Mystique's Journey

by Daniel A. Jones

  Walking up to the help desk and the group of people there, Mystique decided to take the direct approach. “Excuse me. Could any of you tell me anything about Lenard Johnson? He is supposedly the crime boss in this city.”

  The group turned in unison to look at Mystique. One of the boys started to chuckle as the old man gave a dismissing wave of his hand. “That is not a name to be spoken lightly, young lady.”

  Well that is a surprise, Mystique thought; the old man knows of Lenard. “Do you know where I can find him?”

  “You looking to join the mob?” asked the boy who had laughed at her. Mystique ignored him, staring at the old man.

  “Young lady, Mr. Johnson is not a topic I will be discussing with you or anyone else,” the old man stated, trying to end the conversation.

  Mystique didn’t have the time or patience to try and convince the old man to tell her what he knew so she decided to motivate him. Before anyone realized she was attacking, Mystique shot her right hand out and slammed her open palm into the old man’s chest. The impact sent the man toppling over the desk. Expecting the others to attack, Mystique stepped into the space vacated by the old man and unleashed a flurry of blows intended to disorientate them. But instead of simply distracting them, Mystique had all of them lying on the floor moaning from the wounds she had inflicted.

  It took Mystique a few seconds to realize what she’d done. Shektee stood back smiling as she drank in the emotions emitted by the group. Mystique was in no danger from these men. As she began to realize how helpless the men were, she realized that the other people in the library were watching her and more than a few had started moving toward the exits.

  “Enough. All I know is that he works out of an office building near the spaceport,” the old man told her from the floor.

  “Thanks,” Mystique said to the gentleman as she turned and headed for the exit. A security guard was standing near the door with a frightened look on his face. The guard looked almost as old as the man at the desk and half as robust. He did have a Taser pistol but he didn’t give the impression that he even remembered he was armed. Mystique kept an eye on him as she walked past him and out of the library.

  Shektee couldn’t stop herself; the man’s fear was so strong and tasty. As she passed by him, she shifted her face just a little to make herself look terrifying. The spike of fear emanating from the man caused Shektee to lose control. She reached out with her tongue and drank in the man’s essence, her tongue caressing his face. The sight was too much for the old guard’s heart, and he died of fright as the footlong tongue touched his face. The coroner would call it a massive coronary.

  “Was that really necessary?” Mystique asked, a little annoyed. Now they really had to get out of the area fast. Captain Remington would know they were here and the man’s death would be just one more reason for him to want to kill them.

  “His fear tasted so good, I couldn’t resist,” Shektee explained, her voice full of lust and desire.

  “Get us a car; we need to get out of here quick.”

  Shektee nodded her understanding and headed down the steps to the curb. Once she reached the curb, she barely started to signal for a ride when a man in a silver sedan pulled up alongside her. Shektee looked in and winked at the man as Mystique moved up beside her. Shektee opened the passenger door, allowing Mystique to move in and flip the seat forward so she could climb into the backseat. The man, annoyed, looked at Mystique but quickly forgot all about her as Shektee slid in next to him.

  “Would you be a dear and take my sister and I to the spaceport?” Shektee asked as she leaned over and kissed the man on the cheek. She was careful not to consume any of his essence as she took control of his mind. Mystique sat back and relaxed, trusting Shektee to get them to the spaceport.

  ***

  “Captain, Mr. Johnson is at his office in the Carlisle Shipping building. His office is on the sixth floor, northeast corner,” Major Castleman stated as he walked into the communications center. Captain Remington had taken over the center as his command post with Ambassador Quinn’s blessing.

  “Thank you, major, that’s good news.”

  “I want two attack shuttles loaded with troops and ordnance on a launch pad ready to deploy in five minutes. I want eyes on that building and spotters inside. The spotters are not to engage. I don’t care how vulnerable the targets appear.”

  “Are we going to inform Mr. Johnson that he is in danger?” Major Castleman asked once the captain stopped barking orders.

  “No, my objective is to neutralize the extra-dimensional threat, not save some lowlife mobster. If she gets to him before we take her down, then it’s his bad luck for pissing her off in the first place.”

  “Sir, I think the targets were just at the Wilfred Public Library. The police were called to a disturbance at the library. It seems the librarian and a group of students were assaulted by a young lady who nobody could describe, and one of the guards died of an apparent heart attack after being kissed by the girl’s partner,” stated one of the techs monitoring police communications.

  “Any idea what they were there for?”

  “They wanted information on Lenard Johnson,” replied the technician.

  “Send someone there to find out if there’s any additional information we can use,” the Captain instructed as he turned back to Major Castleman.

  “This creature is definitely different than the others of her kind; she killed a man with a kiss,” Captain Remington observed. He wished he could think of a way to capture her alive.

  “Major, I am going to the spaceport. I want you to get a squad of your men ready to back me up. Your men have worked with Mystique, so they’ll be better suited to deal with her than the local police.”

  “Ambassador Quinn has instructed me to assist you in any way. My men and I will be ready when you call,” Major Castleman stated a bit more formally than was necessary.

