It was hard for Elisabeth to feel like she could fall any further than she already did. But last few weeks had proved to be different. She had escaped from the hell she was stuck in and oh did she feel happiness and hope for the first time, she even had her first real conversation in almost a decade. Her freedom was so close and in a mere moment all that was quickly and suddenly pulled away. They found her and took her down, She froze up and passed out and when she re-awakened she was naked on a metal floor. She remembered what her handler said to her then.

"You're nothing but a tool, and it's time for you to remember that." He said with the mask that terrified her to the core. She remembered the laugh he gave next as a brutal beating commenced. She would've been fine if he just hit her with his fists, but that was not the case. He used clubs and a whip at one point as well. So when he was down, she had several broken and fractured bones, as well as deep gashes all across her back, chest, and legs. Her first few days were just spent in the medical wing where she lay to be healed.

Straight after they decided that Elisabeth had healed enough from her injuries, she went through something she had hoped never to happen again. They tried to completely take control of her again. It was horrible. It traumatised her to no extent, but at least it did one thing right, though it did seem that the key phrase had a hold on her again, and the final week was a set of torturous trials and runs Red had to undergo, all were designed for a level that was way above the skills that Red had, and kept pushing her through them and through them still she passed them all.

Elisabeth was now just lying on her stomach in her bed. Her back still in tremendous amounts of pain from the whip. It was still too tender to even begin lying on her back. Even the chill air in the room made the pain flare up with an intensity that barely allowed her to sleep. The only sleep she did get was when she passed out from exhaustion. Not that she was going to get much as when she seemed to doze off the door opened and her handler walked in.

"Wake up, time to make up for your failures."

---

Red was ecstatic by the assignment she was given. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as this was one of the first assignments she was given that she felt would be worthy of her skill level, plus the first that actually would be fun. Killing a high-profile target in a public environment. The thought of it gave her chills of excitements and her stomach to flutter. She was in a limbo with her handler who was going over the finer details of her mission. She was posing as a call girl one of the Mayor's aides had hired, she had to mingle a little, spike his drink, excuse herself and make her way over to the roof where she would then need to fly to a nearby building where a long-range teleporter was set up for her to use.

She was given a dress to wear and given a carry purse that was filled with a small pill which when dissolved in a liquid would create a deadly neurotoxin which would kill the drinker stone cold dead in a few seconds after a minute of ingestion. It was also filled with a pocket mirror and blush, lipstick and her phone, it also had a small pistol sewn into the velvet inside lining of the purse. She was dropped off a block away from the location and she started making her way over to City Hall.

Outside she met up with an older looking gentlemen about the age of 50 who looked way too excited to be seeing her. After a quick exchange of kisses on the cheek he led her into the building, even allowing them both to pass the security checkpoint without being properly scanned and even acted like that was a sign of how much of a big shot he was around this place, even confident enough to move the entire time with her hand moving closer and closer to touching her ass. Red just giggled along and acted impressed by him, ignoring his advancements. As long as she played along she could use him to get close to the mayor himself.

As he led her into ballroom Red felt that she needed a bit of a break from his creepiness.

"Why don't you go mingle with some of your colleagues. I need to freshen up, and politics does dull me so." She said giving him a kiss on the cheek again "I'm going to freshen up." She said her hand lingering against her cheek as she moved her way to the bathroom, taking deep breaths to keep her composure and cool. Just the speech left and then I can get out of here She kept telling herself as she entered the bathroom and started reapplying her makeup.

Finally, back at a big expensive party. Back in Becca's element. She was enjoying it in Jean Grey, for sure, but there everything was....well, different from what she was used to. She worked by other people's schedules, doing what they told her, following all these rules set by other people. Here she was free to cut loose. If she wanted to dance, she could dance with pretty much whoever chose her. She wanted a dress that cost several hundred dollars? She had a choice of four. Much more her thing. There were even a few glasses of champagne for her to 'sample'. 

At that time, she was sitting at her table, not very close to the top but not too far away, looking as proper as she could in her gown and sipping on a glass. Her parents hadn't been able to make it to the party, so they'd sent her in their place, and she was glad they had. For one thing, it meant that they'd forgiven her for taking off that night and leaving a note. Things had been a bit dicey for a bit, but she finally had money again. She'd probably go home for a proper visit as soon as she could be sure she'd be allowed to leave again. So far that night a few boys, and even a few men, had asked if she'd want to dance. She'd turned them all down so far, her eyes were on a dark-haired cutie in a nice tux who'd already met her eye a couple times. He'd be hers by the end of the night if she had to do drastic things to make it so. She snorted as she saw a girl dancing with some guy in his fifties who was trying to cop a feel. Rather her than Becca. 

