Michelle "MJ" Jones

When I got home from work, I decided to call up Scott. I figured it'd be a longshot. I tried to call him back using the number he called me with. I was going to try his main number, but something told me he avoided using it for a reason. A bit to my surprise, there was actually some ringing before the call was picked up.

"Hello?" Scott answered.

"Hey Erik," I greeted.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's okay. I… I gave Jericho a call. I'm probably going to have sessions with him during Spring Break. I figured I'd let you know. I'm just not sure if I want to do it in person or online. My parents said they would pay for me to take a Spring Break trip, but I'm not sure where I'd stay."

"I can take care of that."

I pressed my lips together as I sat down on my bed. "Erik, I'm grateful, but I don't want you paying for everything."

"I wouldn't have to pay for shelter. I have someone you can stay with down in New Orleans. He's actually my brother and his wife."

I raised my eyebrows. "Kitty mentioned something about your family a while back. Is it the brother you have a complicated relationship with?"

At that, Scott scoffed. "No, that would not be wise. Nothing against him, but we're not in a place where we're willing to do each other any favors. No, this is my other brother, Remy. He and his wife Anna are good people." He paused for a moment. "It's not that Alex isn't a good person. It's just…" He paused again. I could tell he was trying to find the right words to say. Scott would be nothing if he wasn't particular about the words he used. "Alex and I both want the same thing for our people. We just can't quite agree on how to go about doing that and, unfortunately, it drove a wedge between us." There was a certain sadness to his voice when he said that. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to let him know we shared some common ground.

"I kind of get that," I said. "…My family and I… I guess we're on better terms. But, I still have some feelings there that need to be sorted out, especially in regards to my sister. We all want things to be better, I'm sure. I just feel like certain things are being overlooked that should be addressed before that can happen."

Scott made a sound of acknowledgment. "Family is complicated, isn't it?"

"That it is."

After a few moments of silence, Scott spoke again. "Well, I have to get going. I'll let you know as soon as possible if Remy can house you during Spring Break. Until then, you have a good one, okay?"

"You too, Erik," I said. The call ended there. I took in a breath. That was one thing possibly handled. Feeling a bit accomplished, I was about to go have dinner when my phone rang again. I looked at the screen before I saw Yuri's phone number. I raised an eyebrow before I answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hey MJ," Yuri greeted. "How would you like to go to a five star restaurant?"

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Um… sure."

"Awesome. Also, do you happen to have a wig?"

I looked over at the closet. I still had the red wig I wore in Palm Springs. "I do."

"Good. Now get dressed up and wear the wig. I'm picking you up in about an hour."

Before I could ask any further questions, she hung up the phone. I closed my eyes and rolled them. Something told me that this wasn't going to be a normal dinner. Still, I stood up and did what I was told. I left a note for my parents, letting them know that I was with Yuri. By the time Yuri called me, I was dressed up in my black and white suit – the same one I wore when I, along with Scott and the rest of the American Idiots, accompanied Peter when he visited Aunt May's grave. I had the wig in my bag, along with a wig cap and some bobby pins. I made my way down and got into Yuri's car.

As Yuri drove off, I reached into my bag and started pulling out the bobby pins. "So, you want to tell me what this is about?" I asked.

"Simple," Yuri replied nonchalantly. "I found a bigger fish for Cleary to fry."

I looked at her as I started to put my hair up. "You didn't put him up on another target, did you? I want him off of my back, but I don't someone else to be harassed."

"It's a bit more complicated than that. See, Cleary is a part of a whole DODC unit that he himself heads up. They've been investigating meta-human matters all over the city. So, there are those who covertly investigate their targets rather than question them directly like Cleary has done with you. So, I decided to investigate a couple of those agents while they were out doing their own investigation."

Once I had my hair up, I pulled down the sun visor and checked my reflection in the mirror. Satisfied with how my hair was, I reached into the bag and pulled out my wig cap. "I'm guessing you found something juicy." I put on the cap and adjusted it.

