Being Different

In Control of an Enigma

A/N: And how can one be in control of an enigma? Only one way to find out...

Damien POV

I was on the edge after Dante and his parents fled the facility. They must have surely had some misunderstanding, thinking that we would be doing experiments on them, since we now sort of knew what they were. Beings from another planet...sounded far-fetched at first, but when I thought about it, having witnessed Dante's powers growing at an alarming rate firsthand, really threw my thoughts into hyper-drive!

Here I was, procrastinating about what to do with the situation that lay before me. My heart was in tatters, seeing Dante leave and not being able to reach out to him, although his thoughts to me were that of love and sweet memories.

Instead of feeling like a victim, being left in the dust again by someone I loved, this was different. Dante never meant to leave me – not really. It was through no fault of his own at all. He was forced to leave, by his parents and now we were all faced with the daunting task of finding them before the others, whomever they were, did.

As I sat there, engrossed in my own thoughts, I heard the fast-paced banter between my father and our most active agents, Kelly, Fahey and Mason. They had been following the trail of the Andreascu family and it appeared that they had been successful in tracking them down.

We waited for their full report, then swung immediately into action. My father knew deep in his heart that there was no way in hell that he could prevent me from being at the scene, even though he seriously considered having me locked away for my own good, worried that I might get injured in the process, since I was personally involved.

So here we were, approaching slowly, so as not to arouse any suspicion, nearing the diner were the three were having a meal. Without further delay, I slipped in the back, passing through the kitchen into the main foyer, arriving directly behind the counter where I had a clear view of the family sitting at the farthest booth in the back.

But Fahey and Mason moved too quickly, raising the alarm, as our other operatives, Zack and the AI units, had barricaded the restaurant, preventing people from entering and clearing the other patrons out via the side door. Curious onlookers hung about, until the local police whom we had commandeered, came to our aid, issuing crowd control, citing a 'virus' for which the family could be possible carriers...fake news of course, but anything to throw out any suspicion whatsoever.

I saw my beloved's eyes sparkle in my direction but his parents had other plans, pushing him towards the doors, until a wayward missile came sailing through the window, aimed directly at them. Darius made a grab for Mara, while Bron and Bry yanked Ilya down, bracing for impact. But Dante stood fearlessly in front of the damn thing, and with a flick of his wrist, made it go back from whence it came!

I was floored by his actions, as he pulled away from his mother, seeking to do more damage to the ones who fired it in the first place! Rushing out the door, Dante caught wind of the assailants, as I hurriedly followed him.

He concentrated his energy into his hands and instantly back-flipped the vehicle, containing the felons, not once but twice until it landed with a loud crash upon the gravel. At this point, Kelly, simply astounded by the feat, proceeded with caution, eventually extracting the two dazed and confused men from the upturned car.

The young agent swiftly whisked them away from the scene, hoping to cause less of a scene, but it was too late. Spectators stood with their mouths agape, staring at Dante, completely baffled by the young man's actions.

Ilya and Mara were in total shock of their offspring, as he casually sauntered in front of the crowd, not just to calm them down but to completely remove the previous scene which they had just witnessed, by erasing it from their minds.