Chapter 3: The Mission
Madison looked to Xavier as they arrived, and saw a young man on the screen. " New student for us to get?" she asked knowingly.
" Yes...I would rather you and Kurt go on this...His name is Piotr Rasputin...He's an orphan. He's just lost his mother due to anti-mutant protestors. It's snowing there so it will be in your element Madison. Kurt...Dress warm. Go quickly...He's in danger."
Madison nodded and ran off, changing quickly into her X-men uniform. She looked to Kurt, who was looking towards her as he zipped up his uniform.
" Zis vay...Hurry..." Kurt said. He teleported them instead, prepping the jet for take off upon their arrival.
" Nervous?"
" Usually Scott und Logan ahr vith me...But yet again, zey ahr still recuperatink from ze mission three days ago." Kurt said. He looked to Madison, as he knew this was her first mission as an X-Man, and saw that her hands were trembling as she prepped the co-pilot controls. " Buckle up...Ve're takink off."
" Aye aye Capt'n..." she replied sarcastically. She watched as Kurt pushed the throttle to full as they took to the air, going towards Moscow. She looked to him, something sitting in her belt pouch.
" You ver supposed to give me somet'ink, as I recall..." Kurt said, trying to relax the mood on the jet.
" That'll have to wait for now." Madison said. She let her senses stray, including her telepathy and suddenly looked back towards the cargo bay, her eyes flaring with surprise. " The hell!" She sniffed really quick and shook her white mane. " I don't believe this."
" Vas?" Kurt asked, now interested.
" I think I'm sensing and smelling three students on board...Turn on the cargo bay lights a moment. We might have some stow aways..." Madison half laughed. She got up, going to the back and opening the cargo bay. " Dammit. Rogue, Donovan, Cajun, get up here now."
" Ms. Enright...We had no clue that you would be taking off any time soon...I swear to god..." Donovan said, his lupine tail quivering. His ears pricked a moment. " How did you know we were here anyways?"
" One, my nose...I have my dad's senses. Two, my telepathy. You guys could have jeopardized our mission if I hadn't reached a pre-meditative range. Now...All three of you take a seat and stay there. You're Remy right? The new student from Louisiana in my art class?"
" Oi Mademoiselle. Remy LeBeau at yo' service." he said, his voice heavy with a Cajun accent. He pulled out his cards, twiddling the ace of spades in his hands.
Madison looked at the card and bit her lip. " Dammit..." she whispered. " Damn card divination...Remy, is that a new deck?"
" Oi..."
" Shuffle it really quick...The hand it to me."
" Card divination?" Rogue repeated. She looked on as Maidson took the now shuffled deck from Remy. She counted two cards, placing them on the bottom and looked at the first card.
" Shit..." she said, looking at the card. It was the ace of spades.
" What is it Madison?" Rogue said. She looked at the card as Maidson showed it to her. " Wouldn't it be a lucky card?" She looked up the the now ashened faced Madison and watched her hand the deck back to Remy.
" No...Aces of Hearts and Diamonds are wanted cards. Spades stand for enemies or threats and clubs mean pain. An Ace of spades, if I were to have four decks, and get each ace of spades, would mean that we have a very perilous mission ahead of us. Not one word Kurt...The cards have never lied to me." She took her seat beside Kurt and the three teens watched as Kurt reached over and took her hand. They seemed to be whispering to one another about something and it was making Madison more and more uneasy. She shook her head and looked away from Kurt as he tried to talk to her.
They were in Moscow sooner than they planned and Madison looked to the teens that had stown away. " Do not leave this plane unless called for. Donovan, be ready to rip anyone's throat out that even tries to break in. Rogue, if Donovan can't get over here in time, touch them. Remy, if neither Rogue nor Donovan is in the vicinity...Um...what can you do?"
" Charge dese cards..." Remy replied. He flashed Madison a smile and locked eyes with her. " No worries..."
