A/N: My first X-men story, little bit nervous! My knowledge of the X-men universe is based solely upon the contents of the three films. I thought X3 was amazing, and though my favourite character is still Wolverine, I was struck by the Mystique storyline most powerfully so here it is, my creation...(oh yeah, I don't own anything, just my imagination).

Chapter One - Naked and Alone

She lay on the cold metal floor of the prison van shivering, pale skin turning blue. A long hour had passed since the 'cure'. A long hour since she had lost everything. A long hour since Eric Lensherr, Magento, had heartlessly abandoned her to her human fate. And she was still lying where he had left her, naked and alone. This was where sacrifice had left her. This was where love had left her.

Tears would not fall. Anger would not come. There was only shock; cold, icy shock. She no longer had a name, she no longer had a life, she no longer had a heart. She had been violated in the worst way possible. Her world was shattered. The end had come.

The rain began, slowly at first but getting heavier. She heard it drumming on the metal above her and felt the thunder rumbling through her chest. Her grief had created this storm, she knew it. Her heart break had conjured the great grey clouds that collided overhead. Each raindrop was a tear that refused to fall, each bolt of jagged lightening a scream she could not release. She would die here listening to the sound of heaven falling. She would die here as a human. Where was her strength now? Where was her pride? Where was her inbuilt drive to keep breathing? Gone. All gone. Everything and everyone she had ever relied upon, everyone she had ever respected, everyone she had ever loved…gone.

"What the hell happened here!" She heard the voices from far away; they drifted towards her like waves rolling on a stormy sea. She was the rocks on the shore, eroded by their touch, worn away a little further with every breath she took.

"My god, there's a woman in here!" Shouts across the ocean, lost to the wind and the gathering darkness. It was the touch of a human hand that woke her, burning into her own human skin with as much force as a branding iron. The force of the knowledge that she was one of them, the new truth that she could not escape, squeezed the breath from her lungs. Someone was trying to wrap a jacket around her. Their kindness revolted her. She would not be covered, she would not be protected. Not by them. She would fight or die. Those were her choices; those had always been her choices.

She was no longer a mutant, but sheer force of will gave her the edge. The first man, the owner of the jacket, doubled up after a hard kick to the gut. Stunned, the other three fell back, eyes wide and staring, mouths agape like fish out of water. She could still make them fear. She clung to that fragment of power and let loose the wild tornado in her heart. When it was over, four bodies lay on the cold, metal floor of the prison van and one woman stood, her naked body smeared with blood, none of it her own. One woman against the world.

She knew they would come. The sirens carried on the stormy air. She had time to run, they were still some distance away but her human form was weak. The fight had bruised its fragile skin. If she ran she would not get far. Her heart was thudding heavily in her chest. The physical pain was welcome, she wanted to drown in it, maybe then she would forget the way Eric had looked at her, like she was nothing, worse than nothing. He, of all people, knew what she had been through. After everything she had done for him, after saving his life... Flames jumped inside her heart. She had done everything for him, and he had trusted her. She knew secrets about his work no one else knew, secrets the humans would kill for. Well, this time they wouldn't have to.

The police cars arrived, three of them. In another life, she would have laughed. Three police cars, six police men, didn't they know what they were dealing with? Guns were pointed at her, words shouted. She heard her name, for it really was her name now, her slave name, her human name. Their threats did not frighten her. She knew what she was going to do. She would be their prisoner once more. One last time.

They gave her clothes. She did not want them but her human skin was cold and needed protecting. They gave her coffee. She didn't drink it. They told her she had killed all four men in the prison van bringing her total kill count to twenty three. She didn't care. She knew twenty three was a mere fraction of the total, so did they. They told her that if she co-operated they would erase her criminal record just like that.

Officer Brian McCarthy leaned over the table. There were grey semi-circles under his eyes, and a hefty shadow where he had not shaved. It had been a long night and it didn't look like finishing any time soon. He had heard all about Raven Darkholme aka. Mystique from his colleagues. She had not given them a single word before, only a couple of broken bones and one broken neck. A lot had changed since then, in every respect. Brian hoped that he would find her more co-operative as a result. So far though, she had not spoken a word.

"He left you, didn't he?" The beautiful dark head moved but she simply stared at him, her eyes blazing. Brian swallowed. Even though he knew she was only human now and a handcuffed human to boot, there was something incredibly frightening about her.

"You must feel betrayed." Nothing. Not a flicker.

"If you tell us what you know, we'll…"

"He is planning an attack on the Worthington Institute. He has gathered an army. I can draw you maps, I can give you names. I will tell you everything I know." Brian stared at her for a moment unable to believe that it could be that easy, there had to be a catch. She stared right back, ocean eyes impenetrable.

"Right…" said Brian lamely, "Fire away."

Once she started, she found it easiest to just keep going. Her words were like poison seeping from a wound. For the first time, she wanted Magneto to fail. She wanted him to be betrayed. She wanted to be the one to turn the knife. She didn't tell the police everything, but she gave them more than enough. And she didn't much care if they backed out on their promise and kept her locked up for the rest of her life. She had nothing to live for any more.

Perhaps they would not have released her had she still been a mutant. Pointless to think about it, she knew if she was still a mutant they would never have been able to capture her in the first place. Now here she was, standing on an unknown street, owner of the clothes she was wearing and nothing else. The police had told her to go to a safe house where she would be looked after, they should have taken her there themselves but what with World War Three breaking out she had been left to her own devices. She had no intention of following their instructions. Just let them try and arrest her again, she would never go alive. People were running in every direction, screaming filled the air. She walked forwards embracing the panic which made her as good as invisible. There was a crowd in front of a shop window all watching the screens broadcasting the latest news. The crowd rippled with shock as the extent of the mutant army was revealed. Raven alone stood unmoved. She should have been acting in this play, not watching. Unable to stand it any longer, she turned around and walked away. None of the other humans would ever have guessed that she had no where to go.

A/N: What did you think? Will you be hanging around for chapter 2? I hope so:)