The Raptor of Life

Chapter 6

 

October 22nd 1996
Hell’s Kitchen
Elektra’s safe house
20:02 PM

Crash!

I landed in the rack of training weapons, fortunately I still had dermal armor passively active. Looking at Elektra sensei, she wore a look of disapproval. Standing back, I glared at her for sending me in the pointy weapon rack, after all it's me who clean and is in charge of the dojo.

“Is that all you have, Jean? You made it out as if this sparring session would be any different from the last time. Hmm, I see that I need to keep your boasting in check.” Elektra walked up to me, and I braced myself and she attacked me again.

I caught her arm, attempting to headbutt her, instead I found myself sprawled out across the mat.  I slapped it, standing up, only to find Elektra's foot before me. I barely avoided the kick that would have sent me to the land of dreams. Catching it, I slammed her on the mat when her legs wrapped themselves around my neck, until I found myself on the mat- again. She let go of me, rolled and was suddenly straddling me with her sword like hands on my neck.

"You lose." She sounded cold. 

She could kill me with her bare hands if I didn’t use my powers. I knew this. However, seeing the warm and caring woman that she was switching to her assassin persona was such a dichotomy. 

I leaned my head on the mat. "I will never beat you without my powers huh."

Elektra climbed off me and sat at my side. "The goal of this sparring session is to let you learn without them Jean. From what you told me, this country has already invented those blockers for your people. You can't depend on them."

She was right. Those fucking collars are already in distribution. The power inhibitor collars are metallic devices that fit around the neck of the wearer. Through electronic means, the item prevents a particular being from consciously using their super-powers, successfully neutralizing them. I know Xavier has come across them, he told me when he tried his recruiting spiel when we finally moved into the penthouse.

I sat and gritted my teeth. "Fine… sensei."

Elektra giggled at seeing my sullen expression and flicked my forehead. "Stop being so cheeky and now go clean that up." She pointed her index at the training weapon rack that fell over with all the wooden blades on the ground.

Elektra stood back up, retreating in the  direction of the showers.

"Ma'am. Yes ma'am! " Standing, I mock saluted while Elektra snorted as me before exiting the dojo. I liked it here. It looked like a classical Japanese dojo with lacquered bamboo paneling on the ground, sturdy enough to take some heavy impact and still stay flexible.  It was the same for the wooden walls and ceiling that shone with luster; the skylights let the sky in view but I could see no stars, only darkness and smog. The dojo wasn't big, at least 70m².

I shambled toward the cleaning closet at the end of the dojo. Doing it manually instead of with mind has truly become a chore! Elektra had forbidden me to use my powers to clean the dojo, as she said it built character. Just like I thought she was a taskmaster in training. When we started training, she told me that my level of fitness was barely acceptable and I had never felt so insulted in my life. But when she showed me her training regime I deflated. That woman was a monster!

Urgh I remember that fateful day, when Elektra showed herself to my parents. We were supposed to meet in Hell's kitchen,  but she arrived at my door with my parents still reeling from revelations about my… activities. 

# # #

(Flashback) 

September, Monday 11th, 1996
Grey House
19:36 PM

 

“Geia (Hello) Jean. It is time for your instructions.” Elektra was smiling and I felt a smug feeling exude from her, she was happy to have bamboozled me.

I don't know how she found me, but it wasn't fucking time for any of her ninja master thing. I just got out of having to stomp SHIELD goons!

Mom looked at Elektra’s attire, then at me. “Jean who is this?” 

Fuck my life.

My sins were catching up to me. I knew my stint as a vigilante and me killing without a care were going to be laid bare for my parents to see. 

"Hello sensei. I didn't expect to see you before late in the evening. " Was it me or did my voice crack a bit?

I must have as Elektra smiled and nodded at me. I didn’t see her move as she was already at my side and whispering to me, "This is your first lesson Jean. Always be unpredictable."

Her smug tone made my hands itch to slap her. 

As I gritted my teeth, and fists clenching at my sides, I answered,  "I will take your teaching to heart."

"Jean?" Mom looked rattled and wary at my sudden shift in behavior.

Well, let’s say I am not the most social person when I welcome strangers into my home. It’s a habit I took since my elder sister left home and I lost the so called last friend I had. Annie was the real last friend I had since trying my chance with Jessica.

I placed myself between mom and Elektra, starting the introductions. "Hum, mom this is Elektra, my teacher."

I'm deliberately not telling mom her surname, there's a chance that all this could go pear shaped. There's also a question of how Elektra entered an area supposed to be guarded by SHIELD now? *Ah yeah, she's a Ninja.*

Mom frowned. "From school?"

I chuckled at that. Elektra teaching at Midtown?  The boys at school wouldn't be able to do any studying; she's that hot and to add her exotic accent in the mix would turn all those lusty brat into a frenzy. 

"No, mom. She's my ninjutsu teacher. "

She raised an eyebrow at the foreign word. "Nin…?"

My mom is an American, and she always buys American; sometimes I ask myself why she never wanted to never buy things that came from outside our borders. I sensed mirth coming from the assassin,  she walked up to my mom and held her hand. Mom reluctantly took the offered appendage and shook it firmly.

All smiles, Elektra greeted, "Nice to meet you Mrs. Grey. I am glad that I can finally meet one of Jean's parents. I've come here today because we must together discuss Jean's fate and future combat training."

"Combat training? My daughter doesn't…" Mom stopped talking, suddenly becoming thoughtful. She continued after a few beats. "No in fact she might need it. Please come into the living room."

"Thank you for your hospitality. " Elektra took back her hand and looked at me.

I could feel her pleasure at my discomfort. The assassin enjoyed being the master after being a student under Stick. Elektra was trouble- a trait I hadn’t expected her to possess. Mom’s gaze shifted to me. She raked a hand through her hair, attempting to ease her overwhelming discomfort.  "Jean go take a shower and stay in your room. I have things to discuss with your teacher. We will call you later."

Mom shutting me down from their conversation wasn’t good.  She didn't do that when Peggy, Phil or Xavier were here. Why now? My empathy gave me answers. She was scared, not of me, but of what I've been forced to do. My mother didn't want me to turn into a monster. She wanted to be sure that Elektra wouldn't teach me dangerous… things... 

She had no idea of how wrong she was. I already reaped lives, but I wouldn't let it turn me into an unfeeling monster bent on destruction, as I have seen where this path leads.

"But mom-" I tried to protest.

She raised her hand and then pointed her finger towards the stairs. "Go." Mom ordered.

Crossing my arms, I glared at her.  "Fine." I left, making sure to stomp my way aggressively up the stairs. 

"I see that you run a tight ship, Mrs Grey." I heard Elektra say sweetly. 

Mom snorted, ignoring the comment on her parenting. "Please call me Elaine."

I gritted my teeth as I went up the stairs and their voices became barely audible, until I charged myself up with psionic energy to augment my senses. Sitting in the steps, I strained my ears.

"Who are you really?"

"Short story is that I accompanied my father to the USA and am a Columbia U graduate, I studied political science.” Elektra said the bare minimum.

She omitted a lot, she didn’t speak about how her dad has been assassinated, how she went to find the Chaste and having been dismissed by Stick, her sensei for bearing too much emotion over the death of her dad. Elektra had then proceeded to infiltrate the Hand to prove herself to her mentor. Elektra had been tricked into killing a sensei she had before Stick by the Hand. Elektra continued to serve the Hand thereafter, becoming corrupted by their ways. Eventually, she rebelled against her handlers and fled Japan.

Her history was too tragic a tale and I don’t think mom would understand her past without being horrified by it and Elektra's career without telling her to get out of her house.

