The trip to Russia did not last long, but it certainly felt one with the tension and the silence in the room. Erik was close to getting his revenge, so he was fully focused and determined to succeed this time.
Moira was still annoyed by the mutants and their chaos, especially because he wanted them on this mission. Yet, after what she witnessed, it was clear that they were not ready and a part of her doubted if they would ever be.
Charles was disappointed, wondering if he had made the right choice. He did not expect such chaos, especially from Raven, but deep down his self argued back. Reminding him that he also caused his version of chaos as he grew up, although with less destruction.
Melinda was fidgeting, being the most uneasy one. She had never been on a mission and a part of her truly wanted them to succeed. But the importance of this mission... weighted heavily on one's shoulders. In addition, somehow going into enemy territory brought her back those flashbacks she used to see in dreams...memories of a different life. On top of that, she had a very bad gut feeling deep inside of her. Leaving the kids back at the HQ... did not settle well with her.
She was snapped from her thoughts when the truck they were hiding in shook from a puddle on the street. The sudden movement made her fall a little more on Erik. They glanced at one another for a moment before she pulled herself back in her seat.
"Sorry" was all she said and fixed her black coat and beanie, which she had chosen to wear to battle the snowy cold of the country.
Erik did not say anything and instead focused on his thoughts, no one speaking. There were a few CIA agents with them, armed and ready to handle any enemy soldier while the three mutants would deal with Saw, and only him. Another agent was driving the truck and Moira was next to him.
After a few more minutes of silence, there was a knock on the wooden fake half-wall that separated the driver from the rest of the truck. Charles lifted it and the three mutants turned to look at Moira and the driver.
"We got a problem," the driver said, making the trio exchange an uneasy look.
"What?" Charles exclaimed.
Moira looked at them. "I am so sorry. This wasn't on the map" she informed them and they looked in front of them.
There was a checkpoint, right in the middle of the road. A ramp had been placed, and guards were stationed there. They would check them, before allowing them to continue and for a moment, everyone was ready to abandon the mission.
Almost everyone, for Erik, clenched his jaw. He was not happy about it and he would not agree with it, Melinda knew that. However, Melinda also knew one more thing that could potentially save them. She turned to her brother, who immediately read her mind.
"Can you do it?" she asked him with pleading eyes.
Charles bit his lip for a moment, hesitating while Moira and Erik were confused about what they could be mentally talking about. Eventually, Charles let out the breath he was holding and gave a nod. He then turned to the two agents at the front. "Whatever happens, you act normal. I will take care of this"
He then pulled down the wooden separation and sat down on his seat. He then turned to all the soldiers and started to explain what they would have to do, for all of them to pass through all of it and make it out alive.
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Time seemed to have stopped when the doors of the truck were pulled open by one of the Russian Guards. The CIA agents had their guns pointed but no one moved, let alone breathed. Charles had placed his fingers on his temple and he was using his abilities on the guard to ensure that all he saw was an empty truck.
The silence remained and one would swear they could hear a pin drop from miles away. Finally, the soldier closed the doors and everyone left with a sigh of relief. Erik patted Charles's knee while Melinda embraced him in a tight hug.
"Oh god, I love you," she said as he returned the hug, both happy that the plan could work for they had never done it before.
Once they broke apart, Melinda kept that smile and turned to Erik. Despite the mission, the corner of his lips seemed to have been lifted slightly as if her smile was contagious to him. She then sat back normally, between the two men and took a deep breath. They were one step closer at last.
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After they had found the retrieve where intel had informed them that Saw would be there, they laid low among the trees. Laying on the snowy ground, they waited for a while with their binoculars for a sign of their enemy. Eventually, one helicopter arrived and dropped someone but it was not whom they were looking for.
No...instead of the main bad mutant, it was his lovely telepath blond lady, that was dressed in fancy white furs. Soldiers immediately let her pass and escorted her inside the retreat, while th helicopter flew away.
Everyone put down their binoculars, bearing similar expressions and thoughts. Melinda was the first to break the silence by speaking.
"Where is Saw?" she asked, covering almost everyone, who had the same thought in their minds. "I don't like this" she added, that bad gut feeling has returned and it was not showing her any mercy.
"I don't know but if she is a telepath and I read her, she will know we are here" Charles informed, and then an idea occurred in his mind. "Let me try something else"
He pressed his two fingers by his temple and concentrated. There was yet another silence and Melinda could not help but worry about her younger brother. At the same time, however, she was also curious about what he was doing and most importantly, what he would soon discover.
