Mystic Rhythms

Part 1

Astral Forces

By Nick Maro

Light and sound slowly washed over Roxy as she found herself waking on the floor of Jetta's bedroom. There was a slight throbbing coming from her forehead. It was then she realized that she was laying face down. She slowly sat up and leaned her back against Jetta's bed. She tried to remember how she wound up on the floor.

Rubbing her eyes in thought Roxy sighed to herself. Memories of a fight between herself and her best friend slowly returned. It was then she remembered coming into Jetta's room to find it empty with no way for Jetta to leave the room. She then remembered panicking and fainting. Roxy groaned into her hands. "Sheila, you bloody git, where did you get off to this time?"

A limp arm fell off the side of the bed, smacking Roxy on the side of the head gently. A softer moan came from the mattress above her. She cautiously peeked over the edge of the mattress to see Jetta's unconscious body lying on the bed. She looked pale and had a thin layer of sweat on her brow.

Roxy stood quickly but then grabbed her head from the sudden blood rush she got from standing too fast. When she opened her eyes it looked as if parts of Jetta's body was disappearing and reappearing randomly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them Jetta was fine. "Must've been the vertigo messing with me," she mumbled.

Jetta stirred and moaned quietly. Roxy ran into the bathroom and grabbed a damp wash cloth. She ran a finger across Jetta's forehead and rubbed the sweat between her fingers. It wasn't sweat as she had thought. It was more like a thin gel or jelly. She wiped it on the cloth and began gently wiping Jetta's forehead. She spoke softly in the black haired woman's ear.

When she was done wiping off Jetta's face, Roxy went into the kitchen and made a pot of tea. She brought the two mugs into Jetta's room to find her awake and slightly confused. She took the mug of tea after being asked twice if she wanted it. "I'm sorry I ran off like I did, luv. I don't even know where I went or what I did." Jetta thought hard for a moment. "I think I turned invisible. I can't remember."

"Okay, Houdini, do I get to know how you turned invisible? Or is that a secret you can't reveal?"

Jetta laughed weakly and smiled as she sipped her tea. "Honestly, luv. I don't remember if I did or not, much less how I did it." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I do remember that I was seein' everythin' differently. Everythin' was blurry and the sound was muffled slightly. I could hear me own breathin' just fine. But when you spoke it was like the sound was turned down and underwater. The room kept shimmerin' in a rainbow pattern."

Roxy sat on the edge of Jetta's bed and looked at her best friend suspiciously. "You haven't been eating any strange mushrooms, have you?" She waited for Jetta to think about she had just said and joined her in a soft laugh. Roxy slipped her shoes off and leaned against her best friend. They relaxed with their backs to the headboard.

"Rox, I'd like it if you stayed in here tonight with me. I just need a friend." Jetta set the mug of tea on her nightstand.

"No problem. Let me go change and turn off the lights." Roxy picked up her shoes, quickly pecked Jetta lightly on the lips and left the room. She peeked her head back into the room and smirked. "Don't go disappearing on me now." They both laughed and Roxy turned off the lights on the way to her room to change.

The crack of thunder caused Astral to instinctively jump slightly. She watched the thunderstorm rage out of control through the living room window of the Xanthos Estate. In the reflection of the window she watched the other woman calmly read the daily newspaper. The dark haired woman was Richard Xanthos' assistant, Christine.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat or drink? Richard may be a bit longer with the storm and all." Christine spoke without putting her newspaper down. "Oh look, the Android's Dungeon is having their Worst Sale Ever. I may have to check that out." She turned the page of the newspaper and glanced over the top. "Maeve, sit down. Watching out the window like a lonely puppy has never made him arrive quicker."

Astral turned and looked at Christine as she folded up the newspaper and set it aside. She sat in the chair opposite of her old friend. "I guess I will have that bite to eat. I need to keep my strength up. Richard will have us all preparing non-stop once I tell him what I've discovered." She stood again and began pacing.

Christine scowled at how her friend was acting. It wasn't like her at all. She pressed a button on the armrest and told the kitchen staff to bring a couple of sandwiches for Astral and herself. She sat back in the chair and crossed her legs. "Maeve, sit. Watching you pace is making my neck hurt. Tell me what's going on. Richard won't care."

Sitting and chewing her thumbnail Astral stared at the carpet. "I did something very stupid based on a gut feeling." She swallowed hard and looked up at Christine. "I went to the Phantom Lands. The Soulless One has escaped." Astral winced as she heard Christine gasp sharply. "I don't know why I went there. I just felt I should have."

"How long has he been gone?"

