Strikers: Monster, Wolverine

Red Guard: Vanguard, Crimson Dynimo, Ursa Major, Darkstar, Red Widow

Unaffiliated: ???

Monster:
Strikers

Siberia. The cold wasteland of Russia. There, a soldier held a file in front of a torn up shed. One with a beast inside.

Soldier: <Sir, I have here a letter of pardon. Signed by the Minister of Justice and the President himself.>

*translated from Russian.

Soldier: <It is a full pardon. Of every crime on your record, even going back to years....>

???: <Crimes?! Nobody called them crimes when we were doing them. More like, "valiant missions to protect the motherland." What are these supposed crimes, boy?>

The soldier hesitated to open the folder.

Soldier: <Ah, sir, well...it says here that, among other things, you murdered four of your commanding officers, and....consumed their remains?>

???: <Lies! Slanderous lies! It was five men! But I never ate the bastards. Just tore them apart with my mouth is all.>

Soldier: <Yes, sir.>

???: <A pardon isn't enough. I want all of these ridiculous crimes wiped from my record.>

Soldier: <Of course, sir.>

The beast pour himself another glass of vodka.

???: <Except for the dead officers. Leave those in. Good for reputation. There Vodka on that helicopter you came in on?>

Soldier: <Yes, sir. I was told to bring a....large amount.>

???: <For your sake, I hope it's the good stuff, and not that toilet brew crap they've been giving me here for years. So, where are we heading soldier?>

The soldier opened the file once again.

Soldier: <Directly to the Kremlin, sir. The others will be waiting.>

???: <Heh. About damn time. Tell me, private, they gonna let us do it right this time? And keep politicians out of our fur for once?>

Soldier: <I'm told his excellently has taken a personal interest in this project.>

???: <Yeah. I just bet he has. So, who the hell else has Moscow suddenly remembered was alive?>

-------------------
Western Russia. Not much better.

Darkstar: <I understand your reluctance, Dmitri, but they assured us that this time things will be different.>

Dmitri just sniffed the air as he walked away from his warm cabin. Following him were three people. Two he knew, one he recognized.

Dmitri: <The faces of the puppet masters are always different, but that changes very little for the puppets. Tell them I said no.>

He stopped and turned back to the girl.

Dmitri: <I change my mind, Laynia. Tell them I said hell no.>

Darkstar sighed at the answer.

Darkstar: <I don't imagine the executive security committee is used to being spoken to in such a matter.>

Dmitri: <Likely not. Not since I resigned. Let them come arrest me if they want. I'm easy enough to find.>

Vanguard: <You call this easy?>

Darkstar: <This isn't the old days of the Soviet Super Soldiers, Dmitri. That was our parents. Moscow isn't looking for a puppet. They want you to lead the entire operation. They'll make a new cabinet for you. Minister of Superhuman Defense.>

Dmitri: <Heh. Russian Super Minister. They really must be desperate. And what does our quiet guest back there from the Red Room have to say about all of this?>

The three looked back at the third figure who was silently following.

Vanguard: <In my experience, the Red Widow does not say much of anything at all. Her presence is a requirement of the committee. But she will follow your orders.>

Dmitri: <No, more like she will slit my throat when I step out of line.>

Vanguard: <Please, Dmitri. You know we need this. You've heard about the recent attacks on the Black Sea?>

Dmitri: <News said it was Romanian Rebels.>

Vanguard: <Romanian Rebels don't tear submarines in half with their bare hands.>

Dmitri stopped walking and sighed.

Dmitri: <This is happening whether or not I agree, isn't it?>

Vanguard: The world is a more dangerous place than ever. Russia needs her greatest heroes.>

Darkstar: <And the Winter Guard needs you, Dmitri.>

Dmitri: <No, my children. You don't need Dmitri Bukharin.>

He looked over and held his hand out for the three to look at what was sitting there. A large suit of armor. Nearly rusted.

Dmitri: <You need the Crimson Dynimo. Let's just hope I remember where I put the key. And tell me straight. Who are we going after this time?>

The siblings looked at each other.

Darkstar: Two groups. The Defenders of the Deep, and the Strikers.
---------------
You and Laura sat in the Quinjet as it flew towards your destination. You had to do some hard-core research to find even a clue of where to start looking for a water based hero.

And that fell through.

