Chapter Thirty: Secret Admirer

Leaving the Special Forces Base in a private jet, Smoke and Johnny talked, or rather Johnny talked and Smoke listened, about whatever came to their minds. It was going to be a short flight back to Deacon City, but there was no point in staying silent the whole time.

"Hey, maybe when we get back, we should go to a club or something. Being Hollywood royalty, I can get us into anything, anywhere, at any time without us paying a penny. Besides, now that we got you settled, we should celebrate! We're alive and that douchebag of an emperor is dead. You should have brought your friends, too."

"Sub-zero wanted to keep training at the academy and Cyrax wanted to stay at the base until he got used to his body. And whatever clubs you are referring to better not include naked women dancing on poles."

"Aw, come on, I'm not like that! They'll be wearing bras and panties!"

Tomas shook his head and looked out the window. It was still hard to believe that he was sitting in a jet instead of in his room back at the Lin Kuei temple. Smoke had never felt so free. As he watched the clouds roll by, the silver-haired man smiled softly. Johnny saw how content Tomas looked in the reflection of the window and arched a brow.

"You okay, pal?"

Smoke nodded without looking at the actor. A moment later, the flight attendant appeared and stood before the two passengers. She had short, brown hair with matching brown eyes and she had a huge smile on her face.

"Is there anything I can get you two gentleman?"

"Oh yeah, could you get me a glass of champagne, Krystal?"

"Certainly. And for you?"

Krystal turned to Smoke and waited for his response. Tomas shook his head.

"Uh, nothing for me, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

The attendant stepped closer to Tomas and looked him over. Her gaze was making Smoke very uncomfortable, but Krystal did not seem to notice.

"I am quite sure."

"Alright. Just let me know when you need anything. And I mean ANYTHING."

"I...will keep that in mind."

Krystal slowly walked away while she kept her eyes on Tomas. When she was gone, Johnny leaned in his seat to whisper to his friend.

"I think she has a thing for you, man."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't see the way she was looking at you? Krystal was practically licking her lips and waiting for you to take her into the bathroom."

"And why would I do that?"

Cage sighed. A whole crowd of women could be throwing themselves at Smoke's feet and he would not even know.

"You really need to get out more."

Johnny looked out his own window and saw skyscrapers in the distance. He looked back at Smoke.

"Look, we're almost there!"

Tomas soon saw the buildings as well and they eagerly waited for the jet to land. Approaching one of the buildings, the jet hovered over a bright, yellow helipad. The pilot slowly lowered the machine to the ground and as soon as it landed, Johnny stepped out and breathed in the air.

"You gotta love this city."

The actor looked at the view the roof provided of Deacon City and smiled. As Smoke was getting out of the jet, Krystal stopped him and put something in his hand. She then leaned in closed to Tomas to whisper in his ear.

"Give me a call sometime. I'm not only good at being a flight attendant, you know."

Krystal walked away from the confused Smoke. He opened his hand and looked at what the attendant had given him. It was a small piece of paper with her phone number on it. Tomas jerked his head up and saw Krystal blow a kiss at him before going out the exit of the roof. Johnny had seen what transpired between the two and jogged towards Smoke with a stupid grin on his face.

"Oh, ho, ho. Not a week in the city and you already got a chick's number. You work fast, my friend."

Tomas looked at the number one more time before passing it to Cage. He did not hate Krystal, but her presence just made him feel uneasy. Johnny threw his hands into the air.

"Dude, really!?"

Ignoring the actor, Smoke walked to the exit and opened the door. Johnny sighed, but he followed the silver-haired man off the roof. It did not take long for the two to reach Cage's apartment. Once inside, the sight of white, leather couches and glass tables greeted the duo. Various plants in vases were placed aound the living room and huge paintings adorned the plain, blue walls. The apartment contained a kitchen, two bathrooms, a master bedroom, and a guest room that Johnny had given to Smoke.

"Alright, I'm going to the bathroom. I can't believe my agent got me a jet without a bathroom. How is that even possible!?"

The actor ran to the bathroom and quickly shut the door. Tomas laughed at Johnny and took a seat on one of the couches. He leaned back and closed his eyes to relax himself.

"Living a life of luxury, my boy?"

Smoke sighed and opened his eyes. He turned his head to the side and Pyros greeted him with a smile. The telepath then looked out the huge, glass window that overlooked the city.

"Johnny Cage has a nice place, I admit. Just do not let all of this get to your head."

