And other times, it could be the epicenter of the supernatural and the overall weird capital of world. She let loose the held breath in the form of a sigh. She was not in the mood to be apart of this, but, at this point, it wasn’t her choice. She ad made the ultimate decision to join S.H.I.E.L.D., and now what missions she did and did not want to take was not her choice. Yes, that’s right. Danielle Moonstar was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.; the Strategic Hazard, Intervention, Espionage Logistics Directorate.

It all started just a few weeks ago. She became a solo hero after she quit Euro-X. It wasn’t the place for her, and she knew it. Hell, everyone knew it. So, just like that, she left them to solve their own disputes. And a portion of her regretted it. She isn’t the type to just leave just because things weren’t going as planned. But she did. Like it was nothing, she just left. And why? Because she hated Emma Frost. And Jimaine or Amanda or whatever it was that she went by nowadays. She was surrounded by dirty snakes, thieves, liars, and maybe worst of, manipulators. And just like that, she was gone.

She became a hero in her own right, something she felt the codename ‘Moonstar’ could not bring her. She was Mirage once more, giving out justice how she felt fit. With pinpoint accuracy, Danielle became a vigilante archer. Needless to say, she caught S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention. And then they caught hers.

Whether she wanted them to or not.

So, with that, Dani was drafted. And that was just fine with her. For some reason, that escaped even her, the whole solo hero scene felt empty. What she wanted, and maybe even needed, was the team dynamic. And why not join S.H.I.E.L.D.? At least the difference she made here would be a worldwide difference. And an actual difference at that. Not the two steps forward and three steps back that she was used to with the X-Men. And that made being a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. a million times better.

…….right?

Dani looked down, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her hair. S.H.I.E.L.D. certainly didn’t give her the opportunity to individualize her uniform as much as she pleased. A simple blue, skintight outfit with a few random straps running across it, with a few pockets filled with whatever knick knacks she might need. In fact, the only thing that made it hers was the leather studded belt that hung loosely across her waist. And she had to fight for that.

With another sigh, Dani surveyed the area. Amazingly, it was strangely quiet. Everything had been so rushed when they arrived. It was a flurry of rapid motions. Clearing out all the civilians, barricading the area, and finally planning out the next step, which they had yet to decide what that was. And that brought her to this point, simply staring up into…..whatever the hell that thing was. Whatever it was, it was way beyond what S.H.I.E.L.D. was prepared to handle. And S.H.I.E.L.D. was prepared for just about anything, so that meant something. A whole lot of something, actually. Mirage clenched her hand tightly around her bow. Lethal force was not Dani’s thing, so guns weren’t on the top of her list. She was lucky enough to have her abilities so she could handle situations without having to kill, though she still had to carry a handgun. Fury’s orders.

Speaking of Fury’s orders, he hadn’t made any direct orders for several minutes now. For the most part, all the agents were just standing around and waiting for something to happen, Dani included. And Dani hated just standing around. Since she had to be here, she at least wanted to do something.

This is Fury from SHIELD, requesting assistance in Time's Square within New York City. We've got a situation we can't handle, and hopefully one of you boys and girls can be the show stopper. If a response isn't made within the next couple of minutes, I'll be making my rounds to the next group of heroes in town. Fury out.

She wouldn’t have to wait long. Did Fury know he was broadcasting on all signals, including the S.H.I.E.L.D. communicators? Dani couldn’t be sure. Fury was quite the enigma when he wanted to be. He could’ve been broadcasting to let the others know that they should be on their guard. Or he could’ve been broadcasting completely by accident. He was crazy like that.

So Fury was calling for backup? This was X-territory, Dani was sure of that much. She knew that one of the many divisions that the core X-Men had split into was on their way, but who exactly was coming was beyond her. It could be Logan, Scott, Hank, or even Jean. Maybe even one of her old New Mutant teammates. That would be fun. She missed them. Hell, she missed all of them. She even missed being under the moniker of the almighty X. But she was S.H.I.E.L.D. now. She was making a difference.