Claws and Magic Chapter Eleven
Brief Recap:
Harry has arrived at his birth father's current home, the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children. While there, he discovers that Logan is in fact Wolverine, leader of the X-men. Now with his own mutant abilities known, Harry must learn and adapt to the ways of the X-men while proving that he can take care of himself by the time Hogwarts opens for his fourth year.
Out in the streets of Baltimore, a young blonde ran haphazardly away form a squad of uniformed men. She splashed through a puddle, but the water soon evaporated for the heat she gave off. As she was chased further and further away from her father and his officials, her breathing became more and more harried as her fear mounted. Finally, her hair caught fire as her powers surged beyond the control of her fragile mental state. Deep gasps escaped her as she stared at her fire coated hands in horror. Bright flames filled her vision and spiraled across her skin.
"No!" She cried in horror. Beneath her feat, the earth cracked and split with hot magma bubbling up. Panic enveloped her completely as her powers rebelled against her. Giving in, the girl threw he head back and screamed loudly. She was so scared! Behind her, she could hear the armored men catching up to her, readying their guns…
Something metal wrapped around her neck and she yowled in fear and scrabbled to get it off. No! She didn't want to die here! Yet, even as it activated, Death's cold touch did not reach for her. It became colder, yes, but only because the tectonic plates beneath her stilled and the magma coating her cooled and disappeared. Her flames dampened and went out, leaving her both relieved and terrified all at once. She wobbled on her feet and felt strong arms encircle her. Looking up, she saw a familiar visage as her eyes drifted close. Wolverine was here… the professor was saving her again…
Harry let out another long sigh. Having free reign of pretty much the whole mansion was great and all, but it wasn't any fun unless you had someone to share it with. Kitty was working on her college work and Bobby was out in the city playing basketball with some of his friends. Hank was reorganizing the emergency medical supplies. Forge was working on repairing the sleek looking plane in the basement (and he really hadn't wanted Harry around when he started welding the heavy-duty metal back together). Harry didn't know where in the world Logan was, Munroe was still unpacking, and Frost was… trying to kill the tonight's dinner via invisible, non-mutant eye beams.
Harry had offered to help her earlier but has been turned down and told that a grown woman didn't need any help from a teenage boy.
He still hadn't seen Summers, but Harry wasn't sure he really wanted to either, from the way the others talked about him.
Thus, that left Harry alone in the library. With all the books.
All the books.
All the very boring books.
All the very, very boring books.
All the-
The front entrance doors slammed open. Harry's ears perked up and his tail twitched in excitement.
"Hank!" Logan's voice sounded out from the front of the mansion. Harry shot up like a spring and quickly made his way to the entrance hall just in time to see a yellow clothed Logan come through the front doors. Harry blinked. A blonde, tanned girl lay limp in his arms with torn clothing and messy hair. Harry could still see the faint signs of dried tears lingering on her face. A futuristic collar lay complacently around her neck.
"Hank!" Logan called again as he kicked the door closed behind him. Harry winced as the loud sound reached his sensitive ears. As a precaution against further noise, he laid them back against his head.
"He's downstairs in the medical ward." Harry murmured softly from his place in the hallway. Timidly, he stepped forward. "Is she okay? What happened?" Harry asked worriedly. Behind him, his black tail swished in agitation.
Logan blinked at the sight of Harry's small form before nodding in acknowledgement of Harry's information. He reached up a hand and pulled off his mask.
"Damn MRDs chased her down the streets till her fear triggered her powers. I had to use the mutant suppressant collar to stop her from turning Baltimore into her own personal anxiety volcano." Logan scoffed angrily as he activated the secret elevator down to the lower floors. The wall panel slid open without a single sound to reveal the steel interior of the elevator. "Never mind that she might as well be a Brazilian princess with diplomatic immunity twice over." Logan growled as he stepped into the elevator. He waited a moment as Harry stood there awkwardly before rolling his eyes. "Get in if you're coming, kid." Harry blinked before allowing just the slightest of smiles to grace his face. He stepped into the elevator happily, glad he wasn't being kept out of something so interesting just because he was a kid.