Mom hummed at that, she was aware of just being told the bare bones. “I see… how did you meet Jean?”

*Oh shit, here it is! How do I stop this?*

I heard Elektra sighs,  with my empathic field deployed in full I felt mom curiosity,  Elektra's shame and surprisingly her fondness for me. However, I felt that she was also strangely protective of me and that she wanted me out of the way. *Out of the way? Why? Is it because I go hunting for bad guys?*

“This is a moment in my life I’m not proud about. When Jean appeared I wasn't in a good position. But Elaine, your daughter,  she saved my life.” Elektra instilled earnestness in her voice.

Instantly my mom reacted, “What?”

*Here it begins… I'm going to be killed by my own mother!* 

“You weren’t aware of your daughter’s nocturnal activities?” I heard the smile in Elektra's voice.

She was getting me in trouble and now I understood her intentions. She intended on benching  me so I was unable to step out of my room and commit to my role as a vigilante! Closing my eyes on the inevitable I stood up, about to leave my room, when I heard  mom whisper, “No…”

Still with mirth in her voice, and feigning an apologetic tone, Elektra persisted in digging my grave for me. “Ahem, then I’m sorry to tell you that Jean is naughtier than you thought.”

I didn't leave, wondering if I should just use my powers to control their mind to avoid what was going to happen.  But I shook my head at that, as this was a slippery slope, and I wasn't Emma Frost or Mastermind. I wouldn't use my powers on those I loved and admired. As I was locked in my ethical dilemmas,  Elektra proceeded to recount the take of how we met and I begged her to teach me how to fight effectively and to disappear and protect myself.

After a long moment of silence, I felt the anger of my mom and surprisingly dad too who has been listening and got out of his stupor and heavily thought process.

“I will ground her! Till she’s forty!” Mom finally shouted.

I couldn't  help but cry, “No!” out loud and everything went downhill. 

Mom's heavy footsteps neared. She looked menacingly at me when I saw her at the foot of the stairs. “Jean you are still here!? Go to your room!”

I fled to my room, not wanting to aggravate my situation. 

“She’s not sneaky at all.” Was the last thing I heard of my parents’ and Elektra in the living room. Her giggling haunted me till I went to sleep  angry one hour later.

 

# # #

 

And that is how I have been grounded indefinitely. In revenge, I siphoned Elektra’s Ninjutsu and assassin's skill and cut short my learning curves but she still kicked my ass; though some of her moves asked a high level of fitness- a peak human body even. 

I mopped the lacquered paneled floor carefully, not wanting to waterlog them. I didn't want the precious floor to inflate and rot.

This reminded me of how my mum tightened the screws on me lately. I have more chores than before and she had grounded me indefinitely; for six weeks I've been commuting to school and going directly home in our new penthouse or that SHIELD facility for testing my powers. Though, my private hell didn't start like that.

Fury had come to my parents and asked if they could test my powers for security reasons.  Obviously it was to assess my threat level, mom had asked me if I wanted to do it. I said yes; this was an excellent opportunity to test myself and let loose without worrying about collateral damage. There were techniques and a bunch of abilities that I had developed that I couldn't test without attracting attention.

This entire thing had been a good experience and permitted me to start lifting the psychic lid restraining my power a little bit, bringing me maybe to another 20% of control as I practiced. It was exhilarating...

 

# # #

(Flashback) 

 

September, Saturday 16th, 1996
Classified Location
SHIELD Vehicles and Weapons Testing Facility
08:30 AM 

 

I felt the familiar mind of the pilot of the helicopter who led me here open the door of the flying contraption. A nice breeze struck me and I felt the sun's rays on my skin, it was a nice day -sunny- but it’s a little chilly. Fall is in full swing and if this state had a best quality, it’s fall. The air was crisp. 

Finally, the agent let me out after smooth landing he executed and then took off the useless blindfold. Useless, because it was unnecessary, I already knew where we were. They weren't used to Telepathic intrusion,  when will they do something about it? I was in a secret facility at the foot of North Mountain, a peak in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Drab and grey walls and sturdy tall fences surrounded the facility, giving me the impression that yeah no one would hear me scream if I was being captured and I was helpless.

I took a breath, this wasn’t the polluted air of the city, I could see the trees in full autumn bloom. The entire facility was surrounded by a canvas of greens, oranges, yellows and reds. The unnamed agent and I had a walk as I was entering some kind of hangar where I was seeing honest to God prototype helicopters without triple helix, *How the hell do they stay aloft?*

There were other kinds of vehicles here that I couldn’t describe but I had the luck to see something out of the ordinary. It looked strangely like a speeder from Star Wars, it stayed afloat for five seconds before it bipped with warning and red leds all over it warned of some kind of failure. The Pilot jumped from it and I was surprised that blue arc of electricity ran through it and it exploded in flames.

It made me laugh, the agent leading me gruffly ushered me at the end of the hangar were we ended up at the other side of the facility. Maybe mocking the researchers here wasn’t a good idea.

Outside the door of the other side of the hangar, there were three buildings and a lot of agents and support staff going around the place. I let my senses spread and suddenly looked at the ground there were thoughts coming deep underground, at least nine hundred meters. As I focused my telepathy, I saw numerous thought streams rising from the ground and get swallowed into the astral plane.

Clap, clap, clap.

“Impressive, you already noticed that this facility has an underground base, Red.” I heard a voice behind, as I turned I saw a familiar face. Not for me but my other self.

A tall, svelte black man  with a goatee beard and in a dark blue SHIELD uniform stood there. I did everything I could to not squee and devolve in fangirlish behaviors. As I observed him more, I saw that he still had two eyes. *He didn’t get it scratched yet, I see.*

"Colonel Nicholas Joseph Fury Sr, ex-military, ex-CIA agent, has been working for SHIELD for over ten years. Skilled military strategist; Skilled armed and unarmed combatant; Longevity via Eternity Formula"

The name changed in this dimension but the Eternity/Infinity Formula was an experimental drug in the Marvel Universe that slows the aging process. It is used by Nick Fury and many of his comrades, the Black widow is also a beneficiary of those.

"I see that... I need no introduction. Do you know anything else?" He asked.

I shrugged, then smiled.

His mind went into overdrive as the Eternity formula is known to me, then he suddenly remembers that I’ve read Katherine Shane’s memories and that she was aware of it; like I’ve been aware of Phil Coulson. I see in his memories that they have dissected their meeting with me and tried to profile me to divine my actions and thought process. 

<I will keep an eye on her, there’s a chance that she is a plant…> Fury thought.

*Wow! I can’t even…* The guy was super paranoid! Though he is described like that a lot in the MCU and Marvel Database wiki. Though, I really didn’t care what he thought of me. 

I shrugged at Fury."You are kinda famous, weird for a spy." Then I chuckled, a chuckle that turned into a full belly laugh.

After two minutes I stopped, damn I needed that. Mom had decided to ground me, but at least I could still go on my date with Cindy after this testing thing. But after that, I will have to suffer being strictly supervised by my parents. Me going out at night and getting into fights brought them to the edge.

*I hate this.* I wiped a tear from my eye.

Fury looked at me with an eyebrow raised, he didn't feel amused at all,"So did you get it out of your system, Red?"

Not my fault that the spymaster was that obvious, I pouted and then I said seriously, "Yeah, I'm good now."

"So you are one of those mutants…" Fury began to say.

But I interrupted him by raising a hand and glaring at him. "Mutant, this is a bad word, it's dehumanizing and simply... horrible. Call me an

innovade please. That's how I call my people, that's how I will make everyone call us when genetically empowered people like me will be under the public eye very soon."

