Chapter 8 - Helper and Hunter

"Sort of but not quite. I'm not a mutant if that's what you're thinking." Mikael replied as he leaned up against the tree before he furrowed his brow. "Well I'm pretty sure I'm not. I should probably check to be sure at some point."

"Then what are you?" Jean asked as she stepped away. Mikael noticed as she grew cautious when he denied being a mutant.

"Relax, I don't have anything against mutants. To answer your question, I'm someone who knows what you're going through." Mikael replied with a smile.

"How could you possibly know what I'm going through if you're not a mutant?" Jean asked with displeasure clear on her face.

"Who says I need to be one to understand? Mutants aren't the only ones with special abilities you know." Mikael answered as he lifted her books off the ground and made them spin and orbit above his palms. Jean's eyes grew wide as she watched the display.

"You're powers are getting stronger than you can learn to control. I've been through that before." He told her before he moved the books in front of her for her to take. "As a matter of fact I'm pretty sure I'm going through that again."

"How do you handle that? Aren't you scared of it?" She asked as she held the books against her chest.

"Scared? Not really, it's a problem and like any problem you can work to solve it. Stay calm and focus on what's ahead of you and you'll likely find that it's not as hard as you think." Mikael responded as he walked over to a nearby bench and sat down before motioning for her to join him.

"But I don't think I can do that." Jean said as she sat down across from him.

"But I think you can. Answer me this, what can you hear right now?" Mikael asked with a smile.

"Uh, nothing?"

"No thoughts?"

"No, it's quiet."

"That's because you're focused on me right now." Mikael said as he pointed around at the few groups of students walking around. "See when you're focused on one thing it becomes easier to drown out the rest."

"But then why can't I hear your thoughts?" Jean asked as she looked around as the students as they headed off to their after school activities before turning back to Mikael.

"Because I'm not letting you. You can't read my thoughts unless you actively force your way into my mind or I allow it." He answered as he leaned forward.

"Really? How do you do that? Does that help with all the noise?" Jean asked, her expression seemed to brighten as though she found the answer to all his problems.

"Lemme explain it like this, you hear all the noise because your mind is like this courtyard. Open and anyone can pass through without issue hence the noise. My mind is more like a house, there are walls and a door that keeps people out unless I choose to let them in." Mikael explained as he watched as she took in his words.

"First you'll need to focus your attention on your mind, try to see what it looks like. Then you can slowly begin building your walls but don't rush it. It's easiest to do in a quiet place so you should try when you get home. If you would like I can make some time to help you tomorrow." Mikael said as he stood up and grabbed his bag.

"I would like that, thank you." Jean said as she stood up.

"Alright, I'll find you after school tomorrow. I have a new phone to buy and some business to take care of." Mikael responded as he started walking out of school. Jean stood there and watched as his back grew more and more distant before he disappeared from view before she heard footsteps coming towards her as she turned around to see a younger girl running in her direction.

"Jean! We were looking everywhere for you. Hey what were you staring at?" The young girl asked as grabbed her hand and started shaking it as she bounced up and down.

"It's nothing Kitty, I think I might have met a new friend." Jean replied as she grabbed her books from the bench and started to leave the school as the young girl skipped by her side and bombarded her with questions.

About a mile away a familiar gray haired old man was coming back from his lunch break. As the old man opened the door to his store a violent gust of wind swept past scattering leaves and loose newspapers all over him and the front of his store.

"Give me a break already! I just swept this place!" Mikael heard a shout just as he rounded a corner on his way towards the shopping center a couple miles away. He showed down by the entrance of a subway before slipping through the crowd towards a phone service store. He spent the next half hour picking out a new phone and waiting for them to activate it before he finally left the shop. He made a quick call home to his parents know that he had done what he said and that he was going to check out a couple more stores before heading home.

After hanging up Mikael quickly looked around as he took in his surroundings before making his way to where he remembered the restaurant from the day before was located. He extended his senses looking out for any abnormal mental activity as he rounded the bend to see the restaurant. It looked like your standard family run Italian restaurant except for the fact that it was empty. Mikael crossed the street to get closer before noticing the closed sign on the door but he could feel the presence of several people inside. Mikael made his way into the alley behind the restaurant before he pulled out a neck gaiter from his bag and put it on, pulling it up so it covered the lower half of his face. He approached the back door and with a wave he unlocked it and stepped inside. As he stepped into the kitchen he saw the waiters as servers from yesterday laying on the ground along with a pair of chefs unresponsive but fortunately still breathing. They were likely the family that owned the restaurant.

He carefully stepped over them and into the dining room. As he examined the room he noticed a camera above his head positioned towards the rest of the room. He quickly made his way to the office and found the computer of the desk. Pulling up the security feed for the day before he switched over to the camera recording the outside dining area and looked over the recording.

Mikael watched as the family was forced to serve Kilgrave with a smile as he gave orders with a sadistic grin on his face. Every now and then he would grope the daughter or mother while the rest of the family would just smile from the side. Mikael's teeth grinded at the sight before he started to speed through the recording. He soon found the moment where Kilgrave left the restaurant before stopping a random car in the street. He exchanged a few words and the entered the passenger side of the vehicle before driving off.

He wrote down the license plate on a sticky note and started to erase any trace of his presence. He levitated the phone off the desk and dialed the emergency number as he walked back to the kitchen. When the operator answered he let the phone drop to the floor. He heard the operator begin to ask if everything was alright before stating that emergency services were on the way. Mikael ignored it as he kneeled down next to the family. He reached out into their mind and began to slowly sift through their recent memory checking for any lingering commands that may cause them harm. Once he was satisfied that wasn't the case he stood up and unlocked the front door from where he was before he left through the back door locking it behind him.

As Mikael stepped out of the alleyway he heard the sounds of emergency sirens and he watched as they sped down the street towards the restaurant. Letting out a breath he cloaked himself again as he waited for the emergency vehicles led by a police cruiser to arrive. Once everyone started to head into the restaurant Mikael slipped inside the cruiser and started to run the plates. Within moments he had an address leading him to a home in Brooklyn.

His query answered Mikael checked the time, the curfew set by his parents was approaching. He started making his way home but he knew this night would likely be a messy one.