Staring at Charles Logan sucked in the stench of fear and the unease coming from Jean even as he waited impatiently. The last two leads Charles had given him had proven to be less than stellar; in fact they’d been so pathetic that Logan had barely even taken the time to dismount the bike before heading for New York.
“Better be a good lead this time old man or I’m gonna start carving,” Logan ground out his gaze sliding across the room to Jean who reached up to touch the still healing scar on her face. “And I know exactly where I’ll start.”
With a sigh Charles swallowed, he had no choice now. “We sent them on a mission up near Diamond Hill. There’s a small community there that’s very…”
“Anti-mutant,” Logan drawled slowly, softly, his face growing even more twisted with rage. “You sent three inexperienced kids to Diamond Hill? You didn’t think that it would be a…you know fuck this shit. I’m gonna head up and check it out, you better keep trying to find them. If anything has happened to any one of the three of them..”
“There is no need to threaten us Logan,” Charles interrupted quickly.
“Who’s threatening?” Logan drawled as he turned and headed for the door, “The Wolverine promises.”
It took him four days using the hyper drive on the bike to reach the outskirts of the small town Chuck had talked about and he eyed it carefully, assessing it quickly. The smell of fear and loathing were equally strong and Logan caught sight of one young boy who was obviously a mutant walking in the gutter, his body hunched as though he were trying to be invisible.
Rolling the bike forward he cut the boy off, “Hey you. Ya got a minute?”
The quick dart of fear in the boys red eyes followed by a quick shake of his head filled Logan’s ears with the sound of scales being rustled, “It’s okay kid I ain’t gonna hurt you.”
“Hey don’t talk to him,” the voice was angry, filled with hatred and Logan turned his head slowly, his gaze meeting that of a robust man in a military uniform, his dark hair shorn in a familiar way. “Leave the freak alone, he ain’t any good for nothing but a bit of entertainment and even that’s minimal.”
Shaking his head Logan growled low in his throat, a mere rumble that had the kid’s eyes widening before he folded even further into himself and shuffling back a step or two. “What?”
“He’s a mutant or are you blind. Stupid mutant freaks should all be shot, or locked in cages.”
“Yeah, stupid freaks. It’s their fault that the worlds the way it is. They steal our jobs, our women, our money,” another voice joined in anger rising quickly. “You’d do well to ignore him unless of course you want a little action then he’d be happy to oblige..wouldn’t you freak?”
The boy flinched but didn’t move even as a beer can was tossed at him. A moment later everyone fell silent as it hit the ground, crushed in a single hand. “Don’t, you don’t want trouble.” The boy whispered softly, the words a mere rustling of the air.
“Look you freaks are in the way,” Logan snarled itching to let the claws out and knowing he couldn’t. “If you don’t mind I was conducting a little business… now unless you wanna take his place?”
Leaving the threat open he watched the crowd scatter and the boy shudder but he didn’t run. Turning back to the boy Logan studied him, “You sick or something?”
“Something like that,” the boy drawled softly, tonelessly.
“Get on,” Logan snarled and waited to see if the boy would protest. When he didn’t, Logan revved the engine and headed for the nearest dark alley. Stopping the bike Logan let his senses do a bit of a scan and smirked slightly to himself, “Good. There ain’t a body around, you got a name kid?”
“Whatever you wanna call me is okay,” the boy said shifting on his feet for a second before reaching for the buttons on his coat. Tossing it aside he moved forward, a fine tremble in his hands as he reached for Logan’s belt.
“Don’t even fuckin’ think it kid,” Logan ground out catching the kid’s hands. “I ain’t one of these freaks.”
“I’m the freak..”
“You seen three girls? Really pretty, one with white streaks around her face?” the low growl sent a bolt of fear through the boy who stared at him for a second as if debating what to do.
“Not in over a year,” the boy replied with a frown, obviously deciding that the big man would do whatever he wanted and trying to avoid as much pain as was possible.
“Where’d you see ‘em last?”
“The Mayor was talking to one of them, the one dressed in yellow then they vanished.”
“Where’s the Mayor?”
“Uh he’s the one who told you not to talk to me,” the boy muttered looking at Logan like he’d lost his mind.
“Any idea where they went?”
“Were they mutants?” the boys whispered.
“Yeah.”
“Probably over to the base half hour west of here. From there it could be anywhere but I’d look there first,” the boy whispered softly. “You uh want anything? I uh don’t mind if you wanna..”
