"Layla?" he asked quietly.

She nodded. "Alfonse... is she home?"

"No she's out with Cindy. What are you...," he began to ask. "I mean, I thought... You didn't even come to Henry's funeral. Where have you been all these years?"

Layla put a finger to his lips. "Shhh... Hush now. I just..." She began to sob. "I was looking at photos the other day and...and.. I just... I couldn't bear it. I've got to have her back in my life, Alfonse."

Mysteria #8
'Homecomings'
by Robert Flynn

"Yes, well, it does feel so good to be singing again," Cindy said, smiling.

"I know you made quite a scene when you popped back up." Victoria laughed. "Your first concert sold out in record time; you're still the toast of the party circuit. It's always 'Did you go to the new Margollis?' or 'Have you heard her sing that aria? It's absolutely amazing!' We'll have to have you at one of the parties out at the manor." Victoria beamed. "I had a wonderful time, Cindy..."

"Me too," Cindy said. "We'll have to do it again sometime."

The two women stood up and hugged, Victoria leaving a sizeable tip for the waiter. Cindy looked at her, looked deep into her face and her eyes and for just a moment Victoria was the striking image of her father, and Cindy's heart skipped a beat. She felt that same old longing and began to blush-this was too much. Suddenly, it felt as though the room was starting to close in on her. She stumbled backwards a moment, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"I... I... umm. Victoria, I'll see you soon." Cindy was practically running for the door. "I'm sorry, but I just remembered something important I forgot to do..."

Victoria arched an eyebrow, but simply mumbled goodbye.

***

She stepped out into the cool night air and tugged the coat over her shoulders. "Valet? Where is my bloody car?"

"I... I don't..." The valet looked at her fearfully. "I. I mean to say.we. uhm. I just got on and I don't..." He bit his lower lip, knowing that this lady was going to be trouble.

"Find it!" she shot back, digging her cell phone out of her purse. "Idiots...couldn't find the crack of their arse with both hands and a friend holding a flashlight. I swear I should buy this place and fire the whole lot of you undereducated, moronic jack-asses," she muttered out of irritation.

***

Jack sighed as he slumped back down in the chair; at least the blonde was taken care of. He lit a cigarette and began to ponder how he should get on with Victoria when the phone rang.

"Vicky, darling, I was just thinking of you," he said with a slight chuckle. "How was dinner?"

He paused. listening. A bored expression filled his features; sometimes, he truly despised this vapid airhead. All she did was babble about work and clothes... and that idiot Carter - whoever the Hell he was.

"Really? Well, sure, come on over... Yeah, I wanted to talk to you too darling... mhmmm."

He was all but laughing. This was too rich. He'd do it tonight right after he had his fun with her... right there in the bed with her still naked beside him. After he finished with her, there was no way she would be able to say no.

"Of course, you can, baby... Hell, stay the night. Yeah, I know that sounds like fun...come on, baby... We'll have a blast. Yes... Love you too."

He hung up, smiling; he knew now that she was about to go for it hook, line, and sinker.

***

Victoria had barely opened the car door when she heard it...a soft whimper, a cry for help...all the excuse she needed to peel out of the parking lot and change into her ' work clothes '. It always gave her a little thrill to do this, changing in public, invisible or no. She had to admit it was just a little kinky.

She hid the car in a parking garage and quickly made her way back to the restaurant. She saw what was happening quickly: two thugs in suits had a small girl cornered in an alleyway. She scanned the situation, one small child... possibly age six, holding a teddy bear, and two armed thugs, holding two guns. She hit the ground between them, her cape pooling around her on the ground as she crouched, glaring at the two gunmen. She paused and rose, lithely and dramatically, to her feet.

"You know...it used to be that stealing candy from a baby didn't involve firearms." Her voice at once filled with gravel. "In fact, I think it only took one thief. You two boys back off, leave the girl be, and you'll keep your teeth. Trust me: buying the lollipop at the corner store is a lot less painful."

"Lady, you don't understand what's going on. Step away from the girl." With that warning, the one on the left trained his gun on the costumed woman.

"I wouldn't if I were you..." She faded from sight. A moment later the man was on the ground and his gun across the alley. She kicked high, brought her foot down across his wrist, and placed her other beside his jugular.

The other man began firing blindly, and the child screamed. Mysteria thought she heard something rattle, but there was no time to look. She needed to take this guy out before someone was seriously injured.

His weapon was at least one she recognized: a nine millimeter. Whoever these guys were, they weren't packing any sort of strong hardware, just street issue guns. The ground shook, and she heard windows shatter for what sounded like blocks. Still no time to look. Whatever was happening, this guy was the first concern. She couldn't risk one of those bullets hitting the kid... Something blew by her. Thick and fast, it brushed her, and she dropped in pain, her shoulder a sudden bloody mess.

'What the hell?!' her mind screamed. Mysteria turned toward her opponent just as the ground exploded. Debris flew everywhere A large shadow fell over her, and she thought she heard the groan of pneumatic pistons coming from the large figure towering above. Victoria gasped, 'Holy shit...' A fast jetted downward. The second gunman collapsed. The hole in his ribcage oozed a thick crimson.

***

Alfonse stopped in the middle of his sentence and turned to the door. "Bloody Hell, who can it be at this hour?"

