Truth is Overrated: I was a late bloomer. An old man swooped in and then dropped me into the crazy world of his School for Mutants my senior year of high school. To the surprise of everyone else, I turned out all right. It's been a long time since I called the Institute home, but now I'm back and I think I might be here to stay. Sequel to Normalcy is Overrated.

Disclaimer: The X-Men, SHIELD, the Avengers, the Brotherhood of Mutants, and any other familiar characters are not my property. I claim no ownership of them. They are the creation and property of their creators and the rich assholes that control their every movements. I simply like to toy with them.

"The truth is overrated." – Paul Westerberg

~Chapter Ten~

"I was beginning to think that we would never get any time alone, my dear."

I hid the grimace behind my mug of beer and toasted Hank McCoy as he slid into the booth across from me. He was still dressed in clothing appropriate for his meetings, sans jacket and tie, and his blue eyes were bloodshot.

"What's your poison?"

He sighed heavily and rubbed at his eyes, but didn't even glance at the hotel bar's drink menu. "A brandy sounds quite refreshing, I'll admit."

Judging by the bartender's facial expression and the reaction of several of the other patrons and waitresses, I knew it was unlikely that anyone would reappear to take his order. I finished off the rest of my beer and slid out of the booth smoothly and brushed dark hair back out of my eyes.

"I'll be right back."

I sidled up to the bar and slid onto a bar stool next to a nondescript man that looked suited for lobbying or any other job on the Hill. He spared me a single glance before he sipped his martini and focused his attention on the buxom blonde on the other side of him.

When the bartender realized that I wasn't going to simply disappear, he paused in front of me with a dark brow uplifted. "Can I get you something?"

"Another beer for me, frosted glass, please." He reached down and produced a frosted mug before pouring me a beer from the tap. "And a glass of your best brandy." There was obvious surprise in his dark eyes, but I didn't follow his gaze as he glanced over my shoulder at my companion. "Is there a problem?"

"No ma'am," the bartender replied immediately. He retrieved a glass and dropped three cubes of ice in it before he poured in an amber liquid. Slowly, he pushed both the glass and the mug across the expanse of the bar to me. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Do you have a dinner menu, by chance?" I tucked the menu under one arm and gathered up the drinks in my hands and offered the man a polite smile. "Thanks."

The man next to me muttered a rather snide and prejudiced comment under his breath, but I chose to ignore him as I made my way back to the booth and Hank. The blue-furred mutant cradled his head within his hands and sighed heavily when I sat the glass of brandy down in front of him.

"Many thanks, dear heart." He lifted his head as I slid in across from him and tossed the menu on the table. His blue eyes darted from my face to the menu and back again. "You do not mind my company, do you?"

I sipped at my beer and licked the moisture from my lips before I offered him a wry grin. "Given the day you've had, I'd be an absolute brat to not want to keep you company. Did you not want your brandy on the rocks?"

"What? Oh." Hank shook his head as he lifted the delicate glass to his lips to sip greedily. The drink seemed to fortify him; after emptying about half of the contents of the glass, his shoulders sagged slightly.

I searched his face, but wasn't quite sure what I was even looking for. An answer, likely, for everything that had happened in recent years.

"You did not accompany Scott and Jean to dinner tonight?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" I quipped lightly, shrugging my shoulders. "Jean and I spent the a couple hours at the hotel spa. I figured she wanted some alone time with him." Even a blind man would have seen the way that he'd kept glancing at her when we'd walked out of the spa – Jean sporting a new chic hairstyle and a glowing face. "They don't take enough time away from the School."

"Some people do not think of themselves."

"And other people are way too damn selfish."

Hank smiled at that, partially revealing sharp incisors. Then, his smile fell flat. "Danielle, I want to apologize for –"

"No need to apologize," I interrupted, inhaling sharply. I wasn't a telepath, but I knew what he planned to apologize for. "I was the one that approached you and offered you my services to begin with. I knew damn well that there was always a chance that I could get discovered." Shrugging, I sipped at my beer. "I guess I'm just lucky that I'm not in some SHIELD jail right now."

