The Companion Picture - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Dandelion
Last updated: 12/03/2009 06:26:08 PM

Chapter 3

Mystique was not what one would call a happy camper. She prided herself on being able to manipulate people and situations around her for her own benefit, but she was just about to the end of her rope now.

She tapped the side of her head lightly and frowned fiercely. <That damned device.> She thought angrily. <That damned device. I ought to rip Forge's eyes out for this.> She fixed herself a drink and lounged on her bed. <But the man would probably build himself cybernetic ones.> She closed her eyes.

She rested a lot more these days than she ever used to, but the circumstances required it. Forge had placed an inhibitor device in her brain in order to keep tabs on her. She was unable to keep certain images for longer than thirty seconds, but Mystique was never one to accept limitations.

She pressed her will against the inhibitor frequently, but the ordeal always left her drained. Still, she had worked her way to three seconds over the inhibitor so progress was being made.

Eventually, she would get out of this place.

"Irene," she whispered. "If only you were here. I could use your reassurances about now."

As always, when her thoughts turned to Irene, they turned back to Forge. <Damn the man,> she raged inwardly. <I'd kill him outright if I thought I could get away with it.>

But she knew that was unlikely. Forge was a veteran of war and though there were some that would discount it's benefits against super-powered beings, Mystique knew better. Of all those who had carried on in the X-name, Forge had the battle sense of one who knew how desperate war was.

She grudgingly respected him for that. She had seen the visions in the lobby of his Aerie in Dallas. She knew the hell that he had lived. So she also knew he wouldn't be easy to twist to her own measures.

Her fatigue faded and in moments she was up on her feet and marching to Forge's office. It was part of a long-range plan she had. She had to keep the man guessing, that was the only way to catch him off balance and make her move.

Forge opened the file he had received earlier that morning. "Briefs, briefs, and more briefs." He muttered to himself. "Does anything happen without them?"

He scanned the first few pages. "Oh, well, this is refreshing. No mention of Gyrich yet. I may actually enjoy this."

With this thought his door flew open banging loudly against the wall. Mystique in all her raging glory stood there with a look of righteous indignation on her face.

"You are infringing upon my rights, Forge." She declared.

"Hello Raven," Forge turned his eyes back to the brief.

"You should know by now, Forge," she sauntered over to stand in front of his desk. "I hate being ignored."

"Raven, how could I possibly ignore you? Just because I'm not looking at you doesn't mean that you don't have my undivided attention." He turned a page. "I call it passive attention. What can I do for you *this time*?"

"I told you, you're infringing on my rights with this inhibitor device."

Forge figured he wasn't going to get much reading done for a while so he snapped his file shut and put it in his drawer. "You're really scraping at the bottom of the barrel, aren't you Raven?"

She frowned at him.

"Infringing your rights? Interesting. For a moment, let's forget about your questionable citizenship. Why don't we discuss your criminal record? You are on what we like to call situational parole. It's a unique position to be in and you should be thanking your lucky stars that you are here instead of in Max. But I don't expect any gratitude, Raven."

"Well, good because you wouldn't get any!"

Mystique would have laughed right out loud if it wouldn't give everything away. To think that Forge actually thought she was serious! "Let me make it perfectly clear to you, Forge, that I am far above this kind of treatment. I led Freedom Force. I *was* Freedom Force! I deserve to be treated with far more respect than as a guinea pig for your newest toy!!"

Forge leaned back in his chair and regarded Mystique for a moment. "Then you are misinterpreting your situation, Raven. I doubt there is anyone in the world that could possibly respect you more than I. And that is the whole reason that I implanted the device. You are a formidable adversary, Raven and by far a more formidable ally. The fact that I have planted that thing in your brain must tell you that I certainly admire and appreciate your abilities. I know without it you would be long gone by now. Don't kid yourself, Raven. You aren't the only one who learned something during our time together. The device stays and so do you."

Mystique whirled around and stalked out, slamming the door hard behind her. She permitted a smug smile to flicker across her rather striking features. <This is turning out to be a real challenge. Could Forge possibly be the first man I can actually call an equal?> The idea flickered across her mind as fleetingly as her smile did across her face. His words hit home. "You aren't the only one who learned something during our time together." Well, good for him. Mystique never thought Forge was stupid. And while he did help her a great deal, she certainly wasn't above a little out and out snooping.

As if she would have spent all that time in Forge's Aerie and NOT take advantage of all the resources he had at his disposal? Even insane she wouldn't have passed that up. How delightful that Forge took advantage of the time as well.

<Yes, indeed,> she thought deliciously. <This will most certainly be a challenge worthy of me.>

Magnus had made a few more alterations with the sidecar and was now kicked back within reading a book while Remy negotiated the infamous Beltway traffic.