Fury looked at me in disbelief, chuckled and said, "Oh, you seem to have big plans, Red."

I nodded frantically. "You'll see. I'm going to make them all see." And by that I meant humans in general.

Fury invited me to follow him with a sweep of his hand toward one of the buildings I saw earlier. "Sure, sure. At least you ain't spouting ridiculous hippie stuff like Xavier."

Hmph. Being compared to Charles Xavier was a low blow! "I hate the guy, he is completely delusional."

He laughed at the dissing, at least I wasn’t the only one knowing Xavier’s dream was at an impasse. Certainly he helped people, but he didn’t have a realistic outlook on humanity at all; I find it strange he is a telepath. *But whatever, I don’t know the guy too intimately.*

After a good laugh, Fury brought us behind the building crawling with people in tracksuits, but less sexy than mine. Nick finally acknowledged me by saying, “I am happy that you agree, but he is still a good man, marked by war and the loss of family and friends.”

We entered what I believe to be barracks, men and women exited it either in sportswear or in uniform. As we entered, I noticed that this place was divided between men and women. No one said anything as the black man entered the women's side; and as Fury walked to an isolated locker, took out a magnetic card out of his belt pouch and swiped it in the weird electronic lock of the locker that made a sound and the locker opened, showing a big armored silver and black suitcase inside. 

“Here, you’ll find a uniform like mine but unmarked. You are not going to your testing, clothed like… that.” He waved toward me, averting his eyes.

“What‘s wrong with my outfit?” I tilted my head at him, then looked at myself.

I wore a pair of black clingy leggings, with a cropped white t-shirt and my red tracksuit blazer and black-green fluorescent Zoom Nike sport shoes. This is the kind of outfit that I would have worn in the year two thousand and eleven.

Fury finally found the courage to glare at me, he specifically looked at me in the eyes. “You have been distracting some of my men on the way, I want it to stop.”

I was so used to being lusted after that I didn’t care about it, I tend to tune out the feelings and thoughts of those people looking at a teenage girl. And there was no way I was going to change my kind of outfit, this was my kind of fashion after all.

However I will humor future one eye, just this once. Not before having my fun with him though.

“Aww, Nick you don’t have to compliment me in such a roundabout way.” I took a pose just for him.

He looked at me as if I was crazy, well he wouldn’t be far off the mark I wasn’t sane by normal standards. And what is sanity? The ability to think and behave in a normal and rational manner; sound mental health. Can you have french fries with that?Who decides what is rational and normal? I am a telepath and telekinetic, there’s no way vanilla humans found me normal.

Fury massaged his temples, glared at me, then his face became neutral again. “Just… go and change.” He waved me off, I winked at him. The man shook his head and just left the locker room.

*Soon, I will get under his skin.* I giggled.

I turned to the suitcase, frowned at it and looked at the magnetic card between my fingers. With a tic of my eyes, the black and silvery suitcase floated out of the locker and in the air, flying toward me. It landed at my feet and I crouched to swipe the black card. The suitcase opened with a hiss, a bit of vapor exited it, startling me.

*Ooookay.* I lifted the lid and saw inside a red plastic bag that I took in my hands after hesitating for a bit.

I opened it delicately and what I saw was a dark blue jacket, pants and a belt in a fabric close to leather but didn’t feel like it. I stretched it and it resisted my super strength, that surprised me! In another plastic bag there were zip-up gauntlets that looked super cool. Continuing to rummage through the suitcase I found kickass robust boots.

Looking at each piece of the outfit, a smile grew on my face; I shucked my sport clothes in the locker and began to put on this SHIELD unmarked uniform. *I am so stealing this. I need to study the fabric too, I feel that it’s special.*

There was a mirror in the room, and when I saw my reflection I saw that I was clothed exactly like Daisy Johnson from the Agent of SHIELD TV show. I didn't expect that there would be an earlier version of this uniform. I set my hair free, too bad that I didn't have time to style it. I shrugged and put the card into one of the pouches on my belt.

After three more minutes of grooming, I exited the locker room and the barrack like building to find Fury still waiting for me.

<Finally she's there, and she took her time huh.> His thoughts were full of sarcasm.

His eyes fell on my cleavage I was showing and he rolled his eyes. "Red zip it up further, please." Fury commanded while pinching the bridge of his nose.

I chuckled. "No."

He glared and mumbled,"If you were my daughter I would bend you over my knee and…"

That surprised me, he was seeing a young teen and not a future 'weapon' before him, this Nick Fury was completely different from the one I knew, or was it the director job that changed him and made him even more paranoid? Hard to say.

"So you are into father/daughter play, I'm not surprised." I shrugged.

He scowled and turned his back on me, ignoring my quip. "Fine let's go, the open-air testing center is ready to receive you."

I followed him, noticing that I got less men looking at me; however, the unmarked uniform  showed that I was somehow different from them. Was it a newbie thing? I wasn't joining SHIELD.  We got into an armored SUV and went outside the walls. It was thirty minute later when we arrived at yet another walled up place. The difference with this one was that it read simply on a sign ‘Weapon and Vehicle Test Area #12’ and the walls surrounding it stretched as far as I could see.

As we were stopped at the entrance and checkpoint, I decided to talk with Fury.

“There’s something I want to ask.” I began to speak without preamble, zipping up my vest a little higher after the guy in the guard box leered a bit too much at my cleavage.

This action made Fury give her an ‘I told you so’ look before answering her with a, “What is it?”

I crossed my arms and looked out of the corner of my eye as I asked, “Why are you bringing me to a weapon test facility? I thought we were going to test my abilities.”

Fury continued to drive, barely looking at me. He didn’t seem surprised by the question at all, in fact it was one I should have asked earlier. Fury decided to answer snidely, “The plan is to test you in a controlled environment, we don’t want you to break a nail or something.”

I turned my head and glared at him. I couldn’t believe he was going that route, I was no wall flower; I could get my hands dirty with the better of them! Seeing Fury’s smug face as he succeeded in needling made me want to force choke him, but I controlled myself.

As I calmed down, I answered the slight with another, “Nick, that’s sexist.”

His head whipped toward me and he growled, “That’s Agent Fury for you, young lady!”

“Sure, Nick.” I laughed as his anger visibly rose.

After this he decided to ignore me and continued to drive until we arrived at our destination. Fury stopped at the border of a rectangular space cut into the ground and in it’s depth I could see a… town? No it was the replica of one, there were roads, houses and shops, even a park and it stretched far. There was no one here.

I turned to Fury who didn’t speak, he looked around him, waiting for someone. From the entrance of another building near the entrance of the crater town -yes that’s what I’m calling it- I saw another vehicle coming toward us. It was a white truck that reminded me of the one I saw in Knight Rider. It was more accurate to call it a Lab truck, I recognized it.

The truck stopped at Fury’s SUV side.

The white truck’s door suddenly opened and a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a dark blue SHIELD uniform covered by a white lab coat appeared and jumped out of the vehicle, landing on her feet. She had a big grin splitting her face as she looked at Fury first, then it intensified when her eyes found me.

She ran toward me and as she was almost about to reach me Fury caught her by her middle. “Eep!”

Fury sighed and the energetic middle-aged blonde struggled in his arms.“Doctor Wright, calm down please.”

Some other people were climbing down the truck, forming a chain and taking out equipment and gear out of the vehicle.

The Doctor pointed her finger at me and shouted, “But! She’s here! Look!”

I waved at her awkwardly. “Hi?”

I shouldn’t have because she growled and slammed her foot on Fury’s boot who should have worn reinforced one, the pain caused him to release her.

