardess left them alone for most of the flight, only speaking with them when she felt it was necessary. Daemon could sense the woman’s fear, and if he hadn’t been so upset about Mystique, he would have been ashamed. He normally didn’t like scaring people, but the mood he was in made it hard for him to care.