Laura: You know, I'm starting to wonder if there's anymore water people left that Namor hasn't recruited yet.

You shrugged as you leaned back in your seat.

Y/N: I dunno. Strange how none of my powers involve controlling water.

Laura: Technically, ice is water.

You thought about it and nodded in agreement. Eventually the jet touched down and you sat up.

Y/N: Well, here we are. Mactan Island. Cebu.

You and Laura stepped out into the tropical air. Nice change of scenery after dealing with cold ass Alaska for nearly a year.

Woah. Has it been that long?

Laura: So, how did you hear about this lead?

Y/N: Bobbi helped out. Said that there was a team who recently let one of their own go since she abandoned post to help some people.

Laura: Why would they punish her for helping people?

You just shrugged. You were both wearing beach clothes to better blend in.

You wore a pair of F/C boardshorts and a colorful button-up while Laura wore a tank top and shorts with flip-flops.

Undercover!

Laura: So we just ask around to see if anyone has seen a girl who can control water?

You just shrugged.

Laura: Really helpful, chief.

Y/N: Oh, I'm sorry. Do you have a better plan?

Laura: I have a plan which is apparently more than what you got.

Y/N: Why? Why do I bring you with me on these things?

Laura: I dunno. Maybe because you're a freak who likes to get talked down to.

Y/N: I have a girlfriend now. If I really did want that, I would go to her since, you know, I LIKE HER!

Laura: You didn't have to bring me along!

You both slammed your heads against each other and began to growl.

You both turned away and crossed your arms.

Y/N: Experiment.

Laura: Bastard.

You both sighed and started to head into town.

Once you got there, you realized how lively everything was. It was a smaller village tucked away from the tourist. Everyone seemed happy all around.

Laura: It smells like lavender.

You sniffed the air. She was right.

Woman: <Hello! Can I offer you some freshly caught fish?>

*translated from Cebuano

You waved it off.

Y/N: <No thank you, ma'am. But, have you seen or heard of a girl who can control water?>

Laura raised a brow at your fluent Cebuano. She had heard you speak Spanish as well to Molly and Robbie. Even some Romanian with Elsa.

Yet she had never seen you read a book on anything for languages. Or even taking those classes.

Woman: <Oh! You just be talking about Pearl.>

So her name was Pearl.

Woman: <I saw her this morning heading to the rocks.>

Y/N: <Where are the rocks?>

The woman stepped off of her porch and pointed to the nearby hills.

Woman: <Just past those hills. You'll reach a grove. That's where you can find her. Just follow the ripples in the water.>

You smiled and thanked the woman. You returned to Laura.

Y/N: She said that the girl we're looking for is over those hills.

Laura: How do you know their language?

You shrugged.

Y/N: I just do. I think it has something to do with my powers. I might just be a universal translator.

Laura nodded impressed as you lead the way.

As you walked, you let your mind wonder. You were about to go to war with an original Striker. And he seemed more powerful than your dad and Moony. Plus, you never really had to fight one of them before. Only Taskmaster, and he wiped everyone out with ease.

Well, in a fair fight where you didn't knock him out with a surpise attack.

Namor was in a whole different league. If you wanted to stand a chance against him, you needed to find Pearl.

You reached the edge of the hills and looked down. There sat a grove. And in it, was a girl swimming.

You reached into your pocket and pulled out a black card with a logo on it. It was just some sharp teeth that looked like smile, but it was apparently your logo.

Molly designed it.

This was the new Striker Card. It served as a badge and a communicator. Doreen managed to whip one up for the entire team.

Y/N: This is Monster. Going off line until further notice.

The card beeped and you placed it back into your pocket. Laura did the same with her card and you both started to head down towards the grove.

You didn't want to scare the girl off by some radio chatter.

You reached the edge of the water and watched as the girl swam around effortlessly. It was like she was just flying.

Laura: There's no resistance in the water.

You smirked as the girl started to head towards the bank. She walked out and found a towel waiting for her. She looked up and found you and Laura standing there.

Y/N: <Hi.>

The girl slowly reached out and took the towel.

Pearl: Uh....<Hello? Who are you guys?>

You smiled but Laura was lost. You looked back at her and awkwardly laughed.

Y/N: <Do you happen to know any English?>

The girl nodded.

Y/N: Well, my name is Y/N. This is Laura.

The girl looked at Laura then at you.