“See, she wants to talk!” The woman smiled and she walked calmly toward me.

“Fury what’s happening?!” I asked the agent.

The tall black man waddled toward me and gave a nasty glare at the still grinning doctor. “This is Doctor Wright, she’s one of our foremost experts on enhanced individuals.”

Doctor Wright straightened her chignon and looked at me eagerly, holding her hand to me, and as I took it, she introduced herself.“It is a pleasure meeting you, Miss Grey. I am Adela Wright, my goal in life is to study people like you.”

I sensed no deceit in her, just anticipation and… admiration? It wasn’t easy to pin down her emotions.

But another thing struck me. *Wow, she didn’t even think of the M word.*

People who knew about me in SHIELD have been thinking Mutant this and Mutant that since they have become aware of me; well, Phil and Peggy didn’t, but it irked me. I nodded to her and shook her hand firmly.

“Delighted.”

This opened the floodgates as the good Doctor began to speak, “I’ve done a lot of research on people wielding paranormal and esoteric abilities; empowered people as well. SHIELD offered me resources to do so. Unfortunately, I’m not widely known and can’t publish my findings, as my research is currently classified.” She sounded really sad and disappointed when she said that, the good doctor glared at Fury as if he was responsible.

I expressed my commiseration to her, “I feel for you, you should be recognized for your work.”

She sighed heavily, still glaring at Fury who stayed silent. “Indeed I should, but the brass won’t let it happen.”

“Something tells me that in the future it won’t be so doctor.” I decided to keep in contact with this woman, she might become handy later. I looked meaningfully at Fury, he doesn’t know what’s truly gonna happen.

Doctor Wright shrugged and then took my arm to pull me toward the mobile lab that was the truck. Then they began to put sensors and captors on me; Doctor Wright explained to me that it used Wifi, some new technology available to connect their analysis equipment to their computer and the subject (me). She was really happy about it, because before I would be fitted with sensors connected to the analysis equipment with cables.

“So impractical.” Doctor Wright nodded as I expressed my opinion about it.

"We will start with the first test that we called : Destroy as much as you can. It's basically letting you do what you want while we are analyzing what you are doing." Doctor Wright explained as she placed the last of the sensors on my body.

"I feel like a Christmas tree." I couldn't help but let the whining tone in my voice escape.

It felt uncomfortable to have so many things sticking onto me directly on my skin. Then I registered what the good doctor said and looked at her with stars in my eyes. "Wait… I can destroy everything in there?" I jumped up with excitement. 

Doctor Wright nodded eagerly. "Yes, as much as you can!"

I let psionic energy fill my body and my mind and let loose as much as I could of my aura. A red  haze surrounded me, my hair floated around my head. "This is the best day of my life!"

Fury, Doctor Wright and the technicians stepped back from me. I felt a myriad of emotions coming from them, fear, awe, interest…

"So I can start now?" I was all ready to go.

Crater town was already smoldering and in ruins in my head. I had too many choices, I could use TK pressure to crush everything around me, or use some kind of wave or beam attack, even force-field constructs! 

I was about to jump in the fake city when Fury’s voice interrupted me. "Hold up Grey!"

I almost fell  at the edge of the crater, straightening myself, I turned and looked at the black man. "Yes?"

He smiled at my little misadventure, the asshole. "I wanted to say that all this will be recorded and analyzed, give it your best." He says to me.

As if I couldn’t see behind his intent. They would try to see which level of threat I was. 

"Oh, sure." Not! Hell, no! I'm not going to go full power, I don't want them to be aware of everything I can do!

I slammed my fist in my open palm and I cracked my knuckles. Then I looked at the fake city with an analytical eye. I jumped. 

Slowing my descent with a bit of levitation, I landed near a blue pick up truck parked near what appeared to be a gas station.The road’s edges were not well taken care of and the place looked like a run down ghost town. There were houses everywhere and vehicles, I spread mental detection and telekinetic fields around me. There was no one here so far, but I felt that the cars and houses were hollow inside.

*Everything is fake.* It was like being on the set of a movie.

Here I could unleash the most devastating of the abilities and skills I have thought of, but still not giving enough for them to categorize me as a WMD. I focused my psionic energy in my hand as I looked at the gas station and raised it. A giant construct made of red energy manifested before me in the form of a hand palm and flew at high speed toward the building.

CRASH.

I left a big imprint in the shop and one of the pillars supporting the roof of the open station crumbled. *Hmm, not fast enough.*

With a low kick another construct swept the rest of the gas station clean. I looked at the blue truck and seized it with my will and crushed it, in a matter of ten seconds it became a ball of blue metal that gradually became more compact. It compacted so fast that it generated heat. As I reduced its size, the ball turned into incandescent plasma that I treated as a projectile. It flew in a straight line and devastated everything in its path, trees, houses, car and it kept going. 

From far away I heard an explosion. *It’s a bit like the railgun, huh. But slower.*

I decided to walk the road I released my psionic energy outwardly, generating an orb of massive telekinetic force that spread around me for one hundred meters crushing, cutting and deforming the landscape. Houses, cars  and trees, the very ground I walked on cracked or was utterly smashed.

*And this is what I consider ten percent.*

I hoped SHIELD was recording this, just that little show was proving that their initial contact with me could have cost them.

There were still things left to wreck and I wanted to test my limit by allowing myself to let loose a little. I lifted the lid a bit on my well of power, oh so slowly; my aura intensified slightly, as I let my energy fill me I arrived at that threshold that I felt when I was about to lose control, but I still pushed a little more and then I stopped.

I felt stronger, I could see and hear farther; I felt… *Super.*

Looking in the direction of downtown I was suddenly running at super speed, blurring on the road avoiding the cars turned obstacles. It was too fast! I tried to brake but I had to jump in the air and levitate myself to slowly decelerate.

“Okay, I need more training for this new strongest setting!” The last time gave me a lot of scrapes and bruises as I went face first into things.

Landing on the ground before the town hall, I looked around me. There was something I wanted to try since I remembered Iron man’s unibeam. I always wanted to have some kind of beam attack for long range assault; I know that I am able to do it, but how much energy will it cost? I shrugged.

I held my hands before me and braced myself with my legs firmly on the ground. I focused my will and gave form to the image I had in my head, it was a bit like in streetfighter. That iconic attack that Chun Li uses. As I thrust my palms toward the town’s hall, psionic energy focused into them; however, something weird happened, it wasn’t pure psionic energy that was expelled from them but some kind of… fire? As the surging energy wave reached the walls it punched through them as if they were paper.

I sustained the attack and realized that I could direct it with my hands. I laughed as I began destroying everything around me. Shops, parks and vehicles went up in flames. And as I stopped myself, I asked myself if my little bit of sudden pyrokinesis was something brought out by my contact with the Phoenix.

*I am sure it is, she’s really meddling…*

I looked at the flame, they didn’t look like normal fire. Well, maybe it’s accidental cosmic Pyrokinesis? Phoenix told me I wasn’t ready, but she was still influencing my abilities. The fire consumed everything quickly and left nothing, not even ash.

What was worse is that I didn't even feel tired, I judged that I was somewhat at twenty percent of my maximum. I realized that I was dangerous because I didn't push myself enough and didn't feel any strain. Nodding I decided to call it quits, and ran toward the edge of the testing area. It was a straight line to it and when I arrived where I landed I jumped in the air, levitated a bit as it was ten meter long climb and found myself looking at scared technicians, a smiling Doctor and Fury who held on his pistol at his waist.

"So what do you think?" I waved my hand toward the fake town.

