A/N: Hey there champs! Thanks again for all the story hits and alerts/favorites. Just a little warning for those Raven/Mystique fans out there, for future reference, I am going to be playing up her faults for the sake of the storyline and plot. Just thought I'd give you the heads up for future chapters.

I still would appreciate a beta if anyone is interested!

Also, if there are any fellow fashion lovers that read this, I have started posting links on my profile to the Polyvore account I set up specifically for my fanfics. Each link corresponds with what I had in mind for any outfits mentioned throughout the story, as well as who I kind of imagined the OC to look like. So, feel free to take a look at that if you're interested. But if you'd rather leave it up to your imagination, that's fine by me too :)

Fun Fact: I have been writing this entire story on my computer in a font called 'Magneto'

Don't forget to keep the reviews coming! Enjoy!

Immediately after my 'meeting' with the gentlemen in the Argentina tavern, I took a cab to the nearest airport. As I entered the small building I noticed it was nearly empty. I expected for a tourist hotspot for the place to be filled with vacationing rich folk, but that was not the case. Strolling up to middle-aged, female attendant behind the only desk, I politely asked in Spanish for a seat on the next available to Miami, Florida.

"El próximo vuelo sale dentro de media hora, señor (the next flight leaves in half an hour, sir)," she replied.

I booked the seat, giving her a wad of cash to pay for the airfare. The airport was so undersized there were no gift shops or restaurants, just a few simple vending machines and some chairs. I took a seat in one, placing my modest carryon bag next to me. I hated being this bored.

I let my mind wander, first remembering the events that had already taken place today. Watching those wretched Nazis scream and tremble. I smirked at the thought. If only they knew the pain and terror their comrade, Schmidt, had put me through those years ago. The torture, the experiments, my mother... Those two didn't actively participate in the torment I personally faced, but I had no doubt in my mind they had known about it. They probably enjoyed hearing tales of my agony. Sick bastards, they all were. Had I not been under time constraints I would have made sure their suffering was slow and excruciating. They deserved no less.

Schmidt was my first priority, however. He never stayed in one place for long; I needed to get to Miami. I needed revenge.

By the time we arrived in Miami, it was already dark out. The rest of the trip had been uneventful. I even managed to get a few minutes of sleep in before Charles nudged me to wake up.

As I looked around, it became obvious that we had landed directly at the Coast Guard base. A rather tall fellow was waiting for us as we stepped off of the plane. He introduced himself, though I didn't hear a word he said as a massive shiver coursed through my entire body. The air certainly got chillier at night, especially near the ocean and I was nowhere near dressed for the occasion. The coast guard seemed to notice, he informed us that we would need to change before we headed out.

He escorted us to a nearby building, explaining that they succeeded in locating Shaw's yacht; it was docked about 20 minutes away from the base. We got inside the base and I instantly felt a bit warmer.

"Alright," the guard started, "So are all of you coming out on the water?"

Raven and I were quick to nod yes, but Charles seemed to have other ideas, "No, you two would be much safer here."

"But Charles," Raven whined.

"No," Charles replied, his voice noticeably firmer, "Absolutely not. I highly doubt we'd need your skills out there anyways."

She crossed her arms, glaring at the Professor before rolling her eyes and giving a small huff.

This made me a bit more hesitant to speak up now, and I almost didn't, unsure if I was ready to face that evil man so soon. My impulses got the better of me though. "Um," I voiced nervously, "I think I could be of some help out there."

Raven looked at me incredulously but I ignored it. I kept my eyes on Charles, hoping he would somehow be persuaded in letting me come along.

He still wasn't answering when Moira spoke up, "We could use the extra help, Charles."

Apparently Moira vouching for me was enough to make Charles come to a decision, "Fine." The little word earning much protest from Raven, who Charles still insisted stayed on shore.

I smiled, thankful for his affirmative choice, even though the knots of anxiety in my stomach were almost becoming unbearable. I can't run from this forever.

The coast guard took that as his cue to interrupt, leading Moira, Charles, Garber and I to some change rooms where we could dress into more appropriate attire. The all-black ensemble was made of dense fabrics, what I guessed was a wool blend. The outerwear was waterproof and apparently buoyant; much better than wearing a bulky life vest, in my opinion.

The 4 of us were then quickly ushered onto a large water vessel, all crew ready to ship out as soon as we were on deck. The boat took off from the dock and I watched the shore for as I could keep it in view. The outline of the structure disappeared within a couple minutes; the only trace of its existence from this distance was the faint glow of the lights both inside and out, but that too became undetectable shortly.

The other 3 were to the side of me the entire time, discussing the plan of attack. Whether we were actually going to physically engage in fighting or not, I wasn't sure; I had zoned out during that part of the conversation, I suppose. Not really caring to jump into whatever they were speaking, I stared straight ahead. We were all standing at the front of the ship, right on the deck. I had never been one to get seasick, but I kept a firm grip on the handrail anyways, able to feel the cool mist spray up from the ocean below.