"Not too long as far as I could tell." Astral watched Christine pour herself a glass of whiskey and drink it in one gulp. She poured another for herself and one for Astral. "Thanks. I don't know how he escaped. We put so many wards and bindings on him that he should've been comatose for another twenty years or so." Astral leaned back in the chair. A butler brought in a platter of sandwiches and placed them between her and Christine. The food suddenly didn't look very appetizing.

Christine sipped her whiskey as she grabbed a sandwich. She chewed the bite of sandwich and sat in thought. "He doesn't have any followers left. We killed or turned all of his disciples and acolytes." She continued eating then put the sandwich down. "You don't think Frack is behind this? I mean, yes, we did turn him, but he hasn't caused trouble since then." She gave a small shrug.

Astral shook her head. "No. He's harmless and I thought about that, too. After I returned from the Phantom Lands I checked on him. He's a trickster now, nothing more. He didn't have the taint that he carried when we first met him."

The butler walked back into the room and took the remaining sandwiches then left. Christine stood and started her own pacing. "This isn't good at all. Tolliver shouldn't have been able to escape like that." She glanced at Astral over her shoulder. "This means Richard will have to call the family together. Last time that happened there were much more of us."

"Yeah, I know." Astral winced at the painful memories.

A pair of powerful hands gripped Astral's shoulders and began kneading them. "Thank you for coming to tell me, Maeve. I apologize for my eavesdropping. It was just so nice seeing the both of you talking like this again." Richard offered a small smile to both women. "My date with Phyllis ended early. It seems that her brother and a few friends are heading back to Japan tomorrow. I would've attended the party, but Bryan called and told me you had been waiting for quite some time."

Richard sat across from Astral. He crossed his legs and wrapped his hands across his knees. "Now, tell me everything you can remember about what you found in the Phantom Lands." He leaned in close as Astral began to tell her lifelong friend about what she had discovered.

The stewardess lightly nudged Kyoko, waking her slowly. She bent in with a pleasant grin and spoke in soft Japanese. "[Excuse me, Ma'am. We have arrived in Osaka. Please wake your husband and gather your belongings. Thank you.]" She left before Kyoko could respond.

Kyoko shook David who was in a deep sleep. "Wake already." She shoved him again, lightly hitting his head on the plane window. "Wake up before she comes back and calls you my husband again. We went through enough to get our first marriage annulled," Kyoko muttered to herself.

"What? There so soon?" David covered his mouth as he yawned. "I was having a wonderful dream about Riot thinking a poison ivy bush was Jem. He was chasing the bush everywhere while breaking out in hives." He stopped laughing when he saw the glare Kyoko was giving him. He began gathering his bags without a further word.

"This is Captain Alan Phillips thanking everyone for once again flying Nippon Air. Myself and the rest of the crew hope you had a pleasant flight." The plane's intercom snapped off with a slight crackle.

Yukio, Eiji, Hitomi and Ken waited for Kyoko and David inside the terminal. Ken waved to David he had a slight smirk on his face. "You don't think our pilot was related to Mary do you, David? But then again knowing our luck if he is, he'd be a psychotic werewolf or something."

David yawned again as he passed through customs. "I don't think so, Ken. He didn't look like her or anything. Besides, didn't you hear him talking like he was in Starfleet on the intercom? He was an amusing pilot to have." David and his five friends made their way to baggage claim and gathered their bags.

Each of the six friends smiled when they saw their families waiting for them. David, Yukio and Kyoko knew that their stay in Japan was to help the Arashikage Clan hunt down the leader of the Crimson Sons. Yet they couldn't help but be happy to see Mariko and Ayumi talking with Ken and Hitomi's parents and Eiji's father. Yukio couldn't wait to see Nekobaka again.

After a brief discussion it was agreed they would all head back to Mariko's house for a small welcome home party.

It was just past midnight in the City of Angels. Pizzazz lifted her head when she heard her office door open and softly shut. She smiled at her half sister and stretched in her chair. "What are you doing here, Mary? I thought you'd be in bed by now."

Stormer sat across from her long time friend. "The house was too quiet without David and Yukio. I tried calling you at your place, but Evelyn said you were here working on the new Misfits album." She leaned forward and tried to get a better look at papers on Pizzazz's desk. She frowned when she saw they were blank. "Well, looks like you had a productive night. What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," she said avoiding looking at Stormer.

"Now Phyllis," Stormer said in her sweetest voice, "remember that I can tell when you're lying. So, what's on your mind? You have that something-is-bugging-me-but-I-can't-tell-anyone-because-then-I'll-look-weak-in-front-of-the-others look. I'll bet it's the same thing that's bugging me." She smirked when Pizzazz chuckled.