There was smoke and half destroyed landscape. Jumping up and down, Doctor Wright walked up toward me and took my hand eagerly. "This was scary! And exciting! Do you realize that we noticed multiple types of energy that you generated that we don't have names for?"

<Cosmic and Psionic energy.> I planted the suggestion in her head via telepathy, I didn't want her to change things from canon and give them a ridiculous name.

"Hum, that's your job to name them, Doc, right?" I gave her a thumbs up. 

She jumped excitedly.  "Yes it is! And I thank you for letting me discover them!"

Damn I liked that peppy woman."You’re welcome Doc."

Fury carefully walked up to me. He looked unsure, then stared at the half destroyed town. "Red… nice job here. How do you feel after all that?"

I focused on his thoughts and memories. <Peggy was right again, if we had attacked first we would have lost most if not all the taskforce we had sent to accompany her.>

He was already coming up with ways of trying to contain me or neutralize me in his head. Did he not realize that I could see what he thought? Did he think that I needed physical contact for that? Maybe to manipulate his memories and his mind but not to access them.

I flexed my muscles and gave him a silly smile. "Not even tired, I could have done that all day I think."

Fury massaged his temples as he thought about the report he will have to write about me."What a… scary thought."

So at my current setting I could demolish a small town. "Ok." But what I wanted to be able to do were the subtle stuff, firepower was good but I wanted to be able to do the more esoteric things that I know Jean Grey is able to do like matter transmutation. That shit would help me kickstart my more challenging projects.

I will have time. 

"What's next?" I looked eagerly at the black man and the doctor.

The technicians began to open the armored grey cases they have been lugging out of the mobile laboratory.  I saw them taking out small.. weapons? Were they going to fire at me with them?

Fury began to rub his hands together, really eager to see how tough I was. But I didn't understand the reason why,  it was deeply rooted in that paranoid mind of his. The agent turned toward me. "Now it's our turn to test our weaponry against you. The name of this test is called: How tough are you?"

My brow furrowed. "I don't know…" That was not good, the glint of interest in his eyes didn't reassure me at all.

"Then we are about to discover it." He said with a nod, he then went to doctor Wright and the technicians and shouted, "Bring the pitching machine!"

*The what?*

 

# # #

 

I wrung the soaked cleaning cloth in the bucket, having finally finished cleaning the dojo's furniture. The weapon racks were particularly dusty- I even noticed some of them having flecks of blood on them- but I subtly made them disappear by atomizing them. I didn't want anyone to bring in my favorite sensei. Elektra was a pain in the ass, a controlling and unrelenting taskmaster, but she meant well.

She always pushed me to exploit my full potential and encouraged me by telling me that there are no limits to what I could do, and that I simply needed time to arrive to her level of proficiency. So much that I've begun to implicitly trust her, her mind was full of concern for me after all; so much that two weeks ago I caved and decided to give her context about my troubles.

Elektra didn't take it well at first, the fact that I was a telepath. She had wondered how many of her secrets I obtained, and how much of her past I knew. Well let’s say I had to tell her everything I knew about her, or thought that I knew. Her dad had died but she still had her mother in Greece, she had divorced him and now had remarried with some guy who owned a company. This was a major divergence from her path on Earth-616, showing me yet again that I was in a different timeline and not the main one.

I told everything I could to Elektra, about my Telekinesis, Telepathy, and the thing I did to survive from getting kidnapped. In her mind I even dared to show her my nemesis, Sinister and the things he planned to do to me. To say that she had been pissed is a major understatement, mid conversation she had went to the punching bag and bled out some aggression, and I had stayed silent while waiting she cooled off.

From one side we have Elektra, who the Hand wanted back, then me who some creep wannabe mad scientist wanted to experiment on and breed to create some super innovade who would be able to help him break the bonds his master has on him. There were some parallels in our life stories, someone looked to control us and abuse us for our abilities.

After I gave her time, Elektra had agreed for a cooperation between us; I help her with the Hand and she helps me get stronger against the Sinister pale fucker.

She let me siphon her and replicate her knowledge and skills to speed up my learning. She knew all of my abilities and capabilities. I didn’t feel any deceit from her, and I began to trust her implicitly. It’s because I am a telepath that I know that I could.

I took the bucket filled with dirty water and walked toward the door giving way to the outside courtyard. The Dojo was located on the roof of a tall building, at least it was the personal space of Elektra.  At the ground floor there was a gym, on the first floor an acupuncture clinic and on the second living space for Elektra’s asian friend who owned this building on paper, I understood that it was a base of operation for her and the Dojo and connected comfy apartment she rented.

I didn’t even know what her day job was… Shrugging slightly, I walked to the sliding door to spill the dirty water on the gravel covered roof’s. 

Step, step, step.

Someone was at the door, and it didn’t feel like… no this impression of repressed anger, and loneliness were familiar. The sliding door opened abruptly, knowing the score already I put the bucket on the ground and stepped back. Matt Murdock appeared, unmasked and in his Daredevil costume, he looked surprised when he noticed my presence.

We stood in silence for a time before I decided to break the ice. “Hi, Devil. I told you we would meet again.”

He gasped when he heard my voice.

I felt his intention and anger before his sudden attack, with a burst of super speed I backed away from his billy-club strike by jumping in the air in a somersault and landed on my feet. He charged me, but avoiding him gave me the time to fill my body with psionic energy. I centered myself, like Elektra taught in her Qi Gong lesson and let my energy flow; causing me to open the lid on well of power by half.

The world around me slowed, this was the tenth time that I’ve been able to do so. 

I sidestepped Matt’s flying kick and with good timing inflicted upon him a well placed palm strike with enough strength that sent him flying back to his original place, at the door. I heard him land on the gravel. I walked to the door and projected a force-field covering the entire entrance. Matt recovered fast and tried to enter again but was stopped by the field on which he began to furiously beat down.

*Well he is contained for now.*

I took a huge breath and shouted vocally and mentally, "SENSEI, your boyfriend is here!"

When I heard heavy stomping coming from the connected apartment, I let the force-field go down and Matt entered, ready to attack me. I tensed but as his billy-club was about to reach for my head I didn't move.

Clang! 

A Sai blocked the club from smashing my head. Elektra reached me in time, just as planned, or else I would have evaded the strike.

"Elektra?" Matt stepped back, but his hand still gripped his billy-club that he separated to form dual billy clubs which he wielded in an Eskrima-like fashion. 

He stood on guard, looking at any movement his beautiful paramour was making.

"Matt, my agapi (love)." My sensei acknowledged with a nod.

The two relaxed at the same time, but not quite disarming yet. Elektra twirled her Sai and hid it somewhere on her person. I so wanted to know this trick! Even with having replicated her skills and knowledge there were things I had problems doing because I simply didn’t have the same physical conditioning or experience.

Matt glared at me with sightless eyes, pointing at me with one of his clubs. "What is she doing here?"

His tone was demanding, it didn’t bode well for Elektra. I didn’t want to cause any friction in her couple.

"Hum, so, he remembers me, sensei?" I asked helpfully.

She turned toward me, frustration gleaming in her eyes. But through my empathy, I felt that there was some kind of determination toward a goal she set for herself. There was a story there, and as I promised to not enter her mind without permission I couldn’t see what it was.

She nodded. "Yes, now Jean, why don't you go take a bite in the apartment?" Elektra pointed a finger toward the door leading to the apartment conjoined to the Dojo.

*Ah the adults need to speak alone and I am being dismissed like a spoiled child. I can’t wait to finally be eighteen again.* I lamented.

"Sure." I nodded, sending a grin to Matt. I slightly bowed to my sensei and retired from the dojo while skipping.