  ***

  “You know, it doesn’t matter how fast we get to the spaceport; Remington is going to be waiting for us at Mr. Johnson’s, or he is going to take him prisoner and make us come to him,” Shektee said as they rode to the spaceport.

  “I was just thinking about that. We still don’t even know which building near the spaceport Lenny is in. We need to find someone who knows exactly where he lives, eats, and works. The only people I can think of who might have that kind of information are the police. Alan said that his father was a detective and had told him about Mr. Johnson. I think we should contact Detective Montgomery and see what he can find out for us.”

  “Darling, we’ve had a change of plans; I want you to take us to the entertainment district,” Shektee cooed to the driver.

  “We just have to figure out how to get him to tell us the information.”

  “Leave that to me. I have many ways of motivating humans to do what I want,” Shektee said with an evil grin.

  “Okay. Just remember he’s been helpful in the past, so try not to turn him into an enemy. We seem to have enough of those already,” Mystique replied as she sat back and tried to relax.

  “That takes most of the fun out of it, but I’ll still be able to get his help.”

  “Okay, have the driver drop me at the meatpacking plant. I’ll rest there while you contact Detective Montgomery.”

  Shektee gave the driver the address and relaxed while he drove them to their hideout. She thought about the men she had left tied up in the back room and wondered what Mystique’s reaction was going to be. They were all bad men according to Daemon’s definition, and Mystique had given her permission to use the torture room for her own entertainment and feeding.

  “Bleen, it looks like a bunch of people are here,” Mystique said as they pulled into the parking lot and found half a dozen other cars parked there.

  “Those are the cars of the men I have collected,” Shektee explained.

  “What?”

  “When you sent me to hunt, I brought some of my prey here to play with. I have one of them ke
eping the others fed and watered while I am with you. He is very weak-willed and has been helpful,” Shektee started to explain.

  “That’s enough. I don’t care what you do in there and I also don’t need to know the details,” Mystique cut in.

  “I’ll be in the front area,” Mystique told her as she got out of the car. “Could you have your guy get rid of some on these cars? No need attracting any attention.”

  “Sure. While we’re here, mind if I feed a little?” Shektee asked, knowing they needed to find Mr. Johnson but also wanting to quell her ever-present hunger for a while.

  “Go ahead, but don’t take too long. The longer we give Remington to plan and set up his trap, the harder it’ll be to beat it,” Mystique replied as she started walking to the front of the building.

  ***

  Detective Montgomery proved to be a lot more difficult to manipulate than Shektee had expected. He’d already broken free of her charm spell, so it would’ve been harder to affect him again and the affect wouldn’t last as long. So she tried to seduce him using a variety of physical forms but none seemed to catch his attention.

  Finally, out of frustration, she walked up to his desk in the police precinct disguised as a uniformed policewoman. “Detective, Mystique needs your assistance and has sent me here to get it. She needs all the information you have on Lenard Johnson.” His reaction was not what she had expected.

  “I was wondering if that was you playing some game. It was you flirting with me? Castleman told me that you could change your appearance,” He asked as he leaned forward over the desk.

  “How did you know it was me?” Shektee asked, intrigued that the detective had been able to figure out it was her, no matter what shape she had taken.

  “A guy my age, in my shape, doesn’t get pretty little coeds chasing after him unless he has a lot more money than I do. It had to be a setup, and when six different girls tried to pick me up in one day, I knew it wasn’t a simple prank,” Montgomery explained.

  “I remembered seeing you in Mystique’s room. I am not sure what you did to me, but I woke up in time to watch from the window as you got shot and changed into that demon creature. I also was the first on the scene at the parking garage where the sniper’s corpse was found,” he continued. “Please have a seat.”

  “Everyone has seen the horror flicks about the group of college students that accidently summon a demon and like everybody else, I didn’t believe any of it until that day. And since then I’ve been waiting for the mass slaughter to start. But other than the disappearance of a few people of interest and a few thugs showing up with Mystique’s throwing spikes sticking out of their skulls, things have been pretty normal.”

  “Mystique and I require all the information you can get on Lenard Johnson, the crime boss,” Shektee repeated as if she were asking for directions to the spaceport.

  Montgomery sat back and stared at her for a few before he realized the connection. “He’s the one who had her kidnapped.”

  “Yes. He attacked the Grayson clan and now he’ll die for it.”

  Detective Montgomery had seen a lot of frightening things during his career, but none were as bone-chilling as the smile Shektee flashed as she made that statement. “You do know that there is a group of Federation Marshals watching his every move.”

  “Yes, they are here hunting me and Mystique.”

  “That explains a few things,” Montgomery said thoughtfully. “What do you plan to do about them?”

  “I will do whatever is necessary to protect Mystique. She wants this Lenard Johnson dead so he will die; if the marshals try to stop us, they will most likely die.”

