Mastermind, page 5
part #1 of Mastermind's Mutants Series
“And do you know the symbol to get back to your apartment?”
Luke paused. “No.”
“Me neither. Let’s leave the portal open for now, shall we?”
“Good idea.”
Luke, already starting to sweat under the sun and heat, shook his head in disbelief one last time. He couldn’t believe it. Here he was, thousands of miles away, walking in the middle of an Egyptian desert. On the other side of the world.
Better start walking. He didn’t want to stand here all day.
They started heading towards the pyramid.
“This is so cool,” said Luke. “We just traveled to Egypt in the blink of an eye. If these things were ever mass produced, it’d put all the airlines out of business.”
“They’re doing a fine job of that of their own,” joked his uncle.
Luke smiled. “I wonder where in Egypt we are. Like is that the pyramid at Giza, or somewhere—” He stopped abruptly.
“What?”
Luke stared at something in the sky. He pointed up at it. “Uncle, look.”
The old man looked up.
They saw two moons in the sky: a larger one, colored icy blue and dark gray; the other one, smaller, reddish-black. Neither looked like Earth’s moon.
“I don’t think we’re in Egypt...”
Chapter Five
Something He Said
At the exact same moment Luke and his uncle stepped through that portal, Ray and his beautiful date sat down at their table in P.J. Wang’s China Bistro, arguably the best place to go for Chinese food in Burbank.
High quality delicious food. Exotic décor. Comfortable atmosphere. Mood lighting. And a candle lit at every table. Customer service was usually excellent, too.
A perfect place to take a date.
“Thank you,” Ray said to the host who seated them.
Dawn sat down across the table from him. She looked so beautiful tonight. Beautiful, without trying too hard. Somehow she pulled it off. She did a little light makeup, teased her hair, and put on a nice dress – nothing too fancy, this was only a first date. But somehow it looked really good on her. Really good.
“Sorry things took so long,” said Ray. “Auditions ran longer than we expected.”
“No problem. I understand. ” She grabbed her menu. “I hope you’re hungry though,” she said, “because I sure am!”
“A girl with an appetite. Nice. You continue to impress me.”
She smiled playfully.
“You have no idea. It drives me crazy when I take a pretty girl to a fancy restaurant, and all she orders is a small salad and a diet Coke. I mean, come on!”
Dawn laughed. “Not me. I mean, I’m not a pig or anything, but I’m not trying to starve myself either.”
“A lot of girls in LA do.”
“Yeah, well, they think they need to be skin and bones to be pretty. Me, I know that beauty’s on the inside. And I’m pretty damn hot if I do say so myself.” Then she stuck her tongue out at him.
He laughed. “Nice.” He looked at his menu. “So, let’s see. What looks good here?”
“It all looks so good. Last date I was on, the guy took me to Denny’s.”
“Denny’s?”
“I know, right?!”
“I would never take a girl to Denny’s. Even if I was dead broke, I’d do a packed lunch and take her on a picnic somewhere.”
“See, that’s romantic. Denny’s is… not.”
“Mmm. The Mahi-Mahi looks good. Think I’ll order that.”
Dawn still couldn’t make up her mind. She continued perusing her menu.
“So,” Ray asked, “how long have you been acting?”
“Oh, I’ve done community theatre for years. Finally found an agent a few years ago. Got me into a couple local commercials in the beginning, but that’s it. Hasn’t done a thing for me since.”
“Yeah, that happens. Until you land some blockbuster hit on your own, and then everybody wants you.”
“Yeah, when you no longer need them!” she said. “What about you? Been making films long?”
“No, not really. I’m just helping a friend.”
“The director or that other guy – the one who sounds kinda like Steve Urkel?”
Ray laughed. “The director.”
The server came up to their table. A pretty girl, early 20s, red hair, cute freckles. Possibly another aspiring actor-waiter for all they knew. “Hi, I’m Tiffany, welcome to P.J. Wang’s. Can I start you two with some drinks?” She mentioned the night’s specials.