 

# # #

(Elektra Natchios)

 

She watched her disciple leave, and then turned to Matt who suddenly held onto his belly painfully and spit blood on the clean dojo’s wooden floor. Concerned, Elektra went to hold on her boyfriend. Matt put his arm around her shoulders and swiftly walked up to the closest wall and leaned him against it to sit.

“You fought with Jean?” It wasn’t a question, more of a rhetoric one.

There was a reason Elektra never let herself be hit when Jean was powered up, and it was one  the reasons she made her train without her powers. She needed to regain control of her body. The proof was here laying at her feet.

“You mean Phoenix.” Matt coughed up blood again.

Matt didn’t know how to deal with the fact that he was made to be on the rope by a teenage girl! *A teenage girl!*

Elektra had an idea of what her boyfriend was thinking as she watched the different emotion flash across his attractive face. She crouched at Matt’s side, her hand on his cheek. “Same thing.” The vigilante stared at her in anger.

“What is… she doing here?” He wheezed, but the question was made more insistent by Matt’s tone.

Elektra had told Matt to come as she intended to introduce him to someone she was training, however, she didn’t anticipate that he would attack Jean on sight. She felt a headache coming on. “She’s my disciple.”

Surprise and utter shock was evident across his face. He felt so much disbelief he couldn’t talk. Then the familiar anger reared back which he held onto, shouting, “I told you to stay away from her, she’s dangerous!”

“You do not order me, Matthew Murdock.” Elektra clipped out, flatly.

Matt was locked in a battle with Elektra, staring into her eyes for a long time. He was stubborn, but not suicidal nor an idiot. He sighed, and inhaled and exhaled many times till he felt his pulse slow down.He unzipped his costume at the front and took off his gloves.

“Why?” Matt leaned even more against the wooden wall and placed his billy-clubs at his side.

As for Elektra, she sat at his side and simply answered with, “She needs help.”

This was all there was to it. Elektra knew her disciple still held onto crucial information, but she decided to still help her. It was her duty as a Master, she wanted to do better than the like of Stick whose style of teaching she didn’t like. Jean reminded the assassin of herself- emotional, full of passion and dedication to the art.

Matt frowned. The dull pain he felt in his abdomen reminded him that Phoenix, Jean whatever her name was that she was dangerous and deadly. “Her? Did you see how strong she is?”

Elektra nodded.“And her enemy is even more powerful.”

The silence that descended was deafening. Knowing her boyfriend like she did, Elektra waited for when his saving people things would kickstart, and she wasn’t disappointed.

“Explain.” Matt’s baritone voice became once more commanding, and his bare hand reached for her face to determine what expression she wore. 

He noticed when she smiled thinly at him.

“I cannot.” Elektra announced.

“Why?”

Elektra shook her head. “I promised her.” The assassin felt Matt’s desire to help, but he didn’t know the depths of the task he would set upon.

They were speaking about a realm of power that was certainly beyond them, super strength, telepathy, energy manipulators. Jean’s enemy was powerful in his own right, but he surrounded himself with others that he experimented on or gathered. 

*At least that’s what she told me.* Elektra mused on the possibility that she was given an edited version of Jean’s story.

The assassin continued to speak and explain why she invited Matt to come tonight. “Do you know why I told you to come here? I wanted to help you work out your differences with Jean... but you attacked her on sight, Matt.”

The woman put a stray wick of hair behind her ear, looking on in disappointment at her boyfriend who felt it in her voice and on her face as he touched it, tracing it with his fingers.

Elektra was worried about Matt; if he continued to antagonize Jean he might find himself crippled. The redhead might seem like a simple teenager, but the assassin had seen how she was under pressure and how cunning she really was. Not to mention her manipulative traits too. 

She decided to warn Matt. "She's incredibly dangerous and merciless to her perceived enemies. I've been teaching her... moderation, but now that I look at how she took you down with brute force, I need to tighten the screws on her."

Elektra thought she had beat that bad habit out of her disciple. There was no way she would let Jean become a brute. Her powers and fighting form should be used with finesse and cunning; Elektra didn’t have a choice now, she had been too soft on Jean.

*She also needs an ass kicking.* Elektra secretly thought as she didn't like how brutal Jean had been with her lover.

Another silence installed itself between them, but their intimacy and body language showed them that there was no problem between them anymore. Matt seemed to grudgingly accept the situation, but he felt that he should keep an eye on Jean.

Matt stood up slowly, using the wall he leaned against, he was still holding his abdomen, a painful rictus on his face.

He leaned on the wall as he asked, "I… how can I help?"

This was the Matt Murdock she knew and loved. She put her hand on his arm and let it glide on until their hands touched. The vigilante smiled at her and stood straighter.

*He is so easy to encourage.* Elektra smugly said in her heart.

Matt didn't need eyes to see what people truly were, sooner or later their inner goodness would shine true or their true evil would be revealed. Elektra liked that the man she loved saw beyond the assassin she was.

"Follow me my love." Elektra purred.

She pulled him toward the door leading to her living space, their steps echoing in the dojo as some wooden panels grinding under their them. Elektra slowly turned the handle, and pushed open the door. It was a seven room apartment, the concrete walls painted red and white, the decorations on them were mostly asian in nature; weapons, scrolls with calligraphy or simply artworks showing either Greek's mythological or asian paintings. 

They furthermore entered the place hearing the pop music in the air.

? I think I did it again

I made you believe we're more than just friends, oh, baby

It might seem like a crush

But it doesn't mean that I'm serious ?

As they looked for a certain redhead, they walked into the tasteful living room that was separated to the kitchen by a wooden counter. They finally located their quarry  who hummed under the kotetsu before the TV playing Britney Spears song. She was also reading a book avidly. There was a bowl of filling beef Katsudon at her book's side half started.

Jean must have sensed their presence as she turned her head to the couple, smiled at them and indicated with a wave for them to near. 

When they finally approached, the redhead bluntly asked, "Are you two still together? "

Elektra nodded, she knew that their relationship may not have survived this spat, if Matt didn't want to listen. Jean nodded back and closed her book whose title was visible, 'What mad pursuit' by Francis Crick. Elektra furrowed at this, meanwhile Jean quickly put her book in her school bag. She had come straight to the dojo after after school and borrowed this book from her school library.

"So, what's gonna happen right now?"

Matt walked up to Jean, while Elektra took in this scene with trepidation. He held his hand out before him. "Hello my name is Matt, nice to meet you."

Elektra nearly squealed, pride enveloping her. But it also depended on Jean to let bygones be bygones, and before taking a decision she looked at the Greek assassin who nodded vehemently at her. To accept the hand held in succour. 

"Jean." She raised her hand, taking Matt’s and shaking it.And at this moment, Elektra was full of hope for the future as she gazed upon this scene. 

"This just might work." she mumbled silently.

 

# # #

(Nick Fury)

 

October 23rd 1996
Cerberus Security
10:05 AM

 

Nick Fury was a tolerant man. He had led men and women to the best of his abilities when he was still part of the US military; some of them had been prideful, egotistic and dangerous. It had been like trying to herd cats. However, now he looked on fondly at those moments in his life because the last six weeks have been aggravating!

Jean Grey was really difficult to handle. It didn’t help that she was too powerful and informed for his tastes. She acted as if she had known him for years, even anticipating everything he did.  To the paranoid Fury, this rang several warning bells which his superior, and friend, Director Carter seemed to ignore. It didn’t help that Phil Coulson became simply enthralled with the young redhead who he kept treating like a surrogate daughter. He taught her how to shoot weapons and even offered her training. Fortunately, she had refused to take him up on that training, though Grey’s score at the shooting range showed she was an awesome shot it seemed.