Y/N: We've been looking for you. Pearl, right?

Pearl: Yeah. Why are you guys looking for me. Oh, god....

She suddenly looked worried.

Pearl: Are you guys with Triumph Division?

You looked at her confused.

Y/N: Triumph Divis....what?

Laura: Oh, you got kicked out of the Triumph Division? Woah. Dodged a bullet there.

Pearl was just confused now.

Pearl: Wait, what? Who are you guys?

You just sighed.

Y/N: We're with a team known as the Strikers. We...

Pearl: The Strikers? No way! I've heard about you guys! You stopped that whole giant invasion thing.

You and Laura nodded.

Pearl: Wait, so, do you guys know Monster? He's the leader, right? And Scarlet Witch is in it, and so is that chick with the claws.

Laura: Like these?

Laura popped out her claws which made Pearl's eyes grow wide.

Pearl: Woah.

You smiled and held out your hand.

Y/N: Let's try this again. My name is Y/N Romanoff Creed. But it seems like you know me better as Monster.

Pearl grew red from embarrassment and quickly shook your hand.

Pearl: I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you! You normally wear a mask and I'm so used to seeing you on fire or with ice and I just didn't recognize you and...

Y/N: It's alright.

Pearl suddenly stopped and took a step back.

Pearl: Wait, but...you're looking for me? Why?

Laura: Well, we recently ran into a threat. A big one.

Y/N: One that we're having trouble with. So we figured we should do some recruiting.

Pearl covered her mouth as her eyes went wide.

Pearl: Wait, you mean...you want me to join the Strikers?

You nodded.

Y/N: We could use someone like you. Especially now.

Pearl seemed excited at the idea, but she suddenly looked sad. She slowly lowered her hands.

Pearl: I...I really appreciate the offer. But, I don't think I'm the right choice for you guys.

Laura: If this is about your last team, you don't really have to worry.

Pearl: No, it's not that. I...I just never really belonged. They didn't trust me, and I don't think they should.

You crossed your arms as Pearl sat down at the edge of the water.

Y/N: Why not?

Pearl: Because, I wasn't given these powers for a good reason.

Laura: None of ever are.

You stood there for a moment before you sat down next to her.

Y/N: Why don't you start at the beginning? How did you get your powers?

Pearl looked at you before she sighed.

Pearl: I grew up by the beach. My Lolo said I swam before I could walk. I always loved the water. No one was faster. Not even the rich kids who took swimming lessons three times a week. They said I was gonna end up in the Olympics.

She slowly lowered her head.

Pearl: But, stuff happened. And then, other stuff happened. I was working at some fast food hell hole when a lady approached me. She was from a company called Alontex. They got my name from my highschool swimming records. They were doing studies and they needed swimmers.

Laura: And you were the perfect candidate.

Pearl nodded.

Pearl: The pay was great. And even more importantly, it seemed like they wanted me. I should've known it was too good to be true. And has it turns out, I was working for the bad guys. I ended up getting these powers when the Triumph Division came an raided the lab. Something hit me and...I just started to control water. Triumph Division took me in, trained me, but they always had their eye on me.

You sat there for a moment.

Y/N: You know, I was the same way. So was Laura here.

Pearl looked up in surpise.

Laura: We were created as weapons from the get go. But we turned it around.

Y/N: And now we're heros.

You turned to Pearl.

Y/N: Look, none of us have a good origin story. We all came from a horrible background. We're all misfits one way or another. That's why we were all able to find a home with the Strikers.

Laura: Regardless of how you got your powers, you can still be a hero.

Pearl smiled a bit, but the wind suddenly shifted. You also smelt chicken.

???: Pearl Pangan!

The three of you jumped to your feet as a man slowly lowered from the sky.

Y/N: Who the hell...

Red Feather: Your swords and armor are Triumph Division property. I'm here to collect them. Don't even try to fight me, you know you won't win. Not alone.

You and Laura looked at each other. Laura popped out her claws and you ignited your hands.

Y/N: Sorry, Red dude...

Pearl: Red Feather.

Y/N: Close enough. Pearl isn't alone. And trust me, we can most definitely kick your ass.

Laura turned to Pearl.

Laura: Got a codename we can use?

Pearl smirked as her armor moved up onto her body and her swords appeared in her hands.

Pearl: Yeah, I do. You can call me Wave.