Raven had been a wanderer for decades. She had seen countless friends and enemies lose against the battle with time. Often times they lost in combat though sometimes they just got tired of running, of hiding, of fighting and just gave up. Raven could not surrender to the fight. There was always another battle, another war to wage. Her eyes were ever set on the horizon outstretched before her. For a long time, Erik remained by her side but over the past ten years they lost touch. The pair had been tracking the progress of a cooperation called Alkali-Transigen that was steadily kidnapping Mexican girls and impgrenating them with mutant genes. She and Erik traced their workings to two main laboratories across the border in Mexico. But during a raid on one of them, they got separated and she had to flee, usure if he had done the same or if he had gotten captured or killed.
Erik was far older than her and Raven knew in her heart, she would have to say goodbye to him eventually but that day always seemed so distant in her mind. She even kept tabs on Charles, unwilling to let his fate remain an enigma too. She heard what happened at Westchester, all the mutants and even some non-mutants had been paralyzed for so long that many innocent people had died without warning, thanks to a seizure Charles suffered. Since that incident, Raven doubled her efforts to bring down Transigen and find a cure to help Charles. She took the form of Gabriela, a hispanic nurse and befriended a young mutant named Laura. Raven took a liking to her because she was not only tough but because of her skills of keen observation and tact. Laura had the potential to be a powerful but equally clever mutant.
When X-24 had been created, Raven took Laura and fled the lab, needing to get her to Eden. She had been able to make hasty arrangements for many of the mutant kids to find safe refuge in Canada in ten day’s time as their assylum had been granted there. It would be a long trip but many of the mutants had other contacts but for Raven, she would see personally to Laura’s survival. But in order to do so, she had to reach out to someone she didn’t often see eye to eye with: Logan. At a cemetery she approached him as Gabriela but he pushed her away. Eventually Raven tracked Logan down again using a phone app which he used to pick up people for his limo service. After some convincing as Gabriela, Logan agreed to take her and Laura to North Dakota in exchange for a hefty stack of cash. Raven revealed her true form to Laura in the motel as they waited for Logan’s return, knowing how much he was fueled by his desire to escape with Charles on a boat.
Before Transigne’s soldiers could catch up to her and likely kill her, she took care of them with the aid of Laura’s claws. When Logan returned, they waited to allow Logan time to check the area, finding no sign of them. While he wandered the motel, Raven and Laura hid in the trunk as Logan headed back down to Mexico. It wasn’t the best of Raven’s plans but it would have to do. Whether Logan wanted to be involved or not, he was now. Once Logan headed inside, Raven and Laura crept out of the trunk and she turned from her blue scaled form to a very typical disguise she often hid behind: a woman with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. Just as she and Laura entered the smelting factory where Logan and Caliban were, several black SUVs pulled up, dust billowing in the wind as Logan brushed past them to confront Donald Pierce. Laura stayed with Raven, Charles and Caliban.
Donald of course ordered Logan to hand over Laura, which he refused to do. This prompted several men to attack the oldened Wolverine. When men were sent in after Laura, the youngest mutant along with Raven, took care of the soldiers with ease, making sure no harm came to Charles or Caliban. Laura emerged as Raven quickly grabbed the wheelchair and pushed Charles out into the gleaming sun so they could make their escape in the limo. There was no time to hesitate, no time to ask questions or even bask in a reunion among old friends. Raven helped Charles into the car while Logan and Laura dealt with the men at Donald’s disposal. Laura’s movements were quick and very acrobatic, her claws easily slicing through both flesh and bone, blood splattering across the dirt like confetti.
In the chaos, Caliban got separated from the others, captured by Donald. In haste, Laura, Raven, Charles and Logan set off in the battered limo, narrowing dodging a train before continuing to put as much distance between them and Donald as possible. As they drove and collected themselves, Raven looked over Charles. He looked tired. As did Logan. She felt great sadness wash over her as she thought back to their glory days but when her attention moved to Laura who was sucking a bullet out of her forearm, hope slowly returned. “I’m sorry I had to bring you into this but Laura has a right to know who her father is.” Raven started off by saying to Logan. “She’s in danger and the company who made her can also help you and Charles.” She pointed out, trying to prove that this dangerous venture was well worth it for everyone.
Laura spit out the bullet and looked to the other three in the rattling bullet riddling limo. She had been communicating with Charles telepathically for only a few short days but in that time, he had told her many stories about Logan. Raven, disguised as Gabriela, had given Laura and her friends X-Men comic books in order to raise their spirits while being experimented on. Laura had dreamed about a family though she had no concrete example of one. She just knew being treated like a dog was something she never wanted to endure again. The girl stared at Logan, studying him, able to smell his anger and anxiety. She gave Raven a look. “I did pay for you to take us to Eden. Plus this gives you and Laura some valuable father-daughter bonding while I get to catch up with Charles” Raven pointed out as she motioned for Laura to climb up into the passenger’s seat, which she did brushing some shattered glass from the seat. Raven meanwhile scooted over to sit beside Charles. “I hope Logan’s been a good babysitter.” She grinned coyly.
