Mystique's Journey

by Daniel A. Jones

  “Okay, so that means you can’t use your ID chip or have access to any of your bank accounts,” Bruce started to explain.

  “When the police start looking for you, they will use every camera in the city. You may be able to avoid them for a while, but it would probably be best to just give up,” Alan broke in.

  “That’s not an option,” Mystique replied.

  “I don’t think you’ll have any trouble with the cameras. I tried taking your picture before and the best camera I could buy still couldn’t get a clear picture of you,” Bruce told the group.

  “How much trouble are you in?” Sam asked, getting a little nervous. “Why will the police be after you?”

  “You don’t need to know that. All you need to know is that they’ll be hunting me and I need to know how to avoid being caught,” Mystique replied, hoping to avoid answering that question.

  “We really do need to know. The reason they’re looking for you will decide how hard they’ll be looking and what you’re going to have to do to avoid them,” Bruce explained.

  “Very well, but if any of you betray me, I won’t be able to stop Shektee from killing you.”

  “Enough with the death threats; you’re the one asking for our help,” Bruce interrupted angrily. Shektee closed her grip on her cup of tea, shattering the porcelain cup and getting steaming hot tea all over her hand. Everyone at the table froze as the feeling of impending violence washed over them.

  Mystique was the first to react by placing her hand on Shektee’s hand. When Shektee slowly turned to look at her, Mystique asked, “Why don’t you go practice hunting during the day? I’ll finish the conversation with the boys.”

  “Very well, but if he does not start showing you the respect you deserve, I will punish him,” Shektee stated, barely containing her anger. She had been repressing her anger since she arrived and she was tired of it. Shektee was going to release her anger; she just hoped to find someone to vent it on and not have to resort to destroying some inanimate object.

  Shektee slowly stood up. The tension in the room was thick and everyone was watching as she walked out the front door. Once outside, Shektee loosened the control she had on some of her anger and transformed into an armor-plated demoness from some horror movie. Her clawed feet left deep gouges in the concrete sidewalk as she launched herself into the air.

  Inside, the girl at the counter fainted at the sight of Shektee’s combat form. Bruce stared open mouthed as he realized how serious Shektee’s threat had been. Sam had stood up and was backing away from the vision of death. If not for the wall, he would still be backing away as primal fear urged him to run. Alan sat perfectly still, frozen in the grip of terror. Mystique was the only one unaffected by the sight.

  Mystique grabbed Bruce’s arm to get his attention. When he looked at her, she was already standing. She knew they had to leave but first she had to break them out of their fear. Bruce was the first to recover. The sight of Mystique’s calm, determined face gave him the reassurance he needed.

  “You bring Alan. I’ve got Sam. We’ll go out the back,” Mystique instructed as she took Sam by the arm and pulled him around the counter and into the kitchen area. Two of the three men in the kitchen had run out the back door at the sight of Shektee’s transformation. The third hadn’t seen it and was trying to revive the girl at the counter. He yelled at Mystique as she dragged Sam past him. Bruce had to practically carry Alan. His mind was still frozen in fear.

  Once in the alleyway behind the restaurant, Sam started to calm down and regain control. Mystique leaned him against the wall while she went to help Bruce with Alan. Sam pushed off from the wall and pulled Alan away from Mystique when he saw them come out the back door. The fear he’d felt was turning to anger toward Mystique for putting them in such danger.

  “What was that thing?” Sam demanded, staring at Mystique.

  “Shektee is a rift demon. She hunts humans for food. We need to get out of here before the police arrive,” Mystique replied, deciding it would be simpler and faster to answer his questions than to avoid them.

  “What the heck is a rift demon?” Sam continued as they followed Mystique down the alley.

  “What are you doing running around with her…it?” Bruce demanded.

  “Shektee serves Daemon and he ordered her to be my bodyguard,” Mystique explained as she stopped at the back door to another building on the opposite side of the alley from the restaurant. The door was locked but Mystique focused on it the way Shektee had told her to and it sprung open just a little. Mystique grabbed the door and pulled it fully open, allowing Bruce and Sam to carry Alan inside.

