A/N: We get a peek into the War Room this chapter... and I think a couple of Kiwi-isms have snuck in - see if you can find them :) I should probably also mention that while there is actually an Emlenton, PA, the one in my fic only bears a superficial resemblance to the real deal (as did Aurora, MN, earlier).
Thanks again to all my lovely reviewers. *big grins on reading reviews*
Weirdlet, Xiowolfe, Stormie04, Drina, & tigressong: each and every one of you cheer me up immensely with your reviews!
Ice Angel: I think that Logan took it as a compliment that she/he hadn't changed - inside, where it counts. Something like that anyway. It was probably my writing...:)
Kerewin: I knew you'd like the bit with Jean :) I'm glad you feel I'm keeping the characters true - I'm trying my best!
Cheers,
Apteryx
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Chapter 11: A Sensible and Pragmatic Woman.
Logan, when you've a minute, can you come and see me?
If there was one thing she hated, it was early morning calls from the Professor. Logan yawned hugely, grumbled a bit, then turned over to get some more sleep.
Two minutes later she was up and throwing on some clothes over her boxers and singlet. She'd forgotten that she had actually asked for Xavier's help, and now he must have some news for her regarding Emlenton. Either that, or he wanted her to baby-sit someone else.
She yawned again as she thumped down the stairs; it was too early for most sensible people to be up, but that was something she was hardly ever accused of. There was a difference between being sensible and being pragmatic, though Logan scratched the back of her neck as she tried to remember the last time anyone ever accused her of being pragmatic either. Blasted memory playing tricks again...
She stood momentarily at the bottom of the stairs, re-adjusting the belt on her jeans - stupid thing was too large and kept slipping down to rest on her hips; what was she going to do if it slipped right off? She supposed that at least she had hips now...
So, in a typical early morning grumpy mood, Logan at last reached Xavier's office. She didn't bother to knock, but walked straight in. He wasn't there. Logan groaned; Xavier of course had not given her his location.
Chuck! she called out in her mind.
In the War Room, Logan
Great. She went down in the elevator, thinking about Charles' parents, knowing the types of horrible experiments and procedures that could be inflicted on them in the name of 'science'. Or 'public safety'. Every day that passed meant their chances of being unharmed became less. She hoped the Prof had some good news for her.
The door opened with her presence, and Logan walked into a room filled with masses of media and communication devices. Monitors covered the walls, with one particularly large screen taking up a good amount of the space. A few keyboards were either up against the walls, or attached to the few chairs scattered about the room. Professor Charles Xavier was currently occupying one of these chairs, staring at a series of numbers that ran down one of the screens.
"What's up?" Logan asked, coming up behind Xavier.
The numbers slowed their progress down the screen and stopped.
"I'm just finishing running the last part of the data I've been able to retrieve from the cell-phone you gave me."
Logan chuckled. "I'm surprised the guy ain't tried phonin' his own number. But then again, he prob'ly don't want ta run in to me again."
Xavier ignored this.
"Unfortunately, I've been unable to trace any relevant details - it's all too easy to buy a phone and give out false details."
"And Emlenton?" Logan growled, "Where does that leave us?"
"Ah. There I have been able to have more success, albeit of a limited scope. Here." He tapped a few keys and the large screen sprang to life. "This is the town of Emlenton, Pennsylvania. It has all the standard government departments, federal and state, that would be expected in a town of its size." A large map of the town appeared, with several spots highlighted. "None of these seem to be other than they are."
"What if Despardes works for some private crowd?"
"Well, he could, but I did discover a place that's a possibility that I think we ought to check out first." The map moved, zooming north into the countryside out of the town. Along a rural road, a location was highlighted.
"This is the Emlenton Agricultural Utilization Research Facility." The map zoomed in, magnifying a cluster of buildings. "It's quite possible that this facility is entirely legitimate - their website certainly seems to be - but I have been able to find that rather more security staff than is normal have recently been hired. Also in the local newspaper, the 'Emlenton Chronicle', I found a small article that had someone complaining about the secrecy surrounding the research projects. Of course, that could be the usual paranoia the word 'research' generates nowadays, but it could be something more." The map image on the screen morphed into a three-dimensional image of the buildings and grounds and did a quick revolve around them, giving different viewpoints.