- - -
Dreams did not come easy to Steve Rogers. Steve often wrestled with getting a good night’s sleep and as such, would spend most of his time battling insomnia by beating up a punching bag or jogging in the area. Because his life had changed in the matter of moments, he felt trapped in a void of the unknown, searching for the familiar. He relived that moment again and again. He could still hear Peggy’s voice, bringing forth calm while everything around him was crumbling, caving in. The cold was unwelcoming. The patriotic soldier, known as Captain America, was a wistful soul. He couldn’t help it. Even though he had been defrosted, so to speak, for a year, he was still adjusting to modern America. It was so much brighter, so much louder than he remembered. He could walk around the streets of New York City and feel safe enough but now it seemed everyone owned a gun and was looking for a fight.
While Steve could agree with a yearning to prove one’s own worth, he did not take kindly to reading about so much turmoil when it came to street crime and violence, and that was in just New York City. He was well aware of how unstable other places in America were. He had mentioned to Nick Fury that he’d like to take some time to really engross himself in America, perhaps on a motorcycling trip but that idea was put aside as Fury said his services were better used elsewhere. Personally, Steve didn’t see what was wrong with taking a little break to slow down and take in the real American lifestyle. He felt if he was to successfully adjust to living in the year 2014, then he had to meet people and see what things were like for them. Maybe even save a few folks in trouble along the way.
Hs daydreams were broken by a summons from SHIELD. Steve had spent his morning working out, as it kept his mind occupied. For a while, he had found renewed sense of purpose in the form of others like him. Tony, Bruce,Thor, Natasha and Clint had been valued companions when New York City was under invasion. And Steve had hoped to continue to foster some sort of friendship with them but once the danger faded away, everyone parted, eager to get back to their own lives. Tony returned to Pepper and his tinkering and Bruce went somewhere undisclosed. Thor went back to his own home world. And Natasha and Clint went back to their own SHIELD projects. It was almost as if he was back in a block of ice.
So Steve was left to find his own place all over again. He hoped he could assist SHILED in any way he could so he returned to his apartment to shower and get dressed. The broad shouldered male took a quick three minute shower before he slipped into a pair of dark blue jeans and a white tank top. Over the tank top, he had on a simple white tee shirt and over that, he had his dark leather jacket. Grabbing his keys, wallet and cell phone, which he was still getting used to using, he headed out the door. The sun was bright but encouraging to the man as he walked down the four flights of stairs, deciding it was quicker to walk than to rely on the elevator. Once down on the street level, Steve hopping on his motorcycle and headed down toward SHIELD headquarters. The drive was quick and uneventful and when he parked, he was thankful a lot less folks were staring at him.
When he had first come out of his icy existence, many stared at him as if he were some museum artifact and in a way they weren’t too far off base. That said, he was lucky to not draw attention like he used to. Even though he was front in center in promoting for the Army, Steve wasn’t fond of being the center of attention. The blond male headed inside and was directed to a small room where Fury was. The dark skinned man quickly handed Steve a file and told him to follow him. As they walked, Fury explained there was an urgent matter that needed his attention and that he would be working with Agent Romanoff to infiltrate the sale of a batch of toxic containers that were being produced in Detroit. Fury explained that the information was still incoming but that SHEILD needed to gather as much information about the biological matter as possible, fearing the worst.
A duffel bag was handed to Steve as they walked outside to where a small unmarked private jet was waiting for him. After a few brief words, Fury left Steve. Steve flipped through the file but found it rather basic. There was an ID for him along with a brief backstory for who he was meant to portray. Steve headed up the stairs to the plane and saw Natasha there, with her own personal file in hand, likely outlining her own undercover information. It had been a couple of months since they had seen each other, the other often busy, either out of the country or out of the state. Steve flashed her a smile before he took his own seat, across the aisle but next to her. “It says here you’re my secretary huh?” He commented, finding that whole notion absurd. He had to guess the company they were meant to infiltrate as prospective buyers, wanted to have the woman take a more submissive role, perhaps so he and Natasha didn’t draw any attention to themselves.
Sure, it was very outdated thinking to have the roles they did, but Steve hoped it would ensure their mission was a success. His new identity was a man named Jason Holland. Supposedly Jason was an up and coming millionaire who had a company that distributed biological tech including engineered chemicals. The company SHIELD wanted information on was call BioFine, a seemingly innocent name that was being tied to some very questionable abroad attacks. The company BioFine was fairly exclusive so Steve was interested to see who were other buyers and investors and also what goal was BioFine trying to reach. “From what I gather already, this is going to be a delicate operation.” He said to her as the jet prepared for take-off. Steve glanced over to Natasha, “I am glad to be working with someone again; SHIELD hadn’t been giving me much to do and when they have, it’s been fairly minor and solo stuff.” He lamented. “I just hope it doesn’t take another disaster to get everyone back together.”
