Mystique's Journey

by Daniel A. Jones

  Daemon stepped up behind Angelica and reached out to take a hold of her left shoulder with his left hand. The glow Angelica was giving off had spread to cover the boy, and when Daemon made contact with her shoulder the glow grew a little stronger. Both Doctor Fitzroy and Mr. Jones gasped in astonishment as a large black battle-axe appeared in his right hand. The blade of the axe seemed to shimmer and the glow around Angelica grew even brighter. Mystique understood why Daemon had given her the knife. He was trusting her to protect them while he focused on helping Angelica.

  Angelica spent close to ten minutes and most of her energy on healing the boy. When she was done, Daemon vanished the axe and half-carried her to a chair near the wall. Doctor Fitzroy slowly moved over to check the patient’s monitoring equipment. Detective Montgomery and Mr. Jones exchanged looks of approval, neither noticing that Mystique had slid back behind them and was holding Daemon’s knife at the ready.

  “Is Miss Grayson going to be all right?” asked Mr. Jones, worried she might have hurt herself before he could turn them over to the ambassador.

  “Yeah, she’s just a little weak. She is going to need something to eat and drink,” Daemon instructed, concern apparent in his voice. He had not seen her use so much energy before and was worried about how weak she was.

  “According to the readings, Carl is doing much better. I will know more after I run a few tests. The Sinclairs will be very grateful for your help,” Doctor Fitzroy told Angelica as she looked over to see what he had found.

  “Doctor, I must request that you do not tell anyone how the boy was healed,” Mr. Jones stated.

  “All right. If you insist.”

  Mr. Jones stepped into the hall to make a phone call to the embassy. He was convinced now that Angelica was as powerful as the detective had claimed. He’d found that most people tended to exaggerate, especially when it helped to further their own desires. He’d expected Angelica to have some psionic ability, but not the level of power he’d just witnessed. Mystique watched and listened.

  A few minutes later, Angelica was able to stand and walk on her own. Mr. Jones finished his call and entered the room to inform them he had transportation coming from the embassy to pick them up.

  “Detective, in the fight with the guards I threw my pendent at one of the them. Do you know what happened to it?” Mystique asked, a little hesitant about bringing up the fight—but her desire to recover the pendent was stronger than her fear of starting more trouble.

  “It’s in the crime lab. They are trying to figure out what poison was in it. You don’t happen to know, do you?” Detective Montgomery replied, annoyed at being reminded that she had poisoned someone.

  “Sorry. All I know is that Faust said it would paralyze a person for about twenty-four hours. The pendent was a gift from our father, and I would like it back,” Mystique explained. Angelica and Daemon looked over at the mention of their father’s name.

  “I know that poison. The guy will be able to move in about a day, but he will be in a lot of pain. If you give him some muscle relaxers it will help. He is going to feel like he had cramps all over his body,” Daemon explained.

  “Is there an antidote?” Doctor Fitzroy asked.

  “Not that I know of. It’s made from the sap of a plant in the woods.”

  “The pendant is evidence in a criminal investigation. You won’t be getting it back,” Detective Montgomery told Mystique.

  “We’ll see about that,” Mr. Jones put in, surprising everyone with his conviction.

  “Can we please move to the front lobby to meet the transport?” Mr. Jones asked, hoping to get the group moving. The sooner he got Angelica to the embassy, the better he would feel. Being responsible for finding a powerful psionic was going to look good on his record. All he had to do was make sure she got to the embassy and into the hands of the security force; after that, she would be someone else’s responsibility.

  ***

  The group stood silently waiting in the lobby as police officers watched for any sign of an attack. The armored personnel carrier barely made a sound as is it swooped down to land near the door. A squad of six guards in powered battle armor disembarked and took up position to cover them as they left the lobby and boarded the craft. Mr. Jones led the way, followed by Daemon and Angelica, with Mystique bringing up the rear.

