Peace of Mind | X-Men: Apocalypse

Chapter One

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1983

Leah Darkholme.

A pale hand wiped itself across the shelf filled with pleasurable memories, a thick sheet of dust coming off of it when it did. The hand belonging to that of a young woman recoiled as she gazed stoically at the sight. The stormy weather and heavy overcast outside the small home reflected the girls emotions perfectly. Being back in her childhood home after so many years affected her more than she would care to admit. What she was feeling was so human— and that was why she despised it. One of the greatest human errors of mankind has been emotions. Emotions are what Leah unwillingly felt just now, emotions warranted by a decision made by a cruel, cruel man. It was him that gave the orders to take her mother away and separate them, him to fuel her rage by telling her what terrible things he had done to the only family she had, including how he killed her. After all, that was his plan all along: to get a rise out of her. To witness the true carnage Leah could cause.

It was due to that emotion that William Stryker kept her locked away for nearly ten years. He tortured her, experimented on her— all just to fuel his research. But Leah couldn't deny that everything he did made her stronger, though it also gave her such a bleak outlook on life. Without him, Leah wouldn't be where she stood today. The truth is, there's no telling how Leah's life would've turned out if she had never met Stryker, though that was a risk she was willing to take if it meant she would see her mother just one more time.

The pale hand clenched into a tight fist as Leah's mind was swarmed by unwanted memories. The girl couldn't even begin to understand just what she was feeling. But after the years of torment brought on by that man, after hours of just standing in her childhood home with her rage filled eyes, she only wanted one thing, and one thing only— to kill Stryker.

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A long and restless flight brought Leah to one of the most Lively cities in the world-- New York City, located in the United States of America. Leah wasn't an idiot; she knew that if she wanted information on the man she spoke so highly of, she would have to play his own game and travel. Located in the large city, just on the outskirts, was a large research lab owned by Stryker himself. Leah had once spent a short amount of time locked in this lab before being shipped off to somewhere else. She knew that the knowledge these workers had at the lab would at least give her an idea of where Stryker was now. However, that all depended on just how loyal these workers are.

It didn't take her much to break in, her simply mimicking a certain invisible mutant's mutation by using her own. Her ability to simulate other mutant powers were thought to have been connected to her mother's ability to shapeshift. However, Raven Darkholme was unable to gain another mutant powers like Leah was, even when she took up another mutant's identity. Carefully accessing the lab's files, Leah was quick to identify a constant signature written alongside all of Stryker's: Stephen Benton. He was the leading doctor working at the facility. Leah wouldn't be surprised if he had his hands on her at one point, seeing as how his work was strictly on the research of developing mutations. One quick search through the worker files and Leah was able to obtain an address for this Stephen Benton.

After leaving the facility with this newfound information, Leah became determined. Maybe she'd get lucky and find a location on Stryker without confronting the man. Otherwise, she'll have to question him herself. Though in Leah's mind, a confrontation was always more enjoyable. If that's what it came down to, Leah had no doubt that she would have fun with it.

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The lock of the home's front door rattled as Dr. Benton stepped in. A long and drawn out sigh escaped the man's lips as his briefcase fell to the floor. After firmly shutting and locking the door back up, the man turned around. That, of course, was when he saw her.