Ray ordered a beer. Dawn just wanted some water.
“Great,” said Tiffany. “You guys ready to order?”
Ray was. Dawn still needed more time.
“I’ll go get your drinks and be back in a minute,” said the cute redheaded server.
“So,” Ray asked, keeping the conversation going, “you from LA originally or did you come out here to be an actress?”
Dawn put down her menu. “Actually, my dad moved out here to be a film director. Nothing ever came of it though. He ended up working in a real estate office.”
“That happens too.”
“I was only 10 at the time. He still talks of ‘someday’ directing his own independent film. But he never seems to have the time.”
“Must’ve been rough moving at that age. Where’d you live previously?”
“Indiana. In some small town you’ve probably never even heard of. Cedar Lake.”
“You miss it?”
“A small town surrounded by endless corn fields? No. Not at all. People complain about LA a lot – but I love it here. There’s always something going on, a million people doing a million different things. And I do love acting. And New York gets too cold for me. Yeah, LA’s the place for me.”
Their server returned. “Here you go,” she said, placing their drinks. “Figure out what you want?”
“Oh!” exclaimed Dawn. She still hadn’t figured that out. She returned to her menu. “You go first,” she told Ray.
Ray knew exactly what he wanted. Unfortunately that didn’t give Dawn too much time. Finally, she quickly, randomly picked one that maybe, probably sounded good.
“Alright, I’ll put your orders right in.”
And the server left to attend to another table.
“How about you?” asked Dawn. “You from LA?”
The restaurant was pretty busy, even on a Monday night. Of course, in a city as big as Los Angeles, most places were pretty busy all the time. So no one paid any notice to a well-dressed business man as he casually strutted in the front door.
Spotless shoes. Perfectly tied tie. Luxurious business suit.
It was the mysterious man.
Hey, even super villains gotta eat.
He checked his Rolex. He figured he had about twenty minutes to sit down, order, eat, find some “volunteers” for his little project, and have enough time to drive to the designated location. Twenty minutes was not enough. He was going to have to speed things up a bit.
“How many?” asked the host, ready to put him on the waiting list.
“Just one,” he said.
“You’re looking at about a 30 minute wait. Is that alright?”
“No, I’m afraid it’s not,” he said. “I want you to give me the next table available.” The mysterious man quickly surveyed the busy restaurant. The next table could still take a while. “On second thought, I’ll find my own.”
“Sir?”
The mysterious man locked eyes with the host. “You will not interfere in any way.”
The host obeyed.
The mysterious man walked confidently into the restaurant, looked around, and found a table in the corner to his liking. Unfortunately, there was a young couple there. Who just happened to be Ray and Dawn.
Uh oh.
He walked right up to them.
Ah, young love. How… repulsive. He cleared his throat to get their attention. They both looked up at him.
“I’m sitting here,” said the mysterious man.
Ray was about to say something.
“Now!” demanded the mysterious man.
He held intense eye contact with Ray.
Something came over Ray. And although normally he’d never interrupt a date like this, he suddenly felt compelled to invite this total stranger to sit and dine with them.
“Please, join us.”
“Not with you!” the mysterious man exclaimed. “Both of you, get up, leave.”
Ray obediently stood up from his seat. No sense getting into an argument or a fight over this. It was just a table. They would find another one.
Dawn happened to be looking at Ray when the commands were given. So the villain’s mind control had no effect on her. She couldn’t believe Ray so readily complied. “Ray? What are you doing?”
The mysterious man turned and locked eye contact with her. “You too, get up, go away.”
Dawn immediately felt herself compelled to stand up and obey too.
The mysterious man got a good look at her. Nice body. Young, healthy, pretty.
“On second thought,” said the man, “I want you to stay with me.”
“Okay,” said Dawn. She was hesitant to sit down.