Erik was far older than her and Raven knew in her heart, she would have to say goodbye to him eventually but that day always seemed so distant in her mind. She even kept tabs on Charles, unwilling to let his fate remain an enigma too. She heard what happened at Westchester, all the mutants and even some non-mutants had been paralyzed for so long that many innocent people had died without warning, thanks to a seizure Charles suffered. Since that incident, Raven doubled her efforts to bring down Transigen and find a cure to help Charles. She took the form of Gabriela, a hispanic nurse and befriended a young mutant named Laura. Raven took a liking to her because she was not only tough but because of her skills of keen observation and tact. Laura had the potential to be a powerful but equally clever mutant.
When X-24 had been created, Raven took Laura and fled the lab, needing to get her to Eden. She had been able to make hasty arrangements for many of the mutant kids to find safe refuge in Canada in ten day’s time as their assylum had been granted there. It would be a long trip but many of the mutants had other contacts but for Raven, she would see personally to Laura’s survival. But in order to do so, she had to reach out to someone she didn’t often see eye to eye with: Logan. At a cemetery she approached him as Gabriela but he pushed her away. Eventually Raven tracked Logan down again using a phone app which he used to pick up people for his limo service. After some convincing as Gabriela, Logan agreed to take her and Laura to North Dakota in exchange for a hefty stack of cash. Raven revealed her true form to Laura in the motel as they waited for Logan’s return, knowing how much he was fueled by his desire to escape with Charles on a boat.
Before Transigne’s soldiers could catch up to her and likely kill her, she took care of them with the aid of Laura’s claws. When Logan returned, they waited to allow Logan time to check the area, finding no sign of them. While he wandered the motel, Raven and Laura hid in the trunk as Logan headed back down to Mexico. It wasn’t the best of Raven’s plans but it would have to do. Whether Logan wanted to be involved or not, he was now. Once Logan headed inside, Raven and Laura crept out of the trunk and she turned from her blue scaled form to a very typical disguise she often hid behind: a woman with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. Just as she and Laura entered the smelting factory where Logan and Caliban were, several black SUVs pulled up, dust billowing in the wind as Logan brushed past them to confront Donald Pierce. Laura stayed with Raven, Charles and Caliban.
Donald of course ordered Logan to hand over Laura, which he refused to do. This prompted several men to attack the oldened Wolverine. When men were sent in after Laura, the youngest mutant along with Raven, took care of the soldiers with ease, making sure no harm came to Charles or Caliban. Laura emerged as Raven quickly grabbed the wheelchair and pushed Charles out into the gleaming sun so they could make their escape in the limo. There was no time to hesitate, no time to ask questions or even bask in a reunion among old friends. Raven helped Charles into the car while Logan and Laura dealt with the men at Donald’s disposal. Laura’s movements were quick and very acrobatic, her claws easily slicing through both flesh and bone, blood splattering across the dirt like confetti.
In the chaos, Caliban got separated from the others, captured by Donald. In haste, Laura, Raven, Charles and Logan set off in the battered limo, narrowing dodging a train before continuing to put as much distance between them and Donald as possible. As they drove and collected themselves, Raven looked over Charles. He looked tired. As did Logan. She felt great sadness wash over her as she thought back to their glory days but when her attention moved to Laura who was sucking a bullet out of her forearm, hope slowly returned. “I’m sorry I had to bring you into this but Laura has a right to know who her father is.” Raven started off by saying to Logan. “She’s in danger and the company who made her can also help you and Charles.” She pointed out, trying to prove that this dangerous venture was well worth it for everyone.
Laura spit out the bullet and looked to the other three in the rattling bullet riddling limo. She had been communicating with Charles telepathically for only a few short days but in that time, he had told her many stories about Logan. Raven, disguised as Gabriela, had given Laura and her friends X-Men comic books in order to raise their spirits while being experimented on. Laura had dreamed about a family though she had no concrete example of one. She just knew being treated like a dog was something she never wanted to endure again. The girl stared at Logan, studying him, able to smell his anger and anxiety. She gave Raven a look. “I did pay for you to take us to Eden. Plus this gives you and Laura some valuable father-daughter bonding while I get to catch up with Charles” Raven pointed out as she motioned for Laura to climb up into the passenger’s seat, which she did brushing some shattered glass from the seat. Raven meanwhile scooted over to sit beside Charles. “I hope Logan’s been a good babysitter.” She grinned coyly.
