He had underestimated her, but he was getting closer.
He had wasted two weeks in New York. If she had wanted to never be found, New York City would have been perfect. Walking those streets, Logan could feel the pulse of youth.
The city was awash in runaways, of every type. Grown men and women would leave happy homes to seek their fortune in The Big Apple. Singers, actors, writers, artists of every type were here. But not Marie, she had gone to ground, and not in this city. No, she was nearby, though.
He sniffed the air and could sense the approaching winter. He could smell the salt of the ocean on the wind. It called to him.
He left New York exactly fourteen days after first crossing the state line. From there, he headed up the coast, following the jagged landscape of the mighty Atlantic Ocean. It was here, along the coast, that he would find her.
Ororo called him every couple days to check his progress. He figured she’d adopted the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mentality. She didn’t have much choice. He would not return to the school without Marie.
It was a few days after leaving New York that he got the call.
“Logan.” He hated cell phones. “It’s Storm.” Of course it was. No one else called him. “Have you found her yet?”
“I’m getting closer. Has she contacted anyone at the school?” He was always hopeful. He was always disappointed.
“No, Logan. Have you seen the news?” she asked.
“Not in the last few days. Why?” This wouldn’t be good.
“The story broke. Everyone knows the Cure didn’t work. There have been riots in the bigger cities. Bombings in some of the clinics…And, Logan…” she paused.
“What is it, Storm?”
“Mutants are starting to disappear. It’s the government. No one knows what’s going to happen.” She sounded frightened. “I hope you find her, I really do. But you might not. Be careful.” She hung up.
________________________________________________________________________
Time was running out. He knew she was here, on the coast. She had to be.
It was outside of New London, Connecticut when he got his first real break. The landscape seemed right; it was almost like he had seen it before. This was it. All his instincts were screaming at him that she was here. Right here. He pulled the car over and watched the sunrise on the water. He could see his breath, and he sniffed snow in the air.
“Anything else for you, buddy?” The barkeep was the grizzled old sort who had lived all his life on the water.
“No thanks, just the beer. Turn up the TV, will ya?” Logan sipped at the beer and focused on the small black and white set nestled between liquor bottles on the back wall. It was showing the local news, and the top story was the mutant Cure, or the failure of it.
“Too bad it didn’t work. I feel awful for all those muties who just wanted a shot at a normal life. Shit happens, I guess.” The old man turned back to his other customers and left Logan in quiet contemplation of the news program.
The next segment was about the possible closure of the local submarine base and the impact on local business. The small screen filled with a perky newsgirl interviewing a short, stout man.
“So how would the base closure affect you and your employees?”
“Affect us? We wouldn’t have a job. I run the club on base; if this place closes, we’re all out of a job.”
“Thank you, Mark. Now back to Bob in our studio. How’s the weather look for this weekend?”
Logan had stopped paying attention and focused in on the girl who had walked behind the reporter and her interviewee. She had dark hair with unmistakable light streaks framing her face. She was on screen for mere seconds, but it was her. Marie.
He felt his heart beat accelerate to a painful pace. She was here. In this small town. And from the looks of it, she was working on a military base. Logan swore out loud and pounded a fist on the polished wood in front of him.
“Hey, how do you get to the Navy Base from here?” The old barkeep smiled and nodded towards the front door.
“Get back on the highway, follow the signs. About twenty miles up on your left. Can’t miss it.” He turned back to pouring a beer.
Logan left his money and unfinished drink on the bar. The hunt was on.
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