Madison and Kurt walked ten feet away from the jet and he teleported them into Moscow, Madison searching the whole time for Piotr. She found him, and indeed he was in danger, because he was running down the street in front of him, a crowd brandishing pitchforks and other weapons at him and running behind him. Blizzard stepped into the way of Piotr and the crowd, putting a hand up to stay him.
" Piotr Rasputin? We're here to help you..." she said authoritively.
" T'ank got..." he whispered. " Where ahr we goink?"
" You're going with Nightcrawler out of sight. I'll take care of the crowd." She sniffed one more time, smelling something pungent close by. " Nightcrawler..."
" Vas ees eet Blizzard..."
" Get Piotr to the Blackbird and come back. Besides the crowd we're not alone." She looked again towards the crowd, picking up a sleet storm to blind them of Piotr's escape. Then suddenly she was tackled from the side, claws and teeth biting into her flesh. She pushed her attacker off, and skidded to a stop ten feet away. She looked up as her flesh healed, her eyes narrowing in hatred. " You..." she hissed. With a flick of each wrist; one power she had neglected ( for good reason) to tell Kurt about, eight inch ivory/adamantium claws shot out from her knuckles.
" Just like Daddy aren't you Princess..." Sabertooth snarled. He lunged at her again, Madison shoving three of her six claws into his torso and the other three across his face, leaving three deep gashes in his cheek and nose. " Bitch..."
" Proud of it." she snarled. As she circled Sabertooth again, her hair began to change. It was growing shorter, wilder, then it turned midnight black. " Now look who you've brought out to play."
Sabertooth roared in protest at the transformation, but then he ran towards the young woman, catching her hard in the shoulders with his own claws and three of hers. " What's you're name girly?"
" Wolverette..." she hissed.
Kurt appeared at the Blackbird with Piotr, rushing him inside. " You three...Find him somet'ink comfortable to vear...Und remember...Don't let anyvon but Madison und myself on zis jet."
Madison kicked Sabertooth away and then froze him to the brick wall, making sure that she calmed herself before Kurt returned. He could never see her like this. By the time she sniffed him a few feet behind her, her hair was back to its seemingly normal length and white once more. " We need to leave now." She walked over to him and they were back at the jet in moments.
Once inside, Madison began prepping the Blackbird once more. Kurt took them off, and then Madison stood up. She walked over to Piotr, and sat beside him.
" Piotr..."
" Da?" he replied, looking up at her.
" My name is Madison Enright...This is Remy, Kurt, Donovan, and Rogue. Although Remy, Donovan, and Rogue really shouldn't be here..." she added with slight amusement. " We're taking you to Xavier's School for Gifted Children. We're here to help you..."
" T'ank you..." he whispered. He looked up at Madison, and then away again. " Dey called me Colossus..." Then he sat back and didn't speak another word for the rest of the trip.
Madison shook her head as they walked off the jet, holding it lightly in her hand.
" Madison..." Kurt whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder and stopping her gently. He turned her to him and moved her hand, and looked into her eyes. " Ahr you alright?"
" Yeah...Just sorta lost myself when I fought Sabertooth earlier...I don't really remember much of it..." She lied, moving away from the blue furred man. She walked away simply, her hand shaking.
Kurt watched as Madison left to the women's locker room to change out of her uniform. He bit his lip and ported in front of her, stopping her with a worried look hidden in his eyes. " Madison...Vas ees wrong?"
" Nothing Kurt...I promise..." she whispered. " Excuse me please." She pushed passed him, and entered the women's locker room and slumped down onto a bench, leaning foreword with her head in her hands.
" Ms. Enraht?" Rogue said. " Ms. Enraht..Ahr ya okay?" She entered in slowly, Madison's hair suddenly changing from long white to short black. " Oh mah gawd..."
" Rogue...Get out of here now..." Madison said quickly, clenching her fists as her claws burst out.