"I can't believe people actually *choose* to live here!" Remy shouted above the noise of rush-hour traffic.

"It takes all kinds." Magnus replied, still reading. "Besides, you said you liked the wild life."

"Dis ain't wild, Lensherr. Dis is traffic. Learn the difference, you'll go far." Remy turned back to the traffic and glowered.

"This was a good idea, getting this book." Magnus continued. "It certainly will help once we get to Florida and beyond." He looked at the cover of the tour book and smiled to himself. "I didn't realize all the different currencies they use in the Caribbean."

"Yeah, well, dat's not going to help us much if we don't have any." Remy said with a growl making a rather rude gesture to a motorist going by.

"Yes, that is a problem." Magnus scratched his chin. "Well, come on, LeBeau, I know you've got to have a stash somewhere."

"I was thinking the same t'ing about you, even the Master of Magnetism needs some cash for those most dire emergencies."

"Well," Magnus nodded. "It makes sense, but I don't know. I could have something somewhere, but right now I... don't.... quite... re..mem... pull off this exit." Magnus seemed most interested in his book at this point, but Remy wasn't about to miss the chance that Magnus might remember something useful so he pulled off to the shoulder and gunned the bike to the exit ahead of them.

"I'm remembering a few things that will be helpful, but there is a snag."

"ID" Remy said matter-of-factly. "I figured dat would be a problem sooner or later."

Magnus looked at Remy expectantly, and it's meaning was not lost on the Cajun.

"Yeah, I know where we can get dat taken care of. What, you think someone wanted by Interpol wouldn't have connections to get 'round dat?" He snorted.

"You're wanted by Interpol?" Magnus looked interested.

Remy nodded.

"Haven't you worked with," Magnus snapped his fingers trying to recall.

"Banshee? M'sieu Cassidy?" Remy supplied.

"That's the one."

"Oui. 'Course, he been out of the loop for a time. Even if he knew I was wanted by Interpol I doubt he would know it was me. Like I said, I know how to get around it."

"He's good though," Magnus said seriously.

"He's very good. I remember when he went after Arkady."

Remy cocked an eyebrow.

"Of course," Magnus mused, almost to himself. "He had help, but still. The man is good."

"Never gave an impression of even knowing who I was much less that he knew that I was wanted. In all dat time, something woulda gave." Remy looked at Magnus rather intensely. "Besides, he's an X-man now, not an Interpol agent. Different loyalties."

"I suppose. So you can get us some IDs right?"

"I said I could."

"Good, get a look at this." Magnus took off a thin chain from around his neck and clenched it in his fist for a moment. When he re-opened his fist there was a small key in the chain's place.

"Alors!" Remy took the key and examined it with an expert eye. "Safety deposit box?"

Magnus nodded.

"For?"

"Nearby." Magnus grinned.

"Nice trick," Remy's tone was admiring. "You woulda made a great t'ief."

"I imagine I would." Magnus took the compliment graciously. "But this is the least of our problems. We have to be able to get what is in the deposit box."

"You don't need ID for dat."

"For this box, I do. If I recall correctly, there are some very useful items within."

Remy shrugged. "All right. All right. And to pay dis guy I've got to dip into my own emergency funds. Okay, let's go. I got a phone call to make."

Remy's call took a little longer than expected. But some twenty minutes and a great deal of choice French words later, they were biking into Old Town Alexandria. "Etienne's moved up in the world." Remy said, pulling into a parking space behind some old brick townhouses.

"Nice little area," Magnus agreed as Remy knocked on the door.

Etienne was a lanky man with salt and pepper hair cut very fashionably and sharp green eyes over an equally sharp Aquitane nose.

"Remy." He grinned, showing a row of beautifully maintained teeth. "I haven't seen you in quite sometime. I had thought that you may have finally been done under, but I hadn't heard anything." His accent was undertoned with a beautiful southern French inflection.

"I been layin' low."

"And you have achieved it with startling effectiveness. Although, I did hear about a couple of rather nasty instances down in New Orleans. And yet, here you are, standing before me unscathed and with a friend no less. And I keep you outside like a very poor host, which you know I am not. Please come in." He opened the door wider and motioned them in with a wave of his arm.

"You seem to have moved up in the world, Etienne." Remy admired the house. "You still have the portraits." He said, passing a room decorated like a parlor in 17th century France. There were four beautifully rendered old portraits being the very dominant items in the room.

"Yes," Etienne admired the paintings as well. "And as I have said many times before, I owe you quite the debt of loyalty Remy for returning them to me."

"I know, Etienne." Remy's voice was quiet.

"Now then," Etienne clapped his hands together. "What can I get for you?"

"IDs for both of us. Credit cards.."

Remy looked at Magnus, who shook his head. "I just need some identification, thank you. The rest is handled."

Remy and Etienne exchanged rather impressed nods.

