An inhuman growl came from Vladmir's lips as the doors to the outside of the MRD transport vehicle opened outwardly. Madeline bit her lip as she crouched down in a fighting stance. If she was going to go down, she was going to do so fighting. It was hopeless, she knew it, as she was still in her restraints.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" the MRD soldier yelped, whipping out his gun and pointing the nozzle right at Vladmir's heart. Nikolina edged forward with her hands up, blocking his shot.
"We're going down without a fight, sir. There's no need for violence" she reasoned softly, shielding her eyes from the intensity of the sun. Madeline couldn't believe that it was morning already. It seemed like only five minutes ago she was kidnapped in the dojo. Memories of the dojo dredged up thoughts about her teacher and Madeline had to immediately switch focus.
Under the light, Madeline could finally see the age of Nikolina. She had sharp edged cheek bones and looked severely pale. Did she ever even go outside? Light reflected off of the two piercings she bore on her nose.
The MRD soldier, enticed by the calm composition of the older female, lowered his gun a notch. "Then tell that freak behind you to stand down."
Nikolina turned her gaze upon Vladmir, meeting equally steady eyes. They were alike in defiance. "If you don't stand down, all of us will get hurt. Do you understand the consequences of this?"
Vladmir's reached a hand up to wipe his mouth. Madeline finally noticed how much sweat was accumulating upon his skin. His muscles rippled underneath his shirt, and she felt like she severely underestimated how hairy he was. A thick layer of coarse hair covered his arms, and conscious of her gaze, he began scratching at his forearm. He mouthed a "sorry" to her and knelt down on all fours.
"That's unusually submissive of you. Alright, stay down" the soldier ordered, switching out his current gun with one equipped with tranquilizer darts. He stood over Vladmir, finger on the trigger. Before he had a chance to take his shot however, Vladmir grabbed his leg and pulled him under. An uncharacteristic squeal was thrown from the soldier's throat as he made rough contact with the floor.
Madeline gasped as she swore she heard a sickening snap. That's when she realized the sound hadn't come from the soldier. Vladmir's limbs sprawled out as more snaps of bones locking together and shifting of placement occurred right before her eyes. His shoulder blades arched up in strange angles, and when he looked up to face her, he wasn't human. Not anymore. Before her was a large wolf, snapping its jaws on the soldier beneath it and shaking it before tossing the man out of the truck. The soldier radioed in to the other men, and the truck was surrounded almost immediately.
"H-he's a wolf. He hurt the MRD soldier. He's gone and done it. We're gunna die!" Mateus moaned, throwing up his hands in defeat. Nikolina hushed him and glared at the furry creature beside her. Vladmir threw a chortle that sounded more like a husky cough her way before padding outside the truck. All guns were trained on Vladmir, red laser points hastening to aim at vital organs as he slowly rose on his haunches. A wolf that could stand on its hind legs? That was new. A vicious snarl interrupted her thoughts.
"You're past negotiation, Mr. Volkov. I hope you know what this means for you" the commanding officer from before said. The wolf shook its head side-to-side mockingly. Vladmir lifted his snout to the sky and let out an earsplitting howl. Madeline groaned, cuffed and unable to cover her ears. The commanding officer swore and lifted his hand.
"Fire!"
The soldiers were disorientated, but nonetheless shot at the wolf. While many of them missed, many more hit on target. Despite the ominous warning the commanding officer of the squadron had left, it was to Madeline's relief that they were only shooting out tranquilizer. The wolf let out a snarl and managed to swipe a paw across the officer's face before dropping upon the road. The officer yelled and fled to another vehicle, flanked by his squadron.
"Well, he's screwed. When we get to the mutant holding place, he's going to die" Mateus stated indifferently. Nikolina sighed and shook her head.
"They'll probably do worse than that. Death is a sweet mercy."
Madeline's eyes widened and stared down at her feet. Her running shoes blurred as she wept for a man that she didn't know.
The rest of the ride was silent. Mateus would try to catch Madeline's gaze to attempt to cheer her up, but she couldn't bring herself to smile under the circumstances. Vladmir was transferred to a different vehicle. She had begun to accept that she would never catch sight of the man ever again.
They didn't stop again after that. Not even once. It was almost a pleasant surprise when the door opened again. This time however, no gracious light flooded in.
"We're here, mutants." the commanding officer greeted mirthlessly. His face was burdened with three scars, each one corresponding with Vladmir's claws. Madeline almost caught sympathy in Nikolina's eyes as she met the gaze of the officer.
The soldiers began to lead the prisoners to their cells in a manner worthy of a funeral procession. They got placed in separate cells; to each mutant their own. At least they were courteous enough to remove her cuffs for comfort and to leave a bench. Madeline collapsed on the metal bench and shut her eyes. She had earned herself a well-deserved nap. She was on edge from everything that has happened, and the bench beneath her wasn't exactly a bed, but she deserved rest after stressing about people she just met. She shut her eyes and willed herself to sleep.
