Mystique's Journey

  Mystique’s Journey

  By Daniel A. Jones

  Copyright © 2016 Daniel A. Jones

  All rights reserved.

  Distributed by Smashwords

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  Contents

  1. A New Beginning

  2. A New Friend

  3. Back to Normal

  4. The Calm is Over; Time for the Storm

  5. Farewell to Friends

  6. The Hunt Begins

  7. A Little Knowledge Is Dangerous

  8. It’s Killing Time

  9. Return of a Friend

  10. It’s a Party and Everyone’s Invited

  11. Who is Really in Charge

  12. Back to School

  13. The Road Home

  Chapter 1

  A New Beginning

  Mystique Fairmont sat in the small café sipping her tea and thinking about what she wanted to do with her life. A few months ago, she was the daughter of the town whore in a town of psychopaths on a planet infested with demons. Now she found herself a student in an upscale boarding school, working on catching up on her education. So, what to do tomorrow? She hadn’t thought in advance when she risked everything to get away from her mother and the life she was forced into. It was going to be different next time because she would plan her actions. She had plenty of time: Angelica had paid her tuition for the next two years, and she had forty-thousand credits in the bank.

  The thought of Angelica brought a smile to her face, though no one was likely to notice. A small tug at the corner of her mouth was all anyone would detect, but to her the smile was broad. She hoped Angelica and Daemon were doing well; she hadn’t talked to them in over a month, not since they’d left the city. They’d moved to a peaceful little farm town where Daemon could get used to being around people.

  Their father had tried to protect them from the citizens of Exile by keeping them away from town. Now that they were on a populated planet with a real city, though, they had no idea how to interact with a larger society. Angelica was naturally good with people, and her psionic abilities would help once she grew accustomed to using them in crowds. Daemon was another story. His ability to sense aggression in the people and creatures around him had almost driven him berserk at the spaceport when they first arrived. So many people’s aggressive feelings had triggered a defensive response in him, causing him to match their aggression. Mystique shuddered to think of the carnage Daemon would have caused if he’d lost control.

  They’d locked themselves in a hotel room just outside the city while Nelson Lopez left to sell the special plants they’d collected before leaving Endeavor. Mystique had worried that Nelson would take their share and disappear, but he hadn’t. Not only had he returned with their share of the money, but he’d also brought back a man to make them fake identities.

  Angelica and Daemon had decided to keep their real names and had invited Mystique to become their little sister. Nelson had explained that it would make things easier with Angelica as her legal guardian, since she was only seventeen and therefore still a minor. Mystique really didn’t care about giving up her old name and the thought of being a Grayson felt right, so now she was Mystique Grayson of New Sydney.

  She’d asked Nelson why he hadn’t taken their share of the money and run. He told her that he owed them for saving his life, but Mystique wasn’t convinced. She thought it was more likely that he was scared of them. Nelson was the only surviving member of the ship’s crew who could remember what had happened on Endeavor. Stacy and Sara, the other two surviving crewmembers, couldn’t recall anything after entering the Endeavor system. It was probably for the best, after the horrors they’d been forced to endure. The fact that none of them could remember the four-day trip through jump space to get here, however, was still a bit unnerving to Mystique.

  Nelson had also informed them that Stacy and Sara had already received their shares and were moving on with their lives. Nelson was joining Stacy on the crew of a large cargo ship that would be leaving in a few days. Sara had gotten a job at the shipyard and asked that nobody contact her.

  ***

  Bruce Montagu had seen Mystique around school and had tried to find out as much as he could about her. He’d hacked into the school’s outdated computer system and found her file. It said that she was from New Sydney and that she had only enrolled two weeks before. That explained her need for special tutoring and her odd behavior; that planet was known to be populated with criminals. Bruce wasn’t going to let a little criminal background stop him from introducing himself to her, though. He hadn’t been surprised to find out that she’d signed up for the advanced martial arts class. Every good criminal needs to know how to fight! It did, however, put a little more pressure on him to make a good impression. He’d been beaten up by a girl once, and didn’t want to go through the embarrassment again.

  The problem was he didn’t have anything in common with Mystique. He was an honor student headed for the Naval Academy and she was enrolled in the special-education program. He could barely pass the physical fitness test and she had signed up for every athletic class she could. He didn’t know what music she liked or what kind of movies she watched. He’d tried to take her picture a few times, but every photograph had come out blurry. The only thing he’d discovered that might prove useful was that she seemed to like tea. She went to the Café Caffeine at least once a day, so he’d decided to offer to buy her a cup of tea.

  Bruce had hoped to get to the café before Mystique, but when he arrived she was already at a table sipping her tea. He went to the counter and ordered a large latte. He tried not to stare at Mystique as he waited for the girl to make his coffee, but he couldn’t stop himself from looking at her at least a few times.

  Mystique noticed the boy enter the café and wondered if he would ever muster the courage to introduce himself. She’d seen him around school a lot in the past few days. At first she was concerned, but when she saw a group of boys push him around on the track field she decided he was probably harmless.

