OUT OF EDEN

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The way home was awful. Even more awful than the few seconds before the explosion, which he only vaguely remembered. After he had passed the gates of the military complex just outside of New York, he had thought that now it would get better. The Colonel's reproach was over, the shouting and screaming that had come over him in the moment that he had woken up in some bed in a med bay. But the job was finally over.

As he ran his hand over his cheek, he could still feel the bruise, and the bruise on his shoulder also unmistakably told him that it was there. The blast wave had hit him against the wall - it was still a mystery to him why they had both survived the explosion in that small room. Logan must have kicked the grenade away, back over the red line, before it went off, the magnetic field had kept the shrapnel away.
Damn good reaction, he had to admit.

As the Colonel had questioned him, why he had let it come that far, he had had no answer. What the hell had happened…? Did he help the prisoner escape? What did he know about Logan's plans? He didn't know. There was a blackout where there should have been memories and reasonable thoughts. He remembered seeing his claws. He also remembered that the shackle around Logan's left arm had been open at one point.
The Colonel had shouted at him, questioning him how this could have happened. Jack didn't know the answer. He hadn't told the Colonel anything. The blurred memories told him that he had been the one to open it up. Damnit. Why?

He parked the car in his garage and looked at his own image in the rear view mirror. What a sight he was. Once again, after so many times. Bruised and dazed. He pulled the keys out and told himself that it was good that this had finally come to an end. He didn't want to work for the military any more. Should have said no in the beginning. Wanted to see no-one of them. No fights, no guns, no grenades and above all no prisoners. The day had come on which he finally had to put up with the fact that he had turned into a terrible interrogator.

A sigh on his lips, he closed the electric garage door and turned on the light in the hallway.
As he heard a noise. Outside or here in the house? Wasn't sure.
His senses told him that there was something.

His gun drawn, he ran over to the nearest window, peaking outside. A van parked on the other street side. That one hadn't been there before, right? He rushed over to a window on the rear side, seeing a similar vehicle on the other street side, too.
They were watching him. He felt his pulse speed up, as he crept back through his own hallway, to the garage, where he heard another sound.

Logan stared at the muzzle of Jack's gun which was now directed towards him. „Let it down, bub", he growled, „that thing won't help ya."

Jack slowly lowered his hand with the gun. He had seen the file. And the claws. It was really of no use against this guy. Part of him should have been frightened that there was an enemy in his house - one that he was helpless against. But all he had left now was the rage.

He stormed over to him, the gun still in his right hand, grabbed Logan by the collar and pushed him backwards, towards the nearest wall. „Who do you think you are?", he hissed, „You think you can just come around and ruin my whole life? They're covering every exit of the house, looking for you!" Right now he didn't even care that the man that he was holding at gunpoint and who was five inches taller than him could have killed him in the blink of a second with his claws.

You let me escape.", Logan replied. His senses kept track of the gun in Jack's hand but he was a hundred percent sure that this gun wouldn't be used against him any time soon. The guy took risks - but he wasn't stupid. He'd never use the gun and admit to the agents on the outside what was really going on here.

„But not into my house!", Jack hissed back and let go of him after a last, determined push against the wall. „Stay down. I don't think they know you're here. Looks like they're just guessing. Otherwise they would have come in already." He opened a closet nearby and took out a holster, in which he fixed his gun to his belt. After walking around, looking out of every window, he came back into the garage. His heart was beating with so much agitation that he could hear his own pulse. Although he hadn't done anything strenuous, he was out of breath and sweating.

He glanced at Logan, who had kept his word and had settled to the ground peacefully, at the other side of the garage. He wore nothing else but the grey pants which they had put him in, in the prison. He hadn't shaved in weeks, his hair and beard a wild mess of black.

Jack fetched some old clothes, a T-shirt and flannel shirt from his bedroom closet and threw it over to him. „Get dressed. We need to get you away from here somehow. And then I'll have to do some veeery very good explaining."

Logan caught the clothes and rose again. „If you want me to, I'll just walk out the front door.", he growled. He wasn't afraid of some men with their stupid machine guns. It would be a slaughter, of course, but nothing that he hadn't done before. No pain that he couldn't stand.

Jack turned back, throwing an angry glance at him over his shoulder. „Don't you dare.", he hissed, „The Colonel's orders aren't dead or alive any more. He gave orders to blast your goddamn ass into pieces, even collateral damage is accepted. You might be hard to kill, but that means it's not impossible. The second they see you, this place will be turned to shreds." He turned back around and went over into the kitchen, pointing his hand into the hallway, „bathroom's that way."

The people in the black vans had settled to stay for a while. Jack kept an eye on them, the same as they kept their eyes on his house. He didn't know why the Colonel didn't just order them to storm the house and look for the Wolverine. Looked like they were not that sure about him being here and they didn't dare to mistrust one of their own officers. That was the only good sign.

A car pulled into this uncrowded street, the only car to arrive since the black vans had come. His attention was pulled to it as it came closer, although his house was the last one in the street. As he finally recognized the car, it drew a ‚no' from his lips, followed by a louder ‚NO' and in the end almost a scream. He started running, from the upstairs bedroom where he had been, looking down onto the street, jumped, more stumbled down the stairs taking three steps at a time.

Logan had heard him and came out of the bathroom as Jack passed him, running. „What…?", he wanted to ask, but Jack only wove his hand at him, telling him to stay inside the room. Not wanting to miss what was going on around here, he kept the door a bit open and watched how Jack hurriedly put the holster with the gun off his belt again, stashing it into the drawer next to the door before he hurriedly opened up. A woman was at door. Logan heard them arguing about a child. Jack's child?

You promised me to take her.
It's not possible, really.
You have to… No!
This is important to me. You promised!
A child's cries. Look, now she's even… honey, no, come on.

The woman took the child off her shoulder and bluntly handed him the little girl. I have to go. I'm late already, and I can't miss this interview, dad. So the grand child.

She stormed away, leaving him back with the little girl.

Jack fought the urge to shout a lout damnit. Not here, in front of Teri. And not here, standing in the open door, where the people out of the van could see him. He slowly put the still crying girl down in front of him, trying not to let her see how frightened he was. The Colonel's men could storm the house any time, even worse, throw a bomb in through one of the windows and … looking at the little girl, he forced himself to stop thinking about it.

Everything alright, Jack?, she asked him. She could sense his tension. He'd have to do a better job hiding his thoughts.

Yah, everything alright, he hurriedly answered and gave her a little kiss onto her forehead, before he picked her up, took the little bag that Kim had left at his doorstep and lifted her up. He couldn't go back in. He just couldn't take that risk.

Logan stood in the doorframe of the bathroom, watching the scene. Jack, little Teri in his arms. He smelled the man's fear. This was not only the fear like before- now it was mere panic, as he carried the girl and looked back into the hallway, not knowing what to say. His view found Logan, who still stood in the doorframe of his bathroom, now shaved and dressed - and his eyes told a real story, beginning and ending with the words you have to understand me, she's all I have.

„I'm sorry.", Jack inaudibly breathed, but sure that the mutant had heard it. He really was.

What's up grampa Jack? the little girl asked. She had heard his apology, too.

„Nothing.", he hurriedly murmured for an answer, before he pulled the door closed behind him and started to walk, carrying the girl and her little bag away with him.

Logan stared at the door. He was on his own again. Surrounded by a small army. Again.

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