"Hey mutant, dinner's served" a gruff voice said, distorting the dream Madeline was having. She murmured a thank-you, and the man shook his head and muttered to himself. "They're picking them up younger and younger."
The man continued to distribute food at other cells. Madeline grunted and heaved herself up on her elbows. Seeing the food now, she had almost forgotten that she hadn't even had dinner before she was kidna-imprisoned. There was a difference in those two terms. Kidnapping was illegal; this was not. She picked at her meal, munching at stale bread and cold mashed potatoes. It certainly wasn't a meal fit for kings. Perhaps not even for peasants. She almost didn't even bother with the vegetables. Asparagus wasn't her thing, but she gently reminded herself that to be healthy enough to break out of here sooner of later, she would need the nutrition.
Just as she gagged down the last asparagus piece, she heard heavy footsteps approaching her cell. They were fast-paced and she could practically hear the anger in each thud. Voices drifted down the hall, echoing in the near emptiness.
"You said her name was Madeline? You captured my dear Ariel!?You goddamn sonuva Asian bitch. Dishonor on your cow" a man fumed.
'It can't be... Kev Hayes?' she thought feverishly. There was no mistake in it. The racist slur, the joking humor adorning the tone, the endearment...
No sooner than she thought this, Kev appeared at her cell. "Gee, I thought you were kidding. Now I really am going to deport you and your family."
"Kev! You're here for me?" Madeline jumped up, before suspicion overtook her glee and caused her to back away from him."Why are you here?"
Her gaze caught the MRD uniform on him, and her world came crashing down upon her. 'Not him too!' That was impossible. Kev wouldn't have knowingly taken in a mutant from her father if he was anti-mutant.
"Yeah, I know, this looks bad. But I can explain. You know that I was part of the army, yes? Once the new senator came into power, I was switched to the Mutant Response Division as one of their leaders. Apparently my skills were needed here. This however is too much. I can't stand working with these people, let alone when they're against you." Kev said, sliding a card down a key slot by her cell. The electric bars holding them back disappeared, as did Madeline's confusion. How could she have ever doubted him? She floated off of the floor and reached down to kiss his cheek.
"Mr. Hayes, I don't think you can-" Kev interrupted the soldier, flipping him off.
"Look, I'm trigger happy enough as it is. Don't give me reason to shoot this place up and pump you full of lead" he warned playfully. The soldier nodded and backed off, giving the two a moment.
"Kev, I know that you're already pushing your boundaries by letting me loose, but there's another person here I need to see" Madeline pleaded, giving him the pout that she knew he couldn't resist.
Kev shrugged his shoulders before leaning down to whisper, "Listen, we don't have much time. That guy's gunna alert all the higher-ups and they're going to send me to hell and back for this. But ah, what the hey. I was planning on setting everybody here free anyway."
Madeline looked at him with poorly concealed disbelief.
"What? I'm pro-mutant! I swear!" he said, ruffling her hair. She hated it when he did that. It reminded her constantly of the difference between their heights. "They're even imprisoning non-mutant families that support mutants. How could I possibly support that? I'll prove it to you right now, starting with helping you. So who are we looking for?"
Madeline struggled to recall his full name, and she began fiddling with her braids. "Vladmir Volkov."
Kev narrowed his eyes at her, but led her down the hallway. He reached a discrete door that appeared inconspicuous. Sliding a keycard through the lock, the door clicked open. Madeline gasped in horror at the beaten Vladmir. Bruises and cuts covered his body and left him looking weak. He was not defeated however. He struggled to lift his gaze to Madeline, steady and resolute. She rushed into the room and held Vladmir's face in-between her hands.
"Hey kid. I'm a sight for sore eyes, aren't I?" he sputtered before lowering his head.
"Don't speak too much. We're going to get you out of here. You and Nikolina, Mateus and me. Everyone here" she boldly declared, removing the straps that held him back. Without the support, he fell against her.
"I've got him" Kev said as he wrapped an arm around Vladmir and led him outside. Almost immediately after they stepped out, an alarm sounded.
"Well fuck" Vladmir said. It almost made Madeline burst into hysterical laughter. It wasn't the time for that.
"What's going on Kevvy?" she asked hastily.
"I don't know, but it doesn't look like we're the cause of it" Kev said while pointing down the hall. Madeline followed his finger down the hall and watched as a man clad in a yellow and blue spandex suit clawed his way through a group of MRD soldiers. A blue furry creature fought alongside the other mutant, both brandishing a signature "X" figure on their clothes. It was associated with a name, but Madeline couldn't dredge up anything in her state of panic. All the cell doors were opened and mutants were clearing out.