  Detective Montgomery watched from the lobby entrance as the transport lifted and flew off. As he watched them leave, he felt his mood change, which made him realize that Angelica had been manipulating him. The more he thought about what had happened, the more convinced he became that she’d influenced him into helping them. He was going to have to be very careful if he ever met her again.

  He had no idea what the fallout was going to be for the night’s events, but he expected a lot of questions from the brass. He needed to get as many answers as he could before he got the call ordering him to report to the precinct. Detective Montgomery started going over his notes, trying to figure out who he could talk to in order to get the information he needed.

  His train of thought was interrupted by a uniformed officer: “Sir, there’s a kid over in the holding area. What do you want us to do with him? His lawyer left, but he is insisting on talking to you.”

  Detective Montgomery whispered a silent prayer of thanks that something tonight was going his way. He keyed his radio to transmit to every police officer on sight. “This is Detective Montgomery. The targets are gone; stand down. Send a forensic team to the fourth floor and start letting people back into the hospital. Out.”

  “Officer, I want you to head up to the fourth floor and find a Doctor Fitzroy. I want you to stick with him. I don’t want you to interfere with what he is doing. I just want to know where he is.”

  “Yes, sir,” the officer replied as he turned and walked into the lobby.

  Montgomery went to talk to young Mister Montagu. He was a classmate of Mystique’s and his mother’s bodyguard was the one who had put her in the hospital. He had to know something useful about Mystique. The fact that the kid’s lawyer had left him alone was going to make it much easier to get answers from him. Detective Montgomery smiled broadly as he walked up to Bruce Montagu.

  ***

  Angelica was the only one nervous about being surrounded by guards in battledress. Daemon was so relaxed he was almost asleep. Mystique was staring out the armored window at the city below. If Angelica could read Mystique’s emotions like she did everyone else’s, she would know that Mystique was actually watching the guards in the window’s reflection. Mr. Jones was experiencing a strong sense of relief brought on by the knowledge that his part in this whole mess was pretty much over. He was about to deliver a powerful psionic and two enhanced people to the ambassador.

  The flight took less than ten minutes. The armored vehicle lowered into a building set thirty feet from the main embassy building. Large doors slowly slid back closed as the vehicle settled to the ground. The pilot waited until the doors were fully closed before hitting a switch and opening the doors of the transport. Three of the guards got out while the others waited for the group to exit. The man in charge of the guards spoke with Mr. Jones for a few minutes before assigning two of the guards to escort Daemon and the girls to their rooms.

  “These gentlemen will escort you to your rooms. I will arrange for a tailor to visit you first thing in the morning to get you some new clothes. I expect Ambassador Quinn will want to talk to you sometime tomorrow. A guard will be posted outside your rooms; if you need anything, let him know and he will arrange to get it,” Mr. Jones explained to them.

  “Is a guard really necessary? We aren’t going anywhere,” Angelica asked, feeling a little nervous about becoming a prisoner.

  “Not to worry. He is for your protection. I am afraid no matter how much we try to keep you a secret, word of your existence will get out,” Mr. Jones tried to explain, not knowing that Angelica could tell he was not telling the entire truth.

  Angelica decided to drop the matter and t
ry to relax. It wouldn’t do them any good if she pushed to the point that Mr. Jones openly arrested them. So she motioned for Mr. Jones to lead the way. Mystique and Daemon fell in behind them, followed by two guards. Mr. Jones led them to the main building and in through a side entrance. He took them to an elevator and up to the sixth floor, then down a few short hallways to a door. He opened the door and motioned for Angelica to go inside.

  The room was actually a suite with a living room, dining room, bathroom, and two bedrooms. The furniture was all of modern design and looked rather expensive. The dining room table was made of what looked like glass. When Mr. Jones finished giving them a quick tour, he explained, “This is the largest available room we have. I can arrange for another single room if you like.”

  “No, this is more than enough. Thank you very much for your help,” Angelica replied.

  “No problem. Is there anything else before I go?”

  “Yeah, can we get something to eat and drink? I’m hungry and I know Angelica could use something after all the healing she did,” Daemon said, less worried about breaching some etiquette rule than he was about getting some food.