" Ms. Enraht...What's wrong...Ah can help ya..." Rogue said, fear running wild through her veins.
Madison breathed in deep, smelling Rogue's confusion and fear on the air. It hung in the air like an invisible tapestry.
" Ms. Enraht...Can ya calm down?" Rogue whispered. She walked over to Madison, taking the hand of the enraged woman and suddenly her claws shifted back into the skin slowly. Madison's other hand flew up and the center claw retracted so that it wouldn't pierce Rogue's throat. Rogue screamed suddenly, Madison's eyes turned red and Rogue watched as Madison overid the urge to slice something, mainly her, into ribbons.
" I...I could have killed you..." she panted, her hair growing quickly. She retracted the claws on her other hand and moved Rogue. " Why the hell did you follow me in here?"
" Ah was tryin' to help..." Rogue looked ready to cry, although the worst was over.
" That's the problem Rogue...No one can help me...Hun...I'm sorry I frightened you." She pulled the frightened girl to her and embraced her.
" I didn't know that..." Rogue looked up to Madison, now awe struck at the destructive force embracing her.
" Nobody does, save Dad...He may know...And maybe Chuck...But no one else, except you. You can't breathe a word of it to anyone." Madison looked at Rogue with a pleading look. " It usually doesn't happen unless I'm really pissed...But when Sabertooth showed up...I lost all pretenses of sanity and just let rage take over...He killed my mom Rogue..." she breathed out softly. " I'm really sorry..."
" Don' worry about it, sug. It was mah own fault for gettin' near a rabid wolverine anyways.." She quirked a grin and Madison grinned back at her.
" Go get Remy and Donovan. Make sure he has his tail tied down and his beanie on...I'll treat you three to a movie..."
" Can't...Bobby, Jubes, Kitty, an' Ah have homework for Kurt's class. Besides...You an' Kurt have a date to finish up. Get goin'..."
" Damn..." She laughed. " Hand me my skirt and blouse please...I'd best go talk to Kurt..."
" Have a g'night Ms. Enraht..." Rogue said when Madison finished dressing.
" Good night Rogue..."
Madison walked into the garden, sniffing the night air. It was full with the faint stench of brimstone and Madison followed it, Kurt's gift in her hands. " Kurt?"
" Madison?" Kurt replied. He stood up to meet the woman, and looked at her with a worried glance. " I heard Rogue scream, ees everyt'ing alright?" he looked at her and with out realizing it, took her hands.
" Yeah...She didn't know I had Dad's healing factor... It's slower than his, but she saw some of the wounds I had... I also accidentally put two holes in my locker with ice shards right next to where Rogue was standing..." She laughed unamused at her rage. " I scared the shit out of the poor kid..."
Kurt shook his head. " Sounds like eet...Ees she alright?"
" She is, just a tad shaken...But she knows I was really pissed about Sabertooth." She looked at his hands, his rough, calloused hands, and looked at her own. Underneath her skin was a very deadly concealed weapon that had nearly killed the girl. She looked at the velvet pouch in her hands and smiled. " Here...I gotta get to bed...Goodnight Kurt..." She leaned over to him and kissed his cheek, and hugged him tightly. Her hands rested the velvet pouch in his and she smiled brightly. " Thank you for a very..." she paused, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. "…interesting evening."
" Bitteshan..." he replied, a smile quirking at the corner of his mouth. He closed his door and strolled to his bed. He laid down, slowly opening the small velvet pouch. Inside he found a white box, in which he opened anticipantly. He slowly put the lid aside and gently allowed his finger to traverse the beautifully embroidered gold cross inside. Mien Gott! This is beautiful! He thought, genuinely surprised by the gift. He pulled a slim gold chain from his chest of drawers and tenderly put the cross and then put the chain around his neck. He looked to the side for a moment and thought deeply. He concluded for the night when he reached over and turned off his lamp and leaned into the pillow to get some sleep.