Marvelous Meditations

The dark conference room inside Maximus Security was almost silent, save for the faint hum of the projector. Rogue, Kitty, Iceman, Nightcrawler, and Jean sat in a row, their faces dimly lit by the flickering footage playing on the screen.

At the far end of the room, Colossus and Wolverine stood with arms crossed, their expressions unreadable. Nathan stood at the front, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp as he watched the last few seconds of the video.

The screen displayed Omega Red tearing through a military base, moving like a force of nature. Soldiers fired at him, but their bullets barely slowed him down. His crimson carbonadium coils lashed out, wrapping around men and draining the life from them in seconds. Explosions lit up the snowy landscape, but he waded through the chaos as if it were nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

The footage froze on a close-up of his face—ghastly pale skin, eyes like bloodstained ice, and long, white-blond hair falling past his shoulders. The faintest trace of a cruel smirk curled his lips.

Nathan gestured toward the image. "This bundle of sunshine and rainbows is your target." His tone was dry, but there was a weight behind his words. "The mission is to subdue and capture him. No heroics, no unnecessary risks. We go in, take him down, and bring him back."

Rogue raised a hand. "Who is he?"

Nathan exhaled. "Arkady Gregorivich Rossovich. Mutant. Russian. A real piece of work." He crossed his arms, letting the silence stretch for a moment before continuing. "Genuine sociopath—the kind of kid who'd kick puppies just for the hell of it. Except he didn't stop there."

There was a brief, uncomfortable pause. Then Kurt hesitantly raised his hand. "…Did he…?"

Nathan met his gaze and gave a small nod. "Yeah." His voice was grim. "Started with small animals—torturing, mutilating, killing. Then he escalated. By the time he was a teenager, he was going after people. Homeless, drifters—anyone who wouldn't be missed."

Jean's face twisted with revulsion, while Kitty paled slightly.

Nathan cleared his throat and continued. "Like a lot of people with a talent for killing, he joined the military. Spetsnaz." He glanced at Colossus. "Your people saw potential in him. Figured they could point him in the right direction, make use of what he was good at."

Colossus's expression darkened, but he remained silent.

Nathan turned back to the team. "Problem was, killing in the line of duty wasn't enough. He wanted more. The military gave him discipline, sure, but they couldn't take the monster out of him. He started killing his own civilians. Sometimes for petty reasons. Sometimes for no reason at all." He shook his head. "By the time they caught on, he'd already racked up a body count."

Iceman frowned. "And they didn't put a bullet in his head because…?"

Nathan smirked, but there was no humor in it. "Oh, they tried," he said, voice edged with dry amusement. "Figured a bullet to the back of the head would solve the problem. That's when his mutant powers kicked in." He let out a slow breath and shook his head. "He survived. And instead of learning their lesson, they had the brilliant idea to double down—turn him into something useful."

He gestured toward the image on the screen. "That's when the experiments started. They pumped him full of enhancements, cybernetics—made him stronger, faster. And that's where the carbonadium coils came in."

Jean frowned, arms crossed. "So he works for the Russian government?"

Nathan shook his head. "Not anymore." He leaned against the table, exhaling. "Those experiments didn't just make him stronger—they also broke him. His own powers are eating him alive. The death spores he produces? They don't just affect others. They're slowly killing him, too."

The room was silent as the weight of that information settled.

"He needs to absorb life force to stay alive," Nathan continued. "And the only other way he could stabilize his condition was with a device. A regulator, something that could keep his powers in check."

Then, Nathan turned to Logan with a pointed look. "The only problem is, our dear friend here stole it."

Logan's scowl deepened, and he let out a low growl.

Kitty blinked. "Wait—you took the thing keeping him alive?"

Logan didn't answer, just exhaled sharply.

Nathan shrugged. "It doesn't really matter. In the end, this and that happened, a lot of blood got spilled, and Logan here put him in the ground."

Kitty hesitated. "Okay… so if he died, why is he still walking around?"

Nathan smirked. "Maybe he crawled out of hell. Maybe Logan just didn't do a good enough job putting him down."

Logan let out a warning growl, but Nathan ignored it.

"Either way," Nathan continued, "he's back. And he needs to be stopped. That's where you all come in." He looked over the team. "This isn't a training exercise. This isn't some Danger Room scenario where you get to hit reset if things go south. This is real, and if you're not ready to handle that, speak now."

No one said a word.

Nathan gave them all a firm nod. "Good. Then let's talk strategy."

He let the words hang in the air for a moment, gauging their expressions before continuing. "If you actually read the files you were given, then you should have a pretty good idea of what this guy is capable of. Based on that and his background, what are some dos and don'ts you can figure out?"

For a moment, the room was silent, the team exchanging looks. Then Jean exhaled through her nose, offering a wry smile.

"Don't peek into his mind," she muttered.

Nathan barely held back a chuckle. "Looks like someone learned their lesson." His expression sobered quickly. "Anything else?"

Rogue crossed her arms, frowning. "This is a bad match-up for me. I can't get close enough to him to do any damage, not with those spores." She hesitated, then added, "Unless we can find a way to neutralize them."

Iceman leaned back in his chair, thinking. "I might be able to freeze them. If they're airborne, my powers should be able to slow them down or even shut them down completely."

Kitty tapped her fingers against the table. "Even if we take the spores out of the equation, he still has those… things." She gestured toward the image of Omega Red, his signature carbonadium coils coiled around a soldier's crushed body. "Rogue wouldn't be fast enough to dodge those."

Kurt nodded. "Ja. Only Kitty and I can move in and out without worrying about the coils." His brow furrowed. "But we don't have enough raw power to actually hurt him."