  “You try and fight them and the only ones who’ll die are you and Mystique. They’re using the best military weapons and armor I’ve ever seen. They’ve got three attack shuttles on standby at the spaceport and rumors are that a destroyer is in orbit. So even if you by some miracle do kill the guys on the ground, the ship will just blast you and everything else within a block of you into dust,” Montgomery protested, allowing his voice to rise to make sure Shektee understood the severity of the situation.

  “Thank you for that information, but I still want to know where to find Mr. Johnson. I want to know where he works, where he sleeps, where he goes for entertainment.”

  “And if I refuse to help you?” Montgomery asked, starting to feel more comfortable and in control. They needed him so he had the upper hand.

  “Then the creature you saw at the school will make an appearance again at another school and then you’ll have the slaughter you were expecting,” Shektee stated in the coldest, most malicious voice Montgomery had ever heard.

  “Leave the information on the roof of Mystique’s old dorm. I know you’ll have to contact others for the information, so you have until nine tomorrow morning, detective,” Shektee said as she stood up to leave.

  Detective Montgomery sat sweating as he tried to come to terms with the viciousness of Shektee’s threat.

  ***

  Captain Remington was sitting in the embassy communications center thinking about his plan. It was a good plan, but for some reason it hadn’t worked. It’d been two days since the incident in the library and still no sign of Mystique. He hated waiting. It always felt like he was giving the advantage to the target.

  “Sir, there’s a call for you from a Detective Montgomery. He says it’s concerning Mystique,” one of the communication people said, breaking Captain Remington’s train of thought.

  “Patch him through.”

  “This is Captain Remington. You have information for me, detective?”

  “Yes. I just had a visit from Shektee. She wants me to get her information on Lenard Johnson.”

  “Detective, I would prefer to discuss this matter face-to-face. Please, report immediately to the New Sydney embassy,” Remington ordered.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Shektee may be watching to see if I contact you,” he replied. “I’m taking a big enough chance making this phone call. She wants me to leave the information on the roof of Mystique’s dorm at nine tomorrow morning. I’m going to do as she instructed. The threat she made if I don’t was horrific and I believe she is fully capable of following through.”

  “I understand. One of my people will be in touch with any instructions. Thank you for your bravery, detective,” Remington replied cutting the connection.

  Remington cursed himself for being a fool. He was going to get a lot of people killed if he didn’t stop thinking of Shektee as a mindless killer. They’d either spotted his trap or were simply assuming it was there. Now they were blackmailing a police detective for information. He had to come up with a foolproof plan, and fast.

  ***

  Mystique expected Detective Montgomery to call Captain Remington and for them to plan a trap for whoever showed up to collect the papers. So she sent Shektee to the police station early to intercept Montgomery before he left to deliver the papers. Shektee was confident that she had convinced him of the need to collect the information they wanted. Mystique wasn’t happy about having to resort to threats, but she also understood that they needed to finish their task.

  Detective Montgomery stood up from his desk and grabbed his coat. As he slid his arms into it, an attractive female officer walked up to him. “I’ll take the report now, detective. I see no need for you to make the trip all the way to the school.”

  Detective Montgomery only hesitated a second as he realized the officer was Shektee in disguise. Without a word he reached for a manila envelope on his desk and handed it to her. “That’s all I could get,” he said, waiting for Shektee to make some kind of reply.

  “Thank you, detective. I’m sure it will be most helpful,” Shektee finally replied with a smile.

  “That means you won’t be visiting any schools, right?” Montgomery knew she could easily lie to him, but he still wanted her to say it.

  “Detective, I would never have followed through with that threat. Angelica would’v
e been very upset if I were to harm an innocent child. I have rules of conduct that I must follow, just like you do. Good day, detective,” Shektee explained, thinking to patch some of the damage done to their relationship. She really didn’t care but Mystique seemed to think it was a good idea, so she was willing to put a little effort into it.

  Detective Montgomery watched Shektee leave and said a quiet prayer that Remington’s plan worked. No matter what Shektee said or what form she took, there was no mistaking the predatory way she moved. Montgomery had seen it before but never to the level of skill and confidence Shektee displayed. He had a feeling that if the plan didn’t work, a lot of people would pay a high price, including himself.

  ***

  “The package has been picked up,” Detective Montgomery said, breaking the connection.

  The communications tech opened a secure line to Captain Remington and informed him of the message. Remington triggered the communications gear in his helmet connecting him to everyone involved in the operation. “The ball is in play”

  Captain Remington had expected something like this, so he and his man were already in their armor and ready to go. The attack shuttles had been fully checked the night before. The ground crew scurried around them, now disconnecting the various cables and hoses that’d been keeping the fuel tanks topped off. There was very little chance that they would use a tenth of the fuel the shuttles held, but it was just another detail Remington wasn’t going to take chances with.

  Up in orbit, a sensor technician tracked the envelope Montgomery had given Shektee. The paper had been treated with a low-level radioactive isotope that the ship’s sensors could easily pick up and identify. But what should’ve been an easy task was turning into a frantic search. The technician had followed the envelope out of the police building and into a nearby alley where it disappeared. So when Remington’s signal came through her headset, the technician started to worry. The whole operation rested on her ability to track that envelope.