  “Certainly. The kitchen is closed, but I am sure I can have something brought up. Is there any special dietary requirement that I should know of?”

  “No. He can and will eat anything. I’m sure whatever you can find will be fine. Thanks again,” Angelica replied, teasing Daemon a little.

  “If that’s all, then I need to go do some paperwork and arrange for the food and tailor,” Mr. Jones stated, giving them just a few seconds to stop him with additional requests before he left.

  “I’m going to shower. You two can figure out where we’re going to sleep.”

  Angelica and Mystique explored the suite, taking time to look in the closets and in the cabinets in the kitchen. The bed in the master bedroom was a king-size pillow topped with very soft sheets and a light blanket. The pillows were thick but also very soft, and Angelica’s head sunk deep into one when she tried it.

  “Want me to sleep on the couch?” Mystique asked, unsure how Angelica felt about sleeping in the same bed.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. There’s plenty of room. I doubt we’ll even notice each other in this thing,” Angelica replied with a laugh.

  The girls were returning to the living room when someone knocked on the door. Angelica started to go open it, but Mystique rushed past her intent on being the one to answer. Daemon poked his head out of the bathroom to see who it was. Angelica gave Mystique an exasperated shake of her head before turning and going to sit at the dining room table. Mystique waited for Angelica to start walking away before opening the door. A man in some kind of uniform was waiting behind a cart filled with covered serving trays. Mystique noticed that one of the armored guards was standing to the side of the door. The man waited for Mystique to step out of the way before pushing the cart into the dining room.

  Angelica couldn’t stop herself from giggling when she realized that the man with the cart had a flash of sexual arousal when he saw Daemon come out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. Mystique looked to Angelica to find out what she’d missed while Daemon’s only concern was the food being placed on the table. Angelica realized that Mystique was looking at her, so she glanced over at the servant unloading his cart and purposefully looked over to Daemon. Mystique follow Angelica’s gaze, giving only a small tick at the corner of her mouth to mark her amusement when she realized what Angelica was pointing out. The servant was not staring at Daemon, but was stealing subtle glances at him.

  “Please let the guard outside know when you are done and I will come to clean up,” the man instructed in a feminine voice that caused Daemon to look at him for the first time.

  “Thanks,” Daemon told the man, still not comprehending anything other than that there was food available.

  “If you need anything else, my name is Fredrick,” the man told them as he wheeled his cart out the door, taking one last look at Daemon before closing it.

  “Nice guy. Weird voice, but he seems okay,” Daemon observed as he took a plate and started filling it with some kind of steak. Both Angelica and Mystique burst out laughing, causing Daemon to wonder what he’d said.

  “I think he likes you too,” Angelica said once she stopped laughing. It took Daemon a few moments to realize what Angelica meant and when he did it made him stop and think. He had never thought about homosexual relationships before; in fact, he couldn’t think of any homosexuals he had ever met before.

  “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about Mystique cutting his hand off for trying to cop a feel,” he stated with a snort of laughter. The girls smiled and agreed with him.

  They finished their meal quietly, each enjoying the rich flavors of the food too much to talk. Daemon found he liked the steak best; it had a strong flavor and was seasoned just right. Angelica and Mystique favored the fish, which was served in a white cheese sauce.

  “Daemon, the doctor said I was enhanced. Do you know anything about that?” Mystique asked when he was finally done eating.

  Daemon looked down at his empty plate, not wanting to talk about what he knew. Angelica could sense his shame and became curious. After a few minutes, when Daemon didn’t answer, Angelica finally spoke up: “What is the problem, Daemon? Why won’t you answer her?”

  Daemon looked up at Angelica and then at Mystique. They both were staring at him, silently demanding an answer. “The ancient spirit altered both of you a little while he was on the ship,” Daemon finally admitted.

  “The ancient spirit? Isn’t he confined to the other plane where the rift monsters come from?” Angelica asked, confused.