"If it is any consolation, your intel saved the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent mutants." His smile was warm, but it did not quite reach his eyes. "Charles and I were able to –"

"Excuse me," a feminine voice interrupted.

Hank and I both glanced up at the same time, so I didn't get a chance to see his reaction at the woman's sudden appearance. I, however, swallowed thickly and ran my eyes down the length of her before meeting her bright blue eyes warily.

"What an unexpected surprise," Hank drawled, rising to his feet immediately. Though he towered over the woman, she didn't seem the slightest bit intimidated as he took her smaller hand within his to give it a gentle squeeze. "Won't you join us?"

Say no, I thought to myself as I drank another sip of beer. For the love of all that is holy, please say no.

"Sure."

She slid into the seat across from me and Hank slid in next to her. He looked like a giant, overgrown blue bear next to her petite frame, but she exuded a confidence that couldn't be matched by his intimidating features.

"It's good to see you again, Dani."

"Wish I could say the same to you, Aubs."

She smiled, but I didn't miss the way her eyes flashed. "How cozy, the three of us here in a hotel bar in DC. Who would have guessed?"

I had always suspected that she knew Hank far better than she had ever let on, but I'd never had reason to question her. She'd been my go-between, the safest avenue I'd ever used. She was a mutant and her ability allowed her to communicate with electronics, including computers, in the most unique way known to man.

She could also fry a man with bolts of electricity that shot from her very fingertips.

"Would you like me to order you a drink?"

Aubrey glanced over at Hank before she grabbed his glass. Her eyes never left his as she finished off the rest of his brandy, and he seemed amused. "I'll have whatever you're having," she murmured as she pushed the empty glass toward him.

"I'll be right back," I grunted, slamming back the rest of my beer. Due to my healing ability, it didn't do much to alleviate the annoyance or calm my nerves, but it tasted good going down. "And I'm going to put in an order for some appetizers."

I strolled back toward the bar with two empty mugs and a glass of ice and slid back onto the same bar stool as before. Unfortunately, the same ignorant jerk still occupied the other seat; the buxom blonde was nowhere in sight.

"Back already?"

Nodding, I pushed the empty glasses toward the bartender and watched as he put them into a tray next to the sink. "Another beer and make it two glasses of brandy this time around, please. A friend showed up." The man next to me snorted in derision, but I focused on the bartender. "Can I order appetizers at the bar or do I need to flag down a waitress?"

Though the bartender sighed, he managed to nod jerkily. "I can take the order here and send it through the POS system. What do you want?"

"Got one of those sample platters?" He nodded as he poured me a fresh beer. "We'll take one of those and an order of hot wings. Make it two orders," I corrected when I considered Hank's voracious appetite. He paused long enough to fiddle with an order screen before he poured two glasses of brandy and handed them over. "Thanks."

When I reached for the drinks, the man next to me spun on his bar stool sharply. He bumped into me and nearly caused me to knock over my beer.

"So the question is what a sweet thing like yourself is doing with a couple of freaks." He flashed me a devilish smile, revealing straight white teeth that were too perfect to be natural. "Unless, of course, you're part of the freak brigade."

I managed a smile of my own and slowly ran my eyes from the tip of his hair all the way down, pausing briefly on his chest and crotch. When I met his eyes again, I found a challenge within their depths. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"You could."

The snort that escaped me wasn't at all ladylike, but I didn't care. It had been a very long day and I didn't have the patience to deal with his idiocy. "I would rather go without sex for all of my life so that I shrivel up and die than come within five feet of anything it is you believe you have to offer." I gathered up the drinks and slid off of the bar stool in one smooth motion, pausing when he put an arm out to stop me. "Excuse me."

He leaned in close, so close that I could feel his hot breath on the side of my neck. "You'd rather that animal ran his big, furry hands over you, huh? Bet you'd rather he bent you over like an animal than –" he let out a hiss of frustration when I poured my glass of beer over his head and sat the empty glass down on the bar. "You fucking bitch!"

"Now, now," I chastised, clucking my tongue. "No means no."

