For X23 Maximoff

Warren was flying high overhead, a blot of darkness against the sun. Laura tugged at the hem of her dress in discomfort as she looked out the window, finding reassurance that Warren was no more than a few seconds away. She turned her attention back on the large, sweating man in the front of the room. He was dressed in a suit, a white, sweat stained handkerchief in his back pocket.

He was talking to the group of exceptionally well dressed people, all of them insanely wealthy. He coughed into his handkerchief before wiping away beads of sweat on his brow. Laura's stomach churned in disgust. His voice was raspy and distorted, as if he was talking around a mouthful of food, which- based off his appearance- he very well might be. Laura herself was in a red gown, a long slit up the side on her left which exposed most of the skin on her leg. It was tight fitting and made her feel like a piece of meat when all of the men in the room ogled her breasts. Her hair had been done into tight curls, making her look older and more sophisticated than she normally did. In her hand was a bidding paddle.

"Now, m'ladies and gentlemen," the man said, voice grating on Laura's ears. "We haf come to the very special part of tonight's events. The auction." Laura suppressed her shudder as the people around her all suddenly seemed excited. "Tonight's main piece is a ver' special one. A child, aught but th'age of twelf. A young girl, she is indeed. But she ain't no ordinary girl, mark m'words." The curtain behind him opened to reveal a cage. Inside, was a small, frail little girl. Her skin was a vibrant lilac colour and her joints seemed to be plated with something. She was huddled in the center of her cage, her long black hair the only thing covering her body. Laura felt her stomach churn in anger. "She's onaf them mutants. But she special. This lil' girl here can make yer wildest dreams come true." The cage was pushed forward, the girl curling in tighter on herself.

"Her mutant abilities are ver' simple. You tell her ta do somethin' and she does it. We don't know how it works, but you tell her ta bring you a golden egg, an' she can't help but do it. Anythin' an' everthin' you coulda wish fer, she makes it come true." He coughed again before turning to the little girl. "Isn't that right, sweet thing?" Laura knew she had only heard it because of her exceptional hearing, but it didn't make that any better. Waves of anger and hatred were coming off of her. This man was disgusting. He turned back to the group. "We will start the biddin' at half a million."

People began to stick their paddles up in the air, the price people were willing to pay kept going up and up. Before long, the price was almost at one million, and people were beginning to slow down. Laura knew she

would have to bid soon or else the girl would be taken by someone else.

She remembered what Scott had told her before they started preparing her for the mission.

"You don't have to do this if you're scared. We can always send someone else."

"I'm not scared, one-eye. It's just… I'm not good with my people-skills, you all know that." She shifted as Idie continued to curl her hair. "I get it, I'm gonna look the least suspicious to these assholes. I'm gonna look weak and vulnerable and that's what we need. But we still need someone who can hold their own. That's why you aren't sending someone like Idie or Bobby, not that they can't hold their own and not that they look weak," she said quickly, hoping Idie wasn't offended.

The younger girl just laughed. "You need someone who can get shot a few hundred times but still walk out of there with the kid unharmed. That's why Warren can't go alone and just swoop in and grab the kid. You need someone like me. I'm not scared, just… angry. I'm angry that missions like this even exist. I'd much rather be sent to someone goblin hell-hole and fight evil versions of everyone here. I'd rather be pushed out of an airplane and land right inside a village of cannibals. You feel? Physical pain isn't anything to me. It's when I've got to see kids chained up, caged up, being bidded on like they're objects is when I get upset. I'm not scared, I'm angry."

Warren's signal to come in would be when Laura rose her paddle, and she was praying to everything she didn't believe in that he would be here fast enough.

"Have we got anyone willing to beat two-point-seven million? A-going once, a-going twice, a-going-"

Laura raised her paddle. "Three million," she said, hoping it didn't come off as a bluff. The man who had just been about to win the girl scowled and raised his own paddle.

"Three-point-five million."

Laura looked out of her peripherals for Warren, a scowl crossing her own face. She raised her paddle again. "Four million."

"Lady, you weren't so interested in her until I almost had her. Now why don't you let men do their business and pull back your bid? Five million," The man stood, greasy hair slicked back and his mustache obviously waxed.

Laura stood in retaliation. "Want to see real business?" She struggled to keep herself composed. "Six million," she shouted at the man in the front.

"Sev-" Warren came crashing through the window, swearing.

He straightened himself up, wings blazing and licking at the air around him. "How about we drop all of the bids and the girl comes with me?" People were screaming and running away from Warren. A group of men reached into their shirts, ready to pull out guns. Laura and the greasy-haired man ran toward the girl.

"She's mine," he cried out, "I gave the final bid! Seven million dollars!"

"Sorry," Laura snarled, "but seven million dollars and I wouldn't even give you a lock of her hair." Laura let her claws slide out, grateful that Warren was handling the men with the guns. The greasy haired man in front of her gasped and spat at her.

"Disgusting mutant!" He reached for a gun as Laura sliced at the cage bars. He shot her and she grunted, feeling the blooming pain in her side. The little girl was crying.

"Sorry, buddy," Laura said as she turned to the man who stood there with a look of pure horror on his face. "Guns just don't do it for me." She kicked him, sending him tumbling down off the platform. She reached into the cage and reached for the girl who flinched away. "Yeah, I don't so much like strangers grabbing at me either. But unless you want lardo over there to continue having his way with you, you're gonna want to come with me, kid."

She turned to face Laura. There were dark purple lines on her face, in swirling patterns. Her eyes were almost completely white, small purple circles in the center moving to look over Laura's face. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Laura's neck. Laura stood up, supporting the girl.

"Angel! Let's get out of here!" Warren scooped them both into his arms, grunting slightly as they jumped out the window. They flew away from the building, the fast air cold on Laura's face.

Warren yelled over the wind, "Think she'll be okay?"

"She'll be just as fine as any of us," Laura yelled back. "That is, if any of us are even fine at this point."