Layla sighed. "A friend of Victoria's? Some one special?"

"Doubtful. Jeffrey has probably locked himself out again."

"Jeffery?" Layla asked. "Alfonse, you're allowing her boyfriends to stay in the manor? You're growing lax on the discipline." A slight giggle escaped her lips.

"I'll explain later." Alfonse walked to the door and unlocked it with a flick of his wrist. "Jeffrey, you weren't due back for another two..." He pulled the door inwards, and it suddenly rushed forward, colliding with his face and knocking him out cold. The butler let out on last gasp, as his hand tenderly ran across the busted cartilage of his nose; then, his world faded to black.

Layla gasped, "You? What are you doing here?"

***

The 'Teddy bear' lifted its bloody metallic fist from the crater in the ground. Victoria gaped in awe. It was easily twice her height with wires and pistons jutting out in every direction. The little girl rode its shoulders as though it was a trained pet; her eyes had an eerie yellow glow to them as power, like flames, steamed from her eye sockets. Victoria noted with disgust that the girl seemed to be fused to the robot, her legs ending in wires and connectors that were linked into the thing, a nauseating amalgamation of metal and flesh.

"You want to take my teddy," the girl accused as the thing drew its fist back again; her eyes flared as her cold, emotionless voice uttered the words. "They all want him, but you can't have him!" As the girl began to scream, her eyes illuminated the alley like spotlights. "He's mine and you'll never get him! We aren't going back! Never!!"

Victoria stepped back slowly. "Sweetie, I'm not trying to take you anywhere. I just don't want to see you get hurt. Now, step away from that thing..."

"NO! He's my friend, and we aren't going to be separated!" the girl insisted.

"Stop it!" Victoria said firmly. "I don't want it. I don't want to take it away from you. I don't even know what it is."

The girl stopped, as if pondering this. "He's my teddy bear. His name is Siege."

"Siege...okay..." Victoria rolled her eyes. "Put Siege away."

"No."

"I don't want to hurt you, kid. But, if you keep acting like this, I'll have to. For your own good." Mysteria landed again and looked the girl dead in the eyes, trying to intimidate the youth. The girl just puffed out her lower lip and glared back. Victoria almost smiled; she had been like this when she was young: stubborn, ill tempered, and spoiled as all Hell. "Put him away," she repeated.

"I know who you are." The girl stated with simplicity. "They taught me about you. You hurt people."

"I HELP people," Victoria corrected.

The girl shook her head. "They showed me pictures and movies. You killed a man...twisted his head backwards. It was gross. Then, you tried to kill an old guy..."

Winters...and the elderly Chinese man in the paper district....how could this kid know that? How could someone be so monstrous that they'd make a kid watch something like that? No wonder the child was convinced Mysteria was after her.

"I won't hurt you, kid..."

"LIAR! You're a murderer!" The child spat. "You hurt them. You hurt people when you fight. Nice people. NORMAL people! You kill them! You blow up ther houses... you... you..." The girl was crying now; Victoria thought she could hear the hitching of her voice and see wetness on her cheeks. "You people killed my mommy and daddy..." Slowly, the flames died from the child's eyes, and the robot bent over until the girl fell gently to the ground. "I hate you. I hate all of you."

"Shh...." Mysteria knelt in front of the little girl. She had said something like this once...to her father, right after her mother had left them. "It will be okay, sweetie."

"N...no," the girl whimpered. "They said you have to die. All of you have to die..."

"No one has to die." Mysteria gently picked the child up.

***

"I'm sorry, poor Layla...but you have to die." Emma stood over the sobbing woman. "I'll send you to Hell with a little piece of comfort, though: Henry never loved you."

"Why are you doing this, Emma?" Layla sobbed, as the Asian woman drew a large menacing sword from its sheath.

Emma laughed. "For this... It should have been mine... All along, it should have been mine. Not yours... Not that spoiled little whore Victoria... She never appreciated him!" At that, she drove the sword deep into Layla shoulder and twisted. "Just like you... The two of you just used him... I loved him!"

"W...who are you?" Layla began coughing up blood.

"Me? I'm just your estranged little daughter.Mommy Layla!"

'Emma' twisted the sword again, and Layla screamed. The sound was music too the attacker's ears.

***

"What's your name?" Mysteria wiped wet hair from the crying girl's face.

"Didi." The answer came slowly, shyly.

"Didi, someone told you bad things. They told you to do bad things too, didn't they?" Mysteria asked with a measured, soft voice.

"They said I had to kill you...all of you...but I don't want to hurt people..." Fresh tears slid down Didi's cheeks.

"Shh. You don't have to. No one should ever tell you what you have to do.."

"When I told them no, they hurt me." The girl was shaking now.

"It'll be okay," Mysteria promised, resting her head on the child's.

***

"Awwww. Is Mommy Layla bleeding?" 'Emma' stabbed her again.

"Don't pass out. I want you awake for this, you slut...for every minute of it...every excruciating second.

"And, maybe even when I play with Victoria. I'd love for you to watch that.

"Did you know she followed in Daddy's footsteps? That your little Vicky is Mysteria?

"Of course not. You're too stupid to figure that out all by yourself."