After a few minutes, though, Becca decided she should go freshen up. It was slightly warm in the party room and she could feel herself fading a bit. Her dress was airy enough that she wasn't sweating, but she was worried she'd start to droop soon. So she made her way into the bathroom and, rather than splash, carefully dabbed water onto her face to wake herself up a bit. She then pulled out a small mirror and started analysing her makeup. Shoot. There was another girl, the one she'd seen with the creepy old guy in the bathroom with her, so Becca turned to her.
"Hey," She said, slightly placatingly, "Do you have a mascara I can borrow? I left my purse in the car and, well, it could do with some redoing."

As Red entered the bathroom she looked into the mirror, places her hands on the counter and took a deep sigh. She looked in the mirror and took a calm breath. She didn't notice that someone was next to her until she heard the tap go on next to her and noticed the blonde trying to cool herself down. Red couldn't help but snicker a little at what Becca was doing, maybe she wasn't the only one nervous. For whatever reason this blonde girl was nervous, it was definitely for different reasons then why Red was. She opened her purse and took out the lipstick and started applying it.

She looked at the Blonde when she asked about the mascara. Red smiled at her and opened her purse again, and rumbled through it for a minute.

"Sure! It's in here somewhere." she told the girl as she fished out her Mascara and handed it to the Blonde. She turned around and leant against the sink area, observing the Blonde as she put it on. She seemed young enough, and more muscle bound than the usual girls she had seen around at the party. Maybe she was training to be an Olympic gymnast, but the thought soon left her mind, the girl didn't have the right body type for it. Maybe a swimmer? Those usually have the lean muscles the Blonde was flaunting.

"It's waterproof too." She said trying to make idle chit chat. "In case you feel like splashing your face again." she said with a little laugh at the end. She didn't need to be this social with the Blonde, but she felt like it for some reason. She rarely got to be so normal, so it was nice trying to be for once.

Becca nodded her thanks as she took the mascara from the girl and began to reapply it, touching up where it had started to come off and make her whole look worse. It probably could have only taken her a couple of minutes, but she was being careful here, so it really took closer to five.
"Some party, huh?" She asked the other girl as she worked, "Who are you here with? Or for?" It couldn't hurt to be sociable, and it's not like either of them were going to act like they'd gotten in on their own merits. Teenage girls, for the most part, didn't get into parties at the town hall unless it was as waitresses. "I'm here for my mom and dad, Darla and Johnny Storm." She said by way of explanation. 

Becca gave a polite laugh back at the girl's joke.
"I just might," She said, finishing up around her second eye, "It's pretty warm out there, maybe they should turn the air con on, especially if they want people to dance." Becca's powers would have been even better if they made her not care about warmth either. But nope, while she could take thousand degree flames to the face without damage or pain, she'd sweat in a mildly warm room. Because that made a whole lot of sense. 
"Thanks," Becca said as she handed the girl her mascara back, checking her makeup closely in the mirror to make sure her splashing hadn't ruined it. She was sure she looked as flawless as a girl with a very expensive stylist should, which suited her just fine. She turned to make her way back out of the bathroom, smiling at the girl as she did. "Enjoy the party! I'll see you around." 

Becca made her way back to her seat and resisted the urge to flop herself down and instead sat down gracefully, in a dignified fashion. She went back to sipping on her glass of champagne, trying again to catch the dark-haired guy's eye and idly watching the people who had gotten up and danced. Maybe she'd join them in a bit, if a partner she liked the look of asked her.

Red tried her hardest not to complain or fidget too much as the girl took her time putting on her makeup. For Red, time was of the absolute essence, there was only a limited amount of time to make a public death, and even shorter infrequent windows for her to administer the poison to his drink. So having to wait was slightly maddening, but necessary for the mission. Image was everything and randomly snapping or running off would not help right now. Thankfully the girl was into making chit-chat. That she could work with. Easier to convince and blend in. Plus it was nice to have some social contact that wasn't filled with orders, condescending tones and usually followed by pain.

Red just giggled slightly.

"Here with one of the Mayor's advisors. He's friends with my cousin, and apparently, I was supposed to be his 'date'. Feel more a piece of eye candy" She said with a slight huff of annoyance. It was a lie, sure but it was a believable lie. She had become quite the expert at lying over the years and she knew just how to lie right. She even felt a slight tinge of exciting about lying something so trivial.

"Ooooh another rich girl," she said with a giggle "So that must make you..." she squinted and focused on Becca a little too intensely, trying to read her mind just for a name and before she knew it. "Rebecca! That's it! I knew I knew it" She said with a slight giggle. "I'm a Luthor. Lindsey Luthor, not one of the known ones but still am one. Plus being unknown is good, all the money benefits, none of the controversy." She said with a sigh and a smile. That's what she hoped it was like anywho. That and that the girl didn't have an encyclopedic knowledge of every rich family and all their relatives.

