First meetings...

Raven woke up to an insistent knocking on the door to the small hotel room that she was staying in. Practically growling, she rolled out of bed and went to answer the bratlin door. By the time she got there the rude individual had already left, but they had left a small envelope which enclosed a brief note addressed to her. The immortal read the note several times over before sitting on the bed to contemplate it. On the one hand she automatically distrusted anyone who called them selves a concerned friend, and she really didn't want to get any more involved then she already was. On the other hand she was increasingly curious, and she was getting the feeling that the pieces she had, was just the beginning. She wished this had never started and that she could just go back to her little cabin, and maybe fix that evil orange chair.

In the end curiosity overwhelmed her better judgment, and she pulled her long black coat on and went next downtown to the Skinner Pub. As soon as she entered the door, old memories began to surface. She grinned. This place hadn't changed a bit. In the past it had kept the old ways and it still did, so it still looked like a pub from the1890's. The first League's infamous, invisible member would defiantly have appreciated this. She could practically see him (In his coat and makeup of course) running around, causing mischief.

She looked around as she walked in, wary of an ambush and trying to figure out how she would know her mysterious "friend" when she saw him. Her face lit up in shock as she saw the old man from the briefing room, sitting at a table in the corner. She stalked over to his table, and he casually smiled at her when he saw her.

"I knew you'd come." He didn't sound smug or superior in any way. He was just stating a fact.

"You must be a seer then," the immortal said quietly, "even I wasn't sure of that."

The old man just chuckled and took a sip of his beverage. "Hele Debuan, you and I both know that you could never turn away from anyone in trouble." He covertly looked over his mug at Raven to see her reaction to that name.

For some reason that name didn't provoke the anger in her that it usually did, not coming from him. She had just met this old man yet she seemed to instinctively trust him. She knew she should be far more leery, he knew far too much and she was still unclear of what he wanted from her.

"All right," she said suddenly, "So, why am I here, what is so urgent, that you had me dragged out of bed..." She trailed of mid-rant, at the slight smile on his face. Suddenly it dawned on her, "You sent the dreams? YOU sent the dreams!!"

The immortal shot to her feet, positive that she was being played, quite ready to run out of there. As she turned, however, she saw a slightly familiar face, a young man disguised in a wig and blue eye-contacts. As a result she had to walk a little closer before she figured out that it was the young, tech-void from the dreams.

As Raven stood staring in shock and disbelief, the old man rose up and whispered in her ear, "YOU need to put this new team together in order to save the past."

"So what you mean to say," the thief hissed back, "is that I have to convince the team of outcasts you've picked out for my team, to come with me to save the past, from some catastrophe that you won't elaborate on, when I'm not even convinced whether or not I'm going to go yet." She glared at the man getting even more irritated as he was still smiling, and didn't seem affected in any way by her rant.

"Nice rant," he said, calmly, "can we now get down to business?" It seemed he didn't think it was much of a question as he sat down and looked at her intently, obviously expecting her to do the same.

"I sit because I feel like it," the thoroughly vexed immortal, grumbled, as she sat down across from the mysterious stranger.

"Of course." He said with a slight smile and nod before continuing, "you want it to be your team? Fine, then go over there and talk to him." He indicated the tech-void with a sweep of his arm.

The immortal stared at him in shock and suspicion, he was giving her power over the outcome. What was his game? What did he plan for her? Rather then let him see her anxiety, she walked over to the bar and sat down beside the young man.

Benjamin had just got off from his job repairing hovers, it had been a hard day. He had been invited to a co-worker's house for dinner again, and had to say that he was sick. He just couldn't risk it because if it was found out he was a tech-void he would, at the very least, get fired and perhaps locked up. He had just come to the Skinner Pub for a relaxing drink, then he would go home and try not to dream. He didn't know what was going on or how it involved him, but it scared the heck out of him.

He hadn't been sitting there long when a good looking teenage girl sat down at the bar beside him. He had noticed her earlier sitting with an older man (possibly her father) and they had both seemed to be staring at him.

"Hey, do I know you from somewhere?" Raven asked the young man, hoping that he too had been having the dreams and knowing her new "friend" she would bet any money that he had been.

Ben squinted, yes he did know her. He leaped up, startled, because she was one of the people from the dreams that had been tormenting his sleep. He was even more shocked to find that he knew her name, and power.

"Raven," he said cautiously, "your name is Raven and you're immortal, am I right?" He hoped he was wrong and that she would say "no, my mistake" but he knew in his heart he was right on.

"Yes, I'm Raven and unless I miss my mark you're Benjamin," she quickly lowered her voice and leaned in as she finished, "a young tech-void."

He slumped down on the bar silently cursing, dreams, fate, technology and everything else that led to him sitting here in this bar contemplating saving a world that hated him and all his kind.

She smiled, "I know just how you feel, but in the end if we don't do this we're no better then the rest of this weirdo world." Her smile grew as he turned to her.

"I'll listen to what you have to say, but I won't commit to anything." Ben said sounding quite defeated.

"Alright, now that we're both in the same boat, lets go grill that bozo over there." The immortal said, a triumphant grin splitting her face. He stared at her in confusion for a couple minutes before following her back to her table.

"Well, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Their mysterious source asked Raven, the slightly irritating smile back on his face.

Before Raven could form a snarky reply Ben stepped in with his own indignant comment. "You! You're the one who's been messing with my sleep!"

"I sent the dreams," /Finally he admits it,/ Raven thought until he calmly continued, "is that what you're saying?"

"YES," Both immortal and tech-void said at the exact same time. Raven had long ago gotten ticked off with these half-truths, and Ben was already mad at this presumptuous old man, who thought he could mess with others lives.

"Well, since you've been so patient, and since time is running out I will tell you what is going on." The old man started his story, as the two extraordinary individuals leaned in.

Before he could continue there was a fiery explosion at the door to the bar and the immortal instinctively pulled her two companions down.

MEANWHILE IN INDIA

Mystique, could feel that something was wrong, something had disrupted the link that she could feel with the others. A part of her was glad, she hated the outside world. It was violent, completely unpredictable and it hurt her head. She tried to calm her turbulent thoughts, but she couldn't stop the feelings. She started at a knock on her door, who would find her here. Slowly she walked to the door. She stepped back startled as she saw the person on the other side of the door.

"What are you doing here!" She asked trying to remain calm.

"We need to talk," the stranger at the door replied.

Authors notes

Haaaaa Haaaa, Um please don't kill me. Sorry for taking so long to update, (for me.) Well here's to my two reviewers.

Krisian Rose: Yes, well the town was named after a war hero. Yes you're a telekinetic guard, just don't use it against me. I've never seen spykids, but I guess the caparison is valid (And I have a friend in his 20's who loves spy kids.) Yes they were jerks, well if they were nice I would have to completely change m story. Yep I'm sure Skinner would approve. So now I take my slinky, and then I hide.

Lady Lilrin: Thank you, but you may not think I'm so sweet after this chapter. Yes, Raven is dark, angry, and mysterious. I'm glad you like her. Hope you also like the other characters introduced in this chapter.