He grabbed my wrist and I reacted instinctively. Training kicked in as I twisted my hand in his grasp to wrap my fingers around his forearm. Before he could react, I forcefully jerked his arm and spun him, pushing his chest against the bar with his hand pinned against his back. He howled, either in pain or frustration, and I balanced the two glasses of brandy in my free hand as I leaned in closer.

"I'm an off-duty police officer, you stupid prick," I bit out, restraining my own strength. The comment wasn't entirely false, either – as an agent of SHIELD, I had maintained my position as a police officer in New York City. But, their records indicated that I was a liaison to the federal government. I still had a badge, and I carried it on me at all times. "If you don't call yourself a cab and get out of my face, I'm going to charge you with assault."

He hissed, but eventually muttered his compliance. After a beat, I released my hold on his hand and took a step back. He spun around sharply and the utter hate and despise on his face was enough to make me take another step back. Half-expecting him to draw back on me, I watched him suspiciously as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. He withdrew several bills and tossed them onto the bar before grabbing several napkins and hurrying toward the lobby, leaving a trail of beer behind him.

Most of the bar's occupants, I realized, had watched the entire exchange. I rolled my shoulders and eyed the bartender skeptically as he slid a fresh mug of beer toward me, his brow furrowed in thought.

"Your appetizers should be out shortly," he assured me as I picked up my beer. "Sorry about the trouble, officer."

I nodded and spun on my heel to hurry back to the booth. To my relief, no one said anything to me on the short return trip. Two sets of blue eyes, differing in size and hue, stared at me as I slid into the booth and sat all three drinks down.

I drank a long pull from the mug of beer and savored the rich flavor for a moment before I sat the mug down and sighed. I kept my shoulders back as I let my eyes dance between their faces.

"You're still not very good at making friends, are you?"

"And you're still a pain in the ass, Aubs," I retorted, eliciting a snort from the woman in question. "I put in an order for some appetizers because I get the feeling that this little impromptu meeting is more than coincidence and interesting timing."

Hank's lips curled into a grin, but he ignored his drink as he leaned back slightly and shook his head. "It is imperative that I know everything you know."

"What I know?" I repeated, a brow quirked in challenge. "I fed you every scrap of intel through your buddy here," I nodded at Aubs, "as I could. What more could I possibly tell you?"

The laughter in his eyes was immediately banked, only to be replaced with concern and seriousness. "The SRU, Danielle."

"The Superhuman Response Unit," I murmured, doubt lacing my voice. "You already know everything about the SRU, Hank."

Their silence was unnerving. What was even more unnerving, however, was the way that Aubrey licked her lips before she picked up her glass of brandy in order to sip at it. Slowly, she sat the glass back down on the table and folded her hands together. I found myself staring at her hands, at her black nail polish, and wondering what exactly was going on.

"The problem is," she began, voice pitched low, "that you don't know everything about the SRU. In fact, once you started to get close to the truth, they blacklisted you."

"What?"

"The SRU was created to respond to Superhuman calamities, namely mutants. Do you not find it strange that you, of all people, were the one put in charge of the recent investigation regarding Creed and LeBeau?" Hank paused long enough to search my face, but I did my best to keep my features blank. "I believe that SHIELD was interested in the case because they are attempting to locate the man or men behind the linked crimes, Danielle. The evidence leads the Professor, and myself, to believe that whoever is behind the crimes is searching out weaknesses within the mutant population."

Dumbfounded, I could only stare. After a moment, I forced myself to drink several sips of beer. "You're joking."

"I wish I were, dear heart. Unfortunately, there is reason to believe that someone within SHIELD, or a liaison to SHIELD, defected. They are now acting of their own free will and continuing their research in a most vulgar manner."

Aubrey snorted and rolled her electric blue eyes. "That's putting it mildly." She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "Look, I've known Fury long enough to recognize when he's trying to shut me out of something. And to be honest, it's a pretty impossible task. I can access any scrap of data anywhere and anytime. But, physical hard copies are impossible to replace."

"So this is all speculation?"