"Why are you telling me this? I though you didn't want me involved in the X-men." Harry asked cautiously. This was a little weird, considering Logan's aspirations concerning his involvement with the X-men (Or complete lack of).
"I don't but if I was stupid enough to let you see this, I'm not gonna be stupid enough to leave you to mischief afterwards. The air vents are rigged with traps and I don't want you trying to get into the basement through the hangar or any of the other passages. If you come with me, I can keep an eye on you. 'Sides, this isn't exactly dangerous. I'm just taking little miss," Logan lifted the unconscious girl slightly. "To see Hank for a checkup. She was running a while before I got to her. I wanna know if the MRDs managed to get a shot on her. Also, when she wakes up, she'll be more at ease seeing someone her own age."
"O-oh." Harry murmured. Harry's ears leaned further back on his head as he thought over what all had happened to the girl. Being chased through the streets like an animal or criminal sounded awful. Especially the last part. It reminded him too much of when he had blown up Aunt Marge or burned Professor Quirrell to death. Being pushed until you just couldn't be pushed any farther was an awful feeling and something in Harry's chest curled up at the thought of someone else feeling that kind of fear and hurt. Harry hoped that Logan was right about his being only a year or two younger would help her.
Still though, it felt nice for an adult to actually tell him what was going on for once. Logan obviously wasn't going to let Harry fight anytime soon (even though Harry totally could!) but he wasn't going to lie to him and shut him out when there was obviously something going on.
The elevator dinged before opening up to the underground base. Harry still had a hard time believing that the sleek, steel built, modern sci-fi looking base was under the institute. It just seemed like such a completely different would down here.
"Hank!" Logan shouted as he strode out of the elevator. "Where are you?" Logan demanded.
"Logan? What it is it?" Hank asked as he made his way out of one of the medical rooms. Through the plexiglass windows, an assortment of medication and medical tools could be seen spread about in different piles on the bed and other available spaces. The blue giant's eyes widened when he took in the damsel in Logan's arms. "What happened? Is she okay?"
"Don't know, Doc. That's why I need you to give her a checkup." Logan huffed out as he entered the adjacent medical room. Surprisingly careful, Logan laid the blond on the white hospital bed.
"O-oh, of course. I'll, ah, get to that." Hank blinked before quickly making his way to the other medical room. Dipping his hand into his pocket, Hank rapidly began pulling out various medical equipment like a stethoscope and some bandages. Harry watched with a form of strange amusement at the sheer amount of medical tape Hank removed from his pockets. Hank's amount of storage space in those things could rival a wizard's dimension stretching pockets.
Harry watched from the door way as Hank carefully checked her heart rate, blood pressure, and several other things before beginning to disinfect and bandage her scrapes and bruises.
"I'm going to go contact her dad. Make sure he's not about to declare war on the U.S." Logan looked over at Harry. "Stay here. If she wakes up make sure she knows where she is, that I brought her here, and that I'm calling her father to come get her. Hank, don't let her leave the institute until I get her father on the line." Hank raised a blue eyebrow.
"And exactly how am I supposed to keep a girl who literally personifies the unstoppable force of tectonic plates?" Hank asked. Logan glanced back on the way out of the room.
"She's wearing the collar, Hank. Unless you're unable to stop a teenage girl, I don't think you'll have much trouble." And with that parting shot, Logan Howlett stalked from the med bay. Harry sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. It seemed like he'd be waiting a while. Logan had implied that he wanted Harry to stay and watch over the girl.
