M.U.D.
Jericho glanced at the professor with confused eyes. She turned back to Fury with a raised eyebrow.
"M.U.D.?"
"Yes. The M.U.D. program. It stands for the Mutant Unification Delegation."
Jericho blinked with disgust.
"... That's an awful name."
"The guy who gives the names is on vacation right now, we had to improvise," Fury huffed. Jericho frowned but allowed him to continue.
"The Avengers are losing face with the public and while we devised a program that would be good publicity, we figured if the X-Men and our newest Avengers teamed up, it would be good exposure. You know, show the world we are on their side."
Jericho scoffed.
"I am not an X-Men."
"Your powers would interest the public. It will show the rest of the world that mutants aren't dangerous. It's a chance to make a difference."
Those were the same words Kitty had said and Jericho figured this man must've given the same speech to her friend. She knew a lot of mutants hid away from the rest of the world and thought their uniqueness to be a curse more than a blessing. But if Jericho could make a difference, even in only one person, she knew it would mean the world to them.
Jericho looked up again to Director Fury. She huffed before narrowing her eyes.
"I have conditions."
"Name them."
"I will not be placed in dangerous situations. I'm not stupid to run off into some suicide mission."
"Deal."
"And I get to take my turtle with me."
"Fine."
"And you'll take me to India so I can see my parents."
"Consider it done. Anything else?" Fury asked, a bit annoyed. Jericho suddenly smirked.
"And I want an endless supply of churros from the vendor in front of the movie theater from the next town over."
"..."
"..."
"You have yourself a deal, Miss Kaur. Welcome to M.U.D."
~
Kitty and Jericho were packing up their suitcases when their door burst open, with Bobby, Rogue, and John walking in.
"You all ready to kick some ass, ladies?" John asked and Kitty threw a shoe at him.
"I still have to pack my bathroom stuff," Kitty said as she threw random unnecessary things into her suitcase. Jericho was going over her checklist when Bobby nudged her.
"What did they promise you that made you join us, Jiji?"
"A lot of churros and a trip to India."
Bobby and Rogue awed but John looked flabbergasted.
"Wait a minute, we could've asked for things?!"
After the girls were done, and Jericho held her turtle, Ringo, in her arms they headed out to the front where they would all be traveling to the city with the Avengers. At the front door, Charles, Hank, Jean, Scott, and Logan waited. They smiled as the five mutants approached them. Jericho ignored everyone else and headed straight over to Logan.
"You look worried," she commented and Logan frowned.
"You're leaving with a bunch of weirdos to join a program we know nothing about, of course, I'm worried, bud."
"Don't be. I won't be alone. Kitty and Bobby are going with me."
"I won't be there to protect you and Rogue if something happens. What if you get kidnapped or end up in a ditch somewhere?" He snapped. Jericho rolled her eyes.
"That won't happen and you know it," Jericho said before Logan took her suitcase and placed it in the back of the van. He did the same to Rogue and Kitty's before giving Jericho a big hug.
"Call me as soon as you get to the compound, if I don't hear from you, I will go drag you outta there myself, ya hear?" Logan commanded Jericho. She nodded quickly and so did Rogue.
"Watch after each other, alright?"
"Yes, Logan," they chorus. Jericho waved to Charles and Hank before sliding into the van. She sat between Kitty and Bobby while Rogue sat in the middle with John.
Charles watched as his students left towards the unknown. He sent comforting messages to them and hoped for the best. Turning to Logan, he could see the distress and worry clear across his face.
"Do not fret, Logan. Rogue and Jericho will be fine."
Logan didn't believe him.
~
When the five mutants arrived at the Avengers Compound, the sun was setting and the night would soon engulf them. Jericho was tired and ready for a nap but Kitty had other plans as she leaped out of the van window excitedly.
"This is amazing!" She breathed and shook Bobby awake.
Jericho got out of the van first and stretched her legs. She placed Ringo on the grass so he could do his business before walking to the trunk, already getting her things out.
"Let me help you," Steve said as he approached her. He tried to reach for her suitcase when Jericho suddenly slapped his hand. Befuddled, he looked at the mutant with wide eyes.
"Don't touch my stuff," she muttered before Bobby took her suitcase instead. Steve stared at her accusingly when she gave no complaint.
"So he can help you but I can't?" Steve questioned. Jericho hummed.
"I don't want to get your cooties, Captain Tightpants."
Steve sighed. He knew it was going to be hard to get the teenagers to comply. It was already difficult to get his own team members to work together, he didn't know how he was going to do it.
"I see great potential from all of them," Natasha commented as she stood beside Steve. The captain sighed.
"This program is going to kill me."
~
Jericho was the first to wake from her slumber the following day. She was frightened at first, she didn't recognize where she was. Once the scenery became known, she slid out of bed and slumped to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and washing her sleep away she quietly made her way towards the kitchen.
Jericho began to rummage through the cupboards for a snack. She was starving and Bobby had eaten her leftovers the night before. At the very top of the cupboard (she had to use a chair to reach it) she had found a box of strawberry pop-tarts. She huffed. It would have to do.
She was in the middle of making a pot of coffee when she heard a loud yawn. She turned towards Bobby and offered him a pop-tart.
"How was your sleep?" She asked.
"Even in different rooms, I can still hear John's snores. They somehow seem louder from afar," Bobby groaned before Jericho handed him a mug of coffee. He smiled at the mutant and took a sip.
"Thanks, Jiji."
The next to wake was John and Rogue, both enjoying a mug of coffee as well. They sat around, waiting for Kitty to get up as well. And when she did, she graced her friends with her bird's nest of hair. Jericho chuckled as her friend handed her a hairbrush.
"Please. Help me. I've been tugging for 15 minutes now," she groaned. Jericho gestured for her friend to sit on the stool and got to work detangling her hair.
"So... What do you think they'll make us do for our first day?" John questioned as he reached for another pop-tart. Everyone began to blurt out suggestions.
"Take down a dangerous criminal?"
"Save a kid from a runaway train?"
"Absolutely nothing and instead we can all eat pop tarts all day."
"Oooh yeah I like Jiji's idea," John said. Bobby rolled his eyes.
They continued to spit out more ideas but they were interrupted by Steve and the metal-armed man entering the floor.
"I hope you had a good sleep. But the training begins now. After you get changed, you will go to the training room to start your evaluation. Dismissed," Steve said with his captain voice. Everyone immediately left to their rooms except for Jericho.
"Jericho, go change."
"I'm eating breakfast, Mr. Tightpants, leave me be," she snapped and the man beside him let out a loud laugh. The genuine laugh startled Steve and Jericho and they both stared at the man with wide eyes. The metal arm man struggled to regain his breath, but when he did, he gave Jericho a wide smile and offered a handshake.
"Call me Bucky, little lady, I am very pleased to have you on our team," he said truthfully and Jericho smirked.
"At least someone's glad to have me here. I think we're gonna be good colleagues, Mr. Bucky."
"Don't you mean good friends?"
"No. I already have enough friends. I don't need more," Jericho said with a serious face. Bucky turned to Steve slowly.
"I love her. Can I keep her?"
*unedited*