He had also noticed how she wandered the facilities and spoke with people, mainly the support staff and scientist. Certainly, she was the friendly sort but her folder told a different story. Jean Grey was supposed to be asocial and aloof, not at all interested in knowing others. 

As he walked to the briefing room, Fury was reviewing the information gathered on the young woman for the last six weeks. She is friends with a Jessica Jones nee Campbell, sixteen and adopted recently by Alisa Jones. The young woman seems to be an enhanced human like Jean Grey, but the agents investigating them weren't 100% sure. Then there's Patricia Jones nee Walker, fourteen, adopted by the same Alisa Jones at three years old.

At school she suddenly befriended Gwendolyne Stacy, sixteen, a genius in the making from what he learned about her scholastic file. Cindy Moon, Korean-American, sixteen, hockey player and another smart girl like Stacy, she’s also Jean’s Grey girlfriend. Then there was Peter Parker, sixteen, originally a bullied kid, though he seems that the bullies steer clear from him now that he had a sudden proficiency in close quarter combat; a passable acquaintance who didn’t seem to like Jean Grey for some kind of reason.

And then there was Grey's sudden proficiency in close quarter combat that worried him. Fury saw what happened in the gym of their very headquarters, how she had taken down one of their most skilled agents as if he was just a mere rent-a-cop, the fight had lasted five seconds, and after that she laughed it off and helped the man stand up.

There was something brewing, Fury was sure of it. Though,  he couldn’t put his finger on what it was exactly. He will find what Grey was scheming sooner or later. If he was following his instinct he would assume she was trained as a spy or something. He chuckled at that leap in logic but it couldn’t be that. It was tempting, to try to make her part of SHIELD and the power that she showed at her first test that had made the scientists salivate could be channeled for the good of the country.

But he knew better, this young woman was too dangerous to let free without supervision; he dreaded what she could do if she ever got pissed off. 

Fury exited the elevator giving access to Director’s Carter office, presented his accreditation to the agents with heavy weapons guarding the door and he was let in. The guards are a recent addition due to Jean Grey’s existence in the event that she ever became hostile. Though it’s not like they would be able to stop her, just merely slow her down for the Director to flee in a secret high speed elevator.

When Doctor Wright discovered that she couldn’t get any blood from Jean by trying to pierce her skin, she discovered that a thin yet powerful force-field covered her skin. It even bent Adamantium needles. This didn’t deter  the good doctor who settled for Grey’s hair. The young girl had been reluctant and asked to be there when she studied it, but if her sample ever mysteriously disappeared she would never let them study her powers again.

That had been strange but not out of the ordinary for Grey. She had a healthy dose of paranoia in her and Fury could respect that. 

SHIELD was already coming up with a weapon able to pierce the force-field Grey was able to generate, but so far nothing worked as of yet. Fury focused on the here and now, and announced his presence with a cough.

“Fury.” Peggy released the pen and straightened herself, leaning against her office chair.

Fury nodded. “Ma’am.”

Peggy snorted, and made a gesture for him to sit. “Come now, Nick, no need to be formal with me.”

“As you wish.” He nodded again, facing her when he seated.

Fury promptly placed a folder, at least seven centimetres thick, on her desk. Peggy took it and opened it. The first page displayed a picture of Jean Grey along with a quick description of her. The director put on her glasses and began to read through the pages. Fury watched the woman rake a hand through her hair in frustration. 

Peggy then looked at Fury who’s expression mirrored hers. “What have you gleaned so far?” She linked her fingers together.

Fury’s eyes filled with anger, he raised his hands in the air. “This girl is more slippery than an Eel!”

“Pray tell?” Peggy raised an eyebrow at him.

She was still acting calm and composed but Fury knew her and her eyes were stormy. Fury just showed her the results of inconclusive research. Some things have been off about the girl. 

“She’s a motherfucking quandary, that’s what!” Fury raised from his chair and began to pace around it, prowling like a black panther.

Her brown eyes zeroed-in on the black man, who stopped moving when she speared him with her gaze and said, “Nick, language please .”

“Sorry.” He looked down at his feet.

He never liked how she made him feel like a school boy at times like this, and he resisted the habit of putting his hands in his pant suit’s pocket lest she would reprimand him again. Peggy’s eyes found themselves on the opened folder about Jean Grey and a slight smile appeared on her face.

“Maybe… just maybe there’s nothing to worry about Jean, Nick.” Fury felt disbelief at her words. The woman made his paranoia seem as though he was just a concerned parent. Fury frowned, his paranoia rising by the second. “Peg, can you hear yourself? Are you trying to... protect her?”

This behavior wasn’t normal at all. Phil’s was too, in fact he was sure that Grey was the cause of it, why would everyone lower their guards around her? Even professional spies like Peggy Carter? There was something rotten in Denmark.

Peggy closed the folder Fury had just given her and began to say, “No, Nick. But I think there’s nothing to fear from her. If we stay in her corner she will…”

Fury scowled at her insinuation. “What? Join our little club? You are delusional!”

Peggy smiled at him, happy that he followed her train of thought. He had it earlier already, so it was easy, but he didn’t like the Director’s intention at all. 

The white haired woman leaned in her seat, elbows on her desk and looked at Fury meaningfully. “She would be a boon to SHIELD.”

“Peg, she’s not Captain America.” Fury couldn’t believe he said it, but she annoyed him with her intention.

It was as if he had slapped her and now Fury regretted his outburst. The woman still felt pain at her lost love. Her smile weathered and she looked down for a brief instant.

*I’m truly an asshole.* Fury thought to himself.

There was something in Peggy’s eyes that only she could see, she seemed to be looking far away. “That girl, she reminds me of myself sometimes. She’s in here not of her own volition, you know. She had told me she would have been perfectly happy living her life without a psycho lusting to experiment on her.”

And here was the crux of the situation, Peggy would have been perfectly happy if World War 2 didn’t happen. Fury found that she projected on the little redhead. It wasn’t good at all. 

“Peggy…” He tried to find the words to speak and explain himself.

However, when Peggy raised her hand to stop him from speaking, she looked him in the eyes and told him with all the wisdom she has accumulated in all her long life, “Nick, I know how paranoid you are but sometimes… if there’s something I learned in the war is that you must have faith.”

For once, Fury seemed at a loss for words. There was no snarky retort just silence that stretched for over a minute. He mused over her words, considering them. Loosening his tie, he averted his eyes from Peggy’s.  “I-I see… but Peggy, I’m still going to watch her. There’s something off about her. Shit happens around Jean Grey, she’s not entirely on the level.”

Peggy shot him a ten gigawatt smile, it was said that others had said the same about herself. “Of course, you know girls have their secrets. But maybe this one has far reaching ones.”

Fury clicked his tongue at that and stated his intentions. 

“The truth about Grey- I just want to discover it.”

Peggy chuckled at that, but as time passed her face became more forlorn. “The truth.” The Director sighed. “It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”

For a long moment there was a pause when suddenly Peggy asked him, “Is there anything else?”

Fury knew when he was dismissed; that jab about Rogers had pissed her off. “No, hum… I will go to work now.”

“Excellent, have a good day Nick.” Peggy’s eyes returned to the folder with information on Jean.

Fury turned heels and as he left his boss’ office, felt that discovering what was making Grey tick was a matter of urgency.

 

# # #

(Nathaniel Essex)

 

Somewhere in Africa
The same day...

WHAM!