Finally, Charles stopped and shook his head a few times while he pressed his lips in a very thin line. "He is not coming" he informed the others, feeling disappointed that their whole mission and plan was all for nothing. Yet, he turned to Moira, in case she had some other ideas. "So, now what boss?"
The female agent did not seem happy with the news either, but she knew what had to be done now. "Now, nothing. We are here for Saw, mission aborted-"
As if Erik expected those words to leave her mouth, he interrupted her. "Like hell, it is" he spat out as he started to get up.
"Erik" Melina called his name, being by his left and watching him as he stood up.
He had that hard and cold look in his eyes, full of determination and anger. Just like whenever he spoke about mutant superiority, about saw...it was the same look and somehow the healer knew what would come next.
She grabbed his hand and held him down, not allowing him to fully get up. "Think this through, Erik," she told him.
He looked at her in the eyes, and for a moment something else was visible in his grey eyes before his jaw clenched again. "She is his right-hand woman, that's good enough for me"
Moira, who had overheard them, did not approve and also tried to use logic with him. "The CIA invading the home of a Senior Soviet Official? Are you crazy?"
"I am not CIA" was all the mutant said as he stood up and rushed to get away from them.
Charles tried to stop him but failed and Melinda just watched him disappear into the woods, shaking her head. A part of her rooted Erik and he did have a point of not working for the agency, yet another one could not help and worry. Why?
Because that fool would get himself killed with his reckless front attack plan of his. She watched through the binoculars, as he used his powers first to control the barbwires and trap the soldiers guarding the perimeter, while also attracting the attention of the two soldiers guarding the entrance to the house.
"We have to help him" Charles was pleased with Moira, but the male agent did not agree.
"We are moving out" he ordered and motioned for his men that were not that far away from them to retreat without being spotted.
Charles started to panic. "You can't"
Suddenly, Melinda narrowed her eyes at the house. She dropped the binoculars and took off her coat in a hurry, exposing the dark purple-sleeved blouse she wore. Around her arms, special leather bracelets seemed to have been wrapped, all holding something that the agents and Charles did not manage to see before she stood up.
"Moira, take Charles with you. I am going to help him" she said and before any of them could protest, she started to take off.
Charles was too shocked to speak and for a moment, forgot how to use his powers in an attempt to stop his sister from doing something stupid. All she could do was watch as she sprinted across the country yard. Erik had already taken out all of the guards and had just disappeared into the house.
Melinda jumped above a fallen guard and did not stop when a new one, managed to free himself from the barbed wire and tried to stop her. Instead, she slid on the snowy and muddy ground, getting under his gun before she grabbed something small from her bracelet. She then stabbed the soldier in the back of his knee, causing him to fall with a cry of pain.
She wasted no more time and rushed also into the house, leaving Moira and her brother watching in shock.
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Erik had taken down two more guards in the house, using their guns to knock them unconscious. He fixed his brown leather jacket and made his way towards the stairs that led to the upper floors and where the official's room should be. A soldier tried to ambush him from behind but before he could, Melinda appeared.
She stabbed a very thin needle in the man's neck and held his body as he slumped to the ground. Needless to say, Erik was shocked as he watched her. He didn't know where to start. By the fact that she had managed to catch up to him? That she was in the house with him? Or she might have just killed a man?
"He is not dead if that's what you think, just unconscious. I have taken an oath, Erik" she said as she panted faintly, trying to catch her breath.
She pulled the needle back and placed it in the special handmade bracelet that he only now noticed she was wearing. He had a lot of questions but decided to save them for later. He was glad she had joined him, although a part of him preferred if she would have stayed back, where she was safe.
Well, it was too late to do that now.
"Which room?" she asked him, finally approaching him and also snapping him from his intense staring.
Usually, under his stares, she would have been flustered but she suddenly was very serious...perhaps a little too serious. He could see it all over her face and in her brown eyes, that coldness that only a soldier could have. He still did not know, how someone so young and privileged could have that look in their eyes but he did not choose to ponder at that specific moment. There were more important things to deal with.
"Upper floor, last door to the right!" Someone shouted and they both turned, to see Charles rushing towards them.
Erik did not know what to comment at that moment. How many would join him? He preferred no one else for they would get in the way. Yet, he was kind of pleased that Charles had also joined him when he could simply leave him behind. That man was far too loyal, for his good.
Melinda was not happy or approving of seeing her younger brother in the house, ready to put his own life on the line. As if he had read her thoughts, which most likely he did, he spoke. "You can scold me later, using my full name. Now, let's find that telepath"
Exchanging a look with Erik, the metal bender gave a nod and the trio started to climb the steps two at a time.
