Selene's heels clicked loudly on the sidewalk as she approached the large wrought iron gate, two hooded figures trailing behind her silently. She was tall and thin with a pale complexion. She appeared to be somewhere between 35 and 40 and wore a long black cloak against the chilly December air. Once she reached the gate, she stood there silently, turning her head up to look at the surveillance camera perched at the top. She heard the soldiers approach and stand with their guns ready on the other side of the gate, but she didn't spare them a glance. Yes, she could have easily flung the gates open herself and disposed of the guards with simply a thought, but what would be the fun in that?

She waited with a bored expression, not moving her gaze from the camera's lens. A tinny sounding voice finally emerged from a speaker: "State your name and what you want."

She smiled and spoke, her voice high-pitched and almost child-like in tone, "I'm Selene Gallio, former Black Queen. That doesn't matter though, what matters is what I've brought for your master to add to his collection. I will speak with him now."

There was a moment of static before the tinny voice returned and said, "He's not receiving visitors today, but you can schedule a meeting for tomorrow."

Selene chuckled, but it was a cold sound. She continued to smile, seeming genuinely amused. "I don't think so. He will come now." She flicked her gaze toward the guards holding the guns on the other side of the gate. Both lifted into the air and floated over the top of the gate until they were in front of the camera. The men's expressions were terrified as shaking hands raised their assault rifles to point at each other. Selene continued to speak, her voice still betraying her boredom. "I doubt that your master cares if I kill these men, but he will care when I let myself in and kill everyone I come across until I find him." She clucked her tongue in sympathy. "They do say that good help is terribly hard to find."

There was more static, and it was only a few moments before an irate voice came over the line. "Put my men down immediately!"

Selene chuckled again, and did so, allowing them to drop to the ground in front of her. The guns remained floating in the air though. She smiled into the camera again. "You are the Collector, I assume," she said, her voice emphasizing "air quotes" around his title.

There was a squawk of annoyance, "How dare you!" When Selene didn't respond and only continued to smile up, the Collector asked, "What is it you want?"

A slight frown marred Selene's brow but was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "No time for pleasantries then, I see." She sighed in mock exasperation. "All right then. Business it is." She pushed her cloak back over her shoulders, revealing a long black dress. She made a show of slowly stripping her gloves off of her hands and tucking them in the pouch that rested against her hip. When she returned her gaze back to the camera, she continued, "I've come to trade for an item in your collection. You have a family heirloom of mine that I would like returned. But since I am such a good Businesswoman" she bared her teeth on the word, "I have brought a trade. "

"I cannot imagine that you'd have anything that would be worth parting with something from my collection," The Collector said haughtily, still resentful of her having already won one powerplay by getting him to speak with her.

Selene laughed, sounding genuinely amused. "Oh, I don't think so. I have something you recently lost."

There was static from the speaker, but she waited patiently, her gaze never leaving the camera lens. After several long, silent moments, the Collector snapped, "Well, what is it?"

Selene raised one elegant hand and flicked her wrist. The two hooded figures behind her stepped forward into view, the hoods dropping back. The Collector squealed in surprise and excitement as the figures were revealed. "You see, I've brought you X-23 since you misplaced her, and I've even made the deal sweeter by adding in the Wolverine." She turned her head slightly as if admiring them, "They do make quite a lovely pair, don't they?" Both figures stood unresponsive, motionless while they stared straight ahead.

"All I want in return is my family's dagger, the one she stole," Selene said with a gesture over her left shoulder in Laura's direction. Selene thought she could practically hear the man salivating as he saw the two figures.

When he spoke, his voice was strained, almost as if the Collector fought the urge to immediately give her what she was asking for. "But what is so special about the dagger? Why would you be willing to give two such valuable items for it? It must be extremely valuable."

Selene laughed, waving a hand at the camera. "You sir," she said charmingly, "Are hilarious. You see, the dagger has sentimental value for me while the lives of these two mean less than nothing. Unlike yourself, I am not a collector of rare items. It is simply a matter of perspective." She smiled guilelessly at the camera. "It is a bit chilly out here, you know."

There was barely a moment's pause before the gates swung inward. Selene strode forward, the two figures following silently and expressionlessly. Behind her, the guns clattered to the pavement, and the men moaned, finally able to move their limbs under their own will. As Selene strode toward the large mansion, her smile widened in anticipation.

Sorry I've been gone so long everyone! I'm short on time, but I did want to get a small section of the story in here to let people know I'm back. Thanks for sticking around. I hope to wrap this up within the month.