"They seem like the good guys, don't they?" Kev murmured thoughtfully. The short man with the claws turned to face Kev as he spoke. Madeline remembered that he was still wearing the MRD uniform.
"It's been a while, Wolverine" Vladmir coughed, waving a subtle hand to him. He then proceeded to whisper to Madeline,"they're the X-men. They're safe."
Wolverine arched a brow at Vladmir before noticing that Kev was in fact supporting him. He gave a grunt of approval and followed his blue beast of a friend. Madeline rushed to follow them, barely able to keep up at Kev's slow pace. They followed all of the mutants to the roof of the building, which held helicopter landing pads. Wolverine began to help all the mutants board the helicopter. He held his hand out towards her, but Madeline took a glance behind her. Kev was struggling to keep up, and MRD soldiers were in hot pursuit.
"Madeline, don't worry about us. Get to safety!" Kev shouted. Madeline looked up at Wolverine's outstretched hand.
"I'm sorry" she whispered. Rejecting his hand, she flared up her hands and feet and began to levitate. She had to buy them time. She dove into the group of approaching MRD soldiers and punched one of them solidly in their face. He grunted and fell down, clutching his burns. Madeline, growing in confidence, continued to attack the men in this fashion. Kev managed to hobble up to the helicopter and hand over Vladmir.
"Is that Ariel?" a man asked, his head peeking around the corner. Tanned and muscular, Madeline's recognition of Mateus' voice distracted her long enough for a lone soldier to fire. A bullet pushed into her abdomen and Madeline cried out, falling back onto her bottom. Mateus, against the Beast's protests, leaped out of the helicopter. When his feet hit the roof however, cracks appeared beneath him.
"I sure hope you didn't forget about us" Mateus chuckled behind the remaining soldier's ear. Madeline faintly remembered the soldier asking how he was able to get there so fast before she blacked out.
The helicopter landed not-so smoothly as anticipated, and Madeline awoke, startled. Pain shot through her body and she remembered why exactly she was here. She called out Kev's name, but was answered by someone different.
"She's waking up. Could somebody bring some anesthesia before she goes into shock?" Nikolina's voice cascaded worryingly. Madeline groaned and sat up, toughing out the pain.
She was suddenly lifted off the ground, and the furry arms holding her were uncomfortable. They left an itchy sensation on her skin. It was the Beast and for some odd reason, upon identifying him as such, she didn't mind the scratchy feeling of his fur anymore. She cuddled into the warmth, fighting to stay in control of her conscious.
"I'm taking her to my lab. I can clean the wound and treat it there. Logan, please lead the other four. Try to be hospitable, please?" Beast offered, then opened a hatch in the ground. Madeline's eyes narrowed at the ruins surrounding them. Beast followed her gaze and flashed a smile at her, leading her to his lab.
"I'm Dr. McCoy. Hank McCoy. You're currently standing in what's left of the Xavier institute for gifted children."
Madeline tried to keep up with his words, but she was doing a terrible job of keeping awake. "Set me down. I'm going to fall asleep in these arms of yours."
Hank laughed before setting her down. "There isn't much left here that's not ruined, but I have just enough aid to help you. By the time we get you out of here, the Xavier institute will be up and running again."
Madeline took his word for it. She lay down on his counter and spread her limbs out like a starfish. "My body is ready."
The two shared hearty laughter before settling down into business. As Hank worked on her, he encouraged her to talk through the pain.
"One of the materials I don't have is anesthesia or painkillers, so you'll have to distract yourself somehow."
Easy enough, asking a young girl to talk. However, Madeline didn't know where to start. "Why are you taking care of me? Why are you letting the others stay? We're not X-men."
"Taking a mutant to a non-mutant hospital wouldn't be your best choice. Logan insisted on leaving you behind, but I've got a bigger heart than him. Which isn't saying much at all."
Madeline grew a sudden disdain towards this "Logan." Hank continued, "the others are staying because they insisted on being with you. You seem to touch the hearts of the people you meet. That, and all of them have no where to go."
Madeline thought about that. Kev wouldn't be allowed to set foot in the military again after that whole ordeal. She herself had no where to hide anymore, and no one to trust. She wasn't sure about Mateus and Nikolina, but Vladmir was wanted and couldn't hide forever, which reminded her.
"How do Vladmir and Wolverine know each other?" Her words were accompanied by a grunt of pain as Hank cleaned the wound.
"Charles Xavier had been looking for Vladmir for a long time. Vladmir has been seeking refuge for a while, but neither the X-men nor the authorities could track him down. Until now, of course."
Madeline pondered that. "I want to be part of the X-men. I want to help mutants."
Beast looked up from his work, staring directly into her eyes.
"You'll have to negotiate with Logan for that."
She smiled at that thought, wondering how she could reverse her fortune and use her powers to actually help people just like her. She'd have to pass her first trial though: the attitude and rude demeanor of Wolverine.