Taking a closer look, Harry quickly familiarized himself with the girl's face. Still young with baby fat, the girl had a round face and short blonde hair. A blue clip held her bangs out of her way. A burned purple top covered her torso but was burned away at the shoulder to reveal a scandalous amount of flesh. The girl's jeans had probably been boot-cut at one point but were now reduced to shorts from where the bottom pants legs had been burned away. He feet were bare, but her toes sported green nail polish that matched her fingernail color. Harry looked over at Hank as the man continued to fuss about the teenager.
"Who is she?" Harry asked softly. He didn't want to disturb the girl. She probably needed her rest.
"Her name is Amara Aquilla. She's the daughter of a Brazilian politician and a powerful mutant who hails from a tribe living in the Brazilian forests. She used to attend school here, at the Xavier institute, but after the accident… she returned to live with her father in Brazil. This is the first contact we've had with her since then." Hank replied in an even tone. He had finished wrapping her injuries and had now begun to clean up his supplies.
"What was she doing in America then?" Harry asked in confusion. Surely, she should have been safe in her home country? Her father sounded like a powerful man.
"I'm not sure. Whatever it was, her diplomatic immunity should have been enough to allow her safety. Amara's not the type to use her powers on a whim. It's likely the MRDs were tipped off by some of her father's political enemies as a way to get at him." Hank finished putting his supplies in order and frowned down at the girl.
"Harry? Do you think you might have a few clothes to spare her? Not the underclothes of course, but perhaps a T-shirt and some jeans? You're both rather too slim and because you're younger than she is, you're about the same height as her." Harry blinked before nodding.
"Sure. I'll go get some now. She'll probably not like wearing those clothes once she wakes up." Harry turned and headed for the elevator.
A few hours later, and Harry was just as bored as he had been before Amara's unexpected arrival. He sat in a chair at her bedside with a book in his hands and a cramp in his tail. Hospital chairs were so uncomfortable!
Taking another fruitless stretch, Harry glanced out the window just in time to see Hank throw a box of (most likely expired) medical supplies out of the other medical room. After insuring that Amara wasn't in any danger, and that she had some clean clothes ready when she woke up, Hanks had asked Harry if he wouldn't mind watching over her until she work or until Hank was finished going through all the outdated medical supplies. At this rate, Harry wasn't sure which would happen first.
Harry's tail spasmed painfully and Harry had to fight the urge to stretch again. He gave another (he'd been doing it a lot today) sigh and glance back at Amara's calm eyes before looking down at his book-
"You're awake!" Harry gasped as he shot into the air. Indeed, Amara's sleepy eyes were now wide open as she watched him carefully. Though she wasn't outright fearful, Harry could definitely detect a good deal of wariness and anxiety from Amara's face. The Brazilian girl slowly levered herself into a sitting position but was careful to keep her gaze on Harry the entire time.
"Who are you?" Amara asked with a frown. Her softly accented voice wasn't hateful, but it wasn't kind either. Harry's ears swiveled back at her tone, but he tried to take no offense from it. If he woke up with a strange person in a strange place after something like that, he didn't think he'd be very bright or cheerful either.
"I-I'm Harry P- Er," Harry paused but couldn't bring himself to say either of the last names he could have chosen. Both of them could mean either for too much or far too little to this stranger. Instead he forced himself to continue on without stating a last name. "I'm Harry. I'm L-Logan's son." He murmured softly. Admitting it felt strange, but he knew he'd said the right thing when Amara relaxed slightly. "You don't have to be afraid. You're at the Xavier Institute and Dr. McCoy, you know, the blue guy?" Amara nodded. "He's in the other medical room sorting supplies. If you'll wait here a moment, I'll go get him." Harry murmured. He waited for her to nod her assent before carefully rising and leaving the room. Peering into the other medical room. Piles or disorganized wrappings and equipment greeted him. It looked as if a tornado had gone through the room. In fact, Harry couldn't even see the blue giant over the heaping mounds of medical records.
"Doctor McCoy? Aquilla's awake." He called carefully into the room.