  The waitress handed Bruce his latte and he took a sip. It was the moment of truth; he had come here to talk to the girl, and he was going to follow through. Bruce took a deep breath and walked up to Mystique’s table.

  “Hi. May I sit? I mean, mind if I sit with you?” Bruce blurted out, unsure of the best way to ask and messing up them both.

  “Only if you calm down and don’t spill that on me,” Mystique replied, pointing at his cup. Bruce was so nervous that the hand holding his latte was shaking.

  Bruce carefully set his cup down before grabbing the chair and pulling. The chair’s legs hit the base of the table, causing it to rock and spilling not only his latte but also Mystique’s tea. Bruce froze in horror as Mystique rose from her chair to avoid the wave of brown liquid rushing across the table at her. Mystique revised her opinion of Bruce; he was dangerous. Bruce thought to stop the latte from reaching Mystique by putting napkins in its path, but, in his rush, he threw the napkins into the puddle, instead of ahead of it, causing it to splash . Mystique surprised everyone watching when she leapt backward over her chair, flipping as she did so to land facing the table. Bruce couldn’t believe how badly he was screwing things up.

  “Stop!” Mystique yelled, causing Bruce to freeze. “Now sit down
and don’t move.”

  Bruce did as he was told. Mystique was tempted to slap the boy and send him on his way, but there was something about him that piqued her curiosity. So, instead, she calmly walked over to the counter and asked for another tea and whatever Bruce was drinking. The girl behind the counter looked at her with a blank expression, forcing Mystique to repeat her order. The girl snapped out of her stupor and rushed to make the drinks. Bruce started to get up so he could pay for the second round, but Mystique shot him a look that sat him back down.

  Mystique took a handful of napkins from the dispenser and came back to the table. One of the waitresses offered to clean up the mess for her, but she politely refused. Mystique wiped down the table while Bruce sat, red-faced, watching. When she was done, Mystique collected the replacement drinks from the counter and brought them over to the table.

  “Do you think you can drink this one without spilling it?” Mystique asked a bit tartly.

  “Yes. I’m sorry,” Bruce replied shamefully.

  “Apology accepted, this time. Who are you, and why are you following me?”

  “My name is Bruce Montagu. I wasn’t following you, exactly.”

  “I am in no mood to play word games with you. I’ve seen you watching me. Why?”

  “You’re beautiful and new to school, which means you don’t have a boyfriend yet.” Bruce couldn’t believe what he was saying. He started to reach for his latte, but his hand was shaking so much he stopped worried he would knock it over.

  “So, you want to be my boyfriend? I don’t think so,” Mystique said, causing Bruce to slump at the outcome he’d anticipated. Mystique watched his reaction.

  “Maybe we can be friends. I have too much to do to commit myself to a relationship,” remembering what her mother had taught her about staying friendly with people. You never know when you might have use for them. Mystique hated her mother, but she kept finding herself following her advice.

  Bruce sat up at the idea of being Mystique’s friend. At least he would be able to spend time with her and, who knows, he might even charm his way into her heart. He had to come up with something for them to talk about.

  “Your file said your sister paid for your tuition. How’s she doing?” Bruce asked, thinking that family is always a good neutral topic. Mystique’s reaction was not what he’d expected. She stood up abruptly and asked him to join her for a walk.

  Mystique didn’t wait to see if Bruce followed her. She walked out, leaving her tea on the table. Bruce stood and grabbed both drinks as he hurried to catch up. He had to push the door open with his hip and look around to find Mystique. She was waiting for him at the corner of the building. Bruce walked briskly over as she turned and walked around the corner into the alley. Mystique stopped about twenty feet down and slowly turned to watch Bruce.

  Bruce was caught totally by surprise when Mystique grabbed him and swung him face-first into the wall. The cups crushed in his hands as Mystique kicked him in the center of his back, slamming him into the wall a second time. Bruce didn’t have time to register the pain of the hot liquid before Mystique grabbed the back of his collar and pulled, rolling him over her shoulder and crashing him into the pavement. Unfortunately for Bruce, Mystique wasn’t done, as she rolled him onto his back and dropped down to sit on his tender chest.

  “What do you want with Angelica and Daemon?” Mystique demanded as she pressed the tip of something sharp to Bruce’s cheek, just below his right eye.

  Bruce’s only reply was to cough up a small amount of blood. He had no idea why Mystique was doing this. She was crazy and she had a knife. She was going to kill him. It was too much for him to comprehend, so his brain shut down and Bruce fainted.

  ***

  Mystique sat at her desk, annoyed; she needed more information. Bruce had asked about Angelica. What did he know? He said he’d gotten the information from her file, but how? She needed answers and she was tired of waiting, so she went into her bathroom and pulled open the shower door. Bruce lay bound and gagged, looking up at her with fear in his eyes. Good, he’s awake, she thought.

  “Yell and I’ll slit your throat,” Mystique said as she brought the knife to his throat and removed his gag.

  “Why are you doing this? I didn’t do anything,” Bruce sobbed.