"It was," she sighed and shook her head. "It was until I found a record of a scientist that had been working with SHIELD since it was founded during the very beginning of World War II. So, you'd think that the scientist would have passed away by now or, at the very least, be old as time, right?" She didn't even give me a chance to respond before she smacked the palm of her hand against the table. "Wrong!"

"So?"

"So, this scientist specializes in genetics. The public might not know him, but the scientific world, like Hank, has heard his name for years. He published some of the earliest works about mutation, long before your Professor was even a thought in his dad's left nut."

"That's disgusting."

Hank sighed and shook his head. "Agreed. However, Aubrey does have a point, my dear. SHIELD has records of the man's existence almost as far back as they've been able to trace Logan. Some of his work accompanied one of their earliest projects: the Super Soldier Program."

I frowned, but didn't quite know what to say. "And you know that I was briefed on it, so I'm not sure exactly what you want me to say."

The blue-furred politician searched my face for several beats before he half-smiled, the action forced and weak. "The SRU was created as a means to test the limitations of the mutant populace. Aubrey here has found intel that links several of the founding members of the SRU to the defected scientist's research. We believe he attempted, on more than one occasion, to infuse a being by lacing the mutant-x-gene with abilities that are solely mutant by nature into subjects that did not contain the x-gene."

"So he was experimenting on humans?"

"Non-mutants is the proper terminology."

"Whatever, Hank." With a sigh, I rubbed my hands over my face and wondered exactly how in the hell I'd never seen any sign that what he said was the truth. But, I knew Henry McCoy well enough to know that he would never approach me with any information that he did not completely believe in or back one hundred percent. "All of those disappearances, all of those dead mutants… They worked with the scientist in the past, so they're trying to cover their tracks. Makes sense, too much sense."

"I am sorry, Danielle, if it is any consolation. I know how seriously you took your position as an agent and a liaison between the X-Men and the SRU. You are – you were – an excellent field agent, dear heart. But, in the end, I am afraid that the Director used you, and the others, as pawns."

I didn't say a word as I reached across the table and grabbed his glass of brandy. His blue eyes narrowed slightly as I drank the remaining contents of the glass, downing it in just a few unladylike gulps. All I could think of was whether or not my entire career with SHIELD – short though it had been – had been a complete waste of time.

It also made sense as to why Aubrey had given Fury all the evidence he needed to can me. The famed Voltic had been my go-between and had willingly turned me in because she knew the truth. Either she'd aimed to get me out of SHIELD because she'd known the truth, or she had simply turned on me.

"You know," I grunted, sliding out of the booth. "This information would have been a lot more useful if it had been passed along to me, say, before you got me fired. But, hey, I guess you did what you thought was best, Aubs." I offered her a two-finger salute and ducked out of the way as the waitress appeared with three large platters of appetizers on her serving tray. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

I ignored Aubrey's attempt to call me back to the table as I stalked toward the bar and pulled a slim feminine wallet out of my front pocket. I withdrew several twenty dollar bills and tossed them toward the bartender. It was enough to cover the drinks and part of the cost of appetizers, and I could only assume that Hank would pick up the rest of the tab.

Thankful, not for the first time, that I had my own room, I exited the hotel bar and headed for the bay of elevators. I hit the call button and ignored the vibrating of my cell phone for several beats.

Sighing, I pulled it out of my pocket and eyed the display screen for a moment before I hit the ignore button. "I think I'm done with people for the day." I stepped into the elevator and ignored the strange look that a businessman offered me out of the corner of his eye. "Don't look at me."

I had no idea what to think or even what to feel. So, instead, I focused on pushing down the annoyance and frustration that filled my gut. As if I didn't already have enough on my plate, I thought to myself, shaking my head. The elevator door slid open and I stepped out onto the eleventh floor where my room was located.

I slid the electronic card in the lock and pushed open the door, only to swear when I caught sight of the familiar figure lounging in a chair in the corner. Exhaling, I slammed the heavy door behind me and stalked further into the room with an air of annoyance.

"What do you want, Natasha?"