She looked at the girl with a wide smile. It was a weird feeling to have on one of these sorta missions but it was an actual enjoyment of talking. She never got to do much of this and this made it special that she actually enjoyed talking to this girl. Though she knew this moment was fleeting and likely that Rebecca would have to undergo intense questioning or be traumatised by all of this, but Red couldn't care less. For all red knew, she was just some nobody rich girl who got everything handed to her on a silver platter, though Red didn't even feel that much care or interest in this girl. Hell if it wasn't for the fact she was under direct others to kill no one but the Mayor, it was likely Red would've snapped her neck and hid her body in a bathroom stall.

"I couldn't really tell," she said motioning at her dress. "It's very airy and comfortable, plus had more important things to worry about," she said with a giggle before taking back the mascara and put it in her carry bag and smiled at the girl as she left the bathroom with a little wave. The moment the girl left she let out a groan

"Finally. she said and took out the pill in her hand. She didn't know she got the opportunity to use it, but having it in hand would be much better than just fumbling for it when the opportunity arose.

She cracked her neck and headed outside back into the party.

When she walked back to her entourage she noticed the girl again and gave her a little polite wave, not knowing if she was paying attention or not, but she didn't care, she had more important things to do and apparently both of them did by the way Rebecca was looking at one of the other attendants here. She idly joined the chit chat and not really focusing on anything that was being said just waiting for the man in question to appear. Luckily it didn't take long before he appeared with a round of applause from the audience and he joined his trusted advisors placing his drink on a nearby table and having a nice greeting of all of his advisors and supports. This was the time to do it.

Relaxing her clenched hand she allowed the pill to fall before she caught it in mid air with her powers. She slowly began to levitate it around the group towards the table. She tried to follow the conversation as best she could as well as to look interested in it all, but that was more difficult then it looked as in some cases she was flying it blind and needed extra concentration with some luck to steer it properly. She was so close to having it done. She had raised it up now and it was hovering around the table, she subtly tried to peek where the pill was and then did the final touches, she had it over the glass and then.

"Oh, and this is my lady friend." Her 'date' said introducing her. It broke her concentration and the pill dropped into the drink. Thankfully she had managed it before being interrupted. She shook the hand of the mayor and giggled as he gave it a kiss, Red giggled "It's nice to meet you." she said sweetly as she withdraws her hand.

"Well your assistant sure knows how to pick them," he said with a chortle as the rest of them laugh along, even Red released a small chuckle just for looks. She was so happy that this man was going to die soon after the moment he took a sip from that drink. She had to withstand the yammering of them all for what seemed like an eternity before an assistant or secretary of some kind came up to the Mayor telling him he was about to go on. He made one more boyish joke, before turning around and downing his drink.

"Alright, show time." He said with a smirk before heading to the podium. Red just smirked and waved him off before giving her 'date' a kiss on the cheek.

"I can't stand politics, how about I head into the bathroom and get 'ready' for some alone time afterwards," she said seductively which made the man just nod with an ecstatic look on his face. Red just walked off, not to the bathroom, however, but towards the staircase. She walked slowly hoping to hear the inevitable thud and screams of horror.

And there it was, a harmonious sound of screaming as the Mayor's voice was cut off. She signed in happiness and she walked up the stairs. Today was a good day.

Becca nodded to the girl from the bathroom as she was waved at, but her attention wasn't really on her. It was on her usual jobs when she was at a party for appearances. Making conversation, seeing and being seen, trying to act like half the people in the room didn't bore her to tears whenever they opened their mouths. She enjoyed most of the aspects of being a socialite. The parties were great, the alcohol was a nice treat, the food was always delightful, the dresses were lovely and even a lot of the people she met were fun to be around, but there were downsides. Namely having to pretend to look interested in some guy way too old, and not in the fun way, to be talking about his large donations to environmental preservation charities around the US. Great, they were going to be building a few more National Parks, there were bigger issues in the world. 

Becca was debating actually doing the unthinkable and asking the dark-haired cutie if he wanted to dance, rather than wait for him to ask her, when the Mayor got up to speak. Great, now they'd all have to stop what they were doing and pretend to listen to the Mayor speaking about....good god, Becca couldn't even remember what she was here for. It's not like she was going to have to remember. In a few years, maybe, she'd get talked to more by journalists and then she'd actually have to talk about the purpose for the events, but right now it was enough that she got captured in a few photographs representing her family. The Mayor started to talk, and Becca noticed the girl, Lindsey, making her way up the stairs. Damn, she'd had the right idea. It was a bit weird, sure, but Becca almost wished she'd thought of it. 

