Shivering, the shadowed figure shifted it's weight so that it was crouched in a smaller ball behind the stack of boxes. They were coming. A door opened a crack, revealing a sliver of the figures face; The small girl's long chestnut hair was damp from her tears and stuck to her sweaty face. The air in the restaurant was stiflingly hot but the people inside stood, frozen with fear, seeming not to notice the heat. A faint banging could be heard from above them, the beginning of the labyrinth of underground tunnels. As if frozen in time, hours could have passed but it could just as easily have been seconds. The girl had just begun to drift off into a troubled sleep when she was brought back to reality with a jolt. The door to the underground kitchens had been kicked in and a firing squad of five men, each armed with a machine gun, entered the room.

'Hand over the girl, and we will be lenient' one shouted over the roar of a helicopter flying low over the building.

From her hiding place, the girl saw one of her guardians step forward, only to fall back again, his skin peppered with bullet wounds, blood soaking through his white shirt. The soldiers proceeded to search through the rest of the room, cutting down anyone in their path with a rain of bullets. Again and again the girl heard a body hit the floor with an ominous crunch. She was powerless.

An eery silence swept through the building, thickening the air to the consistancy of treacle. The girl could almost smell her own fear over the cloying scent of blood. She staggered to her feet to meet her destruction, she thrust her hands in front of her as the sound of the firing guns filled the air and screwed her eyes tightly closed. The pain she was expecting never came, she opened her eyes a crack only to see the five men standing before her; each wearint the same expression of utter disbelief. She looked down at her hands and was nearly blinded by a bright white light coming from both her palms. She squinted ; looking towards her attackers and saw a pearly sheen separating them from her. A pile of bullets lay at the base of the transclucent wall.

The girl felt the raw power pulsating through her veins and she directed the light at one of the five. As the ball of light sped towards him, as if by magic it shaped itself into a point. The light pierced the mans heart and through her shield the girl heard the splatters of blood hit the floor, followed by the sight of his lifeless corpse crumpling. The tears and cold fear had gone instead the girl smiled and she face her next victim.

7 years later

Electra checked the silencer on her M24 sniper rifle. She would have to destroy it at some point, all her guns so far had had some 'unfortunate accidents'. She would miss this one, it was by far the lightest and most accurate, but if it was found her carreer as the underworld's deadliest asassin would be over along with her life. From her high vantage point she could just make out the target; he didn't look like much but she was getting paid four million dollars to take him out so she knew her boss didn't want him dead for no reason. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning and her target was just leaving a nightclub in the centre of Moscow. She had waited here all night for this opportunity and she wasn't going to let him evade her again. Electra slung her rifle over her shoulder and ran down the stairs of a high- end appartment block, in pursuit of the target. Quickly swinging herself over a balcony and landing on the street below, she caught up with the man on foot. Hiding behind a dumpster she waited until he had bidden his date goodnight. He was standing on the pavement, calling a taxi when Electra finally struck. A clean bullet to the head finished him and his body hit the floor before he could make a strode up to her victim, digging her phone out of her pocket and found her temporary boss' phone number on her speed dial list.

"Ivan, it's finished, what'dya want me to do with the body?"

A muffled reply answered her "Good, i knew i could count on you again Electra, now i want you to tkae the body to the nearest dumpster and leave it there, some of my associates will dispose of it."

"Will the rest of the money be in my bank by midday?"

A note of fear crept into the man's voice and he gulped a lungful of air before answering "Yes, yes of course."

Electra smiled, fear was good "Good, and if you need me again, you know where to find me"

As she hung up, Electra could sense that she wasn't alone, she couldn't hear their breathing but she could sense that an all too familiar unwelcome visitor had arrived.

"Impressive" came the rasping voice of Victor Creed "Did ya miss me?"

In answer, Electra reloaded her sniper rifle

Creed laughed softly "You should know your bullets only tickle me." Stepping forwards, Creed bent the barrel of the gun back on itself to face Electra.

"My answer has not changed, Creed, so if you want to live to see your next birthday i suggest you get the hell out of my way." replied Electra coldly

Creed stepped back and disappeared once more into the darkness "Magneto isn't going to give up that easily, and next time i won't be leaving without you."