- - -
Dreams did not come easy to Steve Rogers. Steve often wrestled with getting a good night’s sleep and as such, would spend most of his time battling insomnia by beating up a punching bag or jogging in the area. Because his life had changed in the matter of moments, he felt trapped in a void of the unknown, searching for the familiar. He relived that moment again and again. He could still hear Peggy’s voice, bringing forth calm while everything around him was crumbling, caving in. The cold was unwelcoming. The patriotic soldier, known as Captain America, was a wistful soul. He couldn’t help it. Even though he had been defrosted, so to speak, for a year, he was still adjusting to modern America. It was so much brighter, so much louder than he remembered. He could walk around the streets of New York City and feel safe enough but now it seemed everyone owned a gun and was looking for a fight.
While Steve could agree with a yearning to prove one’s own worth, he did not take kindly to reading about so much turmoil when it came to street crime and violence, and that was in just New York City. He was well aware of how unstable other places in America were. He had mentioned to Nick Fury that he’d like to take some time to really engross himself in America, perhaps on a motorcycling trip but that idea was put aside as Fury said his services were better used elsewhere. Personally, Steve didn’t see what was wrong with taking a little break to slow down and take in the real American lifestyle. He felt if he was to successfully adjust to living in the year 2014, then he had to meet people and see what things were like for them. Maybe even save a few folks in trouble along the way.
Hs daydreams were broken by a summons from SHIELD. Steve had spent his morning working out, as it kept his mind occupied. For a while, he had found renewed sense of purpose in the form of others like him. Tony, Bruce,Thor, Natasha and Clint had been valued companions when New York City was under invasion. And Steve had hoped to continue to foster some sort of friendship with them but once the danger faded away, everyone parted, eager to get back to their own lives. Tony returned to Pepper and his tinkering and Bruce went somewhere undisclosed. Thor went back to his own home world. And Natasha and Clint went back to their own SHIELD projects. It was almost as if he was back in a block of ice.
So Steve was left to find his own place all over again. He hoped he could assist SHILED in any way he could so he returned to his apartment to shower and get dressed. The broad shouldered male took a quick three minute shower before he slipped into a pair of dark blue jeans and a white tank top. Over the tank top, he had on a simple white tee shirt and over that, he had his dark leather jacket. Grabbing his keys, wallet and cell phone, which he was still getting used to using, he headed out the door. The sun was bright but encouraging to the man as he walked down the four flights of stairs, deciding it was quicker to walk than to rely on the elevator. Once down on the street level, Steve hopping on his motorcycle and headed down toward SHIELD headquarters. The drive was quick and uneventful and when he parked, he was thankful a lot less folks were staring at him.
When he had first come out of his icy existence, many stared at him as if he were some museum artifact and in a way they weren’t too far off base. That said, he was lucky to not draw attention like he used to. Even though he was front in center in promoting for the Army, Steve wasn’t fond of being the center of attention. The blond male headed inside and was directed to a small room where Fury was. The dark skinned man quickly handed Steve a file and told him to follow him. As they walked, Fury explained there was an urgent matter that needed his attention and that he would be working with Agent Romanoff to infiltrate the sale of a batch of toxic containers that were being produced in Detroit. Fury explained that the information was still incoming but that SHEILD needed to gather as much information about the biological matter as possible, fearing the worst.
A duffel bag was handed to Steve as they walked outside to where a small unmarked private jet was waiting for him. After a few brief words, Fury left Steve. Steve flipped through the file but found it rather basic. There was an ID for him along with a brief backstory for who he was meant to portray. Steve headed up the stairs to the plane and saw Natasha there, with her own personal file in hand, likely outlining her own undercover information. It had been a couple of months since they had seen each other, the other often busy, either out of the country or out of the state. Steve flashed her a smile before he took his own seat, across the aisle but next to her. “It says here you’re my secretary huh?” He commented, finding that whole notion absurd. He had to guess the company they were meant to infiltrate as prospective buyers, wanted to have the woman take a more submissive role, perhaps so he and Natasha didn’t draw any attention to themselves.
Sure, it was very outdated thinking to have the roles they did, but Steve hoped it would ensure their mission was a success. His new identity was a man named Jason Holland. Supposedly Jason was an up and coming millionaire who had a company that distributed biological tech including engineered chemicals. The company SHIELD wanted information on was call BioFine, a seemingly innocent name that was being tied to some very questionable abroad attacks. The company BioFine was fairly exclusive so Steve was interested to see who were other buyers and investors and also what goal was BioFine trying to reach. “From what I gather already, this is going to be a delicate operation.” He said to her as the jet prepared for take-off. Steve glanced over to Natasha, “I am glad to be working with someone again; SHIELD hadn’t been giving me much to do and when they have, it’s been fairly minor and solo stuff.” He lamented. “I just hope it doesn’t take another disaster to get everyone back together.”