  “Yes, but when a ship enters jump space it enters that plane of existence. He felt me cross over into his plane and came to meet me. While he was on the ship, he altered both of you to make it harder for you to be killed,” Daemon explained. Angelica could sense he wasn’t telling her everything and now that she knew some of what had happened, she was determined to find out all he knew.

  “Why would he care about us?” Mystique asked.

  “He shares my feelings for you two. I care about you, so he cares also,” Daemon told her, hoping Angelica was through asking questions, yet knowing she wasn’t.

  “Daemon, what are you try to hide? I know you’re hiding something. What happened during the four days we were in jump space getting here?” Angelica demanded.

  “Please don’t make me tell you,” Daemon pleaded. Mystique had never seen Daemon this ashamed before and would have dropped the matter, but Angelica wanted to know. Angelica just stared at Daemon, forcing him to explain what had happened.

  “All right. The ancient told me I needed to understand the price of calling on a demon for assistance. He gave Shektee permission to do as she pleased with Sara, Nelson, and Mystique. Stacy was too weak and he would not risk you being hurt, but he did make sure you felt what the others were going through. I couldn’t do anything to stop it. Just before we left jump space, he sealed the memory of what’d happened so none of you would remember it. He told me if I ever take vengeance against Shektee for what she did, he would remove the seal and you would remember every detail,” Daemon confessed.

  “So I spent four days as the sexual chew toy of a demon,” Mystique asked, in shock.

  “I knew you should have killed her the minute you knew what she was,” Angelica stated, not sure who she was more upset with. All three sat quietly for a few minutes thinking about what Daemon had said.

  “No, Daemon was right not to kill her. Without her help I’d be dead, and you two would still be stuck on Endeavor,” Mystique observed.

  “How can you say that? I can only imagine what she did to you. It must have been horrible,” Angelica protested, amazed that Mystique would be so forgiving.

  “Yeah, imagine. I can’t remember anything she did, which is a heck of a lot better than what I do remember my mother’s clients doing. She auctioned off my virginity
the day I turned twelve and the bastard who won was not gentle. So, fine, Shektee probably did some really nasty things. I can’t remember it, so I don’t care. We’re alive and we’re off that godforsaken planet,” Mystique stated with more emotion than Angelica and Daemon had heard from her before.

  “Daemon, don’t you ever blame Shektee for what she did. She was given permission and she didn’t kill anyone,” Mystique ordered, challenging Daemon to argue with her.

  “All right, but I am never going to ask for her help ever again,” Daemon stated. Angelica was horrified at what she had learned, but Mystique had suffered worse than she had; if Mystique was willing to let it go, she would do the same.

  “Okay, so back to the original question; what did he do to us?” Mystique asked.

  “I am not sure. He just said he made you tougher. It’s not like I was in a position to demand details,” Daemon explained, exasperated that he had been forced to tell them what had happened.

  “All right, don’t worry about it. I am going to take a shower and then head to bed,” Mystique told them as she got up and walked to the bathroom. She stopped at Daemon and gave him a hug before hitting him hard in the arm.

  Angelica could sense that Mystique was upset, but she was quickly calming down.

  “I think we should all head to bed, though I don’t think I am going to sleep very well tonight.”

  ***

  The next morning was a flurry of activity. A tailor arrived at eight to take measurements, and left to be replaced by a stylist. The stylist trimmed and styled their hair while Mr. Jones arrived to collect fingerprints and DNA for their files, and perform the retinal scans. Mr. Jones informed them that they would be meeting with Ambassador Quinn at ten. At nine-thirty, the tailor returned with dresses for Angelica and Mystique and a suit for Daemon. Angelica was thrilled with the color and style of her dress, while Mystique only looked at hers with distaste.

  Twenty minutes later, Mr. Jones ushered them out into the hall. They went back to the elevator and down to the third floor and into a maze of hallways. Angelica quickly lost track of where they were, while Daemon and Mystique noted every turn. Mystique instinctively noticed every lock and surveillance device they passed.