Guidance Office.
Vincent Hall left the room.
Natasha Romanoff sat in silence, lost in thought.
Their conversation had been brief, but she had extracted a wealth of information from the "Ice Demon."
He knows SHIELD inside and out.
He knows me.
Both SHIELD's internal structure and her own Red Room past were classified at the highest levels. Yet, she was certain she had never met Vincent before.
How does he know so much?
Natasha realized there might be a massive leak within SHIELD. Or worse, Vincent had sources they couldn't even imagine.
As for his cryptic comments about the future? Natasha dismissed them.
Future? I don't even know my own future. How could you?
To her, it sounded like a teenager trying to sound mysterious to impress a woman.
But the card...
Deal with the Devil.
Price to be paid.
Natasha smiled. It was a classic opening.
Maybe she could use this "deal" to insert herself into his life. Step by step, she could occupy the high ground of his heart and mind.
"You shouldn't have mentioned my past," Natasha whispered, her smile turning cold. "And you definitely shouldn't have tried to predict my future."
The past was a wound she didn't let anyone touch.
Hallway.
Vincent checked his System.
No Desire Points from Natasha.
Tough crowd, Vincent thought. Guess my 'prophet' act didn't land.
Without his Ice Demon persona backing it up, his words were just words.
But he wasn't discouraged. He had planted the seed.
As for the "SHIELD Deterrence" mission (Part 2 of Building Prestige), there was no time limit. He didn't need to rush to Washington D.C. right now.
Project Insight was years away. The Battle of New York hadn't happened. It was still 2008.
He had time.
By his estimation, his current power level was roughly Alpha Level Mutant. He had plenty of room to grow into an Omega or Cosmic threat before the real heavy hitters arrived.
Teacher's Lounge.
"Ms. Juliet" (Mystique) watched Vincent leave the office.
She adjusted her earpiece. She had bugged the room and heard every word.
SHIELD...
Mystique knew of them. She had tangled with the original Red Room widows before. But Natasha was new to her.
"The Ice Demon seems to have a thing for Natasha," Mystique mused, a strange smile playing on her lips.
Through her surveillance, she had confirmed one thing: The Ice Demon's power was real, and it was far beyond Iceman's capabilities.
It was a pity he wasn't a mutant.
But did it matter?
If his identity was exposed, society would hate him just as much as they hated mutants. He was a natural ally for the Brotherhood—if he could be controlled.
And Mystique had found the control mechanism.
Lust.
Vincent's weakness was women.
"Maybe I can become Natasha," Mystique thought. "And accept his 'deal'."
If she approached him as Natasha and asked him to destroy the enemies of the Brotherhood... would he do it?
It was a risky gambit. If Vincent found out, he might turn on the Brotherhood.
"But the intel alone is worth a fortune."
Mystique realized the "Ms. Juliet" cover was already burning out. She needed to get closer.
Her mind drifted to Gwen Stacy.
Could I become Gwen?
Pillow talk was the most powerful weapon in history.
If she replaced Gwen for a night... she could have the Ice Demon wrapped around her finger.
Shape-shifting was the ultimate weapon against a man like Vincent. She could be anyone. The President's daughter. A movie star. His high school crush.
"Demons usually toy with humans," Mystique whispered, feeling a surge of excitement. "But now I've found the Demon's leash."
From this moment on, her primary target wasn't SHIELD or the X-Men.
It was Vincent Hall.
She would tame the beast. And then, she would unleash him on the world.
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