Jean straightened in her seat, her eyes narrowing slightly in concentration. "I can also use my telekinesis to hold off his tentacles," she offered. "If I can keep them locked down, Rogue should be able to move in with Kurt and Kitty without worrying about getting snatched mid-air."

Nathan let out a thoughtful hum. "So basically, Bobby freezes the spores, Jean locks down the coils, and Anne-Marie, Kurt, and Kitty get right up in his face…" He tilted his head slightly, mulling it over. "Not a bad plan."

Kitty raised an eyebrow at him. "But?"

Nathan smirked. "It's a bit risky." He leaned against the table, folding his arms. "If anything goes wrong, Rogue will be at the mercy of those coils. And let's not forget the cold—Bobby's going to have to drop the temperature way down to neutralize those spores. That's going to slow down everyone on the front line, including you."

Kurt frowned. "Then what do we do?"

Nathan straightened and gave them a sharp look. "Simple. We gear up. I can get you some gadgets to keep you warm... in addition..."

He gestured toward the back of the room, walking over to a reinforced locker mounted on the wall. With a quick key input, it hissed open, revealing several pieces of equipment.

He reached inside and pulled out a pair of sleek, reinforced gloves and two axes with a faint metallic-blue glow running along the blades. "These should even the playing field."

He tossed the gloves to Kitty, who caught them with a frown. "What am I looking at here?"

"Shock gloves," Nathan explained. "They'll deliver a high-voltage charge on impact. With all the cybernetics in Omega Red's body, it'll fry him up nice and painful. It won't put him down, but it'll make him feel it."

Kitty flexed her fingers in the gloves, intrigued.

Nathan then turned to Rogue, flipping one of the axes in his grip before offering both to her. "These are for you."

Rogue hesitated before taking them. "And what exactly do they do?"

"These aren't just any axes." Nathan tapped the side of one, causing the energy veins running along them to pulse. "They're enhanced with Chitauri energy tech. That means they can cut through metal—including those carbonadium coils-- if you can muster the required strength."

Rogue's eyes widened slightly as she examined the swords, testing their balance in her hands.

Nathan then turned back to Kitty and Kurt. "You two might not have the raw power to hurt Omega Red directly, but you don't need to. You just need to keep him distracted enough for Rogue to swoop in and take out the coils."

He looked around the room, his expression firm. "Now, let's talk execution."

...

As the briefing wrapped up, Nathan dismissed everyone, giving them the night to prepare. The mission to Russia would begin at dawn, and he expected them all to be ready. One by one, the team filtered out of the conference room, their conversations quiet but purposeful.

Colossus lingered near the doorway, watching as Nathan powered down the projector. After a moment, he stepped forward. "Nathan," he said, his deep voice steady but carrying an unmistakable weight.

Nathan glanced up. "What's up?"

Colossus hesitated briefly before nodding toward the hallway. "Walk with me?"

Nathan shrugged. "Sure."

They stepped into the elevator together, the doors sliding shut with a soft hiss. The silence stretched between them for a few moments before Colossus finally spoke. "I wanted to ask you something… about what you said in there."

Nathan leaned against the elevator wall, giving him a sideways glance. "You're gonna have to be a little more specific, big guy."

Colossus crossed his arms, expression serious. "When you spoke about Omega Red—about how my people turned him into a weapon—it did not sit right with me."

Nathan blinked, then let out a short laugh. "Wait—hold on. Are you asking me if I have some kind of anti-Russian bias?"

Colossus didn't answer right away, but his gaze didn't waver.

Nathan shook his head, still amused. "Come on, man. You really think I've got it out for your entire country?"

"I do not think you hate us," Colossus admitted. "But words matter. And if there is even a small part of you that holds a grudge against my homeland, it may bleed into your decisions. That would be dangerous."

The elevator dinged as they reached the ground floor. Nathan pushed off the wall and stepped out into the reception area. "Alright, I'll bite," he said. "Why would you even think that?"

Colossus followed, his heavy footfalls echoing through the mostly empty lobby. "Because your tone was different. When you spoke about what happened to Omega Red, it was not just a report—it was personal. It sounded like blame."

Nathan let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's just how I talk. No hidden agenda. No personal vendetta against your homeland." He glanced up at him. "Look, I've fought alongside plenty of Russian soldiers and mercs back when I was still a soldier. Good guys. Hard bastards, but good guys. I've got no problem with Russia or Russians...."

Colossus studied him for a long moment, then gave a small nod. "That is good to hear."

Nathan smirked. "What, you were gonna drop the mission if I said otherwise?"

Colossus let out a small chuckle. "No, but I would have been much less pleasant company."

Nathan laughed. "Fair enough."

They reached the building's entrance, the cold night air sweeping in as the glass doors slid open. Nathan shoved his hands into his pockets, already anticipating heading back to his place for a few hours of rest before the flight.

Colossus, however, remained standing at the entrance, looking thoughtful.

"You got something else on your mind?" Nathan asked.

Colossus exhaled, then turned to face him. "Since you are handling transportation, I wanted to ask a favor."

Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Depends on the favor."

Colossus' expression softened. "I was hoping, once the mission is done… that I could visit my family."

Nathan's smirk faded into something more genuine. He gave a small nod. "Sure... we can drop by but you'll have to make it quick. I have a lot on my plate, you see."

Colossus smiled, grateful. "Thank you."

Nathan waved a hand dismissively. "Don't mention it." He started toward the parking lot but threw one last glance over his shoulder. "Get some rest, big guy. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day."

Colossus nodded. "For all of us."

With that, they went their separate ways, both men knowing that come morning, they'd be stepping into the kind of fight neither of them could afford to lose.

...

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