Escape from Endeavor by Daniel A. Jones

  ***

  Mystique made her way to Engineering and found the hatch secured. The hatch to Engineering was one of the few that had real security locks. Mystique was going to need the pass code to get it open. She stood in front of the hatch, trying to figure a way to get it open when Mac’s voice came over the speaker above the door.

  “I figured one of you would come calling after I destroyed your home town,” Mac sneered.

  “Why don’t you let me in, or are you afraid of a little girl?” Mystique taunted him.

  “You want in, you have to strip,” Mac replied expecting her to refuse.

  Mystique didn’t hesitate. She started unbuckling her belt and dropped her pants to the floor, next came her shirt. To Mac’s surprise in less than a minute Mystique was standing in her underwear in front of the hatch waiting for him to open it. Mac figured if she wanted in that bad, who was he to stop her?

  “The hatch will be open for ten seconds, that’s it. Once you’re in here, you’re mine.”

  Mac definitely didn’t sound rational but Mystique didn’t care. She braced herself and when the hatch slid open she scooped up her cloths and threw them inside, diving in behind them. Faust had taught her that most people shoot for center mass so she dove in low, hoping the clothing would distract him long enough for her to get her bearings.

  Mac was standing at his control panel with a three-barreled shotgun, expecting to catch Mystique in his crosshairs as she came through the hatch. The clothing did its job: Mac reacted to the sudden movement and fired.

  Mystique had palmed one of her throwing spikes and sent it flying in the direction the shot had come from. It clattered off the control panel harmlessly but it made Mac dive for cover, depriving him of his second shot. Mystique was up and running before Mac could recover.

  The deck plating in this section of Engineering had only minimal non-skid. Mystique didn’t care how much skin the non-skid was going to scrap off her thigh as she slid in under Mac. She was too focused on grabbing the barrel of the shotgun and keeping Mac from blowing her head off.

  Mac was amazed at how fast she was, one second she was running at him, the next she was sliding in for home. He lowered the barrel, expecting to cut her in half as she slid into range but before he could she was already between his legs.

  Mystique kicked Mac’s right ankle to stop herself as she grabbed the barrel and pushed up. Mac fired the second barrel, sending buckshot ricocheting across the room from where it hit just a foot above Mystique’s head. The heat from the shot caused the barrel to instantly heat up and burn Mystique’s hands where she held it.

  The kick to his ankle was annoying but didn’t really have much effect, Mystique hadn’t been able to put any power behind it. It did let Mac know he was vulnerable to another kick, though, and to a part of his anatomy that was much more sensitive. Mac twisted at the waist so Mystique wouldn’t be able to kick up and hit his groin, which was what she wanted.

  Instead of kicking up, she pulled her leg back and kicked out, driving the heel of her foot into the side of Mac’s knee, snapping it easily. Mac screamed out in pain as he crashed to the deck almost on top of Mystique.

  Mystique grabbed at Mac’s head like a cobra striking its prey. The fingers of her left hand sank into the soft flesh of his neck before she closed her hand into a fist, grabbing a chunk of his neck in the process. She grabbed Mac’s ear with her right hand and pulled. Mac dropped the gun and grabbed for Mystique’s arms to pull her free. Mac made another mistake in that when he pushed Mystique’s right arm away he helped her rip his ear off. Mac howled in pain and heaved her away from him. Mystique tumbled across the floor with the force of Mac’s throw.

  Mac grabbed his neck and the side of his head where his ear had been, screaming obscenities at her the whole time. Mystique came to a halt a few yards away and was getting to her feet just when Mac remembered the shotgun and grabbed for it. Mystique threw Mac’s ear and the chunk of flesh she’d ripped from his throat—both hit him in the face. In the instant that Mac turned away to avoid whatever she was throwing at him, Mystique dove at him feet first. This time she aimed high, bending her legs so she landed knees first into Mac’s chest, snapping a few ribs and knocking the breath out of him.

  Mystique was in a better position this time and grabbed the sides of Mac’s head and drove her thumbs deep into his eye sockets. Mac threw her off again but this time Mystique was ready. She was able to twist around in midair and land in a better position to move. Mac thrashed around, swinging at an opponent he could no longer see. Mystique quietly made her way to her clothes and retrieved one of her knives. Mac quickly ran out of energy and just sat with his back to the control console, waiting for Mystique to finish him.

  “This is for the few innocent people who called Exile home,” Mystique stated as she threw her knife into Mac’s chest, the blade sinking deep enough to pierce his heart. Mac died almost instantly as Mystique watched.

  Mystique picked up her clothes and started to get dressed. Only then did she notice the scrapes and bruises covering her body. She was going to be sore for the next few days, but she’d suffered worse at the hands of her mother’s guests. Once she was dressed and had collected her knife and throwing spike, she realized that Sara should have been here. Mystique looked around Engineering quickly and didn’t find Sara, so she triggered the intercom and asked for her.

  “I’m in the galley. Mac sent me for some food after he had the fight with Nelson. Why, what’s up?” she asked, guessing what had happened, but hoping she was wrong.

  “Please stay in the galley. I will meet you there in a few,” Mystique replied in a calm voice.

  “Okay, I’ll be waiting,” Sara answered in a timid voice, which caused Angelica to stop and change destinations, heading for the mess room instead of her cabin.

  “Go check on Mystique and help her clean up. I’ll take care of Sara,” Angelica said to Daemon, who left without objection.

  Mystique looked around for some way to clean up the mess. She didn’t want Sara to have to deal with cleaning up. She was filling a mop bucket with water when Daemon arrived with a couple of sheets. He checked Mac’s corpse before wrapping it in one of the sheets. Mystique came over with the mop and waited for him to finish before starting to mop up the blood.

  “Are you hurt?” Daemon asked, concerned, looking Mystique over, trying to spot any signs of serious injury.

  “Nothing to worry about.”

  Daemon nodded and picked up Mac’s corpse and walked to the hatch. Daemon wasn’t sure what the right way to dispose of the body was so he took it to the cargo bay. He would ask Nelson what to do with it later but for now it would be out of the way. After he set the corpse down in a secluded spot, he returned to Engineering to help Mystique. She was finishing up wiping down the control panel when Daemon arrived. Daemon looked around and found that a pile of bloody rags were the only signs a fight had taken place. Daemon picked up the pile of rags and threw them in the garbage shoot where the conveyor belt would take them to the incinerator. They both took another look around before leaving. Daemon went to the mess room while Mystique went to her cabin to clean up.