  “You read my file—how? How did you get access to it?” Mystique demanded, her voice low and calm.

  “I hacked into the school’s computer. I didn’t mean any harm. Let me go, and I won’t tell anyone about this,” Bruce replied, trying to bargain for his freedom.

  “How you leave here depends on your answers and whether I believe you. What do you want with Angelica and Daemon?”

  “Nothing. I got their names from your file. It said they’re your sister and brother. Honest, all I wanted was to find out more about you,” Bruce told her, pleading for her trust.

  “All right. Show me. Prove to me that you can hack into my file and I won’t kill you and claim it was self-defense,” Mystique told him as she flicked the knife, cutting the tape around his wrists. She then stepped back to let him finish removing his bonds and stand up.

  “I’ll need my computer.”

  “You’ll have to use mine,” Mystique informed Bruce as she guided him into the other room.

  Bruce realized he was in her dorm room, but how had she gotten him there without anyone noticing. “How did I get here?”

  “I carried you, and, don’t worry, I made sure nobody saw us.”

  Bruce took a quick look around; Mystique’s room had all the standard furniture. The only extra feature was a cabinet. He sat at her desk and brought the computer online. While the computer warmed up and did a quick diagnostic check, Bruce pulled his phone out of his pocket. Mystique dropped the tip of the knife onto his shoulder, causing him to twitch. He thought about explaining what he was doing, but remembered the classes Mystique was enrolled in and decided not to try. He carefully put the phone down next to the computer and started typing.

  Mystique watched as he worked, wishing she had at least some idea of what he was doing. A few minutes later a document appeared on the monitor, with her alias written on it. She still couldn’t read well enough to understand everything, but there was no doubt it was her file. Bruce sat nervously, waiting and wondering if she was going to let him go.

  “It’s that easy to hack into the school computer?” Mystique asked , her tone now more conversational.

  “I’m studying to be a computer and engineering major at the Academy. I’m better at hacking than most.” Bruce wanted to brag, but was afraid she wouldn’t understand and would get upset again.

  “I guess you were telling the truth. You invaded my privacy to learn more about me so you could, what, figure out how to approach me?”

  “Yes, but I wouldn’t consider it invading your privacy; it was more like researching,” Bruce replied, trying to lessen the severity of what he’d done.

  “In my culture, we take our privacy very seriously. I may have overreacted, and for that I apologize,” Mystique said as she opened the cabinet and returned the knife to its place.

  Bruce turned to face her and froze when he saw what Mystique had in the cabinet: over fifty knives of all shapes and sizes. Most he recognized as throwing knives, but she also had fighting knives. He stood up and walked over to take a better look, intrigued by her collection. Mystique stepped aside to allow him an unobstructed view. She was proud of her collection. Bruce noticed over a half-dozen empty sheaths.

  “I like knives. What can I say,” Mystique told him with a smile.

  “Can I go now?” Bruce asked almost pleading.

  “Yes. I will owe you one favor if you do not report our discussion to campus security or the police,” Mystique offered. She had no doubt she could shift any trouble back on Bruce by accusing him of attacking her, but she didn’t like threatening people.

  “Don’t worry; I won’t say anything. I promise,” Bruce reassured her.

  Mystique opened her door
and motioned for him to leave. Bruce didn’t hesitate, almost bumping into Mystique in his haste to leave. Once he was in the hall, Bruce felt relieved and started walking quickly toward the elevator. He never saw Mystique slip out of her room and head for the stairs, but only someone looking directly at her stood a chance of noticing her when she didn’t want to be seen.

  Mystique followed Bruce as he returned to his dorm room. She passed a dozen people, but none of them would be able to describe her if they were asked. She spent a few seconds listening at his door, and when she heard the shower turn on she decided to come back later.

  ***

  Lenard “Lenny” Johnson was not a small man, standing six-foot-three and weighting close to three-hundred pounds. Lenny had been an enforcer when he started in the business, and had the scars to prove it. Unlike most of his fellow enforcers, Lenny had the brains to move up the ranks and now was in charge of all company business on Nebular 4. Lenny sat at his desk monitoring the bank transactions that would tell him if anyone was late in paying their dues.

  The chime sounded near the door, informing him that his appointment was waiting. Lenny pushed back from the desk and got to his feet. The soreness in his back and knees reminded him that he should spend some time at the gym. A nice massage and sauna was overdue. He ran his hand through his short blond hair before grabbing a drink from the bar. A double scotch on the rocks should do. Lenny had a policy: ten grand gets you in to talk to him for the time it takes him to finish one drink. He walked back to his desk and hit the button unlocking the door, notifying his guards to let the visitor in.

  Nicholas “Names” Vogel followed Mr. Flanary into Lenny’s office. He had only been there once before to pay his respects to the new boss. Mr. Flanary walked over and poured himself a brandy from the bar, leaving Nicholas to talk to Mr. Johnson in relative privacy. Nicholas watched as Mr. Johnson took a long drink of whatever was in his glass, and knew he didn’t have long to make his pitch.