Phantasm: Against Nemesis

In her gray pantsuit and heels, Archaeology Professor Adin sprinted across the manicured lawns of a suburban paradise.  If any of the local soccer moms were watching, they'd be jealous of her shape, her suit, and the fluid grace with which she moved.  In truth, none of it was real.  She was a ghost known to a few by her codename Phantasm.  Even fewer knew her by her real name, Aneksi, given to her centuries ago in a palace on the Nile.  Gliding between the houses and over the shrubs, she chased a frantic, yet agile, young teenage boy.  It was mid-morning, and she felt insecure in the broad daylight.  It complicated things.

That wasn’t all she was worried about.  The team needed her, and she was failing.

The boy Aneksi was chasing was another illusion.  Whatever it truly was, it had the power to change its shape... assume impenetrable disguises in a moment's notice.  Her team had dealt with the mutant Mystique before.  Mystique was drawn to trouble and mischief like a child giddy for the Ice Cream Man.  Only Mystique would kill him, assume his identity, and have all the ice cream to herself.

Phantasm’s teammates were tussling with Nemesis, a preternaturally quick, strong, and tough being whose mental defenses were too strong to overcome.  She didn’t know if Nemesis could launch an attack that could affect her spirit form but in general there was little that could harm her.  Likewise, she needed to possess a physical body to fully coalesce her mental powers.  Back at the Stucker home, Mystique had repelled Aneksi’s mental onslaught.   The shock of it has sent her reeling.  To be that close to physical being again… it was something Phantasm always longed for.  A mind that could shut her out was also a stinging reminder of what Aneksi lost when she woke the demon Sabanion.  Mystique used that moment to run.

She continued to pursue Mystique, tracking her visually and mentally.  She got close enough to try another possession.  Another chance at feeling, tasting, breathing… at life itself!  Mystique’s mind proved to be just as slippery as her shape.  The failed attack was another crushing reminder of what she was.  Aneksi stopped and stood, stunned and overcome by hopelessness.  She saw a grin of smug satisfaction on the fleeing boy as he jumped onto a skateboard and caught the bumper of a passing Jeep.   Mystique offered a fleeting glance of her scaled blue face and that wicked smile grew wider.

Aneksi turned back to the house and saw smoke.  She knew through her mental link to her teammates that Nemesis has disappeared and the little girl the Gadget had led them too was gone.



(published July 11, 2014)