"Juicy doesn't even begin to describe it. While Cleary can be rather aggressive, he's also rather pragmatic. He understands that certain cases need certain approaches. Case in point, his unit is investigating current ESU freshman Money St. Croix. While nothing is confirmed, there have been rumors going around that she has powers. What those powers are, however, is not known. What she's able to do vary from rumor to rumor. However, her alleged status as a meta-human is what's important. It's who her father is."

All during that, I was putting on my wig, listening to her as I adjusted it. "Is her father some big time gangster or something?"

"No – he's the Monaco Ambassador to The U.S. – Cartier St. Croix."

I looked at her with wide eyes. "You're kidding."

"Nope." She popped the P as she said that. "And I have a feeling that they've been extremely covert with the way they've been investigating Monet due to her relations to Cartier. They don't want to get his attention. So, we're actually going to pay the ambassador a visit."

"Now?!" I said. She nodded. "But DC's about four hours away!"

"That it is. Fortunately, for the both of us, he's actually in town for a meeting this week. And right now, he's eating at Eleven Madison Park. The restaurant is actually closed off to only him and his men."

"And we're just going to barge in?"

Yuri shrugged. "I like to let my badge be the key for entry."

We arrived at the restaurant. Once we found parking and after she turned the car off, Yuri reached over and opened the glove compartment. She grabbed a pair of sunglasses and tossed them onto my lap. I looked at her. Yuri looked back at me and beckoned towards the sunglasses with her head. Getting the message, I grabbed the shades and put them on my face. I put down the sun visor once more and checked the mirror. I took in my appearance – red hair, black shades… between those and the outfit I was wearing…

"I feel like an assassin," I commented as I put the sun visor back up.

"You look cute, though," Yuri said as she pulled out a small manila envelope.

"Thanks."

We both got out of the car. I took a quick glance around as I closed the door before I followed Yuri closely. It didn't take us long to reach the revolving door of the restaurant. Yuri tried to push through, but the door was locked. I wasn't surprised – considering who we were going to see, it would have been foolish to expect the door to be open. At this point, Yuri took the badge off of her belt and placed it against the glass with her left hand as she knocked on the glass with her right hand. After some seconds, she stepped backward.

Who I assumed was the hostess stepped outward.

"Good evening," she greeted. "What seems to be the problem, officer?"

"I'm Detective Yuri Watanabe of the NYPD," Yuri began. "This is my associate Melanie Daniels."

"A pleasure," I said.

"The reason we're here is because we need to speak with your current patron."

The woman hesitated. "Um… I don't know if I can do that. There is some –"

"Very important people who are eating inside, right?" Yuri nodded. "I know who is inside right now. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be here. But this isn't a normal circumstance. Please let him know that an NYPD detective is outside and really needs to talk to him about something urgent in regards to his daughter Monet."

The hostess looked back and forth between us. She then nodded before she stepped inside.

"Think they'll let us in?" I asked.

"I hope so," Yuri whispered back as she crossed her arms.

"…How did you know that Cartier would be here?"

"Remember the meeting I told you about earlier? I heard about it on the news during my time tailing the DODC agents that were tailing Monet. On a whim, I decided to reach out to some informants I have working in different places. One of them actually works here part time."

I nodded slowly. "That's pretty convenient."

"Certain… figures… in New York's criminal underground have influence and the benefit of good publicity. Because of that, they are able and willing to dine in fine establishments such as these without worry. So, I try to position my informants in places where they can get me the most intel. They don't seem to mind, though – apparently, they pay's very good here."

A couple of minutes later, the hostess returned with three men. I looked through the glass of the door and took note of their attire. They were wearing dark grey suits with black shirts and ties. Over their eyes were sunglasses and each one had on an earpiece. Something told me it was part of a communication device. I assumed they were security personnel. One of them stepped outside.