He slammed his fist on the armrest of his black throne, barely creating an indentation in the vibranium. Thwarted! The girl had just thwarted him again! How many times has it been? Countless and since she was a child. A child!

None of his followers had stayed in the room he called his throne room; fearing his wrath. Him, Nathaniel Essex, who has been lauded as one of the greatest men of his time, had had enough. 

He was born at Milbury House on the outskirts of London. He gained a full scholarship to Oxford University and later became a biologist in 1859 Victorian England. He developed advanced theories on human evolution and was obsessed with Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, though he felt Darwin and his contemporaries were shackled by too many moral constraints, and that science was beyond morality. Then he met Mary Essex who he had loved deeply, enough to marry her and give her a son. 

But the fates hadn’t wanted him to possess this kind of joy in his life, as at the age of four his son Adam Essex died from numerous birth defects, including crooked bones and hemophilia. This drove him deeper into his work and his vision on bringing the perfection of the evolution of the human race to the masses.

As a member of London's Royal Society, he, Dr. Essex was regarded, by some, the greatest scientific mind of his generation, and, by others, as a dangerous man twisted by the obsession of his own research. As an atheist, he believed in Darwin's theory of evolution and discovered that humanity was undergoing increasing mutation. 

He had come forward and presented his findings. Due to what he called “Essex Factors” in the human genome. Dr. Essex told all his peers that, in the offspring of certain racially superior individuals, these parcels will, within a hundred years or so, mutate.

But he wasn’t believed! His theories were mocked by the majority of those he believed were his equals, making him bitter.

It finally came to a head when disclosure of his supposed unorthodox experiment he performed resulted in his ousting from the Royal Society. Even the man who he greatly admired- Charles Darwin- suggested that Dr. Essex sees a physician due to the trauma of losing his son, believing that it was the cause of such change in himself.

Nathaniel had been angry when he had replied to the man that if becoming a monster was what was required for science to progress, then he would become a monster.

It all changed when he met En Sabah Nur, Apocalypse, who painfully transformed him into an ageless being of extraordinary pallor, with telekinesis in his Alien Ship, asking him to shed his past name and choose another; taking the new name, “Sinister,” Rebecca, his wife’s last words to him when he had asked her forgiveness as she died in childbirth. 

This couldn’t go on; he needed the girl! All she had to do was meet that stupid boy, Summers and make a child with him. After studying their bloodline, Sinister had eventually realized that Summers and Grey's mingled genes would create a mutant of unparalleled power, enough to destroy Apocalypse and thus free him from the yoke of that ancient tyrant

But no, the fates had to refuse him even that.

He had successfully implanted a suggestion into Summers that his perfect woman will be Grey, and he had attempted to do the same to the girl when she activated her X-gene. He had thought she was weak. Malleable. He had made a mistake. She was anything but; her mental shields were strong for her age and she had noticed his intrusion.

Since then, it has been a game of cat and mouse. He had sent clones of his marauders to catch her, but none had returned. Sinister had investigated and discovered that everyone had been turned into vegetables. He had not liked that all and tried a more mundane approach to the problem.

It was all in vain. 

Even the supposed professionals at kidnapping children were thwarted by her, as if she sensed their… 

WHAM! He slammed his fist again on his armrest.

“Of course that’s it!” He had thought her to be a mindling yet effective telepath, but everything she has been doing suggested her inimitable power. Maybe even on par with that idiot in Salem playing house with children.

Sinister waved his hand, and a hologram came to life, displaying a list of contacts. He touched the hard light construct when he found the one who could assist him in crafting a trap to catch that bothersome redhead who didn’t know her place. The holographic projector was located into his vibranium throne. His pilfered technology from Apocalypse’s spaceship made him virtually untraceable by the likes of SHIELD or HYDRA.

[Calling Gambit.]

Remy LeBeau, the white devil. A thief, a murderer and his spy at the heart of the Brotherhood of Mutants belonging to Magneto, one of his most beloved subjects.

Another holographic window opened and the auburn haired man appeared. The scientist could see that Gambit was in a bedroom. It seemed that Sinister had interrupted him as he saw the figure of a woman.

As usual Gambit opened his mouth, ready to play Joker. “Monsieur Sinister, what a magnifique surprise! What is thy bidding, my master?”

Sinister stared back at the thief, arching a brow. “Did you just quote, Darth Vader to me?”

Gambit’s red eyes surrounded by a black sclera opened wide. He almost stayed silent for a moment but even he couldn’t manage such a feat. “Wow, I am shocked that you even got la référence. Choqué!”

“I am immortal, it doesn’t mean that I don’t follow pop culture.” Sinister argued, almost defensively. 

A long moment stretched. Sinister noticed Gambit struggling to not laugh at his face. If he cared about his life he wouldn’t. Sinister’s clawed fingers hit repeatedly on his armrest and when he clawed at the metal a grinding noise sounded.

With a sigh, the man spoke after calming down. “Ouais, hum what can I do for you.”

*Finally, he got back on track. If he wasn’t so skilled I would dissect him.* 

The scientist crossed his black armored legs, going straight to the point. “I am in need of your talents, young man. I want you to recruit mutants for me who are powerful enough to be able to take down Magneto if you could find them.”

Gambit gaped at Sinister. “Boss, are you finally making your move?”

Uncrossing his legs, Sinister leaned towards the window. “Of course not, someone else had been resisting my normal approach.”

He had made Gambit infiltrate the brotherhood to keep an eye on the master of magnetism. The terrorist was difficult to track down and as he knew Sinister’s existence took measures to elude him and his agents. But the joke was on him when Gambit began his spywork.

“Très bien, I will find people. But it will cost you, Monsieur Sinister.” Gambit knew what he was saying to Sinister.

*Indeed it will cost me your cover with the Brotherhood but it is a price I will gladly pay!* Sinister’s determination went up. He was sure that his dream of freedom would be soon in the palm of his hands. Apocalypse just had to stay slumbering for a while longer!

Sinister slapped his hand on his armrest and spouted, “I will pay ten times the usual sum.” 

Gambit eyes widened, he became alarmed. “Something is telling me that you are sending me on a suicide mission.”

He didn’t want to give more details to the thief, he could try to earn his freedom by negotiating with Magneto, the Grey girl was powerful. “The young woman is vital for my plans, but I agree she’s… problematic.” Sinister began to say, not wanting to add more.

Gambit shook his head, insisting. “Patron, Monsieur Sinister, could you send me a file on her, s’il vous plaît? I won’t do it if you send me in blind.”

Sinister threw Gambit a hateful glare. “Fine! But take your job seriously.”

With a wave of his hand a file labelled Jean Grey was transmitted to Gambit whose eyes sharpened. After a quick skim skimming, the thief nodded,and waved goodbye at Sinister. “A la prochaine!”

The communication was suddenly cut, and Sinister cursed Gambit. Raising from his throne, the hologram disappeared. He walked up to a teleporter pedestal and was suddenly transported to his laboratory.

Before him were a lot of Health Tanks with subjects in stasis, or embryos in development. One in particular interested him. He had been ecstatic when he found the DNA of this irritating Grey girl on this rooftop in New York. He had thought that he didn’t need her then. Sinister’s hand reached for the tank and he saw the biological information that was fed on its surface by the computer monitoring the development of the clone.

“Why is fate tormenting me so? You are a failure; your corrupted DNA won’t be of any help.” He wanted to smash the health tank but something stopped him, yet he didn’t know what. He shrugged and turned to his workshop.

As he thought about it, Sinister realized that he needed to create a stasis pod which could contain Jean Grey. Simply sedating her wouldn’t be sufficient.

He will get Grey- he must!