A/N: Hello again! I want to give a big thanks to everyone that has read the story so far, especially to those that have added it to their story alerts or reviewed. It means the world to me and gives me so much motivation to keep going, so please don't stop!

If the name change of the OC is confusing to you in this chapter, don't worry! It will be explained in the future. The story begins in the wonderful Erik's point of view.

Hope you enjoy! And don't forget to review :) There's a nice shiny quarter in it if you do. And by quarter, I mean a heartfelt thanks.

The air was humid, although breezy thanks to the costal winds coming from the Atlantic. Visiting this sub-tropical place was a small perk in my mission but in all honesty, I preferred the brisk air of Germany. But, this was business that demanded urgency. I took a brief gander at my watch, concluding that if I left now I would probably have perfect timing on my arrival.

Rising from my hotel room bed, I waltzed over to the petite desk in the room; my shirt was hanging carelessly over the matching chair in front of it. I tossed the white article of clothing on my torso, smoothing out any wrinkles in the material once it was on. I also put on a white Fedora and draped a light beige jacket over my shoulder. There was a small piece of paper on top of the desk that I grabbed before heading out of the hotel and into the town.

There was no denying that Villa Gesell was a beautiful place. Green hills, a mountainous backdrop and a variety of beaches made this place a tourist hotspot, and I could see why. But before I could get too enamoured with the scenery, I looked at the paper in my hand. On it was an address to a small pub a couple miles from my current location.

Rather than hailing a cab, I decided to walk. It wouldn't take too long and it would give me time to ponder my plan of attack. I was well aware that Klaus Schmidt may very well not be in Argentina anymore, in fact I was banking on it. All I needed was a lead on where he was headed next. Of course if Schmidt was there, it would be an added bonus, and I was prepared just in case.

Roughly 20 minutes later I saw the structure I was searching for. I entered through the front door; nonchalantly hanging up my jacket and hat as well as briefly acknowledging the other two men seated in the pub, and took a seat right at the bar. After ordering whatever was on tap, I glanced over to my right, noticing a picture hanging on the wall. In the centre of the photograph was none other than Klaus Schmidt with two other men, one on each side of him. The other men in the picture were coincidentally the 2 other patrons in the tavern. Below the photo were 2 words that made me smile on the inside: Casparatina, Miami.

I peeked over my shoulder at the two men behind me, chatting unconcernedly in German. Little did they know, I didn't plan to let them out of this pub alive.

So this is why the new Professor is here, I mused with a smirk. He caught my eye briefly and mirrored my expression. But before he could read my face, I changed my train of thought and answered the confused looking agent in front of me.

"Well perhaps I am able to help after all," I mentioned, trying to put a plan together in my head. Moira looked at me expectantly. "I realize I can't really attend the meeting with you, otherwise I could help even more. My best advice is that the Director is not easily impressed, and that's an understatement. I would consider waiting before revealing your, um, proof to them about the subject."

The brunette gasped, "Wait… Are you," she stammered, unsure, "Are you one of them too?"

I gave a knowing smile, and put a finger up to my pursed lips, "Shh," I gestured with a playful wink. I saw Charles and his lady guest grin. "No, but seriously, please don't let that get out. Even Garber isn't aware of it and he's the friendliest to the paranormal, if you will. Anyways, I highly doubt that the Director and his closer companions will be too thrilled with your presentation. Garber on the other hand, will most likely be fascinated. He has a lot of pull and power, too. So, I wouldn't worry too much," I reassured Moira, who exhaled in relief, "I think you've got this one in the bag."

Moira finally smiled, "Thank you, I will let you know how it turns out."

I chuckled lightly, "Somehow, I don't think you'll have to."

She nodded and, with impeccable timing, the Man In Black himself came into the office. "Ah, Miss MacTaggert! Good to see you, please show yourselves to the boardroom, the meeting will begin in just a couple minutes," he instructed with genuine warmth. "And as for you Ms. Taylor," he directed his attention towards me, "I need you to cancel my all my meetings tomorrow, I need to be at the facility all day."

I replied with a mannerly, "Yes, sir," and resumed my work, but not before shooting Moira and her company a grin when Garber turned his back.

Between the phone calls necessary for rearranging Garber's agenda, I spent my time tapping into the Director's head covertly, getting a grasp on how things were fairing in the conference room. From what I was getting, it wasn't going over too well. McCone was skeptical at best and by the time the Professor was finished his presentation, not only bored, but also slightly irritated by, what he thought, was a complete waste of time.