"Trust me, I won't."

"Good. How are you adjusting to life in the city though?"

Tomas shrugged.

"I am not complaining. But I am surprised that you did not contact me for the past few days."

"I wanted to give you some space. You deserve a break after all the hell you have gone through."

"Thanks."

Smoke glanced behind him to make sure that Johnny was not coming. Once he was sure they were alone, Tomas turned back to Pyros.

"What are you doing here anyway, Pyros? Is something wrong?"

"Why do you always assume that something is wrong whenever I want to speak to you? Can I not just want to check on your well-being?"

"No."

"Tomas, you wound me!"

"But you know that I am right."

Pyros sighed.

"...Okay, you are right. I wanted to talk to you about your conversation with Raiden at the Special Forces Base."

"You know what Raiden told me?"

"Yes."

"...And what do you think about it?"

Pyros leaned forward and put his hands on his knees.

"I think...that I was right about you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I told you that you were special, did I not?"

"How special could I be if the Elder Gods had not even known that I existed?"

"That is what makes you special."

"Are you going to explain why or are you going to keep talking in circles?"

The telepath laughed and then raised his hand into the air. With a snap of his fingers, their enviroment changed in an instant. No longer were they sitting in Johnny's apartment. The two were now sitting in a small house on a brown couch with a chair on the right side of it. On the wooden floor, a two-year old Tomas sat on the floor playing with some blocks with his father. The man was smiling down at his son as he played with his toys and would go fetch the blocks that the child threw across the room.

"Okay, boys. Lunch is ready."

A woman came into the room with a tray of sandwiches. She had long, black hair and brown eyes and she was wearing a gray dress with sandals. The man got up from the floor with Tomas in his arms and walked over to his wife to kiss her on the cheek.

"I am starving. These look delicious, Ana. Don't they, Tomas?"

The child did not answer, but he tried to grab one of the sandwiches from the tray. That only made his parents laugh.

"Looks like you're not the only one whose hungry, Gabriel."

The present Tomas watched as Ana placed the tray on a table and Gabriel sat on the other side of Pyros with their son sitting in his lap. Smoke turned to Pyros.

"The woman, Ana. She is my mother?"

"Yes, she is."

"Ana...and Gabriel."

Those were his parents names. Tomas felt strange saying them, like he was not sure he had the right to. A knock on the door interrupted the happy family and Smoke saw his mother go to the door to answer it. She looked through the peephole to see who it was on the other side of the door, but she did not recognize the person. In fact, Ana could not see their face due to the veil they wore over it. The woman slowly opened the door a crack and spoke to the stranger.

"Hello."

"Hello, I...I am...I..."

"Is something wrong? Are you alright?"

Hearing the worry in his wife's voice, Gabriel sat Tomas back on the floor and went to Ana.

"Who is it, honey?"

Ana shook her head while still looking at the hooded stranger. From their voice, she could tell that the person was a woman. A very nervous woman at that. Ana tried to talk to the stranger again.

"Can you tell us your name at least?"

"My name...is not important."

"What do you me...?"

Ana yelped as the stranger grabbed her arm and held her still. Gabriel immediately tried to pry his beloved's limb free, but the hooded woman had an iron grip that he could not fight against.

"Let go of her! What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"The child...where is he?"

"Child?"

Gabriel looked back at his son, who was standing right behind his parents with a scared look on his face. The stranger saw the boy and loosened her grip on Ana.

"Tomas...my dear child."

She tried to step towards Tomas, but his father blocked the way.

"You are not going anywhere near our boy, do you hear me!?"

"Please, you must let him come with me!"

"Why the hell should I!? You attacked my wife and now you want to kidnap our child!?"

"I am trying to...!"

The stranger started screaming and she held her head in her hands. Gabriel told Ana to get inside and Ana quickly grabbed Tomas and ran into another room. The hooded woman held out her hand as she saw the boy be taken away.

"No, Tomas...Tomas..."

That was the last thing Smoke heard before the memory ended and he and Pyros were back in the apartment. He sat up on the couch and put his head in his hands.

"Who was that? What did she want with me?"

Pyros placed his hand on Tomas' back and started rubbing it in a circular motion.

"That woman was trying to help you, Tomas. But she should not have approached your parents the way she did. She was desperate and afraid of what was going to happen to you."

"But who was she?"

"...That woman...was Delia. The wife of Argus."