Victor stared at the colonel in front of him with a raised eybrow. The man's expression was stoic, not a hint of humor at all. Still, Victor was waiting for him to say something along the lines of, "Haha! Got you!" At least then his words would make sense.

"Two for one deal? What the fuck?" Again, a blank face was his only answer. The colonel shoved the file across the table and urged the blond to actually read what was inside the manilla envelope. The feral man took the folder from the desk and stared at the two pictures on the paper.

Vale and Zane. No last names, no families and no explaination for their arrival. Apparently they had been found wandering around in the snow, clinging to each other for warmth. They had been alone for some time according to the docotor who examined them, but how they had survived in the frigid temperatures of Canada mid-January was confusing to everyone who was aware of their presence. Inseperable and powerful telepaths, the two fourteen year olds were malnourished and in desperate need of physical training. Since it had been several years from the last time he trained anyone, Victor Creed was wiling to train one of the scrawny boys. Much to his surprise, the colonel had informed him that the boys were a two for one deal since they couldn't be seperated.

While reading, the blond man found himself stalking down the gray corridors on the way to his room. Pushing his door open, Victor found the two boys asleep on his bed. Their legs were tangled together and the smaller boy had managed to curl around enough to shove his head into the nook of the other boy's stomach. Despite their intimate connection, they did not appear sexually interested in each other, merely comforted and comforting.

"Get up." He commanded, blue eyes cold with intensity. The boys scrambled into wakefulness, bumping heads in their urgency. The large man rolled his eyes before grabbing the boys by the backs of their necks and lifting them up. Taking in their dirty appearances, he decided a bath was the first order of business. The large one, Zane he remembered, protested at being stripped, but quickly silenced when Victor cuffed him upside the head.

It was almost surprisng to know that beneath their scruffy appearance, both boys were attractive. Now, Victor was not interested in the male gender and especially not children, but he knew that both boys would be chick magnets in a few short weeks. Zane was broader than Vale; his shoulders were as wide as his own when he was a child. A round chin with a slight cleft and a long, but not obnoxious, nose complimented his dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

Vale, on the other hand, had a very slight figure. He had narrow hips and shoulders with feminine features that helped him look more androgynous than masuline. His dirty blond hair hung in his face, covering up the brown eyes his file said he had. Pouty lips and an almost pointy chin finished off his appearance. The bath was quick; they were anxious to be dressed and comfortable again.

"I'm cold." The smaller boy whispered, clinging to his friend. Victor realized belatedly that he didn't have any clothing that would fit them. He dug around in a drawer before tossing the boys two shirts and boxers.

"I'll be back." He gruffly said as he left the room.

"Come back soon." A voice requested telepathically. He glanced back to see who asked, but the boys were curled up on his bed asleep.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

2 years later

The colonel stared at Victor with a raised brow. Beside the blond, Vale giggled. The slim boy received a dirty look from the two older men, but only silenced when Zane gripped his hand. His face immediately blanked as he focused on his telepathic conversation.

"You want another one?" The graying man asked Victor as he eyed the file of one Dezra Backdraft.

"Yep." The tall man responded, flipping through the file to a certain section. "Inspection shows that she has a latent mutant gene, ya can't waste that power on a whore." Though his point was critical, the colonel looked skeptical.

"Women aren't soldiers Vic, besides," He pointed to the two boys at his side, "you already have two apprentices."

"Apple..."

"Apollo." Vale interjected.

"... and Hercules," Victor continued as though he hadn't been interrupted, "will finish their training in a few weeks. Then they'll join my team and I'll have plenty of time on my hands. Even now I've got time to spare."

"Well then perhaps you would like one of these promising boys." The colonel pointed at a sheet filled with names and powers.

"I don't want any of these pansy rejects." The colonel looked affronted, but Victor plowed on, "if they were all that promising they'd already have trainers. I want her." He persisted, pointing at her picture. The colonel looked hesitant, but eventually caved.

"Alright Victor, but this better be worth it."

"She is."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Vale and Zane were playing cards when Victor brought Dezra to their room. Her gold eyes were wide as she took a seat at the table with them. Zane spared her a smile before slapping his partner's hand.

"Ah, ah!" Vale paused, brown eyes popping open, "No cheating ya lil sneak." The boy grinned broadly before pulling his hand back and looking at the newest addition. "Name's Zane." He offered a hand that she hesitantly took. The shake was firm and swift.

"Dezra." The boys nodded in unison.

"We know." Vale spoke this time, tossing a card at Zane. "Now who's cheating?" He smarted back. His partner had the decency to shrug.

"My bad." He responded as he pushed a strand of brown hair out of his eyes. The red haired girl watched in silence as the two boys went blank faced. Ocassionally a brow would furrow or a smirk appear, but for the most part, they stayed expressionally blank.

"You two doing that again?" Dezra jumped at the sound of Victor's voice; she hadn't heard him enter. Zane smiled and answered without removing his eyes from Vale's.

"Yeah, just having a conversation inappropriate for impressionable ears." Victor chuckled when Dezra realized they were talking about her.

"I'll have you know that despite my age, I am not naive or innocent." The girl had smarted at the reference to her age. At fourteen, she had seen more than the average child. Vale tore his gaze away from Zane's to stare into her gold eyes.

"Oh trust me, there are some things you just don't want to know." She snarled, flashing her fangs.

"You two are two of a kind," She snapped. The boys looked pleased until she finished her sentence, "a dick and an asshole with no balls in sight."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Despite their rough start, Dezra, Vale and Zane were fast friends before the week was out. Victor had his hands full betwen the girl's training and trying to get the two boys to cooperate with the last couple weeks of their training. The colonel was also keeping a close eye on the quartet, making sure that Victor was not overwhelmed at any point. Unfortunately for the blond, Dezra's powers were fully emerged by the end of week two. She took a great deal of satisfaction out of "accidentally" super heating objects so that when people touched them, their hands were scorched.

It wasn't until three weeks later that Victor finally discovered his mistake. He dropped the coffee pot on the colonel's feet when it hit him. Dezra, Vale and Zane stared at him with surprised looks on their faces. A broad grin split his face.

"You boys may be a dick and an asshole, but damn it all if she ain't the balls!"