Using my recently acquired telepathy, I continued to listen in on the meeting, fearing that it would get worse before it got better. I was right. First, it was suggested that Moira got out of the field and back to being a simple desk jockey. Charles nobly tried to, not only preserve Moira's reputation, but also get his point across. The next thing I knew, the Director was raging, accusing Xavier of being a Russian spy. I hung my head in despair. Not the best move on the Professor's part, I thought to myself in the midst of all the yelling I could hear in the room.

I had deemed the entire meeting a lost cause when something even I (nor the rest of them I assume) expected took place. Silence fell upon the room as Xavier's guest suddenly had the appearance of the man sitting on McCone's right, William Stryker. Fascinating, I thought, a telepath and a shape-shifter.

After the shock of the girl's abilities wore off a little, she transformed into what I can only guess was her original form, which added a hint of fright into the CIA leaders. Blue was not a by any means a natural skin colour.

While I was impressed at their bravery for exposing their abilities to some of the most powerful people in the United States, I had a sneaking suspicion these top agents wouldn't have the most accepting mindset. And I was right. The Director wanted them detained until they were able to come up with a plan as to what to do with the ,mutated beings in front of them. I shook my head in a disappointment. If there is one thing that mankind was notorious for, it was being afraid of the unknown. And I wouldn't put it past these chief political and military executives to experiment on these superhuman ones until they either figured out how to reverse the mutation or ended up killing them in the process. Though, disturbingly, I feared the latter would happen first.

But then, as I was listening through the Director's ears, I heard a recognizable voice pipe up, "My facility is off-site. I'll take 'em."

An inward smile filled my soul. Of course Mr. Garber would take the mutants under his wing. The rest of the board seemed to agree after quiet deliberation. I took that as my cue to leave the Director's head and start concentrating on work. No doubt, Garber would be in here soon

I found that I was right again, my boss striding into the office no more than 10 minutes later with the Professor and his lady friend, who I noticed, had gone back to her model-like blonde disguise.

"Mia, I need you to clear up the rest of my schedule for the day, and possibly for the rest of the week. I need to take these fine individuals to the facility."

I smiled graciously, "Right away, sir," I complied, flashing the other two in the room a knowing grin. Professor Xavier put a couple fingers up to his temple, and I guess that was how he tapped into others minds. Unfortunately, I didn't let my guard down with him this time. It was too risky for me. I spotted him frown briefly, respectfully nod his head once, and follow Mr. Garber out of the room. Promptly, I made a few phone calls, apologetically cancelling my superior's appointments for the rest of the day.

After the more pressing matters were out of the way, I let out a small sigh. There was no question I was happy for the two mutants that had just made known the existence of our kind, and did so with an amount of success. Part of me wished that I had been in the room with them, that I helped get the ball rolling. But I knew the extreme amount of danger that would out me in, more so than the rest. Shaw already had a target on my back, even though I had been hiding for nearly a decade. And I was aware now, thanks to Moira's findings, that the CIA was aware of his threat to humanity. I couldn't help but hesitate at the thought of, after all these years, putting myself directly in Shaw's line of sight. Maybe he doesn't even remember me, I laughed at the thought. Of course he would remember me.

For the last 2 years I had found some kind of security working for the CIA, one of the most secure locations with an airtight data base. But that didn't stop Shaw from finding my father. My heart sank at the memories that I forced myself to stop thinking about before I could become too upset.

I shrugged off the emotions, attempting to keep my thought process logical and realistic.

I was quite certain… No. I was absolutely convinced that the whole reason Sebastian Shaw had yet to come after me was because I able to become invulnerable to telepathy, meaning that neither he nor any of the telepathic mutants he kept company with could locate me, or even be certain I was still alive.

Then it dawned on me. From what research I have done over the years, the Country's secret agent force would be no match for Shaw, especially if he also had the Russians on his side. My best bet for, not only keeping safe, but having any shot at bringing Shaw's reign of terror to an end, would be to join other mutants.

Without needing any further reasoning, I was on my feet, walking speedily towards the staff parking where I was sure the group would be heading right about now. Making my way as fast as I could through the still busy halls, I opted to take the stairs. Elevators were terribly annoying when you're in a rush. I was practically catapulting myself through the stairwell before I finally reached the 3rd floor, where I knew Garber's parking spot was.

To my slight alarm, I saw his car had just barely pulled out of its spot, the Professor appearing to be convincing Garber to get in. I knew I didn't have another second to lose as I started a half run towards the car.

"Wait!"