“Please, sit. Join me.”
Ray watched as she did.
“Dawn?” His feelings were getting hurt. “What are you doing?”
“I want to stay with him now,” she told Ray.
“What?” he remarked.
“Without you here,” she said.
“But—” They were really starting to connect and hit it off. How could she just dump him like that and choose to finish their date with this complete stranger? Things were going so well. Was it something he said?
“Leave now,” the man told Ray.
As if he wanted to stay. He was really starting to fall for Dawn. And now – he was too insulted, too hurt to stay anyway. “I’m out of here!” said Ray. And he promptly left.
Ray sat on the street curb, just outside of the restaurant. A giant dragon statue – part of the restaurant’s décor and grand entrance – towered over him. Lots of people came and went, entering and leaving the restaurant, walking by to other shops and restaurants along the street, heading to wherever their busy lives were taking them.
But Ray just sat there. Head lowered, staring at the pavement beneath his feet. He had only just met Dawn earlier that day. But there was something different about her. Something special. He really liked her.
She wasn’t just pretty. She was smart, self-confident, relaxed, able to be herself. They joked and smiled a lot together. They had common interests. She felt easy to talk to. Easy to be himself around. He really liked her.
But she was in there, right now, finishing their date with some rude self-absorbed man. A well-dressed man. That suit he wore looked pretty expensive. He obviously must’ve had a lot of money. That’s probably why Dawn dumped him. Along came a better looking guy with more money.
Ray would be rich one day, some day. He was an entrepreneur, had started his own companies, and even had a little money earning interest in some investments right now. He was young, he was still learning, he was on his way. He wasn’t exactly rich yet, but he was doing well – right?
Maybe he should’ve went into a little debt and taken her someplace nicer. Obviously she was into men with money. Maybe she thought he had more money than he actually did, because he was the producer on his friend’s film. But he wasn’t getting paid. This was a volunteer project, a credit for one of his graduate school classes. And when she figured that out, she lost interest.
Just then, he saw the mysterious man exit the restaurant.
Ray immediately stood up, waiting for Dawn. She was worth holding on to. Maybe if he just explained that he’d be a better financial provider in the future— No, what was he thinking? If she really was that shallow, she obviously wasn’t the girl for him anyway. He didn’t want to explain anything to her. No, he wanted an apology from her! Even if their date was going badly – which it wasn’t – that’s no excuse to treat him like she did!
The mysterious man walked past, not even noticing Ray standing there. Dawn followed closely behind. As did their redhead server. And the host.
All three of them trailed behind like… like lost puppies or something.
What the hell was going on here?
“Dawn!” Ray shouted.
She stopped to look at him.
“What’s— You owe me— How could—?”
Maybe he should’ve planned what he was going to say better.
“This way, all of you, don’t delay,” said the mysterious man.
Dawn was about to say something, but when the mysterious man told her not to delay, she just shrugged with a loss for words, and followed the man down the street. The redhead server, and the restaurant’s host, followed right behind.
“Dawn, wait,” Ray called.
They kept walking.
Something was not right.
Ray needed to know what was going on. He follow them, from a distance, so not to be noticed. The mysterious man entered the nearby parking garage. The three went in with him.
Ray stuck close to corners and lurked behind cars. If anyone was racist, and saw him – a young black man – sneaking around expensive cars in a parking garage, they might’ve thought he was up to no good.
But Ray was a good guy. Never stole a thing in his life. Except maybe some music he pirated from the Internet. But who hasn’t done that?
If anyone was up to no good, it was this guy. This mysterious, sharply-dressed, strangely persuasive man. But what exactly was he doing? And why were Dawn, the server, and the host quietly going along?
He watched as they all stopped at a black BMW. The mysterious man told them all to get in. One by one, they did. Then the man got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Now where was he taking them?
Ray had to think fast.