"No layout of the interior of the facility was available." Xavier leaned forward and tapped a key.
Logan heard the muted sound of a printer, and from a slot in the wall, a printout shortly appeared. She strolled over and ripped the paper out, and studied the copy of the map and the 3-D images for a while before folding it up and slipping it into her pocket.
"Who's goin' ta..." she began, turning back to Xavier, when the room erupted into chaos.
Spinning, she looked back at the screens, covering her ears from the piercing sirens. Xavier had sprung to his feet and was intent on the images flickering across them.
After a few seconds, he said without taking his eyes from the monitor screens, "I'm afraid you'll have to investigate Emlenton yourself, Logan. The X-Men are needed to deal with this."
Seeing that no further help would be forthcoming, she nodded, and left the War Room in a hurry, glad to get out of the immediate range of the siren.
She felt slightly odd, seeing her team mates rushing past her, some already dressed in their uniforms, responding to the newest threat. However, what she had to do was important as well, an amorphous threat to their most recent recruit.
Throwing a few items into a duffel bag, Logan then went down into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and a bite to eat, figuring that with all the activity breakfast would have slipped the minds of quite a few. She was right, but nonetheless found Charles there, pouring Sugar Bombs high into a bowl.
"How c'n ya eat that piss-awful stuff?" she commented mildly as the boy poured milk over them.
"Easy," he said, and started spooning the cereal into his mouth with the voracious appetite of a teenager.
"Gack." She opened both doors of the huge fridge and peered in, grunted and pulled out a plate of leftover sausages, knocking the doors shut with a foot. Giving the sausages a small sniff, she then nuked them in the microwave until they started spitting. Meanwhile, she threw four slices of bread into the big toaster, and took a few bottles of sauce from a cupboard, placing them on the table.
Charles watched her out the corner of his eye as she spread thick wads of butter onto the toast and sat across the kitchen table from him, and began to eat the huge plate of greasy snarlers covered with four types of sauce.
"Geez, and you criticise my choice of food. I'd hate to think what your cholesterol's like."
"Fine," said Logan, grinning around her mouthful, "Healing factor..." She slurped her coffee.
"What's all the panic this morning? I was up extra early in Hank's lab, and he threw me out. Boom. No explanation."
Logan looked at Charles' curious face. She had seen many students pass through Xavier's doors, many of them learning what they could and returning back to their homes to try and live a normal life. Not all stayed to become part of an X-team. Some just didn't have the temperament. She was willing to bet though, that this young man would have what it took, and would be a valuable addition to a team one day.
Xavier was right. She had to find his parents; they couldn't risk alienating him.
"No panic, standard emergency. Ya get used ta it - could be anythin'; mutants gettin' beaten up on, th'Brotherhood attackin', invasion from outer space..."
"You're kidding, right?" asked Charles at the last bit.
Logan sat calmly wiping the remainder of the sauce up from her plate with a piece of toast. "Naw. I don't kid. It's happened. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got ta go. See ya 'round, kid."
She picked up her duffel and went to the door, leaving her plate on the table. "Ya got classes today?"
Charles nodded. "Yeah. First day. That's why I was up so early..."
"You'll be OK. Stick ta plants though, not classmates," she teased as she left.
In the garage, she looked over the motorcycles. She had recently acquired two well cared-for vintage bikes and had yet to take them any decent distance. She ran a hand over the 1930 Excelsior Super X. A light-weight bike compared to others even of its own era, but it could outperform many of them too. However, she wanted something with a bit more grunt. Her eye slid over to the model parked next to it; a 1936 Harley-Davidson EL Knucklehead. She grinned - it would do the job. Slinging the duffel bag across her shoulders, she kicked the bike into action, relishing the throaty roar as she took off down the drive, away from the Mansion.
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