Thanks for popping in to read my first uploaded fanfiction. Just a few notes, I'm not making this a crossover because the X Gene and Mutants are all Marvel universe just like the Avengers, so even if it doesn't pop up in the movies, its there. If I could just label this fanfiction 'Marvel Universe' I probably would, but Avengers is as close as it gets. Enjoy!
** Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers, Thor, or anything else Marvel.
Clean Slate
Standing out on the balcony was one of the few times Lydia could claim her mind as truly her own. It was nearing midnight, and as she stood there in her nightgown it never occurred to her that she might be cold. Any excuse she could make to go back inside was stifled under her need to breathe freely, to escape even momentarily from what she knew very well could be the rest of her life.
The building she lived in was not her own. The room she would eventually saunter back to did not belong to her, even if they let her pick a few decorations for it. Hell, even her mind was not her own more often than not. She stayed in the seven story structure built into the side of a mountain as a prisoner, under the guise of a guest. It started with puberty; she had turned 12 years old and within weeks displayed an array of unusual behaviors. Often she would finish people's sentences for them, answer questions people around her hadn't said out loud, and people started to feel increasingly uneasy by her presence. She adopted the label "mutant", and slowly the people she cared about stepped out of her life, avoiding contact with her as though she carried a plague.
It was only after her sense of isolation grew to the point of depression that she made the decision to end her life. She had forced her way into the minds of her parents, shattering their memories of her, and threw herself into the Hudson River, only to wake up in the facility. At first, she thought it was a center for the suicidal, but it was a short amount of time before her savior's intentions became clear. Lydia was to use the powers that had ostracized her in order to help the enigmatic organization THEMIS reach their goals. It was then she adopted a new title, as she was told this was quite common among new mutants, and became Mnemosyne.
The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the silence. Lydia cleared her mind of thoughts, pushing back the remaining emotions that had threatened to surface at the recollection of her past. She half-turned to look at the armed guard behind her, raising an eyebrow as if to question him. She knew he was there, as she wasn't allowed to go anywhere unescorted aside from her own living quarters. Even so, the guards often remained silent, as if they were robotic, so for this man to so much as clear his throat was new to her.
Sure enough, the man (his vest had the name 'Peterson' embroidered into it) approached her, his semi-automatic combat rifle hanging loosely at his side. "Commander Jennings has requested your presence in the debriefing room immediately."
Lydia's eyebrow hitched a bit higher, her expression almost amused. She was being summoned in the middle of the night? For what reason? "Well, good thing I'm awake, then." She said allowed, striding past the guard and back to her quarters with Peterson close behind. Once she'd taken the time to change and put her hair back, she stopped momentarily as if by habit to check her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a soft shade of brown that, when down, fell to the base of her shoulder blades. Her eyes looked tired and lifeless, so dark that one would have to be close to see they were brown at all. At one time, she remembered her skin being an olive shade, but she had scarcely seen sunlight for years, and now it was faded into light beige. Her sharp, angular eyebrows furrowed as she realized she was over-examining herself, and without a second glance she turned on her heel and was out the door.
Peterson had waited outside if the room for her and upon her re-appearance resumed a brisk pace by her side. He kept throwing her anxious sideways glances, as if to encourage her to quicken her pace, to which she obliged. Even with it being so late, her promptness was expected when the masters called. Peterson took the last few steps in stride, closing the gap between himself and the door and opening it for Lydia with a nod. It was then she realized he was new, not because he had opened a door for her, but because most guards kept their hands on their weapons at all times around her. A few had seen her in action, and word spread quickly through the facility about how quickly she could drop a man with a prolonged touch...
As she stepped through the doorway, it was like a mental switch flipped. On her own time, she was Lydia Andris, but over the years she had adapted to completing tasks that were given to her by her captors at THEMIS. A private cooperation that worked outside of government law, THEMIS owned the building Lydia lived in, and by proxy Lydia herself. They had taken her a short time after her X gene had become apparent in hopes to harness the power she had to touch the minds of others. Commander Jennings, a man of about 45 whose youth had left him early, was the leader of THEMIA's small army of soldiers and scientists. He was also the one in charge at the facility Lydia lived in, and had never been overly fond of her. That was the primary reason her stomach churned when he addressed her by name instead of her adopted title.
"Lydia," he said, his teeth gleaming through his almost forced smile. "Glad to see you're awake."
She did not take his bait and engage in conversation, but did move towards him with a faked air of confidence. Now she was Mnemosyne, a fearless titaness, evolved beyond human understanding... But why did she feel so weak before this man? She recalled several occasions where he'd slapped her for disobedience, but quickly realized there was another kind of fear that went beyond her own physical pain. Jennings had a sense of accomplishment about him, and that couldn't mean anything good.
"We've picked something up. I need you to tell us what's going on in its head." Jennings continued, making his way across the room from Mnemosyne to a large pane of glass. Through there, an immaculately white room was visible, and in the center an occupied stretcher. In it lie a man, but she could not make out detail from the distance.
"Is he a Mutant?" Mnemosyne heard herself ask, stepping closer to the glass to examine more closely.
"We're not sure. A witness says he fell from the sky. And considering S.H.I.E.L.D was all over the place after we left, I imagine he's valuable."
The word S.H.I.E.L.D caused an involuntary shiver to run through her. Though she'd never had an encounter with the government agency herself, rumors and whispers told her it was an intelligence agency dedicated to eradicating or controlling all abnormal life forms and technology. Seemed like the stuff of nightmares to a mutant.
Without further probing, Mnemosyne moved towards the door that would let her enter the containment room, looking to Jennings for permission. He followed after her, placing his hand on a scanner that let off a trio of soft beeps at his touch. Before the door closed behind her, she heard him say "Be careful", but knew it had nothing to do with her own safety.
Thanks again for reading! Sorry about a poorly explained intro, but there are a lot of elements that will be revealed as the story goes on. Not knowing everything from the get-go is part of the mystery! (Its also part of my poor writing but shush you *swats*)
Please review, thats the only way I know what I'm doing right and wrong! Ta-ta~