  They were in the back room of a clothing store. Mystique motioned for them to move to the side and be quiet. Both of the boys had many more questions, but they were willing to wait. They needed time for Alan to recover. They laid Alan on the floor and tried to revive him. Mystique snuck to the front of the room and checked to see who was in the store. She found that the only other person in the store was an older lady in her forties. The store seemed to specialize in hats and handbags and other accessories. The woman was reading a magazine and didn’t appear to have heard them enter. Mystique snuck back to the boys.

  Alan was slow to overcome his fear. Bruce and Sam whispered reassurances to him until he finally started to respond. Mystique had been worried he’d start screaming, but instead he whimpered and cried. Bruce and Sam held their friend, reassuring him that he was safe. A few minutes later Alan stopped crying and pulled himself together.

  Mystique had watched the friends care for one another and share their strength. She found it interesting and it reminded her of how she felt around Angelica. She decided that she would answer their questions. They were involved now, so it was only right that they knew what they were involved in. She’d also have a talk with Shektee and hopefully convince her not to hurt any of the boys.

  Once Alan was fully recovered, Mystique started to usher them back into the alley but stopped when she noticed a couple of police officers in the alley. She motioned for the boys to wait while she snuck up behind the woman out front. Mystique’s first thought was to stab the woman in the back of the head but Angelica would not approve, so instead she grabbed the woman in a chokehold. A few seconds later the woman was unconscious but alive. Mystique laid the woman’s head on the counter with her arms under it like a pillow. It would look like she had put her head down to take a nap.

  As the boys snuck out of the back room and into the front of the store, Sam stopped to stare at the woman. “Is she dead?”

  “No. I just knocked her out. She’ll be fine,” Mystique told him as she checked the street. They left as a group with Mystique stopping to focus on the door. It was harder for her to lock the front door then it had been for her to unlock the back door, but a few seconds of concentration was all it took. She’d flipped the sign at the door to signal that the store was closed, so hopefully it would be a while before anyone realized that there was a problem. They turned left and started walking toward the center of town.

  A few blocks down the street, Bruce stopped and opened the door to a nice restaurant. He used a trick he had seen his mother use on numerous occasions and paid the waiter at the door to seat them in a private booth. Once everyone was seated, Bruce ordered three sodas and a tea for the group. Sam and Alan excused themselves and went to the restroom to clean up. Their drinks were waiting for them when they returned. Alan looked a lot better having washed the tear streaks from his face.

  “My brother Daemon defeated Shektee in combat but instead of killing her, he forced her into servitude. He gave her the task of being my bodyguard. A powerful man on this planet wants to kidnap my sister Angelica. Daemon has allowed me to stay behind while he escorts Angelica to safety. I stayed to hunt down and kill the man as a message to anyone else who might think about coming after Angelica. That’s what you are now involved in and why the police will be looking for me,” Mystique explained in a low voice.

  “You s
aid Shektee was a rift demon. What is that?” Bruce asked

  “Rift demons are the creatures that live in jump space. They’re the reason some ships come out of jump space with a missing crew. They consider humans to be nothing more than food animals to be slaughtered,” Mystique explained, deciding to use the same story Daemon had told the ambassador.

  “Your brother beat her? No way,” Sam said in disbelief.

  “Who is the guy you want to kill and why does he want your sister?” Bruce asked, deciding to shift the subject away from Shektee.

  “His name is Lenny. He runs a large criminal group here in the city. Angelica is a powerful psionic and he wants to force her to work for him. I don’t know what he wants her to do. He’s the one who sent the guys to kidnap me.”

  “Lenny—you mean Lenard Johnson, the mob boss? He’s in charge of all syndicate operations on the planet. You can’t go after him,” Alan broke in.

  “I believe that’s his full name. What do you know about him?” Mystique asked, curious as to how Alan knew about Lenny.

