Field Trip-The Prelude

[The Watcher]

Washington D.C.
11.45 P.M.

“I see you have the folder.” A male voice came from the darkened room that Dr. Valerie Cooper had been directed to come to. It had all happened rather mysteriously. Two weeks earlier, Cooper had received a series of late night phone calls from someone known only as “Lazarus”. His messages had been the early warning of things to come over that time. Her own disaster with the Thunderbolts had put her into a precarious position with the government, and she was just waiting for the other shoe to fall.
“Yes, I have the folder, now tell me what this is all about.” Her eyes narrowed as she closed the door to the small office behind her. She took a seat across from the shadowed figure and proceeded to listen as he began to explain Valerie Cooper’s role in the things to come.

“So, what you’re saying is, you want me to sponsor this team? You obviously know little of what goes on in Washington.” She curtly said to Lazarus after an hour of listening to him talk. His talk of mysteries, monsters and mutants sounded like something from a children’s story.
“No, I don’t want you to sponsor these individuals, I’m ordering you to. You have no choice in this matter Dr. Cooper. If you turn me down, you’ll be as washed up in this town as you should be. Now, have you looked over your team?”
Visibly shaken, Cooper gave her blond hair a push out of her face and opened the folder and began to look over the group of individuals that Lazarus had gathered unending information on.
“Criminals, Strippers, Ex-Cons? You certainly know how to pick them.” She turned her nose up at most of these people; they were well beneath her.
“Each one of them, Dr. Cooper, is invaluable in their own way. You need not baby sit them, only guide them through their first mission, from there you will simply step away.” Lazarus leaned forward a bit to retrieve the folder, pulling out a few photos of the people inside. If Dr. Cooper could have seen his face, she would have seen a wry smile as he laid down one photo in particular and pushed it out into the small-lighted circle on his desk.
“She…will be your first. She’s already waiting on the Island. You’ll find Ms. Broussard very…interesting.”
Valerie could hear the mirth in his voice as she looked down at the pink haired winged mutant who was standing in a police line up, flipping the middle finger at whoever had taken the photo.
“So, I take it they are all mutants?” Again, she pushed the photo back across the desk.
“Then you take it wrong, Dr. Cooper.” There was a strain in his voice at the word “Dr.” and Valerie caught that. Apparently this Lazarus held about as much respect for her as she did him. She smirked as he continued to speak.
“Firefly is not a mutant, she’s a fairy.” He stated very matter of factly. “If you had bothered reading each of their dossiers you’d know this by now. Why am I even bothering with you Valerie Cooper? I thought you deserved another chance. But if you can’t study for the test, why take it?” His tone was had taken on a hard edge, daring the infamous Dr. Cooper to speak.
“Read your notes Dr. They are important.” Was all Lazarus said as the door opened and Valerie turned to see someone waiting to usher her out.


Two weeks later, Valerie Cooper found herself standing on a sun washed beach in the Florida Keys. She knew that at least one of the team members had arrived already. She had already had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting the pink haired harlot known as AJ. She had done her best to withhold the look of utter disgust from her face as the woman had shook her hand and welcomed her to “Fantasy Island.”
“The Island’s name is Twilight Cove, Ms. Broussard. I suggest you remember that.” But before Valerie could berate the winged woman any longer, she stood appalled as the girl had turned on her heel and walked away from her, waving her hand in the air and calling out… “Whatevah lady, ah’ve got a tan ta work on. Let me know when the rest of ya happy ass bunch gets here.”

OOC-Have fun! Thus begins the Guardians!