X-MEN

"The organization I work for consists of social elites who want to further expand their influences. We also have the mutant gene that allows us to be superior to those of the same social class." Reeva explained, "This company is a safe-haven for those who have opportunistic ideals. I am the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club and from today forward you are my Black Knight."

The woman then went further into the relationships of those who are deemed authorities in the company. There were two Kings, Queens, Bishops, and Knights. One for White and the other for Black. Although they were in the same company, it was usually filled with internal strife and backstabbing. Even between the same colors. So the Queens and Kings usually train with an already chosen Knight to insure loyalty. But the act of the [Ebony Blade] changed that. A Black Knight who couldn't use the [Ebony Blade] was a useless Knight. Hence me.

"So...we are a group of people that are trying to step on each other?" I asked totally dreading the problems that would come with the position as the Black Knight.

She sighed. "Usually that's only when a person in power shows weakness or there's a vacancy for one of the spots. The Black Knight position has been open for a while now and has only been closed with the addition of you."

So things should calm down right? Unless people come to me looking for trouble.

I imagined what I looked like right now. This was probably as weak as a leader could be.

"Are we viewed as a good organization?" I asked her slowly. Weither I could be open in using the power of the Hellfire Club depended on the answer.

"Well...it's complicated. Assuming that you mean morally, we've had a history of serving along both sides. Right now we're allied with the forces of 'good'. Unless something game changing occurs, we're planning to continue to do so." She said.

"You air quoted good - what do you mean by good?"I asked.

"We worked together with the Asgardians, Masters of the Mystic Arts, X-Men, and Inhumans to start it off." She said, "Those who know of these forces think of them as peace-keepers for the most part."

Seeing me hesitate, she kept going.

"Now the benefits of being the Black Knight is one to marvel at. Since we work as a company, there's pay. It starts at $40,000 a month. Any company owned establishments are free to use. The ability to mobilize a force of mutants and general immunity against the law." She explained.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked her. All that sounded nice and all but I still couldn't forget her saying that she needed me to do something. Seeing as how powerful she was, what sort of crazy thing did she need me to do?

"This - have you ever heard of the X-Men?" She asked, her eyebrows raised in an arch.

The superpowered mutant group? The ones that save people from other mutants? The ones that one senator doesn't like?

"The mutant ones right? One of your allies? Yeah I've heard of the- oh my lord! You want me to infiltrate the group right?" I asked with my sadly correct insight.

The most impressive things I've ever done include espionage. It is my most defining feature!

When she nodded her head I felt my future and hopes start to get crushed. Infiltrate a group as 'good' as theirs. Don't they have like 4 psychics or something? That gave me an idea.

"Hold on. Doesn't the wheelchair guy have mind powers?" I asked, "Wouldn't he know from going through my brain?"

"That's the reason you're the prime candidate!" She didn't bat an eye on that question. "For some reason, we can't read your mind. We've already tried and the person said, and I quote, 'there are countless formless entities in his body'."

They can't read my mind? My one good excuse! No!!

"Aren't you allied with them?" I asked confused grasping to hope that they'll just assign me to kill someone they didn't like instead of this dumb assignment.

"That is correct. But the movements of Xavier has us concerned. He's collecting mutants left and right and giving them a place to stay in his mansion." She admitted. "And even if he is on the side of good, we technically are not. Even if there is just the slightest chance that he would be plotting on us, we have to act on it."

Convinced of my certain doom, I couldn't help but try to increase my chances of survival. I needed to know the best way to infiltrate the group. I needed to research the people in the group - their powers, fears, family. Information is power in my line of work.

"Okay...how do I join these X-Men? Is there an interview or something?" I asked knowing it wouldn't be that easy.

"Actually, it's something like that." She admitted to my surprise, "They operate a mansion for 'gifted' individuals. All you have to do is attract the attention of a sentinel and it'll chase you. If you survive long enough, maybe they'll save you. Actually, we'll have one of our own sentinels attack you. Use your eye beam a bit and wait for them to save you. I think you know what to do next right?"

I got a headache from just thinking about it. But I've got nowhere else to go and nothing to call my own. In this exchange, I have already lost in everything. Power, money, courage. Name it.

She is the Queen while I am the Knight. For now at least.

"But first, you rest and train." She announced.

…

Get the attention of the sentinel she said. Your power is enough to make it light work, she said. Your 4 month mutant training should be enough, she said. They'll come save you, she said. So where are they?!! I've been running for ten minutes!

I rolled away from a beam attack and ran past a street lamp. It was dark outside making it a bit difficult to see anything. But I was in North Salem, a quiet town in New York. Its supposedly very close to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.

So that leaves one question. What is taking them so long? The noise that the sentinels were making in the quiet town should have gotten their attention by now!