"You're a pain in the ass, did you know that?" Pizzazz stood from her chair and went to the mini-fridge she kept in the corner of her office. It was something she had installed since her office was blown up on Christmas morning. She tossed Stormer a can of beer and grabbed one for herself. "I was thinking about what David was saying about the Crimson Sons. How they're out to hurt him slowly by threatening us all." She sat on the edge of her desk and sipped the beer. "I just don't feel one hundred percent safe with him in Japan hunting them down."

Opening her can and taking a small sip, Stormer hooked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "He did say that they did go back to Japan. The Arashikage Clan did show him proof before he decided what to do." She sat on the edge of the desk next to Pizzazz and patted her leg. "We can't let our lives be controlled by what happens because of David. We're a band. I miss David as much as you do, but I also trust him. He'll be okay. Let's just worry about us, about The Misfits."

Stormer slid off the desk edge gave Pizzazz a wicked grin. "Now, I've been working on some new material. I'm sure Rox and Sheila are awake. Let's give them a ring and maybe we can lay down a few test tracks. What do you say?"

Pizzazz paced the office window twice before letting her old wild side peek through. "Right now, I think what we need to do is remind the world who The Misfits really are. The hell with recording some new songs." Her wicked grin widened. "Let's go crash a few clubs and give the clubbers a minor thrill?"

Almost immediately Stormer nodded and returned the grin that Pizzazz wore. Within minutes both women were on their way out the door to the home of Jetta and Roxy.

Sitting in the shadows of the semi-darkened room, Astral watched through the one way mirror as the mages entered the room one by one. They sat around a long conference table. A dark haired couple who that Astral remembered growing up with was holding hands. She saw a ring on each of their fingers. She smiled slightly at the thought of two of her best friends growing up and getting married.

Astral's smile turned into a slight frown when she saw former magical duo known as Frick and Frack enter the room. The duo had reformed after their very public falling out. Frack sat opposite of Devon and Marla, while Frick stood with his back against the wall. He stared at his feet not wanting to look at either Marla or Devon.

The person to enter the room next caused Astral to jump to her feet. Rapture slowly entered and scanned the room. Anger made Astral's blood boil at the casual natural that Rapture was radiating. The look of surprise on the faces of the four in the room made her smirk. She walked to an empty chair and sat down. She ignored the others in the room by looking her nails over.

Causing her body to slip through the molecules of the mirror, Astral grabbed Rapture by the coat collar and lifted her from the chair. She pulled Rapture close to her face so that their noses touched. Without saying a word Astral tossed Rapture through the mirror. Rapture's body shattered the mirror instantly. The others in the room watched in shock and surprise.

Rapture stood brushing the broken mirror from her clothing. She looked up at Astral and smirked. "Well hello to you too, Maeve. I see you're still holding a grudge."

Astral ran towards Rapture and thrust her shoulder into the blonde's midsection, lifting her up slightly and knocking the air from her lungs. She continued to run, shoving Rapture against the far wall. Astral landed a solid punch to Rapture's ribs. She felt a few crack. "A grudge? You think I'm holding a grudge? It took an oath of honor from me saying I wouldn't kill you. An oath that said I wouldn't carry out my revenge in front of the non-magickal." Astral grabbed Rapture by the coat again and flung her through the opening of where the mirror was.

"Maeve! Stop it!" cried Marla. "Think of your karma."

"Funny thing is, Marla," Astral brought her knee into Rapture's stomach. "I'm not using magick. This is pure, unadulterated rage and hatred I'm using." She punched Rapture in the jaw. Blood flew out of the corner of her mouth. Astral stood over Rapture with purple energy crackling around her fists. "That was just for me. The vengeance I swore for my mentor will be much more severe." She kicked Rapture in the ribs. "Do you hear me, bitch?"

Astral was grabbed from behind and pulled away from Rapture. Richard spoke quietly in her ear, his voice heavy with anger. "This is not the time or the place for petty differences. Save it for the schoolyard. Have you forgotten the reason why we've summoned everyone here?" Richard stared into Astral's eyes causing her to look down in shame. "That's what I thought."

Richard gestured toward Rapture and spoke under his breath. The blood from Rapture's lip vanished. He reached down and helped her up. "I do apologize for Maeve's actions and appreciate your coming here."

"Thank you, Richard. I just hope I can be of some help." Rapture walked back to her seat and looked at Astral with a smirk. "I mean after all my ability to manipulate the magickal forces have been completely removed from my body."

"You don't need your heart, either. Mind if I remove that too?"

