AN: As you can probably already tell, this story is roughly following the events of X3. However, I'm changing a few key points: Raven is not in prison, for instance.

It's hard to believe that it's actually happened. I mean, I knew that the other side's been working on it for years, but I thought it'd be years in coming. You think those fucking doctors had more important things to worry about. Finding a cure for cancer, or shit like that. Making jetpacks, I don't know. Shows how much money can do when put in the right places.

A third of the new Brotherhood took off overnight. Of course, Erik was fucking furious, but to be honest, I'm not surprised in the least. The Brotherhood is mostly made up of freaks, after all. People who can't blend in. Some of us lucky bastards have been this way since we were born, and let me tell you, it ain't easy. Mystique looked surprised to see me at all.

"I thought you'd be on the first boat out," she said, giving me a slow once over.

"What, and ruin my good looks?" I said dryly.

"Crazier things have happened." She said, putting her hand on her hip.

"And what would I do, then? Get a job as a mechanic? Get an apartment—pay rent? Rub elbows with all the other bloody normals like there isn't a war waging outside?" she smiled, apparently approving of my answer. To be honest I was a bit surprised she thought I would jump ship. I've been here since the start, after all, and I believe in the stuff we do. Plus, I fucking love my job. Well I did, before I got demoted to grease monkey.

"Erik and I are going to a meeting tonight. There are going to be quite a few mutant leaders there. He wants you to come with."

"What, am I playing arm candy again? Goody."

"Not exactly. We need you working security. Erik says you're the best man for the job—we don't want any of Xavier's people dropping in while we're out in the open." I smirked a little bit. I was being rewarded, like the family pet. Toad hasn't run away? Good, give him a biscuit. I shouldn't really bitch too much though, cos I fell for it. Of course I did. The opportunity to stretch my legs was too much after being cooped up here for so long, and I hadn't gotten to go toe to toe with one of those smug sons of bitches in ages. I was ready.

The place was an absolute dump. What is it about mutants in this city? Why do we congregate in sewers and abandoned buildings like goddamn cockroaches? I know it's not like we can rent the community center, but for fuck's sake, but would it kill us to find somewhere that doesn't smell like shit?

I watched the proceedings from the rafters. Raven was by the boss's side, eyes scanning the crowd. She looked at ease, but I could tell that she was ready for trouble. The greasy-haired git was scanning the crowd, looking all puffed up with his new flamethrowers. Nobody looked impressed, and I wasn't surprised. Fire or not, he was outnumbered, and shit at hand-to-hand. If he started anything he'd be nothing but a shiny stain on the pavement.

Mags gave his usual speech, but it had a different tone this time. It wasn't just the normal inspirational bullshit, the call to arms. He was trying to scare them. I clung to the ceiling, checking the exits, watching for trouble, but something was bothering me. Erik was fucking scared. I glanced down at Mystique, and she met my eyes for a second. I think she knew it, too.

I'd only ever seen Erik scared once before, and it didn't hold a candle to what was going on now. I'm not saying he was shaking. He didn't look scared. He looked fucking angry, sounded it too, and that's how I knew. Mags is all about being composed, collected. Sure, he'll get pissed at us if we fuck up out on a mission, but that's all disdain, see. Anger's something different. The idea of the cure, and of the feds turning it in to a weapon, has got him nervous. It's easy to see why, even for a guy like me. He's one of the most powerful people on the planet. If someone manages to dose him up with the cure, he'll just be a bitter old man. Powerless. Helpless.

It was late when we got back. We'd picked up six new recruits, but that didn't make up what we'd lost, not even close. Erik seemed satisfied, however. Even if we hadn't gotten many direct recruits, quite a few mutant gangs had sworn their allegiance if the feds ended up weaponizing the cure. Not too shabby. Of course, that wasn't the end of things. Erik talked about a pair of mutants he was looking for. He called them his "secret weapons". I shit you not.

I tried to catch Raven's eye, but she was avoiding me, her arm around Magneto, talking to him in hushed tones. Sometimes I think that woman is fucking blind. She's smart, but if something has to do with Magneto, she's oblivious. I shook my head and went in to the kitchen, hoping that Fred hadn't scarfed the last of the ribs.

There was a woman in there, dressed in black leather. Her hair was cut short and messy and dyed black. I grinned to myself, admiring her from behind for a quick moment before moving towards the fridge. Goddamn. I assumed she was one of the new recruits we'd picked up from the church.

Then she turned around. She'd gotten an omega tattoo, a small one, right under her left eye. Her lip was pierced now, as well as her nose. The stylized DNA strand the Brotherhood uses as its mark ran under her collarbone, right before the swell of her breast.

It was the fucking blonde.

She was wearing dark makeup, and she was glaring. She wouldn't have looked out of place with a whip and spiked heels, an image that I didn't mind in the least. The transformation was insane. If someone had told me what she was planning to do before, I would've laughed, I would've thought she'd look ridiculous. But she didn't.

She stalked over to me, and I backed up out of surprise. She backed me up against the fridge, looking like she was going to say something, and then she slapped me. She fucking slapped me.

Alright, I'm going to be perfectly honest—this isn't the first time that I've been slapped by a woman. Not by a long shot. But I wasn't expecting it from her. What I did expect was some kind of diatribe. You know, 'how dare you talk to me like that, you fucking freak' or 'no wonder you're alone' or 'That's the closest you're gonna get to getting laid, ever', y'know, the usual. But she didn't say anything. She just left, without a word, hips swaying, leaving me to stand there like an idiot, staring after her.