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Melinda kicked the wooden fancy double doors open and the trio walked inside, slightly out of breath. At first, they noticed the telepath sitting comfortably on a chair with a glass of whiskey. She was only in her white lacey underwear. The Soviet Official was alone on his bed and he seemed to be making out with plain air.
The trio exchanged a look but only Charles could truly see and understand what was taking place, while the other two could only guess and imagine.
"Nice trick," the telepath told the blond mutant.
Suddenly, the man snapped back from the mind trick and looked around. He was out of words, finding Emma sitting on the chair and not being in front of him, and on top of all, there were three strangers in his house.
He started to shout in Russian and grabbed his gun from his belt.
"Quiet" Melinda said in perfect Russian, shocking everyone, including the old man.
Charles grabbed the chance and placed his two fingers by his temple, entering the man's mind. "Go to sleep" and just like that, the man passed out on the bed without any more fuzz.
Immediately, Emma stood up and took her diamond-covered form while Charles tried hard to enter her mind but failed to do so. The mutant smirked and started to walk slowly, amused by his attempts.
"You never going to read my mind, sugar," she said and suddenly, Charles winced from a sharp pain in his mind.
"Hey, back off from my brother" Melinda suddenly said, earning her full attention.
Emma sized her up, her lips forming a small smirk. There wasn't much information about the two siblings and she would like to know more. Seeing her cold eyes alone, made Emma curious as to what was going inside that head. However, she could not explore it....yet.
"Give up. You will never get anything out of me while I am in this form" the blond continued, standing now between the three mutants and the bed.
The three of them exchanged a look and there was no need for mental communication for them to realize what their next move was. With a nod, they moved forward while Emma did the same. The two men grabbed her arms and started to push her back toward the bed but she resisted.
To the rescue came Melinda, who had moved silently behind Emma and immediately ducked. She kicked the back of her knee, forcing Emma to lose her footing. The force of the two men pushing made her fall back and Melinda used her body to ensure the enemy telepath tripped successfully.
Once down, Erik used his abilities and commanded the metallic frames of the bed to tie her diamond hands to the bed; immobilizing her. All panting, the trio now stood in front of her as she glared at them with those diamond-covered eyes.
"So, you can just tell us" Erik commented. "Where is Saw?"
Emma, however, remained silent as the grave. She refused to speak and while in this form, Charles could not get the information from her head. The other mutant female stared with cold eyes at the enemy and an idea came to her mind.
"Choke her" she instructed, glancing sideways at Erik.
Charles was confused as to what his sister had in mind but didn't comment, not yet. Erik, on the other hand, was more than happy to pay back the woman who had slapped him on the boat in her diamond form The metals wrapped around her neck and started to squeeze, reducing her air supply and slowly making Emma panic.
"Mel...Erik...?" Charles asked, suddenly feeling more and more unsure as the latter continued his work.
"Don't stop" the healer commanded, before glancing at her brother once. "Trust me on this"
Charles did not have to read her mind to know that when she said that, with that tone, she meant it. However, that did not mean that he was not getting uneasy by seeing this dark and cold side of his beloved sister. It was like she was not his sister anymore, but a soldier fresh out of battle.
Eventually, Emma was forced to break from her form and return to human. She was left panting and annoyed, as she glared at Melinda.
"Read her mind" she instructed her brother, who gave a nod and placed his two hands on his temple.
"How did you know?" Erk asked her at the moment.
"She goes into that form on will. Corner her to a situation where her primal instincts take control and she should break her concentration" she explained with a serious look as if it was a simple elementary-level math problem.
Erik was beyond impressed by now, by all the skills that she seemed to possess and only now exposed to him. They kept their gazes locked, not caring that Emma was staring at them as Charles read his mind.
Speaking of him, he suddenly broke the concentration and gasped, taking a step back. This immediately drew the attention of the other two, and Emma smirked.
"Beautiful isn't it?" She asked with a sickening smile while Charles looked horrified.
Melinda moved fast and grabbed his shaking arm, allowing him to squeeze it. She looked at him with worry in her brown eyes. "What is it? What did you see?"
"Where is Saw?" Erik asked over her shoulder.
Charles took a deep breath, clear fear in his eyes as he looked at the two of them. "We have to go back now"
Melinda did not have to be told more than once to know what he was referring to. Needless to say, her heart started to beat faster as only one thought was in her mind...
The Kids...