  “My dad’s a police detective. He told me a little about Mister Johnson. The guy controls half the small businesses on the planet and a lot of police work for him too. If he’s after you, then the police’re already looking for you. Your only chance is to get off planet, and fast,” Alan explained passionately.

  “I’m not leaving until he’s dead,” Mystique stated, looking at each of them to make sure they understood her resolve.

  “What do you want us to do?” Sam asked, pretty sure he wasn’t going to like the answer.

  “We need a place to hide for a few weeks until people stop looking for us. I was supposed to be on the shuttle with Daemon and Angelica, so only a few people know for sure I’m still on planet. I’m also going to need money. The last thing is that I need someone to go to “Cathleen’s All-Seeing Eye” and find out what they can about the place and the people there.”

  “That sounds easy enough. I can rent a room at one of the hotels and you can stay there. How much money do you need?” Bruce asked, relieved the requests didn’t sound too difficult or dangerous.

  “How are you going to rent a room? You have to be eighteen,” Alan pointed out.

  “No problem. I can put it on one of Mom’s business accounts and register under her name. I’ve done it before,” Bruce explained with pride.

  “What’s ‘Cathleen’s’?” Sam asked

  “It’s a place that got Shektee’s attention. She can’t go near it, and she wants to learn more about it. The best way to stay safe around her is to be useful to her. As long as she has a use for you, or thinks she may be able to use you in the future, she won’t hurt you. I’ll talk to her but anything you can find out about the place will make it easier to convince her to leave you alone,” Mystique explained.

  “How upset is she? Is she going to hunt us?” Alan managed to ask, fear rising in his voice.

  “She didn’t kill you instantly, so I don’t think she’s that upset. I wouldn’t worry about her coming after you,” Mystique lied. She had no idea how mad Shektee was or if she would do anything to the boys. She’d do what she could to ensure their safety, but the final decision was Shektee’s.

  The group talked for almost an hour as they discussed different strategies Mystique could use to find Lenny. Finally Bruce paid the bill, leaving a large tip for the waitress, and they left to get Mystique a hotel room. They’d decided on a big hotel in the business district. They figured that with the large number of people coming and going it would be easy for Mystique to go undetected. Bruce had used his phone to call in reservations at the Parker Hotel and had arranged for a taxi to pick them up.

  Shektee was waiting outside the restaurant looking as she did when she met the boys in Bruce’s room. Alan froze at the sight of her while Sam started to inch backward. Mystique stepped forward to talk to Shektee, but Bruce beat her to it.

  “Shektee, I am sorry for my outburst earlier. Please forgive me; it won’t happen again,” Bruce said in a solemn voice. He’d seen many of his mother’s underlings beg for forgiveness and knew it was his best chance to save his friends.

  “See that it doesn’t,” Shektee replied. She could taste the fear coming from the boys and knew Bruce was sincere in his desire to make amends.

  Shektee smiled at Mystique to let her know she was no longer upset. “The hunt went well and I didn’t kill anyone, in case you were wondering,” she said, lying about the last part.

  Mystique turned to Sam and Alan and reminded them that they were going to do some investigation work for her. Sam was in better control of his senses and understood Mystique’s meaning. He had to drag Alan the first few feet down the street but as the distance between them and Shektee widened, Alan broke loose from Sam’s grip. Within seconds the two boys were running as fast as they could. Shektee gave a chuckle as she watched them. Bruce was relieved to see Shektee in a better mood.

  Mystique noticed the taxi pull up and stepped over to open the back door. Shektee was watching Alan and Sam race away down the street while Bruce stood watching her. Mystique waited almost a minute before asking them to both get in. Bruce climbed in next to Mystique while Shektee opened the passenger door and got in beside the driver.

  ***

  The Parker Hotel was forty stories tall with shopping boutiques, restaurants, and bars spread around the first two floors. The third, fourth, and fifth floors were dedicated to banquet halls and conference rooms. Basic hotel rooms took up the sixth through the twenty-ninth floor with the thirtieth floor filled with high-end dining and nightclubs. The top floors were suites for the more well-off guests.