The Mayor was so boring that Becca actually found herself unable to focus on more than a few words of the speech at a time. Something about....public finance? Police management? Somebody retiring? Jesus. Still, she managed to look alert and interested. And then the Mayor stumbled over a few of his words, and Becca allowed herself a smirk. Sure, it was mean, but doing it more than twice meant it was a more amusing speech than normal. And then his hand suddenly clasped the pulpit and he almost collapsed, and it became a whole lot less funny. Becca made a motion to get out of her seat when the assistant came over. The Mayor tried to wave him off, but then sank to his knees, and any humour in the situation vanished.

Becca felt rooted to her seat as the Mayor fell to the floor, his chest heaving as his eyes widened. He looked in agony. The assistant tried to keep him steady, but the Mayor, perhaps in blind desperation, pushed him away hard, and started to twitch on the floor. By sheer bad luck, Becca had a seat giving her a perfect view of the Mayor's face during all this. Other people got up to try and help, but Becca felt like if she moved she was going to throw up. By now the Mayor's eyes were bulging as he clearly tried to let out a scream that wouldn't come, and as Becca watched, red spots began to fill them as blood vessels burst, with more and more going until his eyes took on a pink shade. Blood was also running from his throat as his hands clawed at it as he tried to breathe, cutting open the skin.
"Someone help him!" She all but screamed as a man in a suit threw himself down next to the Mayor and tried to hold him steady. But it was no good, and after another horrific thirty seconds the Mayor lay still, his chest flat as he stopped even trying to breathe.

Lindsey. She'd been leaving right before the speech, and Becca wasn't even sure there was a Lindsey Luthor. It seemed like the sort of name she'd have heard around before this. Nobody else seemed to have noticed her leave, and nobody would believe Becca if she told them. Which left her with one choice, great. She finally got to her feet, her legs feeling like lead, and started to walk towards the steps. Her shoes, four inch heels, were going to make it ridiculous, however. She kicked them off, and took off at a run in stockinged feet, heading towards the same staircase.

"Hey!" She yelled as she burst onto the rooftop. "What the hell did you just do?"

Red took her time to actually get up the stairs, wanting time to hear the sound of shock and horror coming from the audience as they watched, what she could all but imagine would be a gruesome death that she was slightly sad to not be able to see. So she went slow so she could at the very least listen to it all unfurl, little victories, then she could easily slip away and get herself out of there before anybody noticed she was gone and all evidence that she was there were 3 to 4 people who had talked to her and had given fake aliases and stories with all of them. She had even been as careful as to that the only photos that had been taken of her, were from behind, or off to the side, so her appearance that they could accurately get was something circumstantial, and hell there was no evidence that she poisoned him.

A sly smile spread across her face when the Mayor’s voice started to waver and his voice stumbled and had to repeat himself a few times. Red knew that any minute now she would hear the sounds of gasps and screams. Which as she approached the top of the stairs she did. She sighed with relief as she heard the voice of her new ‘friend’ Becca yell for someone to help him. Poor girl should’ve realised that no one could help him now. You had to give it to the scientists at AIM, they were creeps, weirdos and scorned individuals, but they did shine in making highly effective weaponry and deadly poisons for her to use. It was hopeless for them to do anything, say for a stab to the heart to stop him from suffering.

As she approached the rooftop entrance, she heard the pattering of someone running after her. Maybe somebody did put 2 and 2 together. Oh well, it was there death sentence. She went onto the roof and was about to fly off, before a idea had popped into her head. Her orders were to only kill the mayor, there was nothing about not starting a fight, and seriously injuring someone else. She said with a smirk as she opened her purse and ripped the velvet from the lining, letting the small P380 free just as the door burst open and the familiar voice of Becca.

Red turned around, cocked the gun and aimed it at Becca. ”Oh you know, tried to get some fresh air, look at the night sky solitary, poisoned the mayor’s drink, got away from my creep of a date, found a gun which I’m now aiming at you.” Red said threateningly at Becca.

She observed Becca, her body posture, her emotions, her facial expressions, she even tried to focus her powers to take a glimpse of what she was thinking right now. All of those combined led Red to believe that she was scared. So very scared, which just made Red start to break down laughing. She wiped away a fake tear before speaking in a severly condescending tone.

”Oh look at you shaking in youw wittle boots.” Red said lowering the weapon and dropping it on the floor. ”Why don’t you get out of here and get a pity lay from one of the guys downstairs. I’m sure at least one of them will lower their standards for you.” She said turning her back away from Red and heading to the ledge, not giving another moment to pay attention to Becca.

I mean why should she. It’s the equivalent of Queen and a Peasant, and the girl was not worth it.