As a hotshot young lawyer, John Seville had a great apartment in one of the most exclusive building in Ursa City. But it wasn't<em>the</em>best apartment in the building. That would be the penthouse, occupied by one Charlotte Backman. John didn't know much about her and neither did any of the other tenants. It was obvious she had money coming out the ass, a pretty nice ass at that. But where she got it from was a mystery. It wasn't like she was forthcoming with information. Charlotte was hot in a sort of uptight librarian way, she gave out a clear "look but don't touch" vibe. But John just considered that a challenge. So when he found himself in the elevator with the mysterious Ms. Backman, he thought he'd give it a shot.<br/><br/>"Nice night."<br/><br/>Charlotte Backman turned to look at him. She was an attractive blonde, with her hair pulled back so tight it looked painful.  Charlotte wore a pair of matronly glasses but her blue eyes were quite visible behind them. Her gaze was completely apathetic.<br/><br/>"I suppose."<br/><br/>She went back to staring at the doors. John was at a bit of a loss. He would have at least expected something. Interest, annoyance... but he never had a woman look at him like he was nothing the way she did. It totally through him off of any sort of game plan.<br/><br/>"Uh, yeah. Got any plans?"<br/><br/>"Yes."<br/><br/>There was a long pause as John came to realize that was the extent of her answer.<br/><br/>"Cool. Me too. Not much, just hanging with some friends."<br/><br/>No response at all from Charlotte. A long awkward silence followed. Well, awkward for John. His fellow passenger didn't seem to mind at all. Thankfully the elevator reached the lobby and the doors opened. Charlotte stepped out, so John had one last chance.<br/><br/>"Have fun with... whatever."<br/><br/>Not exactly his finest moment but the woman had given him nothing to work with. John didn't understand. He was good-looking and successful but didn't come off as some douche think women owed him some pussy. She could have at least acted like a human being.<br/><br/>"Frigid bitch... " he muttered under his breath.<br/><br/>Suddenly he was hit with a massive headache, like the kind he would get as a kid when he ate ice cream too fast. John clutched at his skull and gritted his teeth as his head felt like it was going to implode.<br/><br/>"Jesus Fucking Christ!"<br/><br/>And as she left the lobby, a small smile appeared on Charlotte Backman's face. She entered a white limo and drove off into the Ursa City night. Before too long the car pulled up to a side entrance to the Laprade Spire. The woman that got out of the limo bore a superficial resemblance to the one that had entered. Her blonde hair was loose and she wore no glasses. But the biggest difference was in how she moved. Charlotte Back was prim and proper. This woman was like a predator moving through a snowy forest in search of prey. Then again, a predator was exactly the kind of creature Milady de Winter was.<br/><br/>(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/abcde6/New_X-Men_Cover_131.jpg)<br/><br/>"Merci, Frances," she said to the Asian girl behind the wheel of the limo. "Feel free to have the rest of the night off."<br/><br/>While Charlotte spoke English without trace of accent or inflection, Milady de Winter loved to exaggerate her Gallic origins. When she spoke, a small white cloud of fog appeared in front of her lips, as if if was a much colder evening that it actually was. Frances nodded and drove off. She was one of two servants employed by Milady de Winter, the other being Francis, an Asian man who bore a striking resemblance to Frances.  They had been Vietnamese orphans whisked away from their troubled homeland decades ago. Frances and Francis had been brought up to serve Milady de Winter with complete devotion, first in Paris and now in Ursa City. She kept no secrets from them being she knew their entire existence was centered on making their mistress happy.<br/><br/>There was one thing more than any other that made Milady de Winter happy... crime. Not because of any financial rewards, she had no need of that. No, de Winter simply loved to mock the laws of society. Society had labelled her a freak, a monster, simply because she felt deeply in her heart she was born into a body that was not hers. But ever since that chance meeting centuries ago, she had the power to show society what a monster really was.<br/><br/>Entering a secret door, Milady de Winter made her way to the hidden headquarters of the League. so far sh had been quite pleased with her latest allies. They might not have had the overwhelming force of the Nazis but they were far less annoying than Hitler and his cronies. When she arrived in the meeting room, her eyes glittered with excitement over what chaos they might cause, glittered like sunlight on snow.<br/><br/>"Bon soir, mes amies! Pardon moi for being fashionably late. Ah, but I now see that I am not the last after all."<br/><br/><br/><br/>