  Bruce had booked a suite on the thirty-fourth floor. It was a standard two-bedroom suite with a full kitchen and a whirlpool bathtub. Bruce had no trouble checking in and had Mystique and Shektee coded for access as his guests. Mystique had to concentrate to allow the retinal scanner to get a clear picture of her eye. Shektee found it rather interesting and wondered if she could duplicate someone else’s retinal scan to gain access to their room. She decided she would have to experiment with it later.

  Bruce escorted them up to their suite. He explained that they could charge anything they purchased at the hotel to their room. Mystique thanked him for his help and promised to repay her debt to him someday. Shektee simply nodded her approval. As he reached the door to leave, Bruce told Mystique that he would contact her with the results of their research.

  Mystique decided to take a shower while Shektee lay down on a bed to meditate. Later that evening, Shektee planned to investigate the nightclubs. Nightclubs had been one of her favorite hunting grounds. She was very interested in seeing what was different on this side of the barrier and she hadn’t had the chance to visit any of those in the entertainment district. If she was careful, she wouldn’t even have to leave the hotel to hunt.

  ***

  The transition to jump space went smoothly. Captain Zeler always held his breath during the transition. He didn’t mean to; he had even tried not to, but some things just happen. It was a five-day jump to New Sydney, which meant there would be little to do for the next four and a half days. Lt. Nicholson had arranged for a couple of drills to keep the men in shape. So when the alarm claxon started to sound, the captain didn’t think twice about it. In fact, the only thought it raised was that Lt. Nicholson had started his first drill a little too soon after transition. Then came the announcement that was the cause of him holding his breath.

  “Intruder alert, intruder alert, unknown life form in the XO quarters, this is not a drill.”

  The message repeated itself as almost every person on board froze in confusion or fear. Only a handful of sailors knew what it meant to have an intruder appear onboard during a jump. Captain Zeler was one of them. He had been aboard the same vessel as Major Castleman and had seen firsthand what was now on his ship.

  “All hands to their battle stations. Evacuate officers’ berthing area. Security, I want you in full battledress with heavy
weapons. Report statuses as soon as you are ready. Captain out.”

  “Seal the bridge!” Captain Zeler knew it wouldn’t stop whatever had come onboard, but it would give the bridge crew a little peace of mind.

  A few seconds later, crewman Stiller received an intercom call at his communications station. “Captain, Lady Grayson would like to speak with you concerning our visitor.” Captain Zeler turned to stare at the man in amazement. The intruder had appeared in the XO cabin where the Graysons were resting. He’d assumed they’d been the first casualties.

  “Patch her through,” Captain Zeler instructed as he activated the command chair’s sound-dampening field. The field would block out any noise from the rest of the bridge and prevent any of the bridge crew from overhearing his conversation.

  “This is Captain Zeler; go ahead.” The captain didn’t know what to expect because this whole flight had been one problem after another.

  “Captain, our guest has informed me that you are planning to attack him. He is not here to hurt anyone, but he will defend himself so please keep your men away,” Angelica explained, trying to sound both formal and respectful. If the captain didn’t listen and sent his men in to attack, Angelica was fairly certain that she and Daemon would be the only human survivors.

  “Understood. I will hold my men on standby,” Captain Zeler replied as he tried to understand what was going on. He would have to have a long talk with Lady Grayson once this was over, assuming they survived.

  “Thank you, captain,” Angelica said, relief distinctly present in her voice.

  Angelica turned off the intercom and went back over to sit with Daemon. The creature sitting across the table from them looked like an old man in hunting gear but she knew that was not his true form. She was pretty sure she didn’t want to see his true form. He was discussing what’d happened and what Daemon’s plans were for the future. He didn’t seem to be judging their actions; he simply wanted to understand why they’d done what they had.