The leading Sentinel picked up a car and threw it at me. I quickly turned around and let loose the power in my eyes. It kinda hurted a lot to use it. Reeva said something about Soviets tampering with my mutations and the lasting effects it would have on my body.

Basically, this shit isn't supposed to hurt your eyes. Of course I'd get my one power nerfed.

The leading Sentinel raised its hand to block the beam and as a result the arm was turned to ashes. The other three Sentinels used my moment of pause as an opportunity to launch their own energy attacks.

Yeah! It wasn't only one that was chasing me! There were four.

I quickly rolled away from the heated blasts.

"UNIDENTIFIED MUTANT! PROCEED TO APPREHEND!" Their robotic voices rang out at the same time.

Where are they?

I hopped over a stationary cop car as the sentinels continued their chase. Their yellow eyes grew brighter as they began to expend more energy to capture me.

I turned around and shot another condensed beam of blue electricity from my eyes. From what I've learned in the four months at mutant training was that my optic blasts were different from a certain popular X-Men's.

His has something to do with kinetic force while mine has something to do with a more destructive energy.

Oblivion.

But using that energy hurt a lot. It put unimaginable stress on my eyes.

Also I've learned that I lost four years worth of memories since it was currently 2008. But more on that later.

I quickly turned around as I saw the blast hit the sentinel in the chest. The blast tore through the Sentinel the entire metal robot started to decomposed. My left Eye started to bleed a bit of blood.

Before I could continue another assault on the Sentinels, I heard the propellers of a jet. Thank Gandhi they arrived.

"Right Here!" A masculine voice yelled out. He had metal claws emerging from his hands.

I turned to see a couple men and women adorning a red cross on their chests. These were definitely the X-Men. I quickly headed in their direction as the Sentinels increased the intensities of their blasts. One blast enough to almost make me lose my balance.

Just a bit more!

When I was a couple feet away from the costumed vigilantes, I 'accidentally' tripped on a piece of rock. This was of course intentional. As my body hit the floor the faces of the X-Men changed. They thought that they could get away before needing to fight the Sentinels. They probably could have too if I didn't fall.

A man with red colored visors pressed his temple with one hand and a beam of red energy flew out of his eyes. That was Cyclops. The Woman behind him let out a thunderous roar as the elements began to converge around us. That must be Storm. The rest helped me up to my feet as we entered their ship.

The two attacking heroes quickly dealt with the Sentinels and returned to the ship. We left quickly before anymore sentinel reinforcements came.

So Phase 1 of the plan was done. Now to continue with Phase 2.

The Hellfire Club created an identity for me. I was Gilbert Shannon, a student of The Hun School of Princeton. Hun was a military boarding school near the area which explained why I was in North Salem. Right now I needed to solidate my standing as an energized kid ready to learn from the one and only Mr. Xavier!

I thought it was the best approach for many reasons. It could explain how I could somewhat control my mutant abilities. It could explain why I wanna learn so much information. And it's known that Mr. Xavier treats those types of people very well.

I wiped the blood off gaining the attention of the the red-head who rushed to help me get on the jet. I saw sympathy dwelling in her eyes. But I ignored her, she's not needed in the plan.

"Oh - you can - you're like me?" I asked inquisitively to Cyclops gaining the collective attention from the X-Men. "Your eyes are like mine! How do yours work? Who are you guys? What pow-"

"Woah woah woah - slow down little guy." A scruffy looking man said. From my files I knew he was Wolverine. "We're the X-Men. How have you not heard of us?"

I was prepared for that question from the moment they chose the boarding school identity.

"I was in a military boarding school until those things came from me. They're giants! Even my super cool heat vision did nothing to it. And I've accidentally burnt through steel multiple times before!" I exclaimed.

Their faces grimaced at that.

"They're Sentinels." Cyclops explained, "Made to contain or even destroy Mutants. Look, you can't - you're a mutant now. And mutants aren't exactly treated like people around here. So it's best if you don't go back to wherever you came from."

I shrugged my shoulders and mumbled, "I don't really wanna go back."

Even though I mumbled it, I made sure it was loud enough for them to hear. They've all probably hurt someone close to them through accidental bursts of power. With my tone, I not only implied that I wasn't happy in the school but also strung a connection to their emotional sides.

"We'd like to take you to someone." A red headed individual said after the awkward silence. "We'd like to introduce you to someone that can help you co-exist with humans. Someone that could help you control your power like he helped us."

I knew who she was. She was the unnamed telepath of the group. She was quite useless since even lifting something that is her weight exhausted her. So she couldn't be important. And she wasn't marked important on the file.

I nodded my head, "I'd love to be able to control it. Like Mr. Glasses over there!"

While they were contemplating the irony of my statement, I proceeded to size everyone up.

I eyed the members who were important. Cyclops, Storm, Angel, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine. I was to form a connection between them since they were powerful. After all, the more powerful a person was, the more information they were privy to.