AN: I regretfully don't own X-Men the Avengers. I'm not making any money off paddling in the Marvel pool.
Chapter 1 -
X-Men POV:
Change. The most powerful force in the world. It can be felt in the earth, smelt in the air and tasted in the water. Lives had been changed; paths erased, never to be walked again. The change was rapid, consuming everything it came into contact with. Hours turned over to days. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. For those months, she didn't exist. All memory of her faded from the landscape. The pain of her 'noble' sacrifice and the loss of a 'beautiful, young soul' became a distant memory to those who mourned her death. They held onto the few memories they had of her. The mourners moved on, some barely glancing back as they continued in their lives - becoming preoccupied with daily tasks, training and missions. A rare handful of mourners clung to her memory, some blaming themselves - drowning their sorrows, becoming inconsolable. Her family, the X-Men, never expected to see her again - resigning themselves that she couldn't have survived being crushed by the raging currents.
She was paralysed. Unable to move a muscle, she felt vulnerable. What had happened? Where was she? Who was she? No memories came to the forefront of her mind. Her head was pounding, as was her heart - reminding her that she was alive. Thump-thump-thump. How annoying. A bright light hit her closed eyelids, burning painfully. Voices muttered around her, yet all she could hear was static - sterile air crept up her nose, carrying the smell of disinfectant, making her gag in her mouth. A whimper caught in her throat. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel eyes on her body - it unnerved her. Her brain slowly began to function, despite being hazy. Water. Crashing around her, encasing her in it's icy embrace. Struggling to breathe before her blurred sight faded into darkness. The memory assaulted her conscious mind. Rogue...that was her name...no, Anna-Marie was. Panic began to set in - the paralysis began wearing off and her slim form began to shake. Her muscles ached and burned, yet they hadn't been used in...Rogue wasn't sure how long.
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Avengers POV:
He stood by the window, an ever-present watcher. Despite his short stature of 5' 11", Agent Phil Coulson was as intimidating as an any man. Ever since Director Fury had assigned him the case, he had been left baffled. Originally, investigating energy levels at Alkali Lake that had become increasingly higher over the last month, he had felt out of his depth when he found a girl suspended in mid-air over the calm lake. Said girl had been emitting the energy, like a beacon - Coulson had brought her to a safehouse on the outskirts of Ontario and contacted Fury.
Looking at the girl, Coulson pondered how how he would inform Fury of her status. The girl looked no more than 19 years old, slim build and around 5' 3". In a word, she was tiny. Lifeless auburn hair with strange white stripes framed her heart-shaped pale face - she looked as if she had a vitimin D deficiency. When Coulson brought her to the safehouse, she had been dressed in a worn leather jumpsuit - the same jumpsuit that resided in the wardrobe in the corner of the room. The white door behind him opened and Director Fury calmly entered the room, his one-eyed gaze piercing.
Nick Fury was far from a patient man, who always expected his agents to have answers. When he sent Coulson to Canada, he expected it to be a quick mission - he did not expect to be called due to an unforeseen 'incident'. He was the Director of the secret organisation, SHIELD - he didn't have time to babysit his agents. Couslon repressed a shiver as Fury's piercing gaze landed on him. Fury stood tall at an impressive 6' 3" of lean muscle, looking intimidating in his black assemble. Crossing his arms, Fury inclined an eyebrow. Knowing what was expected of him, Coulson proceeded with the action report, "Director Fury, when we arrived at Alkali Lake, she was found suspend in mid-air approximately 5 feet above the lake's surface. I had my team retrived her and brought her here. Agent Hill ran the girl's fingerprints through every known database, to try and identify the girl."
Fury's deep voice sarcastically replied with, "That is the protocol, Agent Coulson. Now explain why I was called here, since you obviously have everything under control?"
"There was an issue, Sir. Hill couldn't find anything on our 'guest'." There was a pause, and Coulson held his breath. He had a theory, but was unsure whether to voice it to the Director. Fury didn't seem moved by this information. "You have a suggestion as to why this might be, Agent Coulson? If so, let me hear it," Fury ordered.
"I believe that she may be a 0-8-4, Sir. That would explain the energy levels she was radiating. As for her identity, I can't answer that...it is as if she doesn't exist." 0-8-4 was a code for an object of unknown origin that is usually checked by a team to determine if it is useful or poses a threat. Suddenly, the girl's emerald eyes flew open - cutting off Fury's reply - a silent scream, painfully contorting her pale face.
AN2: This is the first chapter, it is still a work in progress. I will edit any changes at a later date. Leave a comment if you think I should continue this story.