He quickly memorized the BMW’s license plate. Ray also pulled out his cell phone and took a picture of the car. Everyone seemed to be going with him willingly, but it didn’t make any sense. Things were going great on his date with Dawn. And he seriously doubted that both the server and host got off work at the same time in the middle of the dinner rush. Maybe they were secretly being coerced somehow. Blackmailed. Or something. Maybe that man had a gun that Ray didn’t know about. Or… maybe they all knew him? No, that couldn’t be it. Dawn would’ve said something, reacted differently, if she knew him.
They drove off. Ray bolted for his car, which luckily wasn’t too far away – just a little ways down the row. He never ran so hard and so fast in his life. He really needed to get into better shape.
He arrived at his Ford Focus.
He looked back. The BMW headed for the exit.
He pulled out his keys so fast he almost dropped them. Shoved them into the lock, turned, and opened the door. Started up the engine, pulled out way too fast, and nearly hit an oncoming car in the process. He sped after the black BMW, nearly losing sight of him around the corner. Ray buckled up as he raced forward.
Thank God for traffic lights. He saw the black BMW stopped at one just ahead. They were in a turn-only lane, heading right. Probably headed for the freeway. It was a single lane road with several cars in between them. Ray couldn’t risk losing them. He looked ahead. No oncoming traffic. He dangerously weaved into the oncoming lane, floored the gas, and sped ahead to get in front of several cars.
The BMW turned onto the freeway. I-5 Southbound. Ray was still a few cars behind. But the freeway was good. He could catch up and follow them much more easily. And rush hour was almost over now. He turned onto the freeway, going the same direction. He made sure not to lose sight of them.
Every instinct told him something was wrong. He didn’t know what. He couldn’t explain it. Maybe it was some kind of kidnapping. It was the only thing that made any sense. He reached for his cell phone to call 9-1-1. But then he hesitated. They were all adults. They all appeared to go with him of their own free will. No one called for help or tried to escape. No resistance. No sign of any weapon or danger. No threats from the man they went with.
For all Ray knew, they were all going to some mansion in the Hollywood Hills for a big orgy. But Dawn didn’t seem like that kind of girl. He put the phone down. He needed more proof first. He didn’t know how, but he sensed she was in danger. But so far, all he could report was three consensual adults willingly catching a ride with some guy in a nice expensive car.
Hardly the crime of the century.
Damn, what was going on?
The BMW got into the fastest moving lane and sped ahead. Ray couldn’t lose them. He switched on his turn signal, quickly checked his mirrors, and suddenly swerved his car into the fast lane too. He pressed down the gas.
There was just one more car between them. Ray needed to think. What could he do? Suppose she was in danger. Ray had no training, no karate skills, no self-defense classes. He had no weapon or blunt objects in his car. Unless he counted the tire iron used to loosen lug nuts when changing tires. Yeah, actually, that was an ideal blunt instrument. Okay, but still, whatever this guy was using to coerce and manipulate Dawn and the others was obviously a lot more dangerous than a tire iron.
What did he want with Dawn, the server, and the host anyway? What was their connection?
The BMW moved to an exit lane to connect to a different freeway. They were headed for the 110 Southbound. They were headed downtown.
This could be tricky. A lot of lanes, a lot of junctions, a lot of freeways all converged here. There’d be a lot of merging and exiting traffic. Ray couldn’t risk getting separated. He accelerated to get closer to the BMW.
Really close.
Like right behind him.
Hopefully the mysterious man was unaware of him. Hopefully, Ray realized, he wasn’t putting himself into unnecessary danger.
He followed the BMW south on the 110 freeway. They weaved through Downtown Los Angeles and continued on the same road. They kept going south, past the I-10 freeway, and on down towards Long Beach.
It was getting dark fast. Ray memorized the shape and brightness of the BMW’s rear lights. He followed them all the way down to Long Beach, where they got off the freeway, traveled through some local roads, and eventually found themselves on some dark and scary narrow streets.