Gazing out onto the dark waters was almost soothing, in a rather eerie sense. My entire life I was brought up to play it safe, to never get too close to whom or what you didn't know. And now here I was, teetering on the edge of the perilous unknown. I'm not just referring to what things could lay beyond the surface of the sea, or what dangers might be in the seemingly infinite blackness in which the boat was heading into now. No, what was most uncertain now was the future. For once in 8 years I stepped out of my comfort zone; it wasn't exactly a small step either. Any minute now I would be within eye shot of the maniac that killed my family, and I put myself here willingly, after all this time spent doing the opposite. I gulped, trying to swallow the nervousness building up in my body. There was no turning back now, and as far as I could tell, putting on a brave face was the best course of action.

All of a sudden, I felt the boat slow drastically, snapping me out of my thoughts. One of the coast guards alerted, saying another ship came up on their radar a little less than a mile away. The spotlights on the ship had yet to be turned on, giving our ship cover as we crept up further. Sure enough, we all spotted the nicely lit up yacht ahead. We weren't able to distinguish any figures on the vessel, but I knew in my heart that it was Shaw.

There was a lot of hushed commotion going on, teams getting ready to take some of the smaller ships out to the yacht. The 4 of us still standing on the deck were quiet, though I noticed Charles put his fingers up to his temple, eyebrows knit together in concentration. Abruptly, all three smaller boats launched forward, the spotlights turning on simultaneously.

I heard Charles groan in what sounded like frustration next to me, "They have a telepath with them. I- I can't get a read on them, in fact I can actually feel them inside my head," he looked over at Moira and Garber apologetically, "I'm sorry but I don't think I will be of much use tonight." He then turned his attention towards me, "Are you able to block them from your mind?"

I simply nodded my head, distracted by what I was seeing take place in front of us. Cyclones generated out of thin air, being hurled towards the 3 Coast Guard crafts. The mutant-produced storms caused all of them to be pitched backwards.

"We need to take cover," came the urgent call of the professor as he swiftly steered Moira and I below the deck. Moira was the first to duck into the stairwell, descending the steps hurriedly, followed by me with Charles right on my tail. Unexpectedly, I felt a surge of energy run through my body and I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Mia, what in the devil are you doing?" Charles demanded.

I spun around, trying to get past Charles in the narrow space, "There's someone else out there in. He's in the water."

Charles turned his head around, still being able to see out to the water from where he was. He didn't make a sound, just ran back up the stairs, with me hot on his tails. The sight made me gasp. The yachts anchor was being suspended in the air and within seconds was launching itself towards Shaw's boat. There is another person out there, in the water, I thought to myself, almost surprised that I was right. And not only was I right, but he seemed to have a similar intent as us. The massive chain wrapped itself around the ship opposite us, crushing it ultimately from top to bottom.

My mouth hung open in astonishment as, in what seemed like mere seconds, the ship had sunk completely out of sight. I rushed over to the edge of the deck, leaning over the rail to get a better look of the bright light coming from underneath where the yacht had been anchored. The bastard, I cursed, instantly recognizing the glow being of that of a submarine.

A muffled yell from Charles made me snap my attention away from the dissipating submarine, as I him run and dive overboard. I dashed over to the port side of the ship, trying to keep an eye on Charles, but it was useless, the dark water swallowed him.

Moira came beside me, "What happened?"

"Charles jumped off the ship. There's another person in the water, a mutant."

The 2 of us watched the waves closely, keeping our fingers crossed. A moment later 2 heads popped up to the surface, their gasps for breath clearly audible.

"I'm going to go fetch some blankets," Moira offered as I heard her footsteps hurry off.

I, on the other hand, was already at the top of the ladder that ran down the side of the ship. I could hear raspy, out of breath voices but couldn't make out any words. They tread water until they caught their breath, then Charles directed the other man over to the ladder. Fortifying myself but keeping one hand tightly clutching the rail, I tilted as far as I could down, extending my other hand to help the stranger up.

Soon enough, a wet hand was in mine as I guided the unknown man up to the deck. I heard the lighter, more feminine footsteps of Moira behind me as she greeted the man, draping a blanket over his wet shoulders. I leaned back down the ship again, this time offering assistance to Charles, which he accepted with thanks.

I looked at the sopping wet men in front of me, wrapping themselves as tightly as they could with the blankets Moira had given them.

"Come on, let's get you two inside the cabin before you freeze to death," I insisted, "Are you alright, Charles?"

All he did was bob his head up and down affirmatively, his teeth chattering a bit from the bitter cold which was only intensified from being so wet.

I turned my attention to the other man, the mutant, "How about you, are you okay Mister?" my question trailing off as I wasn't sure what to address the stranger by.

He looked at me, his eyes a blue that was colder than the frigid air, "Erik. I'm Erik."