Chapter 12: No fury like a woman pregnant
Victor Creed would never admit to being afraid of anything. He'd long ago sworn that no matter the cost, no matter the foe, he would face down fear and laugh.
However, that was before he'd been exposed to the sight of a very angry and very pregnant Marie.
Worry made her bold, fear sharpened her emotions into wrath. In an odd way, he was proud to watch her issue commands and give any who got in her way a severe tongue lashing. Even Xavier, her former headmaster, part time father figure and current boss wasn't risking being on the receiving end of the sharp tongued succubus.
Instead, when the call for ransom and taunting came in, he simply handed over the controls.
It happened around the twentieth hour the team had been missing. Xavier had gone to check in with the rest of the staff, and keep them apprised of the situation. Scott took his place, keeping watch for any incoming radio signals or messages from the team, along with keeping an ear out for any of their contacts who might have information.
The only real silver lining to the situation thus far was that with both their mates missing, Hank was there to keep an eye on Marie. Even this didn't do much though, as the furry blue feral was mostly alternating between pacing angrily and keening for his taken mate.
Marie, for her part, had spent much of the time testing the radio connections and hugging her belly, trying to soothe the babe inside who seemed to sense that something was wrong and continued to kick it's mother every so often.
"It'll be okay. Yah Daddy is real strong and he promised he'd come home tah us. Yah just need tah settle fah mama now please." She begged. The baby kicked once more, hard and then was silent.
"We've got something." Scott piped up from his chair. Victor and Hank helped Marie stand and make her way over to the young man, who had a pair of headphones. "I've sent for the professor, it sounds like a signal… I'm trying to open a line, I don't recognize the code so someone must have hacked in somehow." He informed them, fingers flying.
"Well what are they saying!? Out with it!" Hank demanded, as Charles rolled in. "I think it's something to do with our video system, I think they're trying to get in the computer. Maybe even to cerebro? I can't-" Scott was cut off as suddenly a face filled the main computer screen. It was a man, who looked to be about 30. With a military style crewcut and a rakish grin, he waved at the stunned mutants.
"Howdy there! About time you all picked up, I was beginning to think you were ignoring me." He said, apparently very pleased with their evident ire. Even his blue eyes twinkled, he looked as though he could be discussing the events of the day with a friend over beers. His lax attitude was what really pissed Marie off.
"Who am I speaking with?" Charles asked.
"My name isn't really all that important. What matters is that I've got some buddies of yours here with me, and I'm thinking, based on the prices on some of their heads, you'd be willing to pay a pretty penny to get 'em back." He picked at a thumbnail, making a face. "By the way, I don't suppose you know any good places to get a manicure? I mean sure, I'm a gun for hire but I like to look good too, know what I mean?" He continued.
The professor paused, signaling to Scott to put the man on hold. This done, he looked at the others.
"What are yah waiting for? Pay the man and bring them home!" Marie insisted.
"I second that." Hank added.
"I think we need to play this smart Professor. If he knows we're desperate for our people, he may make retrieving them impossible." Scott chimed in.
The professor nodded, listening to them all and then turned to their resident mercenary expert.
"Mr. Creed? Opinion?"
Arms folded and studying the man's face, Victor turned his glare back to the group.
"It's a game to him. If he's willing to contact us, that mean he's either incredibly stupid, it's a trap, or he doesn't much care about the other guy who took them in the first place. If it was a trap, I think he'd be trying to offer more information. Show he's a good guy, give us just enough info to feel like we know him. He's not doing that. He did mention he's a gun for hire. That's essentially the universal sign for 'I don't care as long as I get my money.' That makes me think he hasn't had any face to face dealings with whoever took our people which means there's no loyalty. He can be swayed, he can be bought." He finished.
Nodding again, The Professor signaled for Scott to bring the man off hold and started to speak once more.
"If you are referring to a team of mutants, then we may have interest in them. But only for what they can add to our current situation." He told him, mimicking the younger man's devil may care attitude. The man grinned.
"And I might be inclined to give you the goods.. For the right price of course."
The professor raised one solemn brow.
"What exactly would that be?"
"Depends on what you're willing to pay. And I'd hurry up and decide what that number is if I were you. See, Me? I'm cool as a cucumber. But my people, they get a little trigger happy now and then." He jerked a thumb at two other people behind him, the pair both dirty blondes and the same blue eyes as the original speaker. As if on cue, one wolf whistled and the other shot off her gun with an exaggerated howl.
"There's no need for violence. But I would like to be certain of what I'm getting as part of this deal." The Professor said, clearly unimpressed.
"What, you don't trust me?I'm hurt, I thought we were becoming something special here."The man looked wounded.
"I want to see that the people are unharmed."The professor continued to press.
" Look at this face, you don't trust this face?" The man crooned.
"To be frank, no."
"But it's so open and honest." He smiled sweetly.
Tired of this little back and forth, Marie strode forward and leaned down, face directly in the camera.
"What's yah name, who am ah speaking tah?" She asked abruptly. The man squinted, then a slow smile spread over his features.
"Question is, who are you beautiful?"
Victor started to snarl. He needn't have bothered. The Rogue was in full control and out for blood.
"Ah'm the woman who's just itchin tah rip yah spleen out tah serve on crackers. See the man behind meh? He's playin 'll negotiate, and come tah terms, and it'll all be so very civilized."
She cooed, to his growing discomfort. Despite her sweet smile, her voice had taken on an eerie sing song quality to it. Scott was unsettled. Victor was proud.
"Kieran she's scaring me.." The other young man mumbled, shifting nervously.
"Shut up Jared. She's bluffing." Kieran snapped. "And what are you gonna do, huh? You don't scare me." He continued, staring hard. Marie met his gaze unflinchingly.
" Ah'm not gonna play nice. Ah'm just gonna hunt yah down, like a dog. And then, when ah do find yah? Ah'm goin tah systematically place teeny tiny little cuts, all over yah body. Just deep enough tah really sting, get that too hot feeling yah get from a paper cut. Roll yah in a bed of salt, till they start tah then drip lemon juice on yah, one... drop…. at a time." She smiled, eyes empty and smile serene.
By now, Jared and the young woman were tugging at their partner, clearly nervous as she continued,
"That's one idea. One of many. Have yah dealt with ferals before Kieran?" She asked. He shifted in his seat, doing his best to keep up the hard eyed stare. Victor thought he could see a bead of sweat on the man's forehead.
"I- I dunno what that means. I just do my job, get my money. That's all." He insisted.
"It's a shame yah not more informed. If yah were a real professional, yah'd research yah jobs a little better. Yah would know don't. Fuck. With. A. Feral." She all but snarled, teeth bared and calling on her 'borrowed' powers. With a bamf of energy, she was directly in front of the young man, hands fisted in his shirt.
"WHERE. IS. MAH. MATE."
Within a few hours,the team was back at the school and the feral pairs were happily together once more. All of them were a little banged up but none too bad the worse for wear. Marie was loathe to let Logan go, and to be honest he was perfectly fine with that. After getting checked out by Hank and cleared, the little pack headed home.
"How much did it cost Chuck?" Was Logan's first question at dinner that night. Victor shook his head, dishing up plates of food while Marie continued to fuss over her mate.
"Not a red cent."
Logan's eyebrows raised.
"How'd he swing that?"
Victor grinned at Marie.
"When life gives you lemons… threaten it's paper cuts."