Shaking his head Logan stared at the boy, “You ever heard of a place called Elk Hump?”
“Yeah, its east of here.”
“I heard its mutant friendly, try it out,” Logan ground out and turned and walked away leaving the boy hunched in the alley, his eyes following his every move with the first hint of life in them.
Mounting the bike Logan roared back onto the main road pausing for a moment, his gaze scanning the crowds. Spotting the Mayor he swallowed the sudden need to kill and narrowed his eyes, if he’d had a hand in Rogue’s disappearance the man would pay…slowly and painfully.
Plucking at the loose thread on her glove Rogue watched as Kitty sparred with Val, both women wore looks of intense concentration, Kitty was the only one who was shrouded in layers of clothes. That morning when she’d gotten up Rogue had stared hard at Kitty who was staring at her gloves.
“What’s up Kitster?”
“Can I borrow some gloves?”
“Sure, but what for? I mean they’re all silk so you can’t exactly get them too dirty.”
“Just something to cover up is all,” Kitty replied before taking the pair offered her. “I need to learn how to fight using them.”
“Why?”
Kitty shrugged dispassionately, “I’m not entirely comfortable with people seeing all the scars.”
“Do you want me to talk to Tank? Get him to get that doctor…?”
“No! I just want to do this myself. If I can get things organized, if I can get more comfortable within the trappings I might not be so desperate for them.”
Nodding her head Rogue sighed, “There are more in the top drawer.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Val’s waiting for us.”
Dressing in her usual workout attire Rogue hurried down the hall casually greeting those who spoke to her before stepping in the training room and eying Val who looked ready for war.
“Today we’re gonna get started on weapons training,” Val stated calmly, “So pick one and get really, really comfortable with it. You’re about to learn a whole new skill.”
Wincing as she settled onto the floor Rogue glanced down at her hands, both had the implants that mirrored Logan’s, and yet she’d opted not to train with them, instead she’d selected a pair of Samurai swords the Logan in her mind had all but purred at the sight of.
“You’re good,” Jubilee declared dropping to sit next to her, “You’ve gotten the hang of those things really easily.”
“Something I’ve absorbed,” Rogue shrugged, “Logan knew how to fight with them, knows about a lot of different weapons.”
“You miss him don’t you?”
Rogue looked at her for a moment then shrugged before glancing away, “I’ve been missing him for a longtime.”
“He’ll come for us,” Jubilee whispered painfully, “Or rather what’s left of us.”
Rogue glanced sharply at her, “We’re not going to let them win Jubes. The army may have violated our bodies and minds but we are not going to let them take our souls. We’re better than that, better than this.”
“Mrs. Creed must really be working her magic if you’re gonna believe..”
“Do you think that laying down and dying, that hiding is what we should do?” Rogue asked sharply. “Do you think for one minute that fighting to reclaim what we once were is a sin? We’re not doing this for glory Jubes; we’re doing this to prove that what those fuckers did isn’t okay. We do this we win; we beat them at their own game because it just goes to show that we’re not some wilting flower that falls apart at the first hint of darkness.”
“I’m sorry, guess I’m just in a pity-me mood.”
“There is no such thing as pity for us,” Rogue rose to her feet, “We don’t need it.”
Watching Rogue stalk back to where she’d hung her weapons Jubilee swore under her breath. The sharp zing of metal sliding from its scabbards had even Val glancing away from Kitty for a moment to watch as Rogue assumed the fighting stance she’d picked up from Logan and began moving with the swords, using them as an extension of herself rather than something that wasn’t part of her.
“She’s gonna hurt herself one of these days,” Jubilee said as she picked herself up off the ground, “Or us.”
“Rogue’s got her own demons to worry about,” Val said slightly out of breath. “Alright Katharine, again.”
Watching Kitty and Val sparring for a moment Jubilee sighed and shook her head, “Why me?” Picking up the staff she’d chosen, she trudged to the post she’d been assigned and began the fast, flowing strikes she had to master before she could move onto another weapon.
Picturing the face of the first man who’d come into her cell, Jubilee struck hard, harder than was strictly necessary in practice, each move poetry in motion, a strike out to do what she’d been unable to do that night.
“Alright that’s enough ladies,” Val’s voice was firm, yet compassionate as she took in her pupils. All three were sweaty, their hair sticking up like crazy, their faces flushed, the chests heaving with the strain and a quiet, almost secretive desperation in their eyes. “Tomorrow’s gonna be an easy day, we’ll train with the weights so I expect y’all to be well rested.”
