Mad. The voice licking her ear was mad.

"Hush now."

She wimpers. Insane; the voice is insane.

"It won't hurt that much."

She screaches and twists ineffectively against restraints.

"When it's all over, you'll thank me..." the whisper kisses her ear, "and so will he."

"NOOOOOOOO!!" Magdeline screamed, her nightmare hurling her from the dream world. The same dream she always had whenever she slept someplace new.

She trembled, sweat-soaked, hair matted to her face in thick strands.
She rocked back and forth, forcing herself to calm down. It was a dream; she knew it was only a dream. Her mind re-living the experience that had forever altered her beyond recovery. She knew, with a sinking feeling, that her denial was useless; shouted into the empty, darkened room. She told herself for the hundredth time that the only reason she yelled now was that she hadn't then. She'd been so utterly paralyzed by her terror she couldn't have even screamed.

Weakling, she berated herself. Well, I won't be able to sleep, might as well go down to the kitchen and get something to help calm my nerves.

She untangled herself from slick sheets, putting on a pair of mocasins she used for slippers. Her boxers and tee ought to be presentable enough for pitch darkness; no one else could be up at this ungodly hour. She followed her nose more than her memory of the 'grand tour' the five members of the household had given them. She had the distinct feeling that the entire place was much more extensive than these people let on. She reviewed the rooms she passed as she navigated the darkened hallways. She was in the women's wing across from the white haired weather witch called Storm. Then there was Rogue's room; she recognized the faint scent of magnolia perfume. Then Psylock's room, whom she hadn't met since she was with some other members of this ' school for higher learning ' on some sort of field trip. Maggs didn't trust that either. Here was the indoors garden that Storm kept, there was the pool room, there was the rec room and here was the main kitchen.

She fumbled around in the moonlite for the appropriate utensils to make herself a sandwich. She was looking for the mustard deep in the heart of the refridgerator when she caught a faint scent behind her. She straightened immediately, slamming the fridge door while racing through her memory to match scent to name.

The unmistakeable sound of a zippo being lit piqued her curiosity and she turned around to face the man who'd introduced himself as Logan lite a cigar. He inhaled deeply, letting the smoke and silence linger between them for a moment longer. She simply sat and waited for him to say something.

"Mustard's in the butter keeper on the door."

"How'd you.."

"Roast beef, lettuce, pickles, tomatoe, it wouldn't be a good sandwich without the mustard."

"Want one?"

"Sure. Coffee?"

"Okay."

They bustled around in the darkened kitchen in companionable silence, one brewing, the other slicing and dicing. Before long, they were sitting on barstools, facing one another across the kitchen counter.
Maggs was reaching for her coffee when his hand darted out and gently grabbed hers. He licked his finger and rubbed the mustard stain off the back of her hand.

"Thanks." must have been on my claw when I retracted it, she thought absently. A warning siren was going off in her head. Strange house, strange people, don't let the door hit you on the way out, leave, leave, leave! it seemed to say. Yet here she was, sitting in a dark room, eating a snack across from a complete stranger in her boxers and tee.
Was she losing it?

He fingered the back of her hands, the place where her claws emerged were of particular interest to him.

"How?" his voice was in whispers and even with her acute hearing she'd bearly caught the word. Mechanically she snatched her hand back and took a deliberate bite of her food.

After a moment passed, "Ask me when I know more 'bout you."

"Whadda ya wanna know?"

"Why'd you help us?"

Scknit. Maggs stared at bone replicas of her claws that emerged from the stranger's hands. No gasp of surprise, no feigned shock, it was her turn to finger his hands.

"You'll thank me...and so will he." the voice from her nightmare echoed in her mind.

"I was ... I ... I'm not a mutant by birth." was all she could manage. His eyes held hers, waiting for more that she couldn't give.
She lowered her gaze and hands to her cup and waited, listening to him inhale his cigar.

"Smoke botherin' ya?"

She shook her head, glad at the change in subject as well as the break in the silence.

"Darcy smokes and I don't mind."

"Darcy?"

"Tall lean guy, black hair. Throws fire."

"Mmmmmm. The blonde?"

"Chuck."

"Chuck?"

"Charlene, but if we call her that, she hits us."

"She the one who did that psi-scan?"

"Yep."

"The kid?"

"My brother, Joel."

"What 'bout him?"

"Invunerable, strength, can fly."

"Maggs, Darcy, Chuck, Frizz and Joel, hmmm?"

"Yep."

"Hell of a team."

"Thanks."

"Can see what those Cyborgs would want with you." Logan had gambled that this tactic would work.

"Good night Logan."

She practically ran back to her room that they'd assigned her. Was she daft? Giving away her friends' secrets to a complete stranger? She was losin' it.

She hauled the covers up over her head and put her back to the door.
Her mind raced with confusion and worry. What kind of a leader was she, anyway? She stiffened as she heard the door open. Footsteps across the carpet brought the figure to her bed, and a shadow crossed her as he knelt beside her. He still smelled like cigar.

"Hearin' sharper?"

She nodded.

"Nose better than a beagle?"

She turned on her back to stare at the ceiling. A finger lightly traced old scars on her shoulder.

"Your claws, Adamatium?"

She nodded again. He turned away from her, putting his back against the bed as he sat down.

"All of you?"

"What?"

"Who ever sent the Cyborgs. Did they change all of you?"

She sighed her affirmative. He lit up another cigar.

"Maggs?"

"Yeah?"

"See ya in the mornin'."

She'd had the distinct feeling he'd been about to say something else as he closed the door behind him. She slept easier that night for some reason.

End of Chapter Three