AN: To the guest that commented, Nami, Adelina and a couple of other characters belong to me. Everything else belongs to the rightful owners. And thanks!

Chapter 2

It was a peaceful night in Central Park. No one was out, even though the stars shone in the clear night. If there was anyone around, they would've noticed that, at the stroke of midnight, a flash briefly illuminated the sky. Out of the flash, two young women, dirtied and slightly bruised, spilled out onto the sidewalk painfully. They both wore tattered camouflage suits, with one of the more stately looking of the two wearing a crown hidden behind her dark bangs and a bronze trident strapped to her back.

The two laid there on the sidewalk, their breathing heavy. The winged one was sobbing silently as she heard her mentor's screams still ringing in her ears, clutching the rosary tightly.

"Nami…..?" she croaked.

"Yeah." The one with the crown affirmed with a groan. "Still here. You?"

"Same" Adelina groaned as she sat up, looking around with tear-filled and worried eyes. "Where, uh, when are we?"

Nami sat up, clutching her head and shaking it gently to clear the spots that danced in front of her vision. When they were gone, her eyes widened at the sight of the towering buildings that glowed yellow and white, almost rivaling the night sky in terms of brightness. In the distance, Nami heard what sounded like horns honking aggressively, along with the sound of sirens and tires squealing. She glanced down and scanned their current location, her heart fluttering at the sight of all the green around her. True, the green was intercut with concrete, but it still brought at tear to her eyes to see all this life around her, when all she had known as ash and death.

"It's…. it's beautiful."

"It is." Nami agreed. She glanced down, her soaring mood plummeting a bit when she saw the clock piece in shattered pieces. "Oh no."

Adelina glanced over, her eyes also going wide before going sad. "Looks like we won't be going home any time soon."

Nami gathered up the pieces of the miniature time machine, just in case she came across the ability to repair it, and placed it in a drawstring pouch, though something told her it might be a futile mission. Her eyes drifted to the city skyline, her lips a tight pink line. She couldn't believe it.

They did it. They actually did the impossible: create a device that could pull one or more people through time. A tear was brought to her eye, as she imagined the smile on Dr. McCoy's face, on all of her mentor's faces, at the miracle they achieved.

Her heart strained when she remembered that they were all killed by that bitch Phoenix. There was no way that there was anything to go back to.

"What do we do now?" Adelina's whispered question had Nami pulling out of her own mind. She couldn't get distracted now. Not when she had someone left that she needed to protect.

"We need to find shelter." Nami stated, tearing her eyes away from the city before her, even though she wanted to go explore her new surroundings. "Then, we'll look for food."

"And after that?"

"Then, we'll begin our mission. Come on."

The two trekked for a long time, looking for something that would be suitable for shelter. Nami was fascinated by the past, but she was more focused on looking for a temporary base of operations, while Adelina soaked it all in. Her eyes were filled with wonder, looking back and forth so much that Nami was worried about whiplash. The queen managed to snag some clothes from a hanging clothes-line, including a large sheet for Adelina and throwing it over her, and using an abandoned alleyway to quickly change and discard her old clothes, ventured cautiously into the city.

And Nami absolutely hated it.

It was bright and loud, one of the things that her mentor forgot to mention when describing the past. There were more people there than Nami had ever had seen, even among one colony or group of refugees. Nami kept hold of Adelina's wrist as they tried to carefully weave through the crowd of people.

"You doing alright?" She shouted over the din of cars and light-nighters out for a party. Adelina's wide, less wonder-filled eyes were answer enough. Nami smiled softly. "Don't worry. See that bridge over there?"

She pointed to the east, to where a bridge stretched over a large body of water. Adelina followed to where she pointed and nodded silently.

"We'll cross it and into Bayville."

Adelina brightened up a little bit at the familiar name. "That's where the X-Men are located!"

"I know, but we're going to have to be careful. With the time piece destroyed, we don't know when we landed. It could be before or after Phoenix arrived and everything could already be thrown into motion."

The two started to continue their walk while still talking. "But I thought you guys had preprogrammed the piece to the exact time that Phoenix attacked."

"We were planning on it." Nami answered, shoving her hands into her pockets dejectedly. She was enjoying the tank top and baggy cargo pants combo. Her trident was stored in a duffel bag that was slung over her back. Adelina looked a bit uncomfortable to having her wings pressed against her back for this long but she knew, hopefully, that it was for their protection. "But then the attack happened so fast."

"Do…you think that…she'll spare the others?"

Nami was silent, as though contemplating the answer. She was silent for the next fifteen minutes until they reached the bridge. It was a little quieter there, since it was pretty late at night judging by the position of the stars. They were approaching the middle of the bridge when Nami decided to answer.

"I don't know Adelina. She never showed mercy before…so what makes now any different?" Nami knew that was the wrong answer, as Adelina turned her head away to face the water. There was a thrill and power that coursed through her, something that she hadn't felt in a long time, specifically when she was a child. The tension in her shoulders faded and dropped, her neck popping when she tilted it to the side. Nami couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"What is it?"

"Power…" she whispered. Her hands clenched before relaxing. A moment of having her eyes closed passed, and when she opened them, they flashed silver blue for the briefest of moment. "This is a good place. If we stay near a body of water, we'll have the advantage if anyone attacks."

Adelina smiled softly, before Nami realized how tired she looked. She sighed.

"Come on. Let's get somewhere safe for the time being. It's been a long…it's been a long day."

"Yeah, it has."

They finished crossing the bridge and were a little taken aback at the distinct lack of noise. A sign that read 'WELCOME TO BAYVILLE: AMERICA'S QUEITEST CITY' greeted the two ladies as they crossed city lines. They shuffled as far as they could, until they reached an area of green that stretched on for miles. Thankfully, they came across a good-sized cave that would suit them nicely for a time. It didn't matter that the ground was cold and too hard to be tolerated for anyone else, but seeing how the two had spent years in forest survival training, 'roughing' it in the woods, it didn't bother them too much.

Nami decided to take the first watch while Adelina hunkered down and fell asleep almost immediately. The quiet kept her up for most of the night, feeling the weight of responsibility press down further on her shoulders.

She had failed her people. As their sworn leader, crowned in front of God and everyone, she was supposed to be there for them, to put her life on the line and be the first one to fall if it came to that. And yet she had been a coward, fleeing like some frightened bird instead of doing what she could to protect them.

Tears prickled her eyes and then they fell. Nami clenched her teeth to keep a sob back, but she let the tears fall.

How could she be so weak?!

Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Beast…Cyclops…her father…. they had all thrown their lives away to protect someone who was not worthy to wear the crown. Her father had sacrificed his life to save hers, and had died believing his kingdom would be safe in his daughter's hands. Nami pulled the trident out of the duffel bag, running her fingers over the inscription that was carved into the staff.

The Atlantean runes were faded, having been worn away with time, but she knew them by heart that she didn't need to read them.

For Whoever wields Poseidon's Trident shall forever rule the Kingdom of Atlantis and Defend it with all Honor and Glory given.

Nami rubbed her fingers over the last part of the phrase, Defend it with all Honor and Glory given.

I let you down too many times to count, Father. Nami thought. Her expression hardened as her hands clenched the trident tightly. But not this time. I'll find Phoenix and stop her before she even has had time to tap into her full power. Even if I have to sacrifice myself to do so.

It wasn't the best thought to fall asleep on, but it didn't matter to an exhausted young queen. It wasn't too long after the thought had passed through her mind that she had dropped into a bone-weary sleep.