"Step inside, please," he said. Without hesitation, Yuri stepped through the revolving door. I stepped in right after her. After the man stepped inside, he moved in front of us. "If you have any weapons, please turn them over." I looked at Yuri as she slowly pulled back the left side of her jacket, showing the pistol she had holstered. Keeping the same slow pace, she went about taking the pistol out of its holster. She then removed the magazine and the bullet that was chambered before she handed everything over to the man. "Thank you. Now follow me."

We did just that, following the guard while the other two flanked us. We were led to a part of the bar area of the restaurant that was sectioned off. At the table was a black man with short tapered hair. He was donning a black and white suit with a bowtie. With him were more guards. He looked up at the two of us as we approached.

"I must say, I didn't have meeting with the NYPD on the agenda," he said as we came to a stop near him. He stood up and looked back and forth between the two of us. "Normally, I'd introduce myself, but considering you know the name of my daughter, I take it you know who I am already."

"Yes, I do, Cartier," Yuri confirmed. "As I stated earlier to the hostess, I'm Detective Yuri Watanabe."

Cartier nodded. "Is my daughter in trouble?"

"Well, that depends. Is she in trouble with us? No. However, she has caught the attention of another law enforcement agency." She pointed to her jacket. "I have an envelope with photos to give to you. If I may…" Yuri slowly reached into her jacket. I saw the guards start to stiffen up. Yuri continued to move slowly as she pulled out the envelope. It was at this point that one of the guards stepped up and held his hand out. Without protest, Yuri handed it over. "In that envelope, you'll find pictures of various DODC agents staking out places your daughter has been occupying – public places such as The Museum of Modern Art and Coney Island and more closed off places like her dorm at ESU and the library on that campus."

Cartier narrowed his eyes. "Why would Damage Control have an interest in my daughter?"

Yuri made a sound that was equal parts a short chuckle and a scoff. Even with my sunglasses off, I had to fight to prevent my eyes from rolling. He knew why.

"I think we both know the answer to that question, Mr. St. Croix," Yuri replied. "I don't know if your daughter is a meta-human of any kind. Personally, I do not care. It's not my responsibility to enforce the Accords. I just figured you'd like to know."

Cartier stared at us for a moment. He then chuckled as he shook his head. "So what interest do you have in this?"

Yuri took in a breath. "I don't very much care for The Accords. Part of it is due to principle. Part of it is because it makes my job a lot more stressful than it already is. With New York being a hub for vigilante activities, I often find myself working with those who violate the Accords on a regular basis. Even though the NYPD is not required to enforce The Accords, Damage Control always makes it a point to question and investigate us if someone such as Spider-Man is even in the vicinity of an arrest. It's annoying, but bearable. However, I do draw a line when someone who is a victim of a crime is being hounded. The DODC has taken an interest in someone who was held hostage in a certain past event. Are you familiar with the Midtown Incident?"

"That I am," Cartier said. I heard the disdain in his tone. "Unfortunately, these so-called Friends of Humanity remind me of certain groups back in Europe."

"Well, one of the students that was held hostage was being patched up by Spider-Man. Apparently, a little handholding was enough for a DODC agent to start investigating said student to try and get to the X-Men. The student vented to me about this. I am not thrilled, to say the least."

"Now to sound unsympathetic, but what do you expect me to do?"

"I expect you to do what any parent would do for their kid. Anyway, you have the pictures. Whatever happens next is up to you. That's all I came for. We'll be on our way."

We made our leave. We were escorted out before Yuri's gun was handed back to her. After the bullet was reloaded into the magazine and after the magazine was reloaded into the pistol, Yuri and I made our way back to the car as she holstered the weapon.

"So, what do you think is going to happen?" I asked.

"I don't know," Yuri admitted. "A lot of things can happen. Whatever does happen, though, I hope it's enough to get Cleary off your back."

I nodded. "Well, whatever happens, thanks a lot."

"It's no problem." She then changed the subject. "Are you hungry?"

I thought about it. I then smiled. "Starving, actually."