I wake up with a throbbing head, and a sore torso. I try to force myself to sit up, only for pain to shoot up my arms. I drop my arms, letting gravity drag me back down to the stone floor. My vision clears and I can fully take in my surroundings. It is cold, stones cover the floor and the dim lights reflect on the steel barred cages in the room. I roll onto my back and stare at the ceiling, only to see a giant X painted above my head.

I manage to sit up, ignoring my pounding headache. I notice that I'm inside a cage as well. There's a white board on the door of my cell. I slowly stand up and walk over to the board as I grip the bars on my cell. Eventually I pull the board in between the bars and skim over the words.

NAME: N/A

CLASS: M

POWER(S): Healing, bone claws

IDENTIFICATION: Weapon V

FACILITY: Weapon X program.

SPECIALTIES: Bad Wolf/Redd Phoenix

"Don't let them learn your name," a girl across from me whispers. She has brown hair and brown eyes. Her clothes are torn and covered in what looks like blood. I glance at her card and notice her name, Taylor Oswin.

"Why not?" I ask her, she is about to answer, when the door opens. She glances at me; I can see the fear in her eyes as four men walk through the line of cells. All four stop at my cell and unlock the door. They stick my hands and lower arms in handcuffs, preventing me from fighting them with my claws.

I begin resisting the strong men, thrashing in their arms, kicking and screaming curse words the entire length of the room. The men remain silent until we reach the door. One of them slaps my face, "shut up!"

"Parley," I reply to the men, remembering what school taught us in social class about Pirates.

The one man stops, "what'd you say?" His sleeve was pulled up from my thrashing, revealing a brand in the shape of a P. I smile to myself, a pirate.

"Parley. I invoke the right to parley. According to the Code of the Brethren set down by Pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, you have to take me to your captain, or in this case, the person in charge," I state.

"I know the code." He replies.

"If an adversary demands parley you can do them no harm until the parley is complete."

"What does she want Pintel?" A new voice speaks, I don't recognize it, probably because my head still hurts.

Pintel answers, "It be a pirate code Sabertooth. She wants the right to-"

"Take me to your leader." I state over the answer. With that, the men drag me up three flights of stairs and through more caged rooms until we reach an office.

Pintel knocks, "Sir, Weapon V commands parley."

"What is parley?" a voice calls from inside, "is this another pirate thing?"

"Yes."

I hear a sigh, "bring Weapon V in."

The doors swing open by themselves, and I am dragged into the office and cuffed to an old, torn chair.

"Hello Weapon V, did you have a nice sleep?" I look to my left, a man is standing at my shoulder. He's very black and white. His black suit matches his black hair and black eyes, but he is super pale underneath all that.

"You asked the pirate for 'parlay?'" He asks, he tips my chair back at a 45 degree angle, which takes me by surprise.

"Yes, parley," I answer, "what do you want? Why are you calling me weapon-whatever? Explain yourselves and take me back!"

"Very well Miss…"

"Howlett. Raven Howlett."

"Very well Miss Howlett." He lowers my chair back onto the ground. "We are the Weapon X program. Designed to give both humans and mutants like yourself powers they could only dream of, I am William Stryker, one of the leaders here. Myself, along with many others help volunteered persons become the soldier, or weapon they could only dream of as-."

"I didn't volunteer."

"I know, and I am terribly sorry about that..." Stryker mumbled something under his breath that I couldn't understand. He stands back up and tilts my chair again. "You are special Raven; your power of healing can help us discover so many things scientists could never learn. Imagine, finally becoming known to humanity. Not just a simple legend like you currently are."

"I-wait, what? What do you mean 'legend?'"

"How can a person have no evidence of being alive? No birth certificate, no historical evidence either. The reason we know of you is because of Sabertooth, and oral legends of a family of mutants who could live forever."

I look at him. No evidence of being alive, how can that be? I was born in 1796, perhaps that's why. Who knows for sure? I'm going to find out about this when I leave.

I think of what Stryker just said. Science could be advanced if I help them. I think of Steve and Bucky, they would want me to do what would benefit other people. "Fine, I'll do it. Just promise you'll do right by me. So I can do right by someone else." I answer to him.

Stryker grins and sets me down, "excellent, Weapon V is a go. Pintel, Ragetti, Sabertooth, take Raven back. Experiment Xylophelium starts tomorrow." The three man grab me by the arms and begin to drag me back down to the dungeon. I once again begin to resist.

"Wait!" I scream, "wait, we had a deal, you would take me back to Calgary-"

"No where in our deal stated that we had to take you to Calgary so you were not specific enough, since this parley is done we shall take you back to your cell." Pintel says to me as my feet smack the stairs as we go toward the cells.

"Welcome to Weapon X, Miss Howlett!" Ragetti states, as they throw me into my cell.

TIMESKIP

"Hey Raven, you alright?"

I wake up at the sound of a voice, I sit up and make my way to my feet, with the stones beneath me. "Who said that?"

"Across from you, you alright? You passed out after Sabertooth and his lackies pitched you back here." It's Taylor Oswin.

"I'm fine, thanks uh Taylor?"

"No problem," she smiles at me, her brown eyes are faded and have bags underneath them, "by the way…I told you not to give them your name."

I remember her warning, "why?"

"It's not wise to let someone like that know your name y'know."

"Yes I get that, but why?"

"I made the same mistake, you need a different name now that Stryker and Ajax know your name. Besides, there are already too many Ravens out there. With Raven Darkholm, and Anna "Rogue" Raven…Yes, new name."

I stare at her, "like…"

She thinks about it for a moment, "how you feel 'bout Keegan? Unofficial, but enough to keep guys like them off your back in the outside world."

"I like it," I state, after thinking over it and saying it to myself, "has a nice ring to it."

Taylor laughs, "won't have a nice ring when you are turned into a master assassin."

I stare at her in shock, "assassin?! Don't you know who I am?!"

"Hmm, should I?" She raises her eyebrows at me.

"My name is Raven Howlett."

"Yea, I've heard of ya. Everyone thinks you're a myth 'cuz no one's ever seen you."

Before I can say anything else, the lights go out, leaving us in pure darkness. I hear Taylor laugh, "night Keegan!"

I sigh, "night Taylor."