"Well, Remy, that will be easy enough. A few strings, but, you are certainly a valued customer and a very useful commodity when those with no honor come calling."

Remy grinned. "Stay useful, dat's the trick, oui?"

"Oui." Ettiene opened a locked door to his office, a room filled to capacity with filing cabinets and high-tech computer equipment. "I'll need names for both of you."

"Keep it simple," Remy said, half to himself. "Michael Remy Fontaine."

"Erik von Isar." Magnus looked over Etienne's shoulder to be certain it was spelled correctly. "No. No. Erik with a 'k', please."

Etienne made the correction. "Now then, Remy, your account, I assume you need access to it."

"You assume correctly, as always, Etienne."

Remy nodded.

"Consider it done, with everything going through your estate and the lawyers therein."

Etienne tapped away at the computer. "I still think it a stroke of genius to build your confidences outside of your family's connections."

"One can never be too sure." Remy nodded.

"Nationalities?" Etienne's hands were poised over the keyboard.

"French." Remy replied.

"German." Magnus said.

A little more prompting and a quick pose in front of a camera and they were soon waiting for their passports.

Within the next two hours, Remy and Magnus were on their way to one of the branches of an international bank that Magnus had indicated earlier.

"Your friend can be trusted?" Magnus asked.

"Etienne owes me a lifelong debt of loyalty. Besides, he's an honorable man and dere are very few of them left in our world."

"I assume you mean the world of thieves and the like."

"Oui. Dere are some now, well, a lot actually, dat have forgotten the art of the pinch and what the gift really is. It's more'n bustin' into a place to strip it clean of anything you can sell quickly and at premium prices. It's a lesson. Sometimes it's a show of fealty, others a rite of passage. It's rarely about the goods, it's about everything connected to them."

"What about those portraits?"

"Etienne is from a long uncluttered Creole bloodline. Those portraits predate the French Revolution and they were stolen from his mother's house in Orleans a few years back. She was sick and Etienne wanted her to have them back before she died." Remy gunned the motor and passed a slow moving Olds. "I never been too happy with people stealin' heirlooms. Those paintings are valuable, but only to museums, art collectors interested in dat particular style and period of art, and the family. I found the ones what took 'em, and it was this small family that liked snitching real personal items. It hit harder, so I stole 'em right back and left a message they wouldn't forget."

"What was the message?"

"Dat they were fools. I rearranged a few items of furniture and changed the frames of the mirrors in the drawing room and hallway. Basically, if I could do all dat and they hadn't a clue I was there, they had best thank the saints it didn't turn out worse."

"Intimidation tactics?"

"Whatever works."

"And you took the paintings back."

"'Course. Etienne's Maman was a real classy lady. One of the last Grande Dames of the South. So it wasn't an unpleasant task. Besides, Etienne already had connections of the sort we just used and I knew I'd be better off wit' him on my side den not. The whole t'ing was a pleasure."

"And, it turns out, useful."

"Oui." Remy parked the bike and flipped through the documents Etienne had given him. "I got to collect my own t'ings here and transfer the funds I owe Etienne to his account. You do what you gotta do."

"Right."

The bank, as banks are wont to be, was muted and quiet with an air of wealth that intimidated most that came in.

"Ah yes, Mr. Fontaine." The man at the counter, flipped through Remy's documents with an approving look. "One moment and I'll retrieve your items."

Remy cast a casual glance Magnus' way and saw his friend already being led to the vaults.

The teller returned rather quickly with some cards and a few booklets. "Here are the cards you requested, they are now active, just sign the back."

Remy took the pen chained to the counter and signed his name, showing the teller after each signature.

"Very good, sir. And here are some traveler's checks, sign each check here please. You did ask for three different books of different amount, yes?"

"Oui."

"Very good, sir, if you'll sign them?"

"Here is your box, sir." The young woman gestured to one of the walls of boxes within the vault. Magnus took his key and opened it taking out the box within.

Looking inside, he saw all the documents and items he would need.

"Perfect." He smiled at the woman. "I'll take all of this now."

"Would you like to terminate your ownership of the box, sir?"

"No." Magnus looked around him.

"Actually, I would like to leave something in there now."

"Certainly, sir."

"I'll need a paper and a pen."

"Come with me, sir."

Magnus wrote a note to himself.

"Looking for past. Remy Fontaine as companion. Heading east. Bases around. You know the trails. EvI."

He handed the letter to the woman. She put it in the box, locked it and returned his key to him, the returned the box to it's slot and Magnus locked the outer door with his key again.

"Thank you for your time."

"Certainly, sir. I hope we can help you again."

Remy was waiting by the door, he saw Magnus coming and turned heading outside and starting up the bike. Magnus climbed into the sidecar and looked a Remy, a wry grin on his face. "Problem solved."