"Ah, thank you, Harry. I'll be right there." Hank's voice rumbled from within the room. Suddenly, one of the mountains of miscellaneous medical supplies began to shake and tremble. Eyes widening, Harry took a step back and readied himself to grab his wand hidden in his lower pant leg. Luckily, there was no need. Blue fur shook off the medical stuff within a few seconds to leave Hank's furry form where there had only been a pile of junk.
Harry blinked. And blinked again. Weird. Maybe it was a mutant thing? Like how wizards had their wizard things?
Curious, but not thinking too deeply on it, Harry followed Hank back to Amara. Apparently, she'd taken the time to change while he'd been gone; she now wore his blue button up and black jeans.
"Amara, its good to see you awake. Are there any injuries I should know about? I bandaged what I could see." Hank greeted the girl with a smile. Amara grinned back as tension dripped away from her like water.
"Dr. McCoy!" She murmured joyfully. Amara stepped forward quickly and gave the blue furry giant a tight hug. Backing up, she looked over herself before shaking her head. "No, there's nothing serious. They didn't actually have time to start shooting at me. It was mostly just my bad running that got me this way. Its been a while since I've done any physical training." Amara explained in that soft, accented voice of hers. Though she still looked a little shaky, color was rapidly returning to her cheeks.
"Thank goodness." Hank murmured in relief. "Now, about getting you home." The Beast of Bayville continued, "Logan has been trying to get in touch with your father but hasn't been having much luck. That new secretary of his, Luka Honoura? Won't believe Logan when he says he knows your father. Do you know of a faster way to talk to him? We can always fly you back to Brazil ourselves in the Blackbird, but letting your father know you're okay would go a long way in avoiding an international incident."
"Ah," Amara blinked. "Yes, I have a personal number that I can call in emergencies. I can use that to tell him I'm alright. I just need to use a phone."
"That's a relief. Though…" Hank glanced back at his messy med bay. Then he looked over at the cat-eared teen. "Harry would you mind taking Amara up to use the mansion phone? The ones down here haven't been wired properly yet and I've still got a good bit of work ahead of me. Also, make sure Logan knows Amara's up."
"Y-yes sir." Harry mumbled before glancing over at Amara. She looked at him curiously and he shrugged. "Come on, I'll show you to the lift." Harry said. Making sure not to go too fast (she was unconscious just a few minutes ago), Harry led the Brazilian girl to the elevator. He typed in the password, stepped inside it with Amara, and hit the button for first floor.
"So… you're Logan's son?" Amara asked curiously.
"Um… yeah. Why?" Harry asked back. Was his being Logan's kid really that big of a deal? Even Bobby and Kitty had reacted to it with a shock and they were actually pretty cool with most things.
Amara was quick to blush.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be offensive. I was just curious. Logan's taught at the school for many years now. He's the one who taught the original X-men with Professor Xavier. I guess I was just wondering why he didn't have you with him then, though things were much safer, so I guess you must have been with your mom? From the way you talk she must have been… British?" Amara apologized before digging a little deeper into her curiosity.
Harry flinched slightly, and his tail curled around his waist uneasily. Of all the things to be curious about, it had to be this?
"Logan didn't know about me. And my mom is dead." He mumbled out while gazing resolutely at the wall away from Amara.
"O-oh! I'm so, so sorry!" Amara gasped out in horror. She hadn't meant to bring up what was clearly a touchy subject… she had just assumed…
"Its fine. You didn't know." Harry murmured. The elevator fell into silence. Finally, a soft ding signaled their arrival at the first floor. Harry was very happy to take the first step out of that awkwardness. Unfortunately, he hadn't been looking at where he was going because he ran right into something warm and fabric covered.
Looking up, Harry paled at the sight of red sunglasses and an unshaven face. With how tall and imposing her was, Harry realized quickly that he had run into the last unknown member of the X-men: Cyclops, or Scott Summers.
Harry had never before felt so clearly that he was staring death straight in the eye.