With a quick nod the girls watched her walk out of the room, her back straight, a spring to her step that they envied. Avoiding looking at the others each headed for her room to shower and change for dinner.
“Any idea where he might be?” Helen asked softly as she sat on the front porch watching the horses racing around in the late day sun.
“If you were him where would you be?” the voice was grizzled, age weary, and belonged to an old woman who eyed her with affection.
“I’d start where they disappeared,” Helen rose and padded to the porch railing. “Then I’d go from there.”
“Do you think he’d know where that point is?” A new, stronger voice rasped, the masculine timber echoing on the afternoon wind.
“Hard to say,” Helen glanced at her companions, “Take what you need, go to the base we got them from, wait for him. If he’s been there you’ll know. There’ll be claw marks on everything.”
“Won’t there be already? After all she’s got them.”
“Logan’s are distinct, you can’t miss ‘em,” Helen replied softly, seriously. “If he’s there, when you see him bring him here. Tell him…” Helen paused slightly at the slight hunched figure that was stumbling up the driveway. “Hold that thought,” with an agile leap she was over the railing and racing up the driveway as the figure collapsed.
Rolling the coated figure over Helen sighed and sat back on her haunches just as another body arrived, “Looks bad Tank.”
“Any blood?”
“I don’t smell any, just pain, exhaustion, hunger, desperation,” Helen glanced up. “Might be from the Underground.”
“God, who does this sort of thing to kids?” Tank appraised the young boy, “Bet he’s not older than thirteen, fourteen.”
“Probably not,” Helen agreed and rose, “You can treat him?”
Tank smiled sadly, “He’ll be okay.”
“Another one for the ranks,” Helen muttered a defeated cast to her shoulders. Walking up onto the porch she swallowed, “How many more are there Momma? How much more do we have to take?”
“Ain’t his fault.”
“It’s not humanities either,” Helen replied softly. “They’re only doing what they believe needs to be done, what they think they have to do. I’m so sick of this. So sick of having to fight for the lives of strangers.”
“And yet you would continue it if it meant that Richard’s memory was honored.”
“I loved him, why shouldn’t I have something to cling to about him?”
“You still have two beautiful sons, what more do you want?”
“My husband back,” Helen replied seriously before turning and heading inside, “You want some help inside Momma?”
“I’m too old for that sort of trick daughter,” she cackled, “Go and spend some time with my granddaughter in law. Love her as much as you love your son.”
Smiling softly Helen slipped inside and followed soundlessly down to the sickbay where Tank was currently changing the boy’s clothes. Swallowing the rising bile at the multitude of bruises, the scars, the marks of a boy who’d been badly used Helen waited impatiently for some indication of where he’d been.
“I’ll head out and meet him,” Tank drawled as he sat across from Helen in her office two hours later. “I’ll make sure he knows where the girls are. What about their training?”
“I’ve already begun training them with my skills. Rogue shows a dangerous aptitude for this sort of work, Kitty’s building a wall around herself to protect what’s left of her heart.”
“And Jubilee?” Tank asked softly, a concerned look in his gaze.
“Has grown quite attached to you, to what you’ve offered her. I’m not blind, or so old that I don’t see what’s in front of my face Tank. You’ve been working with her one on one at night when she should be sleeping, healing.”
“I had no choice,” Tank shrugged, “You don’t know… Aw fuck you probably do.”
Helen grinned, “Just remember on thing son don’t go spouting pretty words hoping to get inside her defenses. She’s not the kind to fall for a fast line and an easy fuck; she’s got things to do, scars to heal.”
Tank shrugged, “She’s still an innocent girl in my mind. What happened wasn’t about her, it was about domination, control and I don’t want a simpering little china doll. I want a woman who can hold her own.”
Helen sighed, “Get me Logan and get back here. We have a long way to go and a lot of work to do.”
Tank nodded and rose, “I’ll be back as soon as I can. The boy’ll probably sleep for some time; I’ve left instructions with Mel on what to do if he needs anything.”
“Tank, you’re not the only doctor here,” Helen smiled at the younger man. “You’re just one of the best there is. Go, bring him home, then get ready cause we’re gonna teach a rich old prick what happens when you’re willing to write someone off as expendable.”
With a rich chuckle Tank headed for the door, he would bring the man his boss wanted back here to the woman who waited for him. He would return to the woman child who waited, wanted him and he would do it all because it was the right thing to do, because she made him want to do it.
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