Once aboard the Blackbird, all the nervousness came back in spades, although she did her best to remain outwardly calm. Kitty was scared but wanted to do her best, knowing that the professor had requested her specifically. The trip to Alkali Lake went quickly, making far better time than Logan must have, and in a matter of hours they were hovering several hundred yards off the base in full stealth mode, readying to land. She heard Mr. Summers draw in a sharp breath through his nose and looked forward to where he sat in the pilot's seat, just able to see his jaw muscle clenching from her position.
"He didn't even get it under cover! Just left it right out in the open!" His indignant tone was a surprise as she straightened up in her seat and focused on what he was looking at, a motorcycle parked in a snowy clearing, with several inches of white powder dusting its surfaces. Oh, that must be the motorcycle Mr. Logan was always borrowing. Guys were kind of weird about machines, weren't they? She caught a hint of exasperated amusement in Ms. Grey's eyes, as if the redhead was on the receiving end of a conversation that she'd heard many times before. Ms. Munroe didn't seem to respond, but maybe that was because she occupied the co-pilot's seat and would be seen if she showed any hint of laughter.
"Obviously Logan went on foot from here, so maybe we should do the same," the white-haired woman said, outwardly cool, but mentally she was sharing an eyeroll with Jean. "It looks like there's room for the Blackbird." Scott's lips pressed tightly together at the change of subject, but he didn't say anything further. It was likely he would have something else to snipe at Logan about later, though. Jean gave the softest of sighs, unable to help feeling a sense of dread, like things were about to go horribly wrong. The thought crossed her mind that she'd be happy if they could all return safely, even if it meant Scott got to yell at Logan one more time.
x_X_x
It took some doing, but Jean managed to convince Scott that now was not the time to load his motorcycle onto the Blackbird, insisting they needed to move now and could pick it up later. Once out of the jet, they felt weirdly conspicuous against the white landscape, trudging toward the base's location in silence. When they reached the main entrance, Scott held his hand up to signal a stop.
"The professor wants this to be covert, so maybe we should try a different approach," he suggested, glancing around the open area toward the forested edges. It had obviously snowed at least once since Logan had come to the base, so finding tracks wouldn't be likely. Still, he thought he saw something just over there⦠Taking a few steps, Scott realized what he'd seen was just that, a partial boot print within the tree-sheltered edge that couldn't be entirely covered due to the branches spreading overhead. "Look, he must have gone this way." Their little group moved in that direction, barely able to follow the broken trail of footprints until they caught sight of a section of the wall that looked off, too bright and new when compared to the rest of its weathered surface.
"How strange," Storm murmured. "It's as if they had to replace it. But only this one section." It wasn't even a very large section, about two feet wide and a little over six feet tall. Kitty pondered that for a moment, when her thoughtful gaze rested on faint slash marks on a tree right next to her.
"Oh my gosh!" she gasped, looking between the tree and the wall. The adults swung their attention her way, making her feel suddenly shy at being the main focus all of a sudden. "Um, look, Mr. Logan's been here." She pointed to the tree, and Scott frowned.
"That definitely looks like his work. But it also looks like that was made a very long time ago." Kitty's eyes widened, and Jean had a sudden realization of what that meant, namely an old remnant of Logan's presence combined with the recent repair to the base's wall. She was so startled that the thought became words before she could restrain herself.
"This is where he went in. And this is also where he got out, sixteen years ago." The group sobered at that, the excitement of the discovery muted somewhat. It also made them a little warier, since this place obviously had a long history with mutants, and not a good one. Kitty gulped in a breath.
"Give me a sec and I'll do a quick check, see if the coast is clear." She looked to her team leader for confirmation and was given a tight nod by Cyclops. Stepping forward to the wall, the young girl slipped her head and shoulders through, creating a strange but not uncommon visual to the group of X-men as she peeked inside with part of herself still on the outside. Within seconds she backed out. "All's quiet there, at least for now." Scott thought a moment.
"Okay, we go in quietly. Jean, use your powers and keep a mental eye out for anyone coming. If we're forewarned then maybe we can avoid detection for as long as possible. Kitty, stay in the center of the group, within touching distance. That way we can protect you, but can also be affected by your phasing abilities." The young mutant nodded her understanding, and, with their hands on her shoulders and right arm, the lot of them walked straight through the concrete barrier.
x_X_x
"Hey look, it's playtime at the zoo again." In the security room, one of the guards assigned to monitor the camera feeds slapped his fellow screen-watcher on the arm, causing him to scowl slightly before looking where indicated. In Wolverine's cell, two soldiers had just entered and were obviously taunting the captive mutant, who was slumped on his knees but still remained too defiant for his own good. "Man, I'd love to get in on that again. Hope my turn comes up soon. It's boring watching the halls." The other man chuckled, a sound that held no real humor, only cruelty.
"Well, next best thing is watching, right? Looks like there's finally something good on the telly." They settled in, focused on the one screen that held their interest, not seeing the small group of people in black leather stealthily moving down one of the outermost hallways.