"Maeve, that will be quite enough! You're only embarrassing yourself in front of our guests," Richard said in an even, yet firm voice. "Keep in mind that I was there also when your mentor was killed, but please, just for now, focus on our main goal. Ms. Ashe is an instrumental part for what we must do." Richard turned to the four other guests. "Frick, please take a seat. You do not impress anyone anymore."

Frick nodded and sat next to his partner Frack. Richard took a deep, calming breath and sat down at the head of the table. "First, I apologize for the actions of Maeve. As everyone here is aware of how Phoebe Ashe set up Maeve's mentor to be murdered by Tolliver. Ms. Ashe has since been punished by having her access to the magickal energies forever removed. Phoebe was studying under one of our finest mages in Germany when Tolliver first started what is now known as the Magickal Holocaust.

"But enough about the past, what we must discuss now is what Maeve has told me. Tolliver has escaped the Phantom Lands." Richard leaned back in his chair and waited.

Marla leaned forward and cleared her voice. "Must you refer to him as Tolliver? Doesn't that give him power?"

"It doesn't really matter if we call him Tolliver, the Soulless One or Bubbles the Naked Clown," Frack explained to Marla. He elbowed the chuckling Frick. "He'll draw power from any name that is inferred to him. I thought you would've learned that by now."

"Thank you, Frack," Devon said slightly annoyed. "I think Marla knows the primary fundamentals of magick." He glanced at Frick. "One of which that says you don't betray your fellow mages." Devon sipped his glass of water and arched an eyebrow.

Frack slammed his palms on the table and stood. "How many times do I have to remind you that I didn't know Frick was going to do that? He betrayed me as well in case you forgot."

Devon stood to show he would not be intimidated. Before he could speak, Richard stood as well. "Silence the both of you! I'm not about to let petty bickering and arguments keep us from planning how to locate Tolliver." Richard placed his thumb and forefinger on his forehead. "Why don't we just pick this up tomorrow? We'll meet on the sundeck for breakfast, which will be at eight in the morning. Dismissed."

Richard slumped in the chair as he watched the mages leave the meeting room. Christine's began to massage Richard's shoulders. He groaned in pleasure. "This is a motley group we have here. But we may be able to subdue Tolliver and take him as prisoner again if they can just get along."

"They will, Richard. They'll get along just fine when the time calls for it. They always have. They always will. Just give them more credit and have a little faith in their abilities." Christine stopped rubbing her long time friend's shoulders and left the room for Richard to think about what she had just said.

It had been fours days since Jetta had vanished. Neither she nor Roxy spoke about it to the other Misfits. They felt it was their problem. Together they waited for Stormer and Pizzazz to arrive in the studio. Roxy tuned her guitar while Jetta read a book on theoretical energy when Stormer entered the studio carrying a folder that had papers spilling out of the sides. She smiled wide. "Guess who's been writing."

"What did you do? Write a whole album in one night?"

Stormer let out a pleased giggle. "Something like that, Roxy. Anyway, we're not recording today. Phyllis is over at Richard's place again. She said we'll begin practice tomorrow. You know how she is with Richard." She handed the two other women sheets of paper. "I swear I liked her better single. We got more work done." Stormer got a good look at Jetta. "Hey Sheila, are you feeling okay? You look very pale and exhausted."

Jetta smiled and looked over the sheets she was given. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a few late nights is all. I'm still workin' on the history of The Misfits book. That's takin' up a lot of me time and energy. This reminds me I need to interview you for your take on The Misfits beginnin's and such. When would be a good time for you, luv?" Jetta sipped her water and continued to go over the sheet music.

"How about tonight sometime? That is if you and Roxy aren't doing anything. I'd hate to bother you during any, ah, private time." Stormer blushed slightly.

Letting out a small snort of a laugh, Roxy covered her face with her sheets of paper. She desperately tried to keep from laughing. Jetta elbowed her friend. "Quiet you." She turned her attention back to Stormer. "Actually I was thinking I could interview you and Roxy both at once." Roxy's laughter stopped at that comment.

"That's a great idea, Sheila." Stormer smiled and began to go over the music with the two women.

An hour later she left the two women alone. Roxy had left to run to the washroom and Jetta began reading her book again. She looked at her right hand and saw it begin to vanish from sight. The thought of her hand disappearing on her hadn't fully registered in her brain. It finally did when it began to turn visible again.

Looking up from her book she saw that Roxy was still gone. She told herself that she wouldn't tell Roxy about the incident.

TO BE CONTINUED IN "DANSE PATTERNS"

PART 2 OF MYSTIC RHYTHMS