Darkness

You look out, seeing nothing but pitch black. The sky above you is a small oval of blue, and you can hear the water roaring down the sides of this pit, but you can’t seem to see anything. You switch your vision to x-ray, a variety of heavy machinery lining the walls comes into focus, seemingly powered by the water rushing through generators.

The surface is smooth, your footsteps ringing against the metal as you approach the northern end. There doesn’t seem to be anyone about, and the only way out appears to be up, or down. You came here with a purpose, and so you come up to the edge of the water, mist spraying you wet as you peer down the raging torrent. You tentatively stick your hand in, and the **** is enough to almost pull you off your feet and suck you in.

With a quick move, you dive in, rushing down through the water, gravity and your powerful strokes accelerating you to inhuman speeds. The cavern beneath the steel is massive, revealing a humongous base. In its center is a massive rectangular slab of metal, spinning so quickly that it looks like a cylinder.

As you approach the ground level, you leap out of the waterfall, coming to a landing next to some machinery. There are a few scientists manning machines here and there, dressed in the typical HYDRA green, but they all ignore you. You wander through all of the computers and machines, trying to figure out what’s going on here, as you approach the spinning block of metal. Papers are all held down by large paperweights, and you can see why. The wind produced by that thing would be enough to wreck an umbrella, but you get closer to it, observing it carefully. It’s levitating above another metal platform, but apart from that, you can’t seem to tell what it’s for.

“Admiring the view?” a feminine voice sounds from behind you.

You slowly turn around, not recognizing the voice, and come across a hot woman. She’s dressed in a long white lab-coat with skimpy clothing beneath, and has long dark hair. She looks somewhat oriental, though you can’t be sure.

“It’s... interesting,” you say. “Did you design this?”

“Most of it, yes,” she replies, raising an eyebrow. “But we know you’re not here for this stuff.”

She waves her hand at the silently spinning metal, and starts walking toward the eastern side of the room.

“What are you here for?” she asks as she strides away.

You catch up in a few quick steps and match her pace.

“I’ve got something you want,” you say. “Something that nobody else will be able to give you.”

“Oh?” she asks, indicating for you to continue.

“Files on nearly every single X-Man on record, complete with medical details and psych profiles and everything you could possibly want on them. Secret identities included,” you say, following her onto a small raised, circular platform.

She taps on some buttons on a raised dais, and the platform begins to descend, going past several levels of similar technological facilities.

“But you’re not here for that,” she says. “You want something in return.”

“Naturally,” you say. “But first, who am I speaking with? It’s sensitive information, and I wouldn’t want to just share with anyone.”

“So the secret identities of the X-Men are less sensitive than this?” she retorts. “You don’t have to worry about my qualifications. I run this joint.”

“Your name,” you say plainly.

“The Technician,” she replies.

You look at her with a blank stare, which she doesn’t seem to notice. The platform has stopped, and she crosses the room, a pristine white. She doesn’t speak to you until she enters the code and does the requisite half-dozen biometric scans to unlock the next room, a spacious one filled with various monitors, and a few men and women in HYDRA suits.

“Good to see you back, Apotheosis,” Valentina says. The others in the room seem to preoccupied to greet you.

“Let’s cut the crap. What do you want from